A page from Vampires Coloring Book by Marly Noble
Adult coloring books have been around for a long time. In the 70's, when I was a teen, I had a series of books called Altair Designs. The abstract, repeated patterns let you pick out your own shapes and designs. Using the same pattern, you could make unlimited pictures. The beauty of Altair Designs was their flexibility. Everyone saw something different in the mosaic patterns.
Two Altair Designs, with abstract and figural interpretations.
I've also purchased many Dover Publications coloring books through the years. They have a wonderfully large selection of subjects, good quality paper, detailed pictures to color, and their prices are at the lower end. I've mainly chosen books with vintage fashion, fairy, and flower themes, and I have loved them all.
Another publisher I love is Bellerophon. Their Great Women Paper Dolls is both a coloring book and paper dolls! You can color in the pictures and leave them in the book, like I did, or cut them out for more fun. I did a little youtube video about my paper doll collection, including my Great Women book. You can check it out here.
Book publishers must be thrilled with the current surge in coloring book sales. Although most adult coloring books are inexpensive - ranging from $3 to $20 - some of them are showing up on Best Sellers lists, with the most popular books landing in the Top Ten. Large publishers are having success with mainstream subjects, so the smaller publishers are taking the niche market approach. And that's where Goth coloring books come in!
Below is a list of the finest Goth themed coloring books, with links below each one, if you want to learn more or add one to your collection. Nothing is more relaxing and fun than settling in with a beautiful coloring book, some Dead Can Dance, a cup of tea, and your favorite markers or pencils.
Romanti-Goth A-Z Coloring Book by Heather Stanley
Published by Seraphemera Books
This fun book takes you from A to Z with Gothic pictures for each letter of the alphabet. Enjoy coloring Absinthe, Bats, and Corsets!
Vampires Coloring Book by Marly Noble
Published by Dover Coloring Books
This is a beauty, with intricate drawings of vampires, both beautiful and frightening. A stunner, you'll want to keep this one with your treasures.
Color Your Own Graphic Novel: Dracula by John Green
Published by Dover Classic Stories Coloring Books
Here is a wonderful idea from Dover. Instead of coloring individual pictures as single works of art, now you can color an entire story from start to finish. The classic Dracula is perfect for Vintage Goths.
Just Add Color: Day of the Dead by Sarah Walsh
Published by Rockport Publishers
Charmingly drawn with a hand-crafted feel, inside you'll find skulls, roses, skeletons, and other Dia de los Muertos images that you will just love to color.
Late Victorian and Edwardian Fashions by Tom Tierney
Published by Dover Fashion Coloring Books
If you love Vlad and Mina and the fashions of Bram Stoker's Dracula as much as I do, you will need this coloring book! Authentic Victorian fashions with educational captions, this is a Vintage Goth's dream.
And finally, here are two coloring books on my wish list ~
First, a new release that I can't wait to get my hands on:
Gothic: Dark Fantasy Coloring Book by Selina
Published by Fairies and Fantasy
The last book I'm sharing is something different I want to try - grayscale coloring. Grayscale pictures often come from photographs and are quite realistic. Sometimes they are very detailed drawings, with lots of shading already done. I haven't seen any images of the coloring pages for this book yet, so here is a picture of the front and back covers.
Have you tried a grayscale coloring book?
Here is one especially for taphophiles.
In Loving Memory: Churchyard Adult Coloring Book by TabzJones
Published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing
And finally, as promised, I am going to share some free printable Gothic coloring pages. If you print some out, please be aware that printer paper isn't art paper, and markers tend to bleed on printer paper. You can try using watercolor art paper in your printer, or just do what I do - use colored pencils or crayons.
I don't have large format image storage on Blogger, so you will need to follow the links below the pictures to go to another site with printable versions. Have fun!
Find more Gothic coloring pages
to download for free on my Pinterest.
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