Is there such a thing as a colouring book with beautiful and arty pictures in? (or I would even settle for not just total shite, really)

[FrannyandZooey]

I am no doubt going to get laughed out of town for this but I find the standard of the artwork in children's colouring books really depressing. It is invariable the lowest common denominator and looks like it has been dashed off in 30 secs by a GCSE student. The subjects are mournfully bad as well - animals with big eyes and eyelashes, and today (this was the last straw) a boy eating candy floss standing on a cloud, floating in space.

There must be something better than this - where is it? Is it too much to hope that we could actually colour in something that looks nice?

Ds2 has a Charlie and Lola colouring book where you can finish off the pictures and draw what you imagine is happening on the page - it was from WHSmith and was £2.99. And he has a Very Hungry Caterpillar colouring/drawing book - your own version of the story book, which is just lovely (Smiths as well, iirc).

Somehow I knew this would be your thread! I found \link{this fairies one\www.fairiesworld.com/colouring-pictures.shtml for dd recently

Whoops, try again faries

fairies

Yes, GreenyFanjo was me. Greeny was being "NotQuiteCuntny" or words to that effect. We were having a little "dress up as someone else" sort of thing.

Ahem.

At any rate, no, neither of those are the one I was thinking of, it was more ... well, it was like "This book will change your life" or whatever that weird diary was called. I will find it, sometime.

They do look nice.

The Doodle book is by the same bloke (woman?) who did "Everybody Poops", so it has to be good.

I was using "fanjo" as couldn't bring self to put "cunt" in my name.

I am such a prude.

What sort of sex doctor for MN am I, anyway? Gah.

This is all fab and great timing, so thanks for starting it Franny! DD starts school in September adnd has to take acolouring book with her, to leave at school with her crayons. I guess to use at quiet times or wet breaks, etc. Been really uninspired with what is on offer so far. Impressed with some on these links.

I found this quote from an art teacher:

"Don't use colouring books. Colouring books have very little to do with art or self expression. They remove children from any association that they may have with a particular thing (a dog) and present a cliché or caricatured picture that children then have to colour in. Think of them as sweets or chocolate. Something your children may like, but are not very good for
them."

I like the comparison. I like colouring books, I find them quite soothing but am just sick of the naff content. Dp once had a colour your own Sistine Chapel ceiling ROFL maybe that would be a good alternative.

I think the uncolouring books are the way to go, with maybe a little detour into good quality colouring books on the way. After all, "colourist" is a legitimate and skilled occupation, I think?

Marthamoo you are spooky - I was about to recommend the Charlie and Lola 'I absolutely must do colouring in now or drawing or sticking' and 'the very hungry caterpillar' colouring book. Took both on camping holiday last week and they were well used.

Oh yeah - I used to have the National Gallery Children's book - that had some good stuff in it too.

colouring books are quite relaxing for kids though if hty just want to do something mindless

agree they are a bit crap though

Perhaps you are actually me. Or I am you. I am quite tall. And I camp. In a tent, not in a mincing about, John Inman, way.

I swear the people who design those colouring books are on LSD Franny - bloody awful, aren't they?

I've resorted to drawing my own pics for the kids to colour in.

And does anyone remember those fab really detailed colour-in posters you used to be able to get? Nowadays all you get is Winnie-the-Pooh with four cheap felt-tips that are the wrong colours and won't last five minutes . The only place I've seen them in is the card catalogue (what's it called? I know jimjams is an agent) - but they are about £12 each - the ones from my childhood were a lot less than that even allowing for inflation. Would love to get hold of some - great for holidays and rainy days

(Sorry Franny, I am such a gobshite when I've been at the vino, I'll shut up now )

I just think they are quite useful for passing the time, not to mention developing fine motor skills and encourage me to get involved with ds sitting at a table with soem pencils. Because there's only so many times you can say "Mmm, nice squiggle" without sounding a bit flat, IME.

maiou those posters are fabbo

dd2 got some for birthday

Phoenix trading?

Phoenix Cards, Miaou.

Yes, I remember those posters - they came in tubes. I had a huge doll's house one, so detailed, took me weeks to colour.

No no that was the type DP had, Miaou, it was called DoodleArt and he has just reminded me it was the Last Supper, not the Sistine Chapel. I am going googling, BRB...

ah yes phoenix, that 's it. Out of my budget range I'm afraid.

I'm in the middle of black-inking a street of houses which I will photocopy at work and give to my dds to colour in during our hols. I'm sure they'll enjoy it more than a bought one... (well they'd better anyway )

I am just coming up with a load of dead ends. The best thing about dp's was we actually took it on holiday with us one year and did it together sitting at the kitchen table in the holiday cottage. It was a hoot, but the best bit was we were using coloured pencils and leaning directly on the wooden table, so when we left there was a spooky indented image of Jesus and all the disciples imprinted into the table LOL

Often wondered if some poor holiday maker got freaked out by it afterwards

Franny - who wouldn't be freaked out by that kind of thing in a holiday cottage?

Yes imagine it slowly appearing to you over a hungover breakfast

You would be hard pushed to work out whether it was a genuine apparition designed to make you repent your wicked ways, or deliberately left there by a bible bashing landlord.

I am not sure which is scarier

More pretty pictures:

Fine art

William Morris

Chagall

and finally

The Cunt Colouring Book , which, somewhat disappointingly, has no pictures to look at on Amazon's website

my ds(5) loves his colouring book from tesco, it's illustrated by Terry Burton, but i can't find much on the net about him. they are really cute pics to colour. the standard of books is truly awful, some we've had look like they've taken about a min and the illustrator was worse for wear.