B.C. artists' adult colouring book for sale at London Drugs

Dec 20 2017, 2:40 am

Some British Columbian artists will have their illustrations included in a new B.C.-inspired adult colouring book that is now available at London Drugs.

The burgeoning fad of colouring books for adults – typically similar to ones for children but much more advanced – has reached London Drugs, thanks to a Kickstarter project from a few Nelson, B.C. artists.

The merchandise buyer for London Drugs, Kenny Vannucci, came across the artists’ Kickstarter campaign to launch their own colouring book and decided the product would be a perfect fit for the shelves of the B.C.-based drugstore.

“Witek and Carrie together with five other Canadian artists have created a colouring book that is bonafied British Columbia spectacular,” says Vannucci. “I’ve seen the first print and I’m certain this is going to be successful. And it’s not just beautiful B.C. and Canadian landscapes and wildlife they’ve captured, there are out-of-this world moon and space scenes, mushroom fields and all kinds of picturesque illustrations from deep within their imagination. The detail is exquisite and enticing.”

Vancity Buzz spoke with the artists, Witek Radomski and Carrie Wong earlier this fall and got a sneak peak at some of the impressive designs in the book.

legendary landscapes

Image: Legendary Landscapes

“At some point I thought of the idea: why don’t we make an adult colouring book that features the beautiful landscapes and cityscapes of Canada and have all sorts of imaginary landscapes,” Wong said.

“Most of the other coloring books are more abstract, but there weren’t really any colouring books that featured landscapes,” Radomski added. “You never see Canada. We love hiking together, and we always see all these awesome landscapes. It was a really cool opportunity to make a book.”

This won’t be the first adult colouring book for sale at London Drugs; the store also carries unique finds like a Bollywood colouring book, Fantastic Cities, A Game of Thrones Colouring Book, and dozens more. However, Legendary Landscapes will be the first Canadian-made one.

Beyond the joy brought by putting down your cellphone and picking up some pencil crayons, colouring books are said to ease anxiety and help with other mental health disorders.

“Something I found out is that [colouring] really helps people – every day people are posting [on Facebook groups] about how it helps their anxiety and depression,” Wong said.

“It’s one the few ways they can actually relax, get away from their electronic devices, get away from their computer, their phone. Just disconnect and do something completely different and use a different part of their brain. There are some psychologists saying this actually helps as art therapy. It’s an accessible form of art therapy that doesn’t cost a ridiculous amount of money.”

Legendary Landscapes can now be found at all London Drugs stores and online.

Image: Legendary Landscapes

Image: Legendary Landscapes

 

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

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