Author/artist offers free DIY art amid Covid-19
By Adelle Morgan-Cordero, May 1, 2020
Lake Chapala businesswoman-artist Diane Pearl, whose adult coloring books are featured on Amazon as part of Dover Publishing’s bestselling Creative Haven series, is offering a free download of some of her captivating printable coloring pages for those wanting to improve their immune system and alleviate stress and boredom during our Covid-19 social distancing.
Diane is the owner the Diane Pearl Colecciones art gallery and gift shop in Ajijic, and a mentor for local artists of all kinds through a creative cooperative called Pueblo Artistico.
The pages of varying complexity as shown below can be printed here (Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3) Others will periodically be made available free by Diane for your personal, therapeutic time-out. They typically will consume around 20 minutes to 20 hours.
Therapeutic Benefits Include Enhanced Immunity
Scientific studies have shown that coloring quickly produces proven benefits such as:
- Strengthening of the immune system and resistance to illness by reducing levels of detrimental, stress-related cortisol and catecholamines
- Altered brainwave activity from beta to alpha, a deeper contiousness which helps reduce anxiety and stress. With each session, coloring will allow you to enter this altered state more deeply and more quickly, and emerge re-energized and focused.
- A natural release of endorphins, chemicals produced by the body that reduce pain, boost pleasure, and result in a feeling of well-being
- Increases creativity and peace of mind throughout the day after a coloring session.
What Makes Diane Pearl’s Drawings Distinctive?
Instead of recognizable objects and scenes that makes the brain seek to define what it is seeing, Diane uses free-flowing lines. Her designs begin with a central point and wind outward to interconnect and morph into indistinguishable patterns that help assimilate and balance the left-right brain hemispheres.
In a spiritual sense, the coloring of designs such as Diane’s has been compared to active meditation, with color breathing life into a drawing.
Coloring Tips for an Enhanced Experience
“All you do is color,” says Diane, “There are no other rules!” However here are some tips that may help enhance your coloring experience.
- Select the design that appeals most, then settle into a comfortable spot.
- Use any medium – colored pencils, gel pins, markers, crayons, water colors – or any combination of mediums.
- Start with colors that appeal to your mood, and color by impulse, with spontaneity
- Rotate the page every so often for a new perspective; there is no “top” edge in Diane Pearl designs.
- Place a notepad nearby to write down any ideas or inspirations that come to you during this altered state.
“I have hosted coloring parties and events, and seen the chaos of excitement and chatter settle down in minutes when the coloring began. With its enjoyable and therapeutic effects, it is not surprising that coloring has become a worldwide pastime,” says Diane Pearl.
To download and print (Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3), or to read more about Diane and the amazing therapeutic advantages of coloring, go to our Color Her Creative article, or visit DianePearl.com or CreativelyMindfulArt.com. Also, as part of Dover Publications’ Mother’s Day “Top Picks,” download more coloring pages from Diane Pearl’s Tranquility book here.