The increasingly popular trend of adult colouring books has been given a boost with the release of the second book by best-selling Australian illustrator, Lorien Atwood.
The adult colouring book is sure to provide hours of pleasure for those attracted by the skill of fine pencil and ink manipulation.
Reflections: More Beautiful Bible Verses for Colouring features a collection of 18 elaborately illustrated Bible verses in a high quality colouring book that was released in May this year.
Reflections follows Mrs Atwood’s first book, Meditations, which sold more than 10,000 copies in the three months following its release in October 2015, and has become an Australian Christian publishing phenomenon.
Colouring books on a Christian theme are plentiful, but Mrs Atwood’s work is set apart by the fact that she begins with the verse, rather than simply adding words to an illustration.
“The verse is the important bit,” she said.
“The art is just an excuse to sit for a while to meditate on the Scripture, and enjoy a creative form of worship.”
Mrs Atwood’s designs have been especially beneficial to people who have suffered grief, hospitalisation or mental health issues.
Meditations has also travelled, with publishers in the United States of America and the United Kingdom taking it on in recent months and designs from the book being used in over 90 countries as refreshment and encouragement for missionaries and Christian workers.
According to her website, Mrs Atwood is a wife, mum and compulsive doodler from Australia.
She grew up surrounded by the rich design elements of South Asia and the Middle East and the tradition of mehendi or henna decoration, which has influenced her drawing style and patterns.
Mrs Atwood said she loves to play with colour and create intricate designs on any blank surface that will stay still long enough.
“The idea to create colouring in resources that combine the therapeutic effects of colouring in with the healing and restorative nature of Scripture is one that sprang up fairly quickly,” she said.
“However, I have long been passionate about using creative methods to reflect and meditate on God’s word and encouraging others who also wish to do so.
“It is my hope that many people will use my work to worship God and meditate on his truth.”
For those who use Mrs Atwood’s resources and enjoy them, there are ways you can share your art and stories.
The ‘Colouring in Truth’ Facebook group aims to encourage people not only to colour in, but to use art themselves to meditate more on Scripture, and has become an uplifting and encouraging virtual Christian community, and a spur to evangelism.
For more information, or to purchase a copy of Reflections, go to www.lorien-illustrations.com/about-native/.