Adult coloring books has been trending across the country for quite some time now. New and more books are being sold online or in-stores. Most of those books compose animals, mandals, garden, patterns, cities, and recently, fashion illustrations. I own quite a few already and I must admit, it can get boring overtime. When I color, I switch from one book to another because I easily get bored with the templates because they all look the same anyway.
I own a Paris Secret adult coloring book and is by far my favorite because it was really consistent with the theme/title of the book. It was like a book that talks about Paris - its places, products and fashion. I secretly wondered why I haven't seen or heard of a coloring book that show Philippine heritage or culture. Then one day, a good friend of mine spoke about his friend who was in the process of creating a coloring book. I didn't know that it was be the book I was looking for.
◢ The Book & Author ◣
This 20-paged book was illustrated by Vermailene "Ver" Barrios (a market researcher by profession) which showcases the beauty of the Philippines through random sight and other Philippine culture illustrations. You can view the video above to see the pages.
According to the author, a good friend gave her a coloring book to relieve her stress from work. She have always had the artistic talent but just didn't get the chance to practice it after school. The only time she began to really get back to it was when she received that coloring book.
She wanted to simply share her talent and help remind Filipinos the beauty of our country despite the political issues and other distressing circumstances.
Above are my favorite parts of the book:
Cover (top left): I like this page because it gives an idea of what the Philippines is about. I just love how the jeepney was included. It's really one of the trademarks of our country.
Pasukuhan (top right): This page shows the Simbang Gabi tradition of the Filipinos.
Siargao (bottom left): I've always loved the idea of surfing so I'm easily attracted to anything that relates to it. Plus, I've been hearing stories of how beautiful Siargao is. Makes me excited to visit them next year.
Tatay Rizal (bottom right): This page was actually the page the author dedicated for her mother. The drawing reminded me of my grand mother who was seamstress. That's why this is one of my favorites.
◢ The Book Launch ◣
I was fortunate to attend her book launch which was held in Cab Cafe, Kapitolyo last Saturday, November 14, 2015. The book launch was followed by her basic coloring workshop. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch the beginning of the workshop because I came very late due. The traffic in Manila that day was crazy!
Just like other seminars or workshops, there was a Q&A after. Interesting questions were asked - may it be about the coloring techniques or about Ver's next plans.
When all questions were answered, they have opened the auction for Ver's colored works. You can check all the art works in this post. There was one art work that was supposedly for raffle but everyone wanted to include it in the bidding. It was the colored cover page by Ver herself. Believe it or not, that particular framed page reached 10K pesos?! The proceeds will be given to the PGH Pedia Fair Coloring Activity.
Before they announced the winners of their coloring competition, Ver gave the colored page she dedicated to her mother. It was a very sweet moment. I'm sure her mother was very proud of her.
This was the cute little boy who joined the workshop. While Ver was sharing her techniques, he was already coloring the page of Ver's book. He was very excited to show his work to Ver. We were all surprised with his enthusiasm. If you've seen the designs of the book through the video in the beginning of this post, you'd have an idea how hard it is to color a page. Most kids won't enjoy those kind of pages because it's very detailed but it's different for this kid. Though it was not as neat or as perfect as it should look, his color choices reflects how imaginative this boy was. I have a strong feeling he'd grow up to be an artist or a profession related to creativity.
I came late but I was still able to enjoy especially when I was able to chat with the author. I'm very fortunate to know the story behind each page and how she was inspired to create this book. I hope she finds that motivation again so she can create a new book.
If you're interested, you can order the book directly from Ver. You can order through Vermailene Barrios' Kulay Pinoy Coloring Book for Adults Facebook page. The book retails for just Php 200 (roughly US$4.24).
◢ The Giveaway ◣
Win a copy of Kulay Pinoy Coloring Book and a few more printed illustrations
by Vermailene Barrios.
I will be giving away a copy of this book + other illustrations by the author. Simply read the terms & conditions and follow the mechanics through Rafflecopter to join.
Terms & Conditions
- Any Philippine resident can join.
- This giveaway will run from the 20th of November until the 15th of December (extended!)
- Winner must reply within 24 hours and confirm necessary details.
- Failure to do so, I (as the host) will choose another winner without prior notice.
- Winner will be formally announced as soon as I finish verifying entries and as soon as he/she confirms necessary details needed.
- Shipping fee will be handled by the giveaway host.
- The item will be shipped as soon as winner confirms delivery address.
- Tracking number will be provided to the winner so he/she can track the parcel.
- Winner is required to take a selfie with the prize. The photo must be sent to the giveaway host via email. I will be sharing the photo to my blog and social media accounts.
- Posting in social media and tagging the giveaway host is optional but highly encouraged.
Kindly wait for the rafflecopter widget to load for the mechanics.
Let's connect and be friends!
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