Why is colouring in good for de-stressing?

I am really lucky that I have my art to sustain me throughout lockdown. I honestly don’t know where I’d be without it. Let’s be honest there are only so many banana loves you can cook and consume! We have all spring cleaned, decorated, gardened, gone through the wardrobe, re-organised cupboards and reached a hiatus. So what to do next? This is where an art activity fits in seamlessly. It focusses the mind and is completely absorbing and if you are anything like me hours have gone by before you know it.

 I am a stained glass artist and found that after a few months I had lost the motivation to produce another piece of work. My craft fairs had stopped as had the workshops I run, so I looked at other mediums to get me motivated again. This is when I discovered Madhubani. I attended a Webinar and then studied the art form. It is a folk art that originated in the Mithila region of India created by the women of different communities.

The simplicity of the technique means it is available to everyone. An outline of a subject is drawn and then divided into sections. The sections are then filled in with a series of hatching designs and repeated patterns. The combinations are infinite. Once the patterns are drawn the picture is filled in with colours.

I have to admit I have become rather obsessed with the art form, so as the months crept by, and COVID had not gone away, I set myself the task of drawing an image a day throughout the month of November. I started with ‘Finlay Fish’ and traditional pictures then I applied the technique to my own subject matter. I have to say November flew by as I had a focus each day, which gave me a routine. I think it’s the lack of routine that adds to stress and anxiety and a loss of purpose. 

By the end of November I had a bank of pictures and wanted to share the experience of Madhubani by offering my designs to colour in as a starting point for other people’s journeys. In addition to colouring in the pictures in, you learn the technique and your own ideas will start to form. In my book the addition of a ‘Doodle Page’ gives you the opportunity to try out your own patterns and designs and create your own images. The colouring-in is just a springboard for your own creativity. There is an artist in all of us!