‘I started colouring workshops for adults’
Sarah Lovell, 38, an illustrator, lives in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, with her husband, Peter, 43, a company director, and their children, Claudia, nine, Henry, seven, and Samuel, four
‘For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved drawing and colouring. It makes whatever stresses you have in life fade away.
After I finished school, I did an art degree and set up a business as an illustrator in 2013.
I started making cards and colouring books for kids. Then a few years ago, I set up workshops for children, where they could colour in a picture from one of my books.
The classes were a big hit and I noticed that when children had a colouring pencil in their hand, they found it easier to open up and talk about things.
But it’s not just children who find colouring therapeutic. In the past few years, adult colouring books have become popular.
Last month, I set up a colouring workshop for adults, and was amazed by how popular it was.
I put on some gentle music and let people choose a picture to colour in. Since they were adults, I expected most of them to go for a wildlife picture but, to my surprise, the most popular choice was a unicorn.
I suppose it just goes to show that adults love to use their imagination as much as children do.
We spend so much of our time rushing between work and family commitments, it’s no surprise we’re desperate for new ways to switch off from it all.’
Visit sarahlovell.art for details about the workshops