Colorists beware - Scam Alert

I don’t consider myself a particularly good colorist, but apparently, I’m good enough for someone to steal my work. And I’m not the only one.

Pictured above is a page from ‘Creative Haven – Creative Cats’, colored by Rachel Pinto. The seller took this picture and made it available on t-shirts, sweatshirt, mugs, or wall art. She did not ask Rachel’s permission, nor did she get permission from Marjorie Sarnat who drew the pages of the book, or the publishing house.

The seller promoted Rachel and my work on Facebook stating that this these colorings were available for a limited time only. Unfortunately for the seller, but fortunately for Rachel and me, the prices are rather steep. The cat book only costs $4,61 on Amazon.com, but the seller charges $15,99 for one finished coloring page, plus $5,99 for shipping.

Both Rachel and I have tried to reach the seller via Facebook but she doesn’t respond, other than with more promotional nonsense.

So we contacted the publisher and have made them aware of what this person is doing.

If you have colorings online, you could be her next victim.

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Scam alert - coloring

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you must have heard of the latest craze that is gaining momentum all over the world … coloring.

Men and women of all ages and backgrounds are sitting down to coloring books, pick up pens and pencils and create art.

In the process they grow calmer, sleep better, enjoy a good appetite and feel altogether better.

Unfortunately, along with thousands of coloring enthusiasts a number of scam artists have popped up. Men and women who advertise books and coloring supplies at vastly reduced prices.

Many colorists jump at the chance of buying cheap pens and pencils, I know I was one of them.

A few months ago I noticed a post on Facebook advertising coloring books, pens and pencils at unbelievable prices. I should have known better, but in this case I threw caution to the wind. I ordered a set of pencils that were marked down from $52 to $12.

Moments later a message was posted that the seller was a scam artist, her post was taken down and she was blocked from the group. In my case the damage was done though.

Fortunately, I had paid via PayPal and when I informed them of this fraudulent purchase, they immediately put a block on the amount and two weeks later refunded me.

The scam artist was not done with me though, she had my email address and a string of insults followed.  When the insults had no effect, she tried a different tactic … trying to gain sympathy. She stated that she was an invalid, couldn’t get a job, lived of welfare, and that “selling” coloring supplies supplemented her meager income.

After her there have been other scam artists, people who advertise books and coloring supplies. Since I was bitten once, I was twice shy. I quickly learned to see the signs such as books that are too cheap or shipping costs that marked as free should be a red flag.

Just the other day I saw a Facebook post where coloring books were priced $3 and shipping was $7 regardless of how many books were ordered. This I thought was very suspicious.

The buyer could be in the United States or Canada, but just as well could be in England, France or Australia. While $7 could cover the cost of posting one book, if 5 or 10 books were ordered the mailing fee would be far more than $7.

To prevent being taken in by a scam artist there is one golden rule … if something seems to be too good to be true, it usually is.

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Should we be allowed to criticize?

LILAC FLOWERS BY: PRIS DAVID

Most coloring groups on Facebook have a strict “No criticism” policy. The rules often state “If you don’t have anything good to say, move on.” But is that really such a good idea? If we are not allowed to receive criticism, how will we ever get better?

While I by no means imply that we should be allowed to tear each other’s work apart, constructive criticism might turn an enthusiastic artist into a good artist, and a good artist into a great one.

Most people know their own limitations. By looking at other’s work they know that their work is not up to par. They can see that others are better and often wonder ... how did they do that?

This is where constructive criticism might be helpful. Mentioning where the coloring artist went wrong, or what could be improved upon, might not only be well received but appreciated.

For instance. Some two weeks or three weeks ago I noticed a particularly striking image of blue flowers in this group. The coloring brought about a string of likes and comments of people falling over themselves to express how extraordinary this coloring was. 

BLUE FLOWERS BY: PRIS DAVID

My first reaction was ... I might as well give up. The artist, Pris David, commented “No, don’t do that. Keep practicing and you’ll be able to do this too.” Yeah right, like that was gonna happen.

So I emailed Pris and she started giving me some tips. I tried what she explained and ... it didn’t work. I tried again and again, but no, no luck.
​
Next Pris provided, in addition to more advice, a picture of what to do and what not to do. I tried again and ... hm, while I could see a tiny bit of improvement, my efforts still didn’t even come close to what she was showing me.

So Pris took it one step further and sent me a video.
I must have watched that video ten times, and not just looked at it, but studied it, along with the pictures she provided. And yes, eventually what she had explained, showed me with drawings and now with this video started to make sense.

So I tried again, sent her the result of my work, she delivered feedback and I tried again, and again, and again.
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Today I’m happy to say that I’m getting there. I’m still nowhere near as good as Pris is, but if I can improve this much in two weeks, the future looks promising.

The blue flowers I colored earlier this year, the blue and pink ones were done last week.
Better, right?

JANUARY 2016

JUNE 2016

Adult Coloring by Andrea Wolf

Let nobody say that they don’t have time for adult coloring. Meet Andrea Wolf. Andrea is 53 years old, a wife, a mother and a grandmother. She’s the proud owner of 3 cats (one of them called Mr. Pants), a granddog and an assortment of fish.

For over 20 years, Andrea was in the dental field, but one fine day she called it quits and switched to working in a gift shop.

In addition to photography, adult coloring is her passion and she specializes in Mandalas.  In Andrea’s own words …

Buddhist monks have been creating the Mandalas for years now and a few years back when I was studying Buddhism, I bought a book to color. No one I knew about these books and it wasn't anything that the main stream audience was aware of. It was a way to help Buddhist meditate and help with the meaning of "Letting Go." They would draw the Mandalas and color them and then burn them.

I am very grateful that Andrea didn’t burn her Mandalas as they are an explosion of color and beauty.

Adult coloring for sale at  

http://adultcolorings.weebly.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

Looking for something to read

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Adult Coloring by Helen Elliston

Two weeks ago I was introduced to adult coloring. Research revealed that this type of activity has taken off like a shot and is quickly growing into the most popular hobby among adults.

Some take-up coloring merely to pass the time, others as a way to sooth anxiety, or as a cure for insomnia. After all, coloring relaxes the mind and gives one time to be alone with one’s thoughts.

When I went looking if there was an adult coloring group on Facebook, it turned out there are several, each with thousands of members, showing their work.

Work that is simply amazing. Images of flowers, birds, landscapes, mystical creatures, etc. all done in great detail with coloring nuances so true to life, I thought I was looking at actual pictures instead of drawings.

For the next few days, I will be featuring a number of artists and what their pens have produced. First up is Helen Elliston. Helen lives in Devon, United Kingdom, and her work (all of her work) can be viewed athttp://helenclaireart.co.uk

Here are some of Helen's colorings:

Adult coloring now has its own online store at

www.adultcolorings.weebly.com