"Color Your World" with Cat Coloring Books by L.A. Vocelle

As readers of our blog, most of you know that when I have the time I enjoy coloring. When I was a kid my biggest thrill was a virgin box of Crayolas just begging to be used. I must have found their waxy smell to be intoxicating, because I was obsessed with coloring. God help any kids who came over  to color with me. If they broke a crayon it was a mortal sin, I also couldn't tolerate when they couldn't color within the lines. (Yes, even at 5 I was a control freak).

I have featured much of what I have colored on the blog and today I want to feature two beautiful books I received after connecting with the creator, L.A. Vocelle in the Coloring Books for Cat Lovers group on Facebook.  I reached out to her practically begging for the books, and she kindly obliged!

The first book I am sharing with you is the Cats and Geishas Coloring Book.   I have long had a fascination with all things Asian and this book is quite unique!

FROM the Cats and Geishas Coloring Book: -52 one-sided coloring pages will provide you with hours of stress relieving relaxation while coloring historically based Ukiyo-e woodprints. 

-Each coloring page shows a beautiful geisha interacting with a cat(s) and/or a kitten(s).

The coloring pages in this book are based on Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints from the period (1603-1868). Translated, Ukiyo-e means a fleeting, transient world based on the Buddhist philosophy of impermanence. Ukiyo-e works were mostly woodblock prints, and the primary subjects were landscapes, seascapes, geishas and cats colored with vegetable dyes and then copied for mass consumption. This new art form was supported by the newly wealthy Japanese merchant class who were expressly interested in pleasure.

Geishas and cats were likened to each other just as women and cats have been equated throughout the world and history. Cats’ enigmatic mystical nature of loving yet vicious, peaceful yet aggressive was also used to describe women. Therefore, cats were the perfect companions of geishas.

Some supernatural representations include demon cats (bakeneko) along with a geisha. These are based on folktales where geishas and courtesans were able to change into cats. Demon cats are easily spotted with a towel or napkin over their heads or sometimes with a forked tail. 

Of course I had to color the kitty to make it look like Cody!

The geishas and cats are portrayed in domestic scenes. Geishas are wearing colorful and intricately designed kimonos and are reading, writing, gardening or playing music, all attributes that a geisha must possess. Some cats are on leashes, and some are playing or humorously causing chaos.

Spring has FINALLY arrived in Michigan! What better way to celebrate than to spend some downtime coloring in the beautiful Cats and Flowers Coloring Book by L.A. Vocelle.  

Here you will find  25 hand drawn illustrations of cats and flowers.

- All coloring pages are one-sided to prevent bleed through.

- Illustrations vary in difficulty so both adults and children can share in the coloring.

- Enjoy bonus pages from Laura's  other coloring books on Cat Breeds, Ancient Egyptian Cats, and Medieval Cats

Yep I made the cat Cody again!

Many people will say, "I am not artistic, I can't color." That could NOT be further from the truth. I always marvel when I see pictures online that people have colored and I read that they actually RESEARCHED what color a certain flower should be, they RESEARCHED what color  "this and that" should be. That is NOT my style and never will be. That takes me back to the days in school where an Art teacher in grade school would draw a tree and 30 kids had to draw the SAME EXACT TREE. I was never, ever like that (maybe because I was raised by an artist). Schools kill a love of art by not giving children the freedom to express themselves THEIR WAY.  YOU ARE AN ADULT NOW AND YOU ARE NOT IN SCHOOL. DO WHAT YOU WANT! DO IT YOUR WAY!

In my Geisha page above, I did not research what color her kimino should be, I went with what felt good to ME, I did the same with the flowers in the picture above that I colored. I color with colors that appeal to me on THAT DAY. As long as they work for me, that's all that matters.

But...I will fill you in on a little secret. While MOST PEOPLE find coloring to be relaxing, I am not one of them. Due to having a STRONG background in art (I was going to major in Art in college, in High School I spend 4 hours a day every day in Art classes. In college I was not going to major in art history,  but in  CREATING ART). I tend to take my coloring as seriously as I did as a child. There had better not be any broken crayons, pencils, etc., and no one will be harder on themselves than ME for coloring OUTSIDE of the lines, (trust me I DID color outside of the lines, a TON on these! Both of the pages I colored were colored with both colored pencils and markers. I originally was anti colored pencils but have since changed my mind because they give me the ability to shade certain areas that I may wish to shade.)

If you have never colored give it a try, it IS RELAXING for MOST PEOPLE. If you currently do color, be sure to add these two books to your coloring book library. I am thrilled with them and you will be too! Both books are available on Amazon and I linked to their purchase pages above. (Mother's Day is right around the corner and these would make great  gifts for the cat lovers in your life, and "just because" gifts!) 

I would like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to Laura for indulging me by sending me these fabulous and unique coloring books, so that I may share them with all of you! 

ABOUT L.A. VOCELLE:Laura Vocelle is the creator and founder of The Great Cat  , the top art, history and literature website about cats. For free downloadable coloring pages and other publications related to cats visit her website (which I linked to above). You can subscribe to receive weekly updates on cats in art, history and literature.