With the quickly approaching annual celebration of National Maritime Day and the onset of summer weather we wanted to take some time and highlight a couple of coloring books that can provide you with nautical vibes no matter where you are.
National Maritime Day is observed every year on May 22nd when in 1819 the US steamship Savannah set sail from the city whose name it bears on the first ever transoceanic journey under steam power. This date was then established as a national holiday in 1933. So, this post goes out to all the sailors and their spouses out there who love to relax through the power of color.
Boat Coloring Book For Adults by Mildred Muro
The designs in this 50 page coloring book are printed sided with the back of every page supporting a completely black page in order to prevent any bleed through that may occur. The designs in this book are grayscale but they are actually sketches and not photographs like most grayscale designs. This makes the coloring experience very unique and refreshing.
This coloring book is a lot of fun to color and since the designs are sketches it leaves some room for you to add your own creative touches. The paper used is of good quality but will still permit some bleed through if you use markers so we recommend that you use pencils and pens only, or place a spare piece of paper behind the page you are working on to soak up any color that may leak through. Another great addition to this coloring book is that you receive a downloadable PDF version of all the designs so you can print out your favorite designs and color them again.
Seashore Scenes Coloring Book by Creative Haven
Even if you live in a landlocked area without a large body of water for hundreds of miles this coloring book by Creative Heaven will bring the nautical ambiance into your life. The book is made up of 31 designs all relating to marine life and scenery. You will have the opportunity to color sailboats, lighthouses, idyllic tropical islands, and many other common beach sights.
Unfortunately like most other Creative Haven coloring books the paper used is not the thickest so you will experience bleed through when using markers and even some gel pens. We recommend you use only colored pencils when working in this book so that you avoid ruining any of the designs.
American Sailing Ships Coloring Book by Dover
This coloring book by Dover is the perfect gift for any sailor or fan of nautical history. Between the covers you will find 45 designs that are true representations of famous sea vessels from the long nautical history of the US. Some examples include the privateer frigate Bethel (1748), the Andrew Doria (1776), the U.S.S. Constitution (1812), and most importantly the paddle steamer Savannah (1819) for which National Maritime Day was established.
While the designs in this coloring book by artist and avid sailor Peter Copeland are wonderful true representations of the great ships the paper on which they are printed are on the thinner side like most Dover coloring books. We do recommend that you use only colored pencils in order to avoid ruining any of the great illustrations in this book.
We hope you enjoyed this nautical post and from all of us here at Creatively Calm Studios we wish you fair winds and calm seas...and Happy Coloring!