Faithful Coloring

Do You Love to Color? 

I certainly do. In fact, coloring books are one of the main reasons I dove so heavily into colored pencil. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed a good scribble in a coloring book. They’ve always been a source of enjoyment, creativity, and therapy for me. A place where you can really just "check out".

I’ve found that coloring gives me the freedom to focus on shading and creating texture without the worry of a “blank page.” I don’t have to draw anything — just color! I’ve always gravitated toward minimalistic coloring books because they give me the most freedom to choose textures, play with light sources, and decide where the focus should be.

These newer coloring books you see all over Amazon and in bookstores are often filled with such busy lines and patterns that my anxiety skyrockets just looking at them! Some are so beautifully illustrated that the line drawing almost does all the shading for you — which, to me, takes away the fun of it. To each their own, of course, but it’s hard to find a coloring book that has minimal lines and enough negative space to allow the artist to truly create — while still having a balance of detail that doesn’t take over the page.

A long time ago, I decided that someday I’d make my own coloring book. I had several ideas for it — maybe something educational about using colored pencils, or a book focused on color theory. I even thought about the kind of paper it would have, since paper quality is so important when you’re coloring, especially if you like to use wet media.

Those ideas were good, but none of them really stuck. Then this past year, I’ve felt that God has been leading me in a different direction — to create a regular coloring book with pictures and Scriptures. And honestly, His idea is much better than mine!

Now, there are a lot of coloring books with motivational quotes and Bible verses out there, but again — they tend to be full of busy patterns, and honestly… they’re almost always floral. (How boring!) At least the ones I’ve seen. Mine will be different.

Since illustrating Linda Hlozansky’s book, Welcome to the Garden, Bok Choy!, I’ve discovered that creating book illustrations could be a real future for me — and it’s something I definitely want to pursue. After much prayer, the “Scriptures with pictures” idea has really settled in my heart. My goal is to glorify God with the talent and skill He’s blessed me with.

What’s really amazing is that He’d already started giving me ideas years ago without me realizing it. I look back through my old sketchbooks and find notes and random doodles — many of them from church sermons (yes, I draw during church… and yes, I do pay attention!) or Bible studies. The pictures help me remember what I’ve read, and being a creative person, it’s natural for me to see images when I read Scripture. So, I jot them down even if they are bad ideas.

God was already working in me. I have several picture ideas based on verses I’ve studied, and I can’t wait to bring them to life. One day, when I’ve finished this project, I hope to publish it and share it with you all. My prayer is that it becomes a ministry to others — something that encourages people to slow down, reflect, and meditate on God’s truth while they color.

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Spoonbill printable.pdf

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