Behind the Scenes of the Jesus Calling Coloring Book originally posted on www.coloringfaith.com on February 24, 2017.
Meet the artist behind the intricate designs, Pimlada Phuapradit, who has worked to bring the inspiration of Jesus Calling to a whole new audience.
Millions have been inspired by the writings of Sarah Young in Jesus Calling, a devotional that hit shelves more than 12 years ago. The newest in the Jesus Calling line of products has joined the Coloring Faith family as well. Jesus Calling Creative Coloring & Hand Lettering features quotes from Jesus Calling, basic hand lettering tutorials, and 100 pages of intricate designs.
Behind these many intricate designs is Pimlada Phuapradit, one of the illustrators who has worked tirelessly on this project to bring the inspiration of Jesus Calling to a whole new audience. We sat down with Pimlada, affectionately called Pim, to find out what inspires her and how she finds the discipline for these painstakingly detailed designs that are so beautiful at completion.
Pim, who has been illustrating since 2012, began her career designing surface patterns for products (think fabric and the like). She began illustrating adult coloring books in 2015, when sales of adult coloring books, in general, jumped by 14 million from the previous year.
How Pim Finds Inspiration
While the coloring book trend was taking off, Pim was busy finding inspiration for her designs. From plants and other details found in nature, to buildings, antiques, and illustrations in children’s books, Pim draws artistic inspiration from the things around her. She then infuses this into the artwork, adding the intricate details that make adult coloring so enjoyable for so many. It’s not a quick or easy process, though. Sketches can a day or longer, according to Pim.
“For faith-based coloring books, I would like to create the sense of harmony and stillness through the delicate line illustrations of landscapes, animal characters, and ornate details.”
“The timing for each illustration can vary due to the subjects and details,” she says. “The best time for me to sketch new ideas is in the morning, then take a break. Later during the day, I would work digitally on revised or approved artworks while listening to music or audio book.” Work digitally? We thought sketches were done by hand!
Adding Final Touches To A Coloring Book
Although Pim’s favorite tool is a pencil, she doesn’t forget about modern technology while she’s illustrating either! “I usually create free-hand sketches on paper, then scan them and complete the final line art in Photoshop. Having separate layers in Photoshop is flexible and I like to combine digital and hand-drawn process.”
As for our Coloring Faith books, Pim says that she approaches the faith-based books differently than she would another coloring book. “For faith-based coloring books, I would like to create the sense of harmony and stillness through the delicate line illustrations of landscapes, animal characters, and ornate details.” More harmony and stillness is something we can definitely get behind these days!
When she’s not illustrating coloring books, Pim goes back to her roots with surface pattern design and, never short on new projects, is currently designing a greeting card folio. She also loves finding her colored illustrations on social media. “I love looking at different colored versions for the same line illustration,” she says. “I find beautiful adult coloring art and great painting techniques on Pinterest and Instagram.”
So the next time you’ve finished a Coloring Faith page, don’t forget to share it with Pim (and us!) by tagging @ColoringFaith on Instagram. You just might make the illustrator’s day!
Download your own free coloring page, then share your experience with us!
