Have you heard about Adult Coloring? Maybe some of you do it. It doesn't require an age (other than being 18+) and it is open to any gender, sex, race, ethnic group, and skill level. Coloring books can be dollar shop bargain or very expensive books tied to popular artists or pop culture phenomenon. Today we're going to meet Donna Linder, an artist whose first coloring book, Sweet Dreams: A Caboodle of Candy, has chocolates you can color and enjoy without worrying about calories. As always in our interviews, italics are the words of the individual we spoke with.
Before you created Sweet Dreams: A Caboodle of Candy, what were you doing?
I was (and still am) working as a sleep tech at my local hospital. I'm passionate about art (and candy!) but the medical field will always be my first love
Do you have formal training as an artist or is this raw talent that we're seeing in this coloring book?
I have no formal training. In fact, I flunked almost every art class I had to take throughout school. I was pretty much considered hopeless by the time I reached college!
You choose candy as the subject of this coloring book, why that topic?
Candy has always been one of my biggest comfort foods. The bright colors, patterned wrappers, and textures appeal to me very much. Even just looking at the candy store displays makes me happy. :)
When I first started Sweet Dreams, there were only one or two food-themed coloring books out there, so my initial motivation for this was to fulfill a need within myself. I got a lot of support from friends and family and it gave me the courage to take this a step further and share my art with others.
Because this is The Chocolate Cult, we have to ask: Do you like chocolate? If so, what type is your favorite? Milk, Semi-sweet, Dark, Unsweetened, or White?
I LOVE chocolate! Semi-sweet and Dark are my favorites, although any chocolate that's nice and cold right from the fridge will do the trick for me. :)
Many adult coloring books are double-sided but I'm pleased that yours is single-sided. That requires more pages however and probably more cost to you to create the book. Why did you decide to go with one image per page?
It's the preferred style for most colorists, I wanted to create a book that people would enjoy and not have to worry about bleeding through. Plus, I got to discover all the awesome candy-related quotes that I used to take up space on the opposite side of the pages.
I notice that most of the images in the coloring book are mandala in style. Why does that particular layout appeal to you as the artist?
I love the symmetry and repetitive pattern that goes along with mandala style art; it creates the opportunity for a lot of variations, or some peaceful repetition. No matter how a person chooses to color a mandala, it will look like it was designed just for that style.
Did you create the candy in your images from your imagination or did you have models that you used?
I had a lot of very delicious models! I knew what I wanted the candy to look like, but converting it from my head to the page was a challenge. There were several trips to corner store for candy that nobody could eat until I had gotten the picture to look like I wanted it to.
I see that this coloring book is on Amazon.com but were else could our readers buy your book?
Amazon and Createspace are the only two places the book is available currently. I also have an Etsy Store (GoddessLaughs Designs) for digital/printable/singles.
What has been the biggest hurdle you've had to jump in order to get an adult coloring book published?
Gathering the courage to actually publish was my biggest issue. I was so afraid that people were going to look at this book and think it was a crappy product or of crappy quality.
This was your first adult coloring book. Do you have plans for more?
I have a darker/creepier book called After Midnight in the works and I've got the very beginnings of a cocktail themed book (hopefully).
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| Donna Linder, Artist having fun1 |
I was (and still am) working as a sleep tech at my local hospital. I'm passionate about art (and candy!) but the medical field will always be my first love
Do you have formal training as an artist or is this raw talent that we're seeing in this coloring book?
I have no formal training. In fact, I flunked almost every art class I had to take throughout school. I was pretty much considered hopeless by the time I reached college!
You choose candy as the subject of this coloring book, why that topic?
Candy has always been one of my biggest comfort foods. The bright colors, patterned wrappers, and textures appeal to me very much. Even just looking at the candy store displays makes me happy. :)
When I first started Sweet Dreams, there were only one or two food-themed coloring books out there, so my initial motivation for this was to fulfill a need within myself. I got a lot of support from friends and family and it gave me the courage to take this a step further and share my art with others.
Because this is The Chocolate Cult, we have to ask: Do you like chocolate? If so, what type is your favorite? Milk, Semi-sweet, Dark, Unsweetened, or White?
I LOVE chocolate! Semi-sweet and Dark are my favorites, although any chocolate that's nice and cold right from the fridge will do the trick for me. :)
Many adult coloring books are double-sided but I'm pleased that yours is single-sided. That requires more pages however and probably more cost to you to create the book. Why did you decide to go with one image per page?
It's the preferred style for most colorists, I wanted to create a book that people would enjoy and not have to worry about bleeding through. Plus, I got to discover all the awesome candy-related quotes that I used to take up space on the opposite side of the pages.
I notice that most of the images in the coloring book are mandala in style. Why does that particular layout appeal to you as the artist?
I love the symmetry and repetitive pattern that goes along with mandala style art; it creates the opportunity for a lot of variations, or some peaceful repetition. No matter how a person chooses to color a mandala, it will look like it was designed just for that style.
Did you create the candy in your images from your imagination or did you have models that you used?
I had a lot of very delicious models! I knew what I wanted the candy to look like, but converting it from my head to the page was a challenge. There were several trips to corner store for candy that nobody could eat until I had gotten the picture to look like I wanted it to.
I see that this coloring book is on Amazon.com but were else could our readers buy your book?
Amazon and Createspace are the only two places the book is available currently. I also have an Etsy Store (GoddessLaughs Designs) for digital/printable/singles.
What has been the biggest hurdle you've had to jump in order to get an adult coloring book published?
Gathering the courage to actually publish was my biggest issue. I was so afraid that people were going to look at this book and think it was a crappy product or of crappy quality.
This was your first adult coloring book. Do you have plans for more?
I have a darker/creepier book called After Midnight in the works and I've got the very beginnings of a cocktail themed book (hopefully).
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