With the growing popularity of adult coloring books, art supply giant Crayola has come up with its own line of coloring kits.
Dubbed "Color Escapes", the kit features pages filled with intricate black and white drawings, according to Crayola's official website. 12 fine-tipped markers and a set of 50 colored pencils complete the kit. Illustrations were provided by artist Claudia Nice.
Color enthusiasts can choose from four patterns: garden, nature, geometric and kaleidoscope. Colored pencil tips and techniques plus a coloring wheel are also free to download from the website.
According to the website, Crayola Color Escapes are "the premium coloring pages specially designed for adults. Whether it's about reliving your childhood or tapping into your peaceful place, Color Escapes offer a soothing, creative experience that's easy to do and easy on your mind.
It adds, "Just as the image gradually becomes clear when doing a jigsaw puzzle, so too the beauty of a Color Escapes page emerges. As you fill in the intricately detailed line art with your color choices the beauty and depth of the design blooms right before your eyes!"
According to the Huffington Post, the company released the product line in September, but media outlets began to report on it only recently.
Kim Rompilla, Crayola's Director of Platform Marketing, states, "Recent studies show that stressed out, digitally overloaded adults want in on the fun, too." Currently, the products are exclusive and are on a limited release but a company spokesperson tells the Huffington Post that they will be "available for the foreseeable future."
Adult coloring books have become more popular recently, mainly as a stress reliever. Clinical psychologist Dr. Ben Michaelis talked to Fox News earlier this year about how coloring affects the brain.
He said, "Because it's a centering activity, the amygdala, which is the part of the brain that is involved with our fear response, actually gets a bit, a little bit of a rest, and it ultimately has a really calming effect over time."
However, other experts are more wary about calling the activity actual therapy. In an interview with The Guardian, art therapist and adjunct faculty at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development Drena Fagen stated, "I don't consider the coloring books as art therapy; I consider the coloring books therapeutic, which is not the same thing."
Regardless of what experts think, many people who have joined the coloring craze have a lot of good things to say about it. Talking to Fox News, Heidi Johnson, a member of the Ladies Coloring Club in Minnesota says, "You don't have to be an expert at the DIY project, or a painter or an artist. You can just pick something you like that speaks to you and color it however you want it."