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Amelia’s Magazine | Sommarnatt by Hanna Karlzon: Colouring Book Review, Interview and Giveaway

Sommernatt giveaway blog
Sommarnatt is the second colouring book from Swedish artist Hanna Karlzon and has unsurprisingly been a runaway success with colourists across the world. Sommarnatt features summertime wonders of the natural world inspired by Hanna’s home in the North of Sweden, interspersed with a healthy dollop of fantasy: frogs carry many turreted houses on their backs, birds hoard gems and mice pluck stars from the sky. The luscious locks of beautiful women cascade across the pages, adorned with tattoos, piercings, flowers, feathers and beads. It’s a heady mix that is a joy to colour, and interspersed within this blog are many stunning examples finished by super talented colourists to further whet your appetite. Even more brilliantly, Hanna Karlzon and her publishers Pagina have very kindly gifted me a copy of this must have adult colouring book to give away.

hanna karlzon portrait

Winnie Fabellore

Zuzana Hánová 2
Zuzana Hánová

Susie Pala-Loir

Congratulations on your new book! It’s had a great reception in the colouring world, especially from American fans who are eagerly ordering the Swedish version. How does it feel to be so in demand?
Thank you! Well, what can I say, I’m grateful, I get to work every day with a thing I love, drawing, and it feels amazing that people all over the world want to buy and color in my books, but at the same time it feels kinda surreal, I guess maybe in a way I can’t really grasp it. And to be honest, I don’t think about it that much, I’m busy with work and everyday life, taking the kids to school, cleaning, thinking about what to make for dinner, haha, well, you know how it is. But as I said, I’m grateful, truly grateful.

Vicki Walsh

Zuzana Hánová 3
Zuzana Hánová

Stace Bosworth

Shannen Pollard

Some of the most popular pages have been portraits of beautiful women, where do you find inspiration for their unique styling?
I just draw things I like and that’s the uncomplicated secret behind the “styling” I guess. I have always been into expressing myself with my clothes and accessories and growing up I was a punk rocker (I still am, at heart), changing my hair color every week haha, so I have never been timid when it comes to appearance, I like it when people stand out of a crowd, and maybe that shines through in my drawings. And well, I love art nouveau and find much inspiration in that style, and jewelry, diamonds, gems, anything that sparkles is super fun to draw so I just add that to the mix. And then the “tattoos” and piercings, I have tattoos myself and I have had many piercings so once again it just comes back to the simple fact that I like these things. And yes, I know that some people don’t like that I add tattoos and piercings to ladies in my books, I get comments about that, and I understand, we all have different preferences, but at the same time I have to stay true to what’s me, the things I like, and keep doing that. If I don’t, there will be no soul in the drawings.

Carly Argent

Sheryn Yeoh
Sheryl Yeoh

Meg How
Meg How

Robyn Lipner

What pages did you most enjoy producing in this book and why?
Hard to say really, I enjoyed all of them, in different ways. I mix simple and more difficult designs in my books and that’s the way I like to work, some days I like drawing really detailed stuff and other days I want to draw more simple designs. It’s just a way to keep my creativity going and in the end I think it makes for a good mix of drawings in my books.

Zuzana Hánová
Suzana Hánová

Dolly Wong

Ellen Scholten-Franke

Caroline Wikström

What are your favourite type of plants and flowers to draw and why?
I mostly draw plants that you can find in nature around here in the north of Sweden, where I live. It’s the plants and flowers that I have had around me since I was a kid. Growing up, during the summers, I remember that we played in big fields of high fireweeds, my grandma loved fuchsias and had big pots of them in front of her house and in the ditches along the forest roads the lupines grew wild and free. And, that’s what I draw, the flowers, plants, nature, that is close to my heart.

Rebecca Holloway

Sara Strömnes

Sandra Zahavah Whibberley
Sandra Zahavah Wibberley

Pauline Sps

I understand the publication of the US version has been postponed so that the publisher can find better quality paper. I bet this is a relief! How much say do you have over paper choices and graphic design?
Well about the graphic design and layout of the books, I do all that myself in InDesign, but concerning the cover, of course I cooperate with my publisher to find a layout we both like. With Dagdrömmar, my first book, I was the one to decide what measurements I wanted for the book, hard or soft cover, font etc. and I liked how that book turned out so I have kept the same layout for my other books. When it comes to the paper in the books, in the Swedish edition it is my publisher Pagina that decides what paper to use, and it’s a really good paper they have chosen so I’m happy with that. When it comes to all the translations of the books, it’s again my Swedish publisher that has all the connections and dialogues with the translating publishers so I’m not really involved in that process. But I know that Pagina recommends all the translating publishers to use the same layout, the same paper etc. as in the Swedish books but in the end not all translating publishers choose to do that.

Pia Hultin

Morena Vajak

Pia Hultin

Lynne Wood

With the success of your colouring books have you become more in demand for other types of illustration work? Have you got time to do anything else? If so what?
I have been running my own business for about 3 years now so I didn’t start up from scratch doing coloring books, I have made lots of other stuff before that. Illustrations for magazines, pattern design for wallpapers, textiles, wallpaintings to name a few, but right now I only have time to work on my upcoming books. I can’t fit anything else in, but I do get a lot of questions about commissions that I sadly have to turn down. (I surely could use some more hours every day!) But, after these books are done I hope there will pop up some interesting stuff for me to do, maybe some more pattern design, that would be super fun!

Lilian Alves

Jessica Henson

Hazel Smithies

Becky Raine

I hear your new colouring book is called Magical Dawn? It sounds really exciting, what can we expect from this one?
Yes, it will be called Magisk gryning in Swedish, (Magical dawn). In my last book, Sommarnatt (Summernight), I really wanted to focus and find my inspiration in the nature here in the north of Sweden where I live. In Magical dawn it’s still all about the nordic nature but I have added more magic, potions, spells and even more ladies, so I hope you will like that!

Anita Malkhandi

Carly Argent

Carina Wallengren

Beth Oram

You also have another small postcard book in the works, how will this follow on from the previous one?
Yes I’m also working on a new postcard book with a winter theme, (like Vinterdrömmar that many of you might know about). This postcard book will be called Vinternatt (Winter night) and contains 20 designs that will be perfect for coloring this fall /winter. It’s not pure Christmas designs, with Santa and stuff like that, instead, think about a dark, crisp winter night with sparkling stars and magical animals, that’s what you will get in Vinternatt!

Carly Argent

Holly Thompson

Jennifer Lyons

So, I guess this was the last question! Thank you for having me and thank you all for coloring in my books, you are the best! *it’s been an absolute pleasure!* – Amelia x

You can follow Hanna Karlzon on facebook here and instagram here, where she showcases many sneak peaks of her new work. Buy Hanna’s books at the Pen Store. Gibbs Smith will publish in the US (and other english speaking countries) in August. To win your copy of the Sommarnatt please visit this post on my Facebook Page and leave a comment or a sticker. The winner will be chosen at random on Sunday 24th July. Open to UK readers only (if you are based abroad and would like to enter then please be prepared to pay for postage, which could be up to £12: it is a heavy book. If someone based abroad is chosen then I’ll wait 2 days for postage payment before drawing another winner). Good Luck!

Many thanks to the members of the following Facebook colouring groups for the use of their beautiful coloured pages:
Daydreams Colouring (fans of Hanna Karlzon, Dagdrömmar and Sommarnatt)
Hanna’s Coloring Creations
Coloring Creations
Adult Colouring Book Reviews

Matilda Furness

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday July 4th, 2016 7:36 pm

Categories ,Adult Coloring Books, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Adult Colouring Book Reviews, ,Coloring Book, ,Colouring, ,Dagdrömmar, ,Gibbs Smith, ,Giveaway, ,Hanna Karlzon, ,illustration, ,interview, ,Magical dawn, ,Magisk gryning, ,Pagina, ,Pen Store, ,Sommarnatt, ,Swedish, ,Vinterdrömmar, ,Vinternatt

Amelia’s Magazine | Scandia by Zeena Shah: Colouring Book Review, Interview and Giveaway

Scandia WIN BOOK review
It’s not just illustrators getting in on the act! I was super excited to hear that the talented textile designer Zeena Shah has produced a colouring book of intricately drawn pages inspired by her interest in nature, folk art and Scandinavian iconography. Best known for her instantly recognisable textile designs and frequent print workshops, Zeena has produced a book that is every bit as fabulous as you would expect it to be, chock full of decorative patterns and beautiful imagery. The paper cut cover of Scandia is a particularly unusual and beautiful choice for a colouring book and is sure to make it stand out as something a little bit special. Would you like to win a copy of this beautiful book? Read on to find out how, this giveaway is OPEN WORLDWIDE thanks to the kinds folks at LOM Art, an imprint of Michael O’Mara.

Scandia by Zeena Shah review 9
When did you first cook up the idea of a colouring book and why did you settle on a Scandinavian theme?
Almost immediately after i’d just finished the final edits of my first book How to Print Fabric publishers Michael O’Mara got in touch about the possibility of an adult colouring in book. They had seen my illustrations and loved my Scandinavian inspired style. I’ve always been drawn to Scandi style so it was a perfect fit and extension of what I already do.

Scandia by Zeena Shah review 7
How long has it taken to put together and what was the process of working with Michael O’Mara?
It was a very quick process as I had a very tight deadline (all my own doing as my first book had just been published so I was busy juggling that as well as creating new work). I turned around all of the illustrations within a month or two of signing the book deal. It was such a lovely project to work on and a real joy to be able to draw everyday so I really enjoyed it even though the timing was tight. MOM were a dream to work with, they really understood my handwriting and we were in touch throughout the whole process from the first rough to the first paper cut sample of the book cover.

Scandia by Zeena Shah review
You trained in textiles at Chelsea, what did your studies do to prepare you for the working world?
I studied Textile Design at Chelsea School of Art and as much as I loved every minute of the course in all honesty it really didn’t prepare me for the real design world. It was a bit of a shock when I left art school and started working for various design studios and realised the reality was very different to the experimental art school mentality. I would encourage everyone to get out there and do as much work experience/interning as they can during their courses to prepare them for the industry, make those contacts. I feel so very lucky to be able to make a living running a creative business and doing what I love.

Scandia by Zeena Shah review 1
Who or what has most influenced your artistic style?
Nature and the everyday is a huge influence on my artistic style. I love to draw what I see and take inspiration from the things around me. There is an illustration of some leaves in Scandia that come from leaves I collected on my walk to the studio through Hackney Downs park. I’m always that crazy person collecting things on the street. I also collect a lot of vintage textiles and am obsessed with Vera Neumann‘s beautiful printed scarves. Her work is always an inspiration.

Scandia by Zeena Shah review 8
What is it about the actual print process that you love so much?
I love working with my hands and creating with a definite process, a start and finish. All of my screen prints will begin with a drawing that might then be papercut to create stencils or exposed onto a silk screen using a light sensitive emulsion which will then be screen printed. It’s the immediacy of this process that excites me. You can very quickly create print upon print once you have your design.

Can you tell us a bit more about your previous book?
My first book How to Print Fabric was published in October last year. It is a collection of 40 print and sew projects for the complete beginner. I wanted to create a book that would make the world of printing onto fabric really accessible to everyone. It shows you how you can use everyday household objects to create beautiful print designs and what to do with them in a straightforward and fun way. One of my favourite projects is a laundry bag you can print using a toilet roll.

Scandia by Zeena Shah review 4
You are very busy with a lot of creative projects, how do you juggle your many projects?
Haha, I think I am just one of those people that like working on a million things at once. I always seem to be working on ten things at once as opposed to just one. I try to be as organised as a one woman band can be and have now started to outsource the production of my printed homeware collection to free up time for more creative projects and illustration commissions. I couldn’t live without my ical!

Scandia by Zeena Shah review 3
Can you tell us a bit more about some of your favourite events and projects?
I’m especially enjoying running my screen printing workshops at them moment. I really challenge people on a Monday evening to get out of their comfort zones and create something that really get’s them thinking in a different way to how they usually do and the results are amazing. Every class is filled with such talented folks and everyone’s print designs are always so unique. Another favourite at the moment is turning my illustrations for Scandia into some screen printed tote bags and paper prints to celebrate the launch party. Postcards, tote bags and more will be on the way soon.

Scandia by Zeena Shah review 2
Do you colour yourself, and if so what do you like to colour and what mediums do you use?
Before illustrating Scandia I hadn’t gotten into the craze for colouring in, my sister has always been a huge fan but I never seemed to find the time. Over Christmas I sat down and coloured in one of my favourites and used a mixture of graphite pencils, colouring pencils and sharpies. I really like sharpies or felt pens as they give such a lovely sold block colour which is what I’m always drawn to in my printmaking. I would like to try watercolours next time I have a moment though…

Scandia by Zeena Shah review 5
What is your next project, and can we expect a follow up colouring book?
Fingers crossed for another colouring book in the future, I have some commissions keeping me busy next and am working on a new collection of limited edition screen printed paper and textile goods readly for later this year.

To win a copy of Scandia head on over to my Facebook Page HERE and leave a comment or sticker. And tell all your friends because the giveaway is OPEN WORLDWIDE! A winner will be drawn at random on Sunday 26th June 2016. You can buy Scandia on Amazon. Please consider using my links to help support the running costs for this website.
Buy from Amazon UK here.
Buy from Amazon US here.
Find more of Zeena’s work here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday June 15th, 2016 2:25 pm

Categories ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Chelsea School of Art, ,Coloring Book, ,Colouring Book, ,Giveaway, ,Hackney Downs, ,How to Print Fabric, ,illustration, ,interview, ,LOM Art, ,Michael O’Mara, ,MOM, ,Scandia, ,Textile Design, ,Vera Neumann, ,Zeena Shah

Amelia’s Magazine | Magisk Gryning by Hanna Karlzon: Exclusive Interview and Worldwide Giveaway

Magisk Gryning Giveaway copy
Magisk Gryning Guðrún Þóra Gunnarsdóttir
Guðrún Þóra Gunnarsdóttir

It’s no great secret that I’m a massive fan of Hanna Karlzon‘s wonderful drawings, so I’m thrilled to share my latest catch up, wherein she talks about her new book Magisk Gryning, a magical exploration of all things otherworldly. Best of all, I have managed to secure a chance for you to win your very own copy, and the giveaway is open WORLDWIDE, so if you are still eagerly awaiting it’s release in your country this is your chance to get Magical Dawn, as it is to be called for the English speaking market… just read to the bottom to find out how… and enjoy the wonderful coloured pages from the book on your way (colourists credited below each one.)

Magisk Gryning Claire Eadie
Claire Eadie

Magisk Gryning Zuzana Hánová
Suzana Hánová

Magisk Gryning Tímea Kalakai
Tímea Kalakai

How do you start the creative process each day – for example do you lay out all your implements, or do you start with research for that particular project?
Well making colouring books is a long process, at least for me. It takes me about 5 months to complete a colouring book so I just take it day by day not to get overwhelmed with the amount of work. I try to make one page a day but since I also make all the layout design for my books myself; some weeks I work a lot by my computer and some weeks I only use pen and paper and draw. It’s a mix. And I have my office that I go to every day so I just pick up where I left the day before. I mostly start my days answering emails and messages and taking a look at my Facebook and Instagram and after that I listen to music or podcasts and draw, draw, draw. When I work with the coloring books many days contain the same kind of work, since it’s about 100 drawings that I need to make, but luckily it never gets boring, at least not yet anyways.

Magisk Gryning Stina Gustavsson
Stina Gustavsson

Magisk Gryning Siv Stenseth
Siv Stenseth

Magisk Gryning Sirpa Seppälä
Sirpa Seppälä

Magisk Gryning Liz Moore 2
Liz Moore

What are your favourite motifs to draw at the moment and why?
Well I love to draw people and jewels, crowns and all things that sparkle. I don’t really know why, maybe because its something that you can alter and change every time, there are no rules or regulations, I just draw whatever comes to mind. But it’s also fun to draw birds, and mushrooms, and flowers and I like to mix it up, one day I draw a really detailed illustration with lots and lots of stuff everywhere and the next day I draw something more simple and clean. I need to mix it up like that to make it fun for myself in the work process, but I also think it’s good because that gives my books a diversity of illustrations, a range, from quite hard and detaild pages to easier more simple pages and I know a lot of people like that. Somedays you just want to color something small and simple, like a beetle maybe, and other days you just want to go all in on a big detailed spread, and it’s the same for me, somedays I go simple and somedays I go all in.

Magisk Gryning Péťa Luky Ratajovi
Péťa Lukt Ratajovi

Magisk Gryning Megan Silcox
Megan Silcox

Magisk Gryning Maria Ronessen Pain
Maria Ronessen Pain

Magisk Gryning Maria Ludvigsen
Maria Ludvigsen

Do you have any current plans beyond colouring books? (for instance further products featuring the images from your books?) I know you’ve been very tied up but your work has become so very popular that I imagine you must have plans for the future!
Well before I started making colouring books I made a lot ot pattern design, for fabric, wallpaper etc and I would love to go back and work more with that in the future. I miss making patterns!
And not many may know this but when I started my own business my main focus then was to sew and screen print clothes with my own designs. I made tank tops, leggings, scarfs, totebags and other stuff and sold them in my own webshop. After a while though I started to focus on just designing the prints and that lead me to making illustrations and patterns instead (to cut a long story short) but I miss screen printing and I would really like to start doing that again too. And yes, talking about my webshop, I plan to get it up and running again sometime this year, kind of a re-launch since it has been dozing for a year or two whilst I have been super busy with my books. So, there are many things I want to do but as usual I don’t know what I will end up doing, I just go with the flow.

Magisk Gryning Margo Daniels
Margo Daniels

Magisk Gryning Liz Moore
Liz Moore

Magisk Gryning Lucy Fyles
Lucy Fyles

Magisk Gryning Maja Bergsten
Maja Bergsten

Did you learn anything specific from your research for Magisk Gryning and if so what?
I don’t know if I could say that I do a lot of research when I make a book. I just draw what pops up in my head but I always try to have a local, northern Sweden, feeling in my illustrations, I try to use the animals, flowers and elements of nature that can be found here, where I live. But yes I space out sometimes, we don’t have mushrooms with stars on them or squirrels that run around with little jackets on but you know what I mean, the core of my inspiration will always be my home and the nature around me.

Magisk Gryning Linda Russo
Linda Russo

Magisk Gryning Kicki Rolandsson
Kicki Rolandsson

Magisk Gryning Jenny Ågren
Jenny Ågren

Magisk Gryning Jennifer Lyons
Jennifer Lyons

Have you learnt anything from the fans in your Facebook groups and on instagram and if so what?
Well yes, I have learned that creativity is something we all need, regardless of where in the world we live, it is a common ground that makes us meet and come together regarding of age, nationality, gender etc. We all need to express ourselves and colouring books are a great way of doing that. Seeing the coloring community growing every day and all the new friendships that are being made online is truly super amazing!

Magisk Gryning Hazel Smithies
Hazel Smithies

Magisk Gryning Ingrid Rockx
Ingrid Rockx

Magisk Gryning Julianna Blumenthal Kahn
Julianna Blumenthal Kahn

Magisk Gryning Elzelina Kriek-Breet
Elzelina Kriek-Breet

Can you tell us more about your new hobbies, including root binding – how does it work? It’s not something I’m very familiar with! What makes it so engaging?
Root binding is something I have been doing for about a year and a half. It’s a really old handicraft that you can use to make items like boxes, bowls and jewellery from thin birch roots. It is really, really time consuming, it takes hours and hours to make a small bowl but it’s so much fun. You gather the roots in the forest in spring/summer and then you can store them all dried up and when you want to use a root you put it in water and after a while it gets all soft and you can use it for your craft. And it’s something special working with your hands, creating something that you can see and touch, and since I have never fallen for knitting or crochet, like so many others have, I have really found something in root binding. And I love the fact that you use something as natural as roots for your work and that’s it, nothing else, just roots. It’s just old school, back to basics and that just strikes a chord in my history nerd heart.

Magisk Gryning Grisell Martinez
Grisell Martinez

Magisk Gryning Doerte Ef
Doerte Ef

Magisk Gryning Christy Whetten
Christy Whetten

Magisk Gryning Anita Malkhandi
Anita Malkhandi

As always it’s a pleasure to catch up with you and I can’t wait to see your new book TideVarv, good luck with finishing it off!
Thank you all for supporting me and my work!! /Hanna

Magisk Gryning Beth Oram
Beth Oram

Magisk Gryning Ann-Sofie Younis
Ann-Sofie Younis

Magisk Gryning Angela E. Colagross
Angela E. Colagross

Magisk Gryning Aline Ferreira
Aline Ferreira

Magisk Gryning Agnes Perger
Agnes Perger

Magisk Gryning Robyn Lipner
Robyn Lipner

Magisk Gryning Marianne Lindahl
Marianne Lindahl

Magisk Gryning Е. Я.
Е. Я.

Magisk Gryning is currently only available for international buyers from Penstore, but shipping costs have gone up recently, so be warned! Many thanks to the awesome colourists of the Facebook group Daydreams Colouring (fans of Hanna Karlzon, Dagdrömmar and Sommarnatt) Why not join the group yourself?

To be in with a chance to win a copy of Magisk Gryning visit my Facebook Page for Amelia’s Magazine here and be sure to leave a comment before midnight on Sunday 26th February 2016 (GMT). Open Worldwide. Good luck!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday February 8th, 2017 10:07 pm

Categories ,Adult Coloring, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Coloring for Adults, ,Dagdrömmar and Sommarnatt), ,Daydreams Colouring (fans of Hanna Karlzon, ,Giveaway, ,Hanna Karlzon, ,interview, ,Magical dawn, ,Magisk gryning, ,Penstore

Amelia’s Magazine | Gulliver’s New Travels by James Gulliver Hancock: Colouring Book Review, Interview and Giveaway

JAMES GULLIVER HANCOCK GIVEAWAY BLOG
James Gulliver Hancock has produced the most wonderful colouring adventure inspired by his namesake. Gulliver’s New Travels: Colouring in a New World is a glorious book filled with images inspired by a mix of reality and fantasy… dive in and let your imagination run wild! I’m giving away FIVE COPIES of this book, so make sure you hop on over to my Facebook Page HERE and leave a comment saying what you like best about this book to be in with a chance to win… better still, the giveaway is OPEN WORLDWIDE!

James Gulliver Hancock colouring book review cover

I believe you kept one of the very first drawings you ever made in kindergarten, a super complex cityscape. Where is it now and would we recognise it as your work now?
I did indeed, unfortunately I can’t actually find it at the moment, it’s buried deep in my mother’s attic somewhere. I do however vividly remember what it looked like. It was so important as when I drew it I was basically drawing to avoid doing any of the other tasks at school – a cunning plan which has basically been the case for the rest of my life. So yes I’d recognise the drawing, but style wise I feel like children’s drawing can be quite similar. I’m a massive fan of children’s drawings and ‘outsider art’ or ‘folk art’. I do a project with my brother: tomandjamesdraw.com, where we draw together and he teaches me a lot about relaxing and going back to that early stage of drawing without thinking, stepping away from representation and communication and into something super personal.

James Gulliver Hancock colouring book review coloured by Amelia Impey
Gulliver’s New Travels coloured by Amelia Impey.

Did your name have any bearing on your decision to make your new colouring book? (do you have a special affinity with the tale?!)
I have a long running affinity with the name Gulliver. It was given to me by my father, and I’ve always felt a connection to the fantastical travels that Gulliver goes on, how he perceives the world around him in such an interesting way and has such a wonder filled journey. The publisher and I brainstormed this concept of ribbing of Swift’s original and I loved the idea, especially as I was travelling for most of the creation of the books illustrations.

James Gulliver Hancock Gullivers New Travels
You are widely travelled – where and when and why have you been happiest on your travels?
I have specific memories, like sitting along on a grassy patch on the side of a swiss mountain with the most amazing salami in my picnic, and also then returning to that spot with my wife and being magically followed all day by a herd of goats and jumping around the rocks with the young ones. I think I became infatuated with travel from a young age, the feeling of being on the road, that is such a cliché, is so powerfull, so romantic, so thrilling. I remember being happy arriving in towns not knowing anything, not knowing my way around, or where to stay or what to eat, it is extremely liberating and the furthest possible position from day to day repetitive lifestyles.

James Gulliver Hancock colouring book review London
Being stuck on a sinking boat does not sound like much fun. Can you tell us more about that adventure and whether you did manage to save your sketchbook?
Well it wasn’t actually sinking. I was 1⁄2 way through my overland journey from Sydney, Australia to London, England. I was crossing from Japan to Russia, and we were hit by a typhoon. Having just come from the meek and wonderful people of Japan I was already struggling with the burly Russians aboard the boat, but when the storm hit I was on the floor reeling with all the anxieties of the trip. The ships nurse gave me a sedative and all I remember was the army official coming into the room to tighten the window with a huge wrench and then dreaming of an archipelago. I also remember not being that worried about the sinking of the ship, that it would all work out and the freedom of travel had liberated me from the fear of losing anything important. The only think I felt nervous about was my sketchbook and remember devising plans in my delirium to keep it safe.

James Gulliver Hancock colouring book review coloured by Susannah Coleman
Gulliver’s New Travels coloured by Susannah Coleman

What kind of artist residencies have you taken part in in Europe and what was your favourite? And why?
My first European residency was in Vienna. They have a large apartment building which is mostly unused during the winter so I was lucky enough to get an apartment in the centre of the city with a small studio. After this one I also took a residency at the Cite Des Arts in Paris. Both were amazing experiences. I think for a young artist it was transformative to be recognised for my work internationally and be encouraged to come to a new place and make work. It perfectly fit into my dream of making work and travelling. These two residencies where different experiences, in Vienna I was totally left to my own devices, and in Paris I was too a bit, but it is such an established artsit hub in Paris, of all disciplines, so I was waking up to opera scales being sung, and hanging out in other artists studios.

James Gulliver Hancock Gullivers New Travels
Can you tell us more about your epic journey from Australia to the UK?
It was indeed epic, I was working in a design company, and hating it, so one day I drew a line from Sydney to London and started to work out how I could do it without taking any flights. Also having gone back and forth from the UK to Australia with my family, I really wanted to feel what it was like to actually travel that distance on the ground. It was a funny sensation to go to the train station in Sydney and realise I was wanting to get to the UK from there, it was very romantic. So yes, I rode the train all the way up to the top of australia through the desert. No here’s the only hitch, I was going mad in Darwin, it was so hot and humid I think I was loosing my mind, so I did book a flight, just over to Singapore. Funnily enough I felt guilty I missed Indonesia and came back there later in life to fill in the gap. I tried really hard to get a boat over to Asia, but it just didn’t come together. From there on I went up through South East Asia, all the way into China, caught a boat to Japan, another boat over to russia, then all the way over Russia on the trans siberian, then through Scandanavia and down through the heart of Europe and into the channel tunnel to London. All in all I think it took around 6 months, and it was probably one of the most formative things I did in my early career. I kept a diary and sketchbook the whole time and a lot of work still draws from those experiences, including this recent colouring book.

James Gulliver Hancock colouring book review landscape
And how have your travels influenced your work?
When you travel there are so many little moments and experiences that you collect and remember. I find these always make it into my work, whether it’s a vague sense of the hustle and bustle of a particular town, or a specific type of car or building that I fell in love with drawing. When I travel I’m always collecting the things around me in my sketchbook, drawing the objects and experiences obsessively. I find this really helps me look, and remember them. Even if I’m just drawing the glass of water next to my bed in Vietnam, that drawing usually promts a whole flood of memories when I revisit it later. Drawing and travel is amazing like that. I think it’s much more powerful than a photo.

James Gulliver Hancock colouring book review coloured by Amy Poole
Gulliver’s New Travels coloured by Amy Poole

Which of your own stories have fed into the original tale of Gulliver and how have you married the two?
Well there is the obvious reference of playing with scale. Throughout the book you’ll see big hands and feet aswell as little people navigating the world around them. And I think this is a great representation of travel, that constantly shifting feeling of the overwhelming nature of the surroundings coupled with the feeling of confidence. There are also references to specific Gulliver’s Travel tales such as the little boat being pushed which I might have referenced as I delved into the sinking typhoon boat story. But there are also just stories relevant to me, such as the little man riding the airport luggage cart, which my 4 year old loves to do.

James Gulliver Hancock colouring book review studio
How long did it take you to create this book and what was your favourite part of the process?
I was lucky enough to be travelling as I made this book, so it really felt genuine that I was keeping a log of the expriences around me, and marrying them with Gulliver’s Travels and my previous travels made it feel super relevant and important to me. I love all the aspects of working, generating the ideas, pulling them together, and drawing the final art. It was great to have a project like this that required so much detail and time so I could sit and almost meditate while I drew. The colouring in phenomena has been coupled with a ‘mindfulness’ attitude which I think is great, as it is an experience I have when I’m drawing and working in general, so I’m excited my audience will get to maybe experience that sensation too.

James Gulliver Hancock colouring book review city
What kind of media did you use to create the lines and what scale did you work at?
I keep it very simple, regular paper, regular pencils. Once I’m done I scan it in and all I do is clean it up a little bit. Nothing too fancy.

Have you seen many coloured versions of the pages yet? And if so where?
I haven’t! I really would love people to post their interpretations of my drawings, maybe instagram? Tag me, I’m @gulliverhancock

James Gulliver Hancock Gullivers New Travels 5
You have a staggering (and aspirational) client list. How hard has it been to get recognition and success as an illustrator? And any tips for others just starting out?
I always say that the majority of my recognition and clients have come from my obsession with making my own work. I feel like the ‘ All the Buildings in New York ‘ project and book was a big turning point. That project I started just to document my surroundings for theraputic reasons, and it got so much exposure that people all around the world were introduced to my work. I think my focus on making work and showing it to people is really how I got here. I work all day every day, drawing and making, I think if you are that obsessive and dilligent people eventually start to take notice.

You are incredibly prolific, how do you manage your time when you have multiple projects on the go?
I love having multiple things happening at the same time. I’ve always made sure I have personal projects that fill up any gaps in client work. I have less and less of this ‘free time’ now but I also try to mix it up by doing other things with my hands, ceramics, wood work, cooking etc. I hate having nothing to do, it makes me anxious, and if I don’t make something everyday I get depressed pretty quick. Again, the obsession serves me well.

James Gulliver Hancock colouring book review pavilion
How do you juggle your life between Sydney and New York?
I do like to mix it up. It was always my dream to have a career that sent me around the world. After all my travels New York was probably the most exciting for my career, and Sydney is my home so we try and go back and forth as much as possible. My wife is a musician ( lenkamusic.com ) so she tours in the US a lot also, so it’s good for both of us to spread our time between the two continents.

James Gulliver Hancock Gullivers New Travels
What have you been most proud of in your career and why?
I’m most proud that I set out to make a career from making things and travelling and it’s managed to come together. I love that I’ve taken my personal quirks and desires and made it into a business.

James Gulliver Hancock colouring book review coloured by Colette Whitehouse
Gulliver’s New Travels coloured by Colette Whitehouse

How do you connect to a deeper conceptual or philosophical meaning in your artworks?
I always try and gather information as widely as I can, whether that be articles online about space, or podcasts about economics. Growing up with a psychologist for a mother meant I was always deconstructing my personality, and I think I put that into my work a lot. She also had a library of books on the self and psychology philosophy which I used to dive in and out of and get my mind blown growing up. I’ve always tried to gather wide explorations into my work, whether people see it in the end product or not, it’s important to me to keep my interest to have some deeper investigation underneath it all.

Lastly, where can we find you online?
Jamesgulliverhancock.com,
allthebuildingsinnewyork.com,
Instagram: @gulliverhancock

Gulliver’s New Travels: Colouring in a New World is published by Batsford Books, and can be purchased from here on Amazon UK. The book is published by Barron’s Educational Series in the US and has a slightly different cover. It is available from Amazon US here as Gulliver’s New Travels: Coloring in a New World. Win your very own copy of this book by telling me what you like best about this book in the comments on my Facebook Page HERE. Up to FIVE winners will be picked at random on Friday 27th May (the more comments, the more I giveaway). OPEN WORLDWIDE.

James Gulliver Hancock Gullivers New Travels
I have recently signed up as an Amazon affiliate, so if you would like to buy this book please do consider using my links, and help support Amelia’s Magazine. I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday May 20th, 2016 11:44 am

Categories ,@gulliverhancock, ,Adult Coloring Book, ,Adult Colouring Books, ,australia, ,Barron’s Educational Series, ,Batsford Books, ,Cite Des Arts, ,Colouring Book, ,Facebook, ,Facebook Giveaway, ,Giveaway, ,Gulliver’s New Travels, ,Lenka Music, ,New York. London, ,paris, ,review, ,Vienna, ,Win

Amelia’s Magazine | Blomstermandala by Maria Trolle: Colouring Book Review, Interview and Giveaway

Blomstermandala Maria Trolle giveaway review
Maria Trolle is the creator of the wonderful images in the Blomstermandala series of books: a graphic designer, gardener, mother and all round amazing lady, she lives in a stunning location that influences all aspects of her life. Her publisher Pagina is based in Sweden, but she has deservedly garnered many fans from around the world. Read on to find out more about her life and inspiration – and discover how you can win yourself a copy of the beautiful Blomstermandala Målarbok.

Maria Trolle photo
Your work is stunning, for those who might not have heard of you can you tell us a bit more about your career to date?
Thank you. I am a self taught artist and an educated Graphic designer. I work mainly with illustration for different customers at the moment. Besides my publisher Pagina/Printworks I do drawings for a large Swedish garden magazine and a major grocery chain amongst others. And I work a lot with package design too. I also do graphic designs for books, lately my own books of course.

Blomstermandala susie_pala_Loir3
Blomstermandala coloured by Susie Pala-Loir

There are now a few different versions of Blomster Mandala, can you explain what is on offer and a few of the differences, as it could be a bit confusing for those new to your work?
I have understood that some people have found it confusing that my three coloring books are all called Blomstermandala, the first book I made with Pagina was the tavelbook/posterbook with 20 pages on really thick paper that you can pull out and put up on the wall. Three of these are photographed flowermandalas/flowerstillifes which I made from real flowers. We also made a postcard book with the same motives. Since these books sold well, we decided to make a full-scale coloring book, 96 pages but with the same theme and with some of the drawings that where in the 20 pages poster book. This is the way Pagina has made books with Hanna Karlzon (of Daydreams fame) aswell, only with here the full-scale coloring book came before the poster book. This new 96 pages coloring book is the one with the bunny on front. I have also made a japanese version of Blomstermandala, and in fact it is quite different too with some other motifs and a little less animals. It is called Wildflowers and is 80 pages.

Blomstermandala Chris_Cheng7
Blomstermandala Chris_Cheng6
Blomstermandala Chris_Cheng4
Blomstermandala coloured by Chris Cheng

Are your flowers drawn from photos, memory or reality? Or a mix of all?!
When I’m drawing a flower I have’nt drawn before I always look at plenty of images (since most of the time you can’t look at them live) and then draw. But when I have drawn a flower a bunch of times I can draw it out of memory.

Blomstermandala Morena_vajak4
Blomstermandala Morena_Vajak5
Blomstermandala coloured by Morena Vajak

Blomstermandala Terry Cochran
Blomstermandala coloured by Terry Cochran

How do you find the inspiration for the arrangements of your floral mandalas and whimsical creatures?
We have loads of real life creature inspiration in my garden, pretty much all animals that are in the book have visited our garden. We have made a better fence this year so hopefully we don’t have to have the deers eating our roses this year. And the hares munching on our kale… And the fox stealing our shoes and leaving smelly poo in the lawn… But they are beautiful, just not in our garden.

Blomster Mandala Sheila Strow Pechman
Blomstermandala coloured by Sheila Strow Pechman

Blomster Mandala Deidre Stewart
Blomstermandala coloured by Deidre Stewart

Nature is clearly a big influence, where and when are you happiest in nature?
I love strolling in our garden and looking at all new things that starts to bloom. Having a garden is blessing. It is so fascinating this season and all the way to winter, because it is constantly changing. But from time to time I tend to get a bit blind to all the beauty and only see what I want to change and what needs to be done and what didn’t work out as well as we planned… But most of the time it is pure joy. I also love walking in the fields and forests nearby. But I grew up in the west coast archipelago, spending my summers on a sailing boat with my family, so the west coast ocean is probably still closest to my heart anyway. The ocean makes me feel like nothing in the world is to hard to handle, it gives me feeling of peace.

Blomstermandala Michelle Byrne
Blomstermandala coloured by Michelle Byrne

Blomstermandala Jennifer Lyons 2

Blomstermandala coloured by Jennifer Lyons

Where do you take your daily walks, can you describe the landscape you pass through and how it influences you?
We have a farm just 5 minutes walk from our house, we can hear the sheeps and cows from our window! It is a beautiful landscape with fields where the cows, sheep and horses feed in summertime. There is a lovely lake that we take swims in during summers situated just a few hundred meters from our house. Around the lake is a large nature preservation area, so the forests are old and beautiful. We also have a castle 20 minutes walk from my house, It is really stunning there, they have a park with flowery meadows, in June it is purple all over, a meadow of Aquilegias!

Blomstermandala Anne-Lie Granström 2

Blomstermandala coloured by Anne-Lie Granström

You keep a blog called Trolles Garden which is chock full of gorgeous photos from your garden. Where is your garden? It looks incredibly beautiful. What is your particular interest in gardens and can you please tell us a bit more about what you write in the blog because I can’t read Swedish? Thanks!
Thank you! Our house and garden is situated 20 minutes drive south of Stockholm. Our main interest is our very large flowering perennial borders, but also our kitchen garden that we really want to expand in the future. We dream of a greenhouse, but the once we want are really expensive so we’ll have to wait a little while for that. But in a few years from now well probably have one! I would also like to have chickens and beehives in the future.

Blomster Mandala Shirley Fraser 2

Blomstermandala coloured by Shirley Fraser

How did you hook up with Swedish publisher Pagina and is there any word that your book might get published elsewhere in the world? In the meantime where can UK buyers get hold of the book?
Pagina found my floral drawings through Instagram (!) a year ago and wanted to make book with me. The book has been published in Finland (only the poster book so far) and in Japan and of course Sweden. Maybe it will be published in other countries aswell further on, but nothing that I know of at the moment. The books are available for international purchases at www.penstore.com

MedBlommorochBlad_cards
Maria Trolle notepad_sketchpad
You have also done some lovely notebooks with Pagina, what other products feature your designs?
There is a notebook, a sketchpad and notepad with motives from Blomstermandala, but at the moment I don’t think they are available at Penstore. There will be some new products with my designs this summer, but that is for a different company.

Maria Trolle new book

Exclusive sneak peaks of Maria’s new book.

How much input have you had over paper choice and binding? How does that production process work with your publisher?
My Publisher decided the paper and binding, they know what papers work the best for coloring. I was really happy that they wanted my book to be hardcover since it gives the book a special feeling I think. Since I’m also a graphic designer I did all of the books designs myself, such as the cover and lay outing, typography etc.

Maria Trolle new book

More exclusive sneak peaks of Maria’s new book.

What kind of tools do you use when drawing and what size or scale do you work at? And how do you ensure a clean final image for print?
I sketch with a pencil and then I draw with fineliner pen, with thin tips, mostly 0,1 – 0,7 in tip size. I draw on a A3 size paper, (297mm x 420mm) And after scanning the image I correct little mistakes in Photoshop in my Macbook Pro.

Blomstermandala Chris_cheng5
Blomstermandala Chris_Cheng3
Blomstermandala coloured by Chris Cheng

How long did it take you to complete your most recent book?
My recent book took me about 4-5 months full-time to make.

Blomstermandala Jane Smith
Blomstermandala coloured by Jane Smith

What does your work space look like?
I have a workspace on the top floor of our house, but it is much nicer to draw on our dinner table so I sit there most of the time. There I get contact with the garden through our windows. When I didn’t have children I had a studio in Stockholm, but since our children are small it is to time consuming to work in the city. I don’t want them to have too long days in daycare/preschool.

Blomster Mandala Hazel Smithies
Blomstermandala coloured by Hazel Smithies

Blomstermandala meg_how2
Blomstermandala coloured by Meg How

I believe you have young children, how old are they and how do you juggle your role as mum and fit in your work around them?
My boy, Ulf is 5 years and my girl, Viola is 2 years. I must confess that it is hard work to be a mum and try to work as much as I do. There are many, many working evenings after they’re gone to sleep to be able to keep deadlines even though they both are in preschool/daycare during daytime now. A year ago when I was still on maternity leave with Viola I made the whole poster book only at nighttime. But it is still worth it I think, and I don’t work when they are awake, that time is familytime only.

Blomstermandala Morena_vajak
Blomstermandala Morena_Vajak2
Blomstermandala coloured by Morena Majak

Trolles Garden
How did you learn to create such beautiful letters out of flowers and leaves?
Hmm, I don’t know, basically it starts with just another drawing, and I make sketches before I do the real drawing with ink.

When did you get into producing custom screen prints and who produces them (and where)?
Two years ago I had an exhibition with a floral theme, and that was when I had some screen prints made at a small company that makes handmade screen prints.

Blomstermandala Michelle White Banaszak 2

Blomstermandala coloured by Michelle White Banaszak

You have said you would like to create your own children’s books – is this idea any closer to reality? I’d love to see what you do!
Actually it is! But nothing I can tell of yet so shhhh…

Have you ever coloured any of your own work and if so could you share some examples with us?
I have not had the time yet, but it would be fun to try!

What are you working on next? Will there be any other colouring books, and specifically any more with black backgrounds as I hear those have been a major hit!
I’m working on a new coloring book that will be released in October. It will be quite different from Blomstermandala, and with fewer pages this time. It will be 48 drawings but on 96 pages, so only one side will have an illustration. The pages are made so that you can easily pull them out of the book, and the paper quality will be very good, thicker paper than in Blomstermandala. There will of course be lots of flowers and nature in this one too, but also other motifs. Hopefully I will be able to make some of the pages with black background in this one too. It will be quite exciting to see what people think about this book, is will probably be my most personal work so far. The name is yet not completely decided so I’ll have to wait to reveal that.

You can follow Maria Trolle on facebook here and instagram here and here. To win your copy of the Blomstermandala Målarbok please visit this post on my Facebook Page and leave a comment or a sticker. The winner will be chosen at random on Sunday 5th June. Open to UK readers only (if you are based abroad and would like to enter then please be prepared to pay for postage, which could be up to £12: it is a heavy book. If someone based abroad is chosen then I’ll wait 2 days for postage payment before drawing another winner). Good Luck!

Many thanks to the members of the following Facebook colouring groups for the use of their beautiful coloured pages:
The Blomstermandala Colorists (Fans of Maria Trolle’s Coloring Artworks)
Maria Trolle’s Coloring Creations
Coloring Creations
Adult Colouring Book Reviews

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday May 23rd, 2016 10:20 pm

Categories ,Adult Coloring, ,Adult Coloring Book, ,Adult Coloring Books, ,Blomstermandala, ,Coloring, ,Coloring Book, ,Colouring Book, ,Colouring for Adults, ,Giveaway, ,Hanna Karlzon, ,illustration, ,interview, ,Pagina, ,Pagina/Printworks, ,review, ,Swedish, ,Ulf, ,Viola, ,Wildflowers

Amelia’s Magazine | Alexander Ward: Ayahuasca Jungle Visions – How an Adult Colouring Book is Made

ayahuasca-giveaway-alexander ward

Artist Alexander Ward introduces us to his very unique adult colouring book, Ayahuasca Jungle Visions, inspired by his trips to the Amazon Jungle, and the Ayahuasca rituals he has taken part in. At the bottom find out how you can sign up to download your free page from the book and be in with a chance to win one of 3 signed copies he is kindly giving away.

How did you get first get into colouring books?
I had people recommending I get into them long before I picked one up. They kept saying it would suit my art style, but hearing about colouring books again for the first time since childhood, it was hard to take it too seriously! So I went on my merry way for a couple years, working in the animation industry and trying (and failing) to work on my own graphic novel based on my experiences in the Amazon Jungle. A year later, the publishers Divine Arts, (who were interested in my graphic novel) offered the suggestion of utilising assets from my graphic novel for a colouring book. When you keep getting pointed a certain direction enough times, it’s time to start investigating! I picked up loads of colouring books and I immediately understood it; if only I had listened sooner!

ayahuasca-jungle-visions-coloring-book-alexander-ward-interconnected
There was no creative struggle, I knew immediately how mine would look and I created a pitch document and sample illustrations to show my publishers; it was a hit and I started work on the full book right away. I ended up pouring a lot more dedication into it than was planned. It didn’t end up being something that was simply ‘utilising assets’ from my graphic novel, but where each page was a bespoke labour of love. In hindsight, I think I actually went a little overboard with it. Throughout the 9 months working 12 hours a day non stop, all I wanted to do was colour the book myself! So I’m incredibly happy to have the printed book and be able to finally colour all the pages.

ayahuasca-jungle-visions-coloring-book-alexander-ward-jungle
What is your favourite image in your Ayahuasca Jungle Visions colouring book and why?
My favourite page in my book would be the page titled ‘Interconnected’. It is one of the first pages in the book, while being the last page I personally illustrated. It was the most complex page and the one I was racing towards throughout the production of the book. The most difficult page to create, the final hurdle in finishing the book. I wanted this page to set the tone for the rest of the book. Both the writing and the illustration is an opening prayer of intention. The page represents the connection to the feminine spirit of Pachamama and all her creations in one fluid movement. We are all connected.

ayahuasca-jungle-visions-coloring-book-alexander-ward-thumbnails
What is your work process when you create a colouring page?
With this book in particular, I first wrote the script as well as a description for each of the pages. While minimal, there is a story throughout the book to tie each of the pages together into a flow, so it is more than a random assortment of illustrations only tied by a ‘theme’. After this I created very small and rough thumbnail sketches of each page; this allowed me to see all the images together. I created more than I needed, and went through the process reducing the page count from around 60 to 45, cutting out the pages that were not integral to the narrative throughout the book. I illustrated each page with a drawing tablet on the computer, but it is all hand drawn, I simply use a digital pen as opposed to an ink one. It allows me to zoom in close and get the line art to be a lot cleaner and tighter than I otherwise would, something I feel is important for a colouring book.

ayahuasca-jungle-visions-coloring-book-alexander-ward-clip-studio-paint
To draw each of the pages I used the program ‘Clip Studio Paint’. It is a program used for illustrating comic book pages. I highly recommend it for anyone who hand draws digitally. So what I would do for a page is take the thumbnail illustration, blow it up large and proceed to create a more refined sketch over the top. My way of drawing is to start with almost a scribble of an idea, and constantly refine it more and more until fully realised. As if it begins as a blurry image and it slowly becomes full of clarity.

ayahuasca-jungle-visions-coloring-book-alexander-ward-geometry
To create a more refined sketch took between between 2-3 days. Each page ranges in complexity, this was purposeful, to provide a range of pages to different skill levels of colourists, so some pages took a lot longer to create than others.

ayahuasca-jungle-visions-coloring-book-alexander-ward-sketch
After I finished the refined sketch. I then created another layer (sheet of paper) and traced over the sketch to create a very clean version of the drawing. This process also took between 2-3 days depending on the complexity of the page. All together, it was around a week per page from rough thumbnail to final page. A consistent schedule and ritual I kept to over a 9(ish) month period.

ayahuasca-jungle-visions-coloring-book-alexander-ward-heal-thyself
What is your personal experience of Ayahuasca? (do you have one!)
I had been journeying to the Amazon Jungle frequently over a 4 year period. Traditions that still practised with Ayahuasca as a tool for healing the community were the cultures most connected to nature, and the ones I wanted to learn from. Ayahuasca is a very sacred medicine to them, our own culture has a very difficult time understanding that which it has grown very far away from. England’s own shamanic origins (even using that word conjures in the mind false preconceptions) are being rediscovered, but it is really the Amazon cultures that have held onto the sacred relationship with nature and plant medicines that keeps the fire of this knowledge alive.

One family in particular I stayed with deep in the Jungle; The Father, his Wife and Brother were Shaman, and were often visited by many people seeking healing through the Ayahuasca medicine, performing many ceremonies for these people seeking healing. I sat in many of these ceremonies, also taking part myself. Part of this book was about articulating the teachings that Ayahuasca taught me, and which was part of the culture around this Shamanic family. The words, imagery, come from that culture, where the Ayahuasca is a key element, binding together the community. It is a complex topic, which is why I have released many videos discussing the topic on my Youtube channel.

What has been the biggest learning curve in creating and publishing your colouring book?
The mental journey of creating a book. It’s an emotional roller coaster, putting all your heart and energy into a single project for a year. The mental strength required to stay on course, to remain dedicated to finishing an enormous amount of work without losing hope that it will be finished or overwhelmed by the amount of work, or frightened because you’re not being paid for all this work and you still got to pay the bills. The process of drawing each page is simple enough if you have the training, you just need patience. To quiet the critical mind and remain motivated; It is this unseen journey people don’t see, but I think every author will understand being the biggest learning curve.

Flip through from Colour with Claire.

How did you hook up with your publisher Divine Arts?
Divine Arts contacted me a couple of years prior to starting on this book. I put out a lot of free content online such as videos on Youtube talking about my experiences in the Jungle. The owners at Divine Arts had come across these videos and they liked the content so much they gave me a phone call asking if I was putting any of these ideas into a book for publishing. We met and I talked and showed them the concepts I had been creating for a graphic novel based on my experiences in the Jungle; created in comic book sequential art style, it would illustrate these mystical experiences in the Jungle better than a written novel or single piece of artwork. They loved the idea, but there was not enough content to publish or create a contract at that early stage; so I went away to work more on it, as much as I could while still maintaining full-time employment. I was having trouble with various aspects of the project and it was difficult to get moving.

ayahuasca jungle visions review
Sometimes you need to understand when a project’s time has not yet come, and it’s better to work on something else. This is when the suggestion came from Divine Arts about using some of the work I created for a colouring book. Before I had dismissed the colouring book idea, but now it all seemed to click into place, especially after going out and buying a bunch of colouring books and finally understanding the appeal and how well suited it would be to my art style.

ayahuasca jungle visions review
I could use this opportunity to grasp the intricacies of publishing a book, with a project that, while a massive investment, was still not as large an investment as my graphic novel. I’ve learnt through this process that it’s important not to go for the massive project first, as you will struggle with it and become discouraged. It is far better to begin with a more manageable project and finish it. To finish a project is what is important.

ayahuasca jungle visions review
Sign up here to receive your free colouring page from Ayahuasca Jungle Visions here. Be in with a chance to win a copy of this book: just visit my Facebook Page for Amelia’s Magazine here and be sure to comment before midnight on 30th November 2016 (GMT). Open Worldwide. Good luck!

Visit my affiliate links for this book here:
Amazon UK: Ayahuasca Jungle Visions: A Coloring Book
Amazon US: Ayahuasca Jungle Visions: A Coloring Book

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday November 16th, 2016 10:11 pm

Categories ,Adult Coloring Book, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Alexander Ward, ,Ayahuasca, ,Ayahuasca Jungle Visions, ,Clip Studio Paint, ,Colour with Claire, ,Divine Arts, ,Giveaway, ,Pachamama, ,review

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