Minds may drift off to a cheeky place when the words “sutra” and “adult books” are strung on the same line. No, not the case here. Introducing Coloursutra – an original local colouring book for adults by artist Sofy Rahman. Riding the wave of the popular Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book and such, Coloursutra was launched a few months ago and has been creating its own splashes as the ultimate stress reliever.
Strange as it may sound, colouring books have gained immense popularity recently due to their abilities to help you relive your childhood fantasies and release your pent up adult frustrations. Nookmag managed to grab a copy of Coloursutra and sampled a dose of its calming effects, while having a quick catch-up with Sofy.
Nookmag (N): Hello Sofy, congratulations on launching Coloursutra! What made you decide to illustrate an adult colouring book?
Sofy (S): I decided to launch a colouring book for adults after realising that one needs to de-stress with something that one is familiar with as a child. Reliving and relishing that familiar and comforting feeling with colouring. Not to forget, the joy it brings when one colours. For those who don’t have any drawing or art skills, colouring is a good stepping stone to embark on. You might never know, it might unleash the Picasso in you.
N: Noticed that most of the designs are round-ish. Is there a reason for that?
S: Most of the designs in Coloursutra’s first book are predominantly made up of mandalas and mandala-inspired patterns. Mandala simply means circle in Sanskrit and is usually used in some practices as an aid to meditation.
N: Which is your favourite design in the book and why?
S: To point out a favourite would be hard. I guess the most obvious would be the one on the cover, that’s why I chose it to be the “face” of the book. Haha!!
I have always been intrigued by Arabic/Muslim art. This particular design reflects a lot on that.
N: Could you give our readers some tips on colouring? Also what are the best tools in the trade?
S: To be honest, coloursutrists are free to colour in any way they like as this acts as a form of self expression. In art, especially expressive arts, there are no hard and fast rules as art is subjective. One technical tip is to try colouring in one direction.
Recommended tools would be coloured pencils for a more raw touch to the artwork, gel pens for finer, intricate details. Markers are nice too but make sure you have a backing behind the page to prevent it from bleeding!
A few suggested brands for colour pencils are Faber Castell for an average budget (my brand of choice), Caran Dache and Prisma Colour for a higher budget. As for markers… Faber Castell Clip Colours for an average budget and Copic Ciao Markers for a higher budget.
N: You were telling us about your next book, any sneak peek? What’s it based on?
S: The second Coloursutra book will be food/dessert inspired with quirky, funny motivational quotes. Food is definitely relatable to a lot of people! Will be launching it on 31 October 2015 in conjunction with a Yoga x Art Workshop – a collaboration with a group of yoga ladies. I will be leading the art workshop.
N: Now, tell us where can we get these books?
S: Our local readers can get Coloursutra books directly from me that I will personally sign. Future coloursutrists may contact me directly at [email protected] for orders. Alternatively, they may contact Coloursutra on Facebook or Sofy Rahman on Instagram.
Books are also available for sale during my art workshops, which are available in corporate or private sessions.
N: Thank you for your time, Sofy. We look forward to having endless fun with your books!
S: Thank you so much for taking time in curating the questions for the interview. Truly appreciate it a lot!