Coloring in the lines just got easier thanks to Sony Music, who has launched an online coloring book called The Colouring Sessions that allows you to sketch out your favorite albums Crayola style.
Available records to color include Foo Fighters' In Your Honour, Jamiroquai's Funk Odyssey, and Jimi Hendrix's debut album Are You Experienced. Simply browse the collection of templates, download, and start coloring. You can print them out and physically color them in, which could make for a therapeutic respite from the revolving door of gloomy COVID-19 news, or do it all online. You're able to select a wide range of colors and then use your trackpad or mouse to draw before exporting your masterpiece.
Heidi Boston-Thompson, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, Sony Music UK, expounded on the project in an official statement. “We’re lucky to have a selection of some of the most beautiful, striking and creative album artwork of all time at our fingertips,” said Heidi Boston-Thompson. "We wanted to give our artists’ audiences the chance to take a moment out, explore their own creativity, drive focus and ultimately aid relaxation. By pairing music with the simple exercise of colouring in, we hope to create a mindful environment and a sense of calm for the audience.”
In August 2017, a CNN Health report detailed the mental health benefits of adult coloring books. Citing Marygrace Berberian, a certified art therapist and the Clinical Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Graduate Art Therapy Program at NYU, the report asserts, "Just like meditation, coloring also allows us to switch off our brains from other thoughts and focus only on the moment, helping to alleviate free-floating anxiety. It can be particularly effective for people who aren't comfortable with more creatively expressive forms of art."
Check out the The Colouring Sessions in all its childlike wonder here.