The Vintage Coloring Book
An Appropriate Title
After months of revising, writing, and testing with seniors, I have finally completed the first (of hopefully many to come) coloring books for older adults. The new name I chose was "The Vintage Coloring Book." The title before this was "Memories From The Past."
The word "vintage", according to the free dictionary, means: "Characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal; classic," which seemed like a perfect word for the new title.
The coloring book includes interesting facts about the pictures, and also allows each picture to be removed from the book and mounted or framed to be displayed, as they are not printed back to back in the book. As shown by the picture of the book, several of the pages colored by seniors were displayed on it's cover.
Testing The Artwork
While testing the coloring pictures at the retirement home I worked at, I found that the more complicated pictures worked best and seemed easier for them to color. I had to change a few pictures (example shown) to add more detail, as this was helpful in holding their attention and easier for them to complete--believe it or not!
The residents also enjoyed learning about the places and things that they were coloring, and we had fun discussions about them.
Pictures From Family Photographs
Most of the pictures in the coloring book, are art renderings from my own family photo book--dating back to the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many are collages of photos turned into art. As many of our family came from San Francisco and the California coast, they tell a story of the early styles of dress and popular places of their era.
As one resident commented, while coloring the pictures, "It's kind of like being a young person again."
