Artist behind 'grown up colouring book' thinks adult coloring is great

zainab quadri

19 June 2015 12:01 PM

Mel Elliot discusses her inspiration, the virtues of impatience and why she wants to live inside a magazine

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In an interview with The Guardian, Mel Elliot, the artist behind 'grown up colouring book' when asked how she made her grown up colouring a hit. She said "When I started making them back in 2008, it was simply a way of me getting some drawings out there into the big, wide world: my now-husband was a printer, so it made complete sense."

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"Since then, I think technology has become such a massive part of our lives that we need to put it down once in a while and do something to actually switch off. Colouring in is a great way of doing this: you’re being creative, you’re using your hands, you’re concentrating but sort of meditating at the same time. It is just a very relaxing way to spend your time and wind down a little."

When she was asked where she gets her Inspiration from, She exclaimed: I have always been slightly obsessed with glossy magazines. The glamour, the amazing interiors, incredible outfits, flawless skin, hair and makeup … I want to live inside one of these magazines.

This is where my creative aesthetic comes from. All my drawings and paintings are as neat and as perfect as I can get them. The rest of my life is complete chaos, but by making my work this way I feel like I am, in some small way, achieving the “living in a magazine” life.

I am also influenced by my daughter, Pearl’s, children’s books, 1950s culture, Heat magazine and, very importantly, humour.

And when she was asked to give advice to Young artists trying to make a name for themselves.

Elliot reiterated the fact that "Impatience is a virtue. Make your own work and be your own client. Don’t wait for an illustration agency to take you on, don’t wait for a publishing deal, don’t wait for your favourite advertising agency to give you a job and don’t wait for gallery representation. Just work and then put yourself out there, give it all you’ve got and be competitive: it’s not a bad word.

There are so many platforms that creative people can use to show their work these days. I currently have an exhibition up in a local pub and it’s great. People get to see a different side to my creativity and they’re buying it too.

Be prepared to be let down, to feel rejected and dejected. If you’re doing it right, this is going to happen a lot, so try and embrace it and use the negative experiences to push yourself even harder.

Don’t limit yourself too much, let your work evolve and take new directions from time to time, as you may not have found your “thing” yet.

zainab quadri