Henna Users: Meet Adult Coloring Books

A couple of years ago a new craze kicked off, and it was a good one. Not everybody has as much creative flair as they might have hoped for, and adult coloring books came to the rescue. It probably came as a surprise because coloring in tends to be viewed as a childish pastime. Nevertheless, adult coloring books have been flying off the shelves ever since.

The designs in the coloring books are getting more inventive than ever. Some of the most favored designs seem to be sacred geometry and mandalas, animals and insects, floral patterns and garden scenes. It’s hard not to love them, don’t you think? Even if you’re not yet convinced, you may well be a convert by the end of this article. 

Adult coloring books made bestseller status – fast

At the time the coloring books came out, one of them quickly reached bestseller status in the United States. You might find that hard to believe (we certainly raised an eyebrow)but the bestselling title on Amazon was not a juicy novel… it was an adult coloring book by a Scottish illustrator called Johanna Basford.

Johanna created a book of truly beautiful designs called Secret Garden;it was full of intricate flora and fauna and people couldn’t get enough of it. She soon sold 1.4m copies all over the world, and the popularity of her books hasn’t subsided yet. Her second release, Enchanted Forest, sold 226,000 copies soon after its release… and these coloring books were even promoted on social media by Asian celebrities.

Adult coloring books are therapeutic53>

Whether you or someone else created the outlines, it doesn’t matter much. Adult coloring books inspire people to take a couple of hours out of their busy lives; they can get some much-needed withdrawal from addictive social media, work stress or whichever common issues they struggle with.

When we focus on an artistic endeavor, time ceases to exist for a while. Adult coloring books are so much more than a childish pursuit; they encourage presence. In other words, coloring in is meditative!

Really, coloring in is a kind of therapy. It doesn’t matter whether you’re skilled at shading, or whether you go over the lines by accident. We challenge you to spend a few hours mindfully selecting and applying colors to paper and not feel great afterwards!

Adult coloring books are henna user’s allies

From Henna City’s perspective, adult coloring books have another hidden gem to offer. They make for great practice, inspiration and even practical tools for henna and jagua users. Here’s what we think they have to offer you:

Practice and inspiration

 If you’re not a natural artist but you want to start making temporary tattoos with henna or jagua, practice with these coloring books is valuable. You can learn to steady your hand while you memorize the patterns. You will start to become familiar with the strokes, swirls and lines, learning what works best… and the way the designs are laid out will give you ideas for your own tattoo designs.

A book of ready-made tattoo designs

Adult coloring books also double up as a book of temporary tattoo designs, depending on the type you bought. Sacred geometry and mandala ones are perfect for this, as are the randomly patterned ones. The animal books tend to contain butterflies, birds and other totem animals; lions, tigers and jaguars, etc.

A potential set of stencils

Buying a coloring book saves you printing designs off the internet, and you can even use them to make your own stencils if you are keen on getting a perfect temporary tattoo. If you’re not feeling ready to make your own stencils , we understand. There is a lot to think about anyway; you may only want to focus on keeping a steady hand. In that case, why don’t you make use of the stencils that come in our ready-made henna and jagua kits?

Where to find the best adult coloring books

It is easy to find a range of adult coloring books online now. We totally love Johanna Basford’s books, mentioned above. But there are so many to choose from now. A first port of call would probably be Amazon, for the variety. There are plenty of stores that sell them too, including normal bookstores and art supplies stores.

Another great coloring book is the Sacred Geometry Coloring Book by Francene Heart. This one will help you get to grips with mandalas, the flower of life, and repeating patterns that would serve your henna skills well.

Whether you use these super cool tools for henna or not, we would bet our bottom dollar you’ve got plenty to gain from trying out adult coloring books. Your henna practice can only benefit from this… and with a bit of luck you’ll be as relaxed as you are confident in no time at all.