Who’d have thought that coloring books geared toward adults would be the hottest thing this winter? The New York Post recently ran a piece on the trend, reporting that more than 2,000 adult coloring book titles have been created since 2013 and the genre’s two biggest bestsellers, Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest, have sold a combined 13.5 million copies in 50 countries. This isn’t the kid stuff of oversized, child-like cartoonish outlines of turtles and mermaids. These are books with sophisticated line art awaiting colored pencils to bring elaborate fantastic worlds to life.

Locally, two libraries are recognizing the trend. The Thomaston Public Library hosted two adult coloring book sessions in December, touted as a way to de-stress after the Christmas chaos.

Children’s Librarian Joanna Hynd said, “My co-workers, Diane and Alex and I had noticed this new fad and wanted to jump on the bandwagon. I didn't realize how much fun we were going to have with it. I've been enjoying one of the coloring books in particular, called Illuminating the Stars. All of the images in the book are of silent-movie actors and actresses. I like that I am bringing color to these faces that were only captured in black and white on film and in photographs.”

Ian Grima, a 24-year-old restaurant employee, was one of the participants for two weeks in a row. He took a precious night off work to attend because the idea really attracted him.

“I was probably the youngest one there,” he said of the six participants, who ranged in age from 30-60, in the last session. “But, I like to sketch in my free time, and I thought this was a great way to just hang out with people I’ve never met, draw and zone out for a while. It was really relaxing.”

Grima worked on a piece for about an hour depicting intricate underwater scenes. He said no one worked on the same page out of the book.

“Although, it would be cool to see how two different people used color in the same illustration,” he said. “One of the things I really liked about this was how we were just able to sit and chat while coming up with our own interpretation of the drawing with colored pencils or crayons. It would be great to see certain bars doing this for the winter months, not just karaoke and trivia. It takes up no space at all and is a low-pressure activity for people who’d rather just chill and draw.”

Diane Giese, the head librarian at the Thomaston Public Library, said the turnout from both evening sessions reflected a wide variety of colorists.

“One neighbor brought and supervised her children, so even though it was an evening for adults, the adorable towheads were participating,” Giese said. “Then we had a bona fide artist who came with his wife and several neighbors. He brought his own tools and was clearly very good.  We also had several older folks come and a couple with a challenged daughter.  What a great broadstroke the evening was.”

The chill factor of this art form is what also drew Rockland Public Librarian Jessie Blanchard to set up coloring sessions for adults this winter. The library plans to offer a free session January 16 at 10 a.m. and again on February 20 at 10 a.m. “I believe adult coloring has become so popular because it's gives us permission to do something creative and relaxed without any expectations,” she said. “The act of coloring is the reward.  It includes the gentle social aspect of a quilting club or a golf game without actually requiring any skill.”

People can donate their finished page to the library or take them home.

For more information visit: Adult Coloring Session

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com