It’s been awhile since I posted a new FREE coloring page. Click HERE to download a larger printable PDF version of this lovely butterfly fairy!
Have an amazing weekend everyone,
Micheline
Coloring Pages for Kids
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Category Archives: Art & Illustration
Have Horse, Can Colour
From the brute strength of the Draft horse to the speed and agility of the Arabian, horses have plowed fields, pulled carriages and ridden faithfully into battle for humans throughout the centuries.
In addition to contributing to human success, horses have an intriguing role in mythology, represented as unicorn, Pegasus and centaur. That’s why Micheline and I have chosen the horse (and it’s mystical cousins) as a follow-up to our mystical dragons colouring book.
Designed to delight and inspire, this book is also illustrated by Micheline Ryckman and newcomer Hayden Wolf and will include a step-by-step drawing guide along with a collection of stunning, ready-to-colour drawings.
Enjoy the “sneak peek “ inside our new colouring book and be sure to check back for details of how you can win a copy of it, due out this fall.
Cheers 
Trina
Designing Dragons
From Saint George and the Dragon to Puff the Magic Dragon and Cressida Cowell’s modern-day book series, How to Train a Dragon, the lore of dragons passes from one generation to the next. Fearsome, magical and majestic they still have the power to thrill us, scare us and entertain us.
At Whimsical Publishing, Micheline and I are really excited to breath new life into the iconic dragon with our new colouring book, Whimsical’s World of Dragons.
Designed to delight and inspire, artists Micheline Ryckman and newcomer, Hayden Wolf, will also include a step-by-step guide to budding artists and dragon enthusiasts everywhere to create and colour their own magical creatures.
We’ve included a sneak peek inside the book below. Details of how you can win a copy of our new colouring book – due out this fall – will follow soon. 
While you’re waiting for our new release check out our FREE colouring pages!
Happy colouring,
Trina
Oodles of Doodles
Did you ever get in trouble for doodling on your school work when you were a kid? I certainly did! The funny thing is that no matter how many times I was reprimanded I couldn’t give it up. And today, I doodle just as much.
According to Wikipedia the definition of doodling is this:
“A doodle is an unfocused or unconcious drawing made while a person’s attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning or may just be abstract shapes.”
If I am at meeting or required to do any form of auditory learning, my compulsion to doodle is irresistible. My childhood impressed upon me that doodling was bad but recently I discovered otherwise:
According to a study published in the scientific journal Applied Cognitive Psychology, doodling can aid a person’s memory by expending just enough energy to keep one from daydreaming, which demands a lot of the brain’s processing power, as well as from not paying attention. Thus, it acts as a mediator between the spectrum of thinking too much or thinking too little and helps focus on the current situation. The study was done by Professor Jackie Andrade, of the School of Psychology at the University of Plymouth, who reported that doodlers in her experiment recalled 7.5 pieces of information (out of 16 total) on average, 29% more than the average of 5.8 recalled by the control group made of non-doodlers. (Thanks again Wikipedia!)
In light of those statistics I say > DOODLE ON!!!
~Micheline
Introducing Hayden
Whimsical Publishing is pleased to introduce a new member to our team, Hayden Wolf.
Combining his extensive background in art and design with a background in visual communication and photography, Hayden is the perfect compliment to Whimsical Publishing’s house-artist and fellow photographer, Micheline Ryckman.
Hmm. That sounds a bit formal, doesn’t it? But how else do I introduce such a talent except to say that we’re really excited to have him on board! Perhaps the best thing to do is to just let you see for yourself. Mich has included pictures of some of Hayden’s work. Hayden’s website is currently under construction but for now you can check out more about him and his work by visiting him on Facebook.
And here’s a bit of a spoiler alert; Micheline is also working on a couple of colouring books with Hayden –but you’ll have to check back to find out more about those.
~ Trina
DRAGONS!
I just posted some NEW dragon colouring pages in my Etsy shop > MISH MASH. My kids love dragons – it’s pretty much all they ever draw! I was the same as a kid – so this was a trip down memory lane. Although I was a little rusty on my dragon anatomy… thanks to my daughter, Hannah I made it through! Check these out!
You can view our other FREE colouring pages here at this link > FUN FOR KIDS
~ Micheline
Horse Colouring Pages
I always dreamed about owning and riding horses when I was little girl. However, the older you get (…or is that the bigger you get?) the harder you fall – ouch! Nowadays I’m quite content to just draw them. 
But I do hope there are some little girls out there who will enjoy dreaming while they colour these pages. Click here to see these in my Etsy shop > HORSE COLOURING PAGES.
Check out the other free printable pages here on our blog > Colouring Pages.
Happy colouring,
Micheline
Fairy Colouring Pages!
I loved colouring when I was a kid and as a teenager – okay I admit it, I even love it as an adult! I remember as a teen searching for books that were more inspiring than the typical kittens, puppies, ducks and clowns. I rarely found what I was looking for… The lack thereof inspired me, at an early age, to dream about creating colouring books of my own. I wanted to create illustrations that were intricately designed and thus more appealing to all ages. With the onset of the digital age this dream is far more affordable and accessible than ever before! So, I’ve begun working hard on mini collections.
Although these will be fun for kids, I have heard that colouring can be quite relaxing and therapeutic for grown-ups as well! Well… at the very least these will be much more fun than kittens, ducks, puppies or clowns and you might find you actually enjoy colouring with your kids!
Check out these pages in my Etsy shop >>> MISH MASH
You can also check out our FREE printable coloring pages in the ‘fun for kids’ section of our blog.
~ Micheline
KCDC Grand Opening! And a NEW painting!
On June 15th the Kootenay Child Development Center held it’s grand opening! Although I didn’t get the chance to be there in person I was there supporting it in spirit. I totally believe this place is an indispensable addition to the East Kootenays – it is going to be a such blessing to families and children around the region. If you don’t know much about the benefits of this center please DO check out this link to read more >>> KCDC Project Details.
‘Unspeakable Joy’ – 18″ x 24″ – acrylic on canvas.
Please click on image to see enlarged version.
My partner, Trina, did attend the grand opening with her son, Thom. She admitted that Thom had so much fun eating goodies, playing in the bouncy tent and doing projects at the craft table that they were actually some of the last people to leave – ha ha! Trina also told me that approximately 50 folks (in her estimate) attended the opening including Cranbrook’s mayor, Wayne Stetski, the Cranbrook city council members, Sharon Cross and Diana J. Scott. When I asked Trina what she thought about everything afterwards she said, “It was amazing to actually see this center come to fruition as I have been watching these dedicated women work so hard for the last few years.”
The women that Trina is referring to are Patricia Whalen, Gail Brown and Gwen Noble. Although I’m sure many folks were involved in making this center a reality I understand that these women have been the front runners. (Great job ladies!!! )
So you still might be wondering where exactly do I come into all this and what does my newest painting have to do with it? Well, Gail Brown is actually retiring soon and as a memento of all her efforts and dedication I was commissioned to do a painting in her honour that will hang in the center. The painting is titled, ‘Unspeakable Joy’ and it was presented to Gail at the opening. It was a serious privilege to do this piece and my heart is that it reflects the untainted joy that we see daily in our children.
You can check out more of my paintings at my other blog – MISH MASH,
Micheline
Keep Doing!
I have long dreamed of illustrating children’s books. In my teens I would buy children’s books just so I could copy the illustrations and practice. Well… it took until I was almost 40 years old to make it happen but here I am and I am so very thankful!
I am grateful that I am living out one of my childhood dreams but MUCH greater than that I thankful for how this little publishing company fulfills another dream of mine; the opportunity to support, help and give to children. From the beginning of this company my partner, Trina Ayling, and I have written this “giving code” into the very fiber of our business. And although we are still only a baby company with limited resources we have tried hard to live by our “code”.
Quite honestly, I dream of having unlimited resources with which I could change the lives of children all over the world. In addition to that, I have a staggering number of other personal dreams as well! However, I think the immense needs of the world and the fear that comes in when pursuing dreams can sometimes steal the desire to do anything at all…
The other day I read this post >>> ‘Pencil in Hand’ on Talus Rock Retreat’s blog – this post and the quote included below totally spurred me on;
“Don’t fail to do something because you can’t do everything.” -Bob Pierce
The images attached here are actually drawings that I did many years ago when I was a kid – kinda fun to look back!
Have an amazing Tuesday, Micheline
