Most people do not have a history of painting or drawing designs. They appreciate pre-drawn designs such as colouring pages, paint by numbers, embroidery designs stamped on fabrics, iron-on designs or designs that can be traced. The internet makes finding designs faster and free, but family and friends tend to select designs that are too hard or simple. Skilled knowledge is usually required to find and select designs that capture and sustain attention for the desired amount of time.
Too Hard
Selecting a design that will sustain their attention is harder than it seems because most designs for adults have tiny spaces, contain too much detail and take too long to complete. Scanning complicated designs can quickly eliminate these problems by passing on designs with lots of black ink.
The "therapeutic effects" is a misleading marketing devise in current use. Carers should be warned about black ink in mandalas that have made some people with a cognitive disability feel dizzy.
Too Childish
Too childish requires a definition of what childish is, exactly. To keep designs from looking childish avoid kittens, puppies, babies, small children, cartoons and toys. Cats, dogs, adults and adult toys do not usually carry childish connotations. Childish is portrayed by the content in the picture, which appeals to children but may insult adults or their loved ones.
The fact that there are exceptions to every rule is why humour is funny.
Just Right
The following examples are from a simple series of mandalas that might start as low as ACL 4.8:
- The distinctly separated parts are repeated and may not require the retention of an image of the whole picture in working memory, suggesting that it might be done within ACL 4.8.
- The orderly arrangement of the parts that form a whole mandala are distinct, suggesting that it might be done within ACL 5.0
- The overall look of the mandala can be perceived within a few seconds and coloured fast enough to compare the effects of changing colours while using the same design, which may capture the attention of someone interested in surface appearances within ACL 5.2.
To draw a design or scan a thousand designs in the "colouring pages" on the internet, you need specific criteria that clearly define the drawing characteristics that are effective. There aren't any, so we are going to develop them.
The separation between content and format is useful when scanning children's colouring books. When you know what content to exclude, the formats for different ages groups are both instructive and good drawings that can be copied, with permission when necessary. In drawings for 3 to 5-year-olds, you can find big outlines of ordinary objects, such as apples and eggplants that can be made into potholders or mosaic designs. In drawing for 6 to 8-year-olds, simple visual patterns can be found to colour. Fewer drawings are available for 9 to 12-year-olds and most are childish.
Because of the limited supply, drawing characteristics are suggested for ACL 5.2 to colour or paint:
- Most of the spaces to fill in should be no smaller than a ¼ inch (1 cm). Some of the spaces should be a ½ to ¾ inch (2 to 3 cm) so that time to completion does not exhaust mental energy.
- Focal points or predictable patterns should be clear and definite so that images can be retained easily in working memory.
- Backgrounds for landscapes should be simple sweeps across to avoid distractions while forming a mental image.
Shading colours is an improvement in surface appearance that is apt to capture attention in ACL 5.2. Colouring pages that illustrate how to do shading are available on the internet for free or in books. If the person has never done shading, they can probably learn how within ACL 5.2. If they already know how, filling in the colouring pages with their own shading may be interesting to them. Adult drawings for men and women are available.