What do you get when you cross a coloring book with a notepad?
July 7, 2015 6:52 AM Subscribe
I'm looking for notepads/notebooks/sticky notes printed with coloring book-style line art, so I can color them in at my desk - but also use them for writing down notes. Do these exist?
I love the idea of "grown up" coloring books (e.g. Johanna Basford). However, I don't want a big book with big pages. And since I have occasional downtime (and colored pens) at work and sometimes doodle on my notepads, I think it'd be rad if I could have some sort of small notepad with sections to color in. Nothing huge that takes a lot of time or sends an obvious "hey, this person isn't doing any work" signal, just a little thing that I can color for a couple minutes at a time.
Ideally, the page size would be no bigger than a typical paperback novel, with artwork on 25-50% of the page and enough blank space to write down notes. Smaller than that is okay.
If all the pages have the same design, I'm fine with that.
I really want either a spiral notebook or a glue-top pad - something that can lay flat and that I can tear pages out of. I don't want a traditional coloring book format or a Moleskine-style binding. I do not want to print my own coloring pages. I also do not want color-your-own postcards or anything like that.
Does something like this exist? Where can I buy one?
I love the idea of "grown up" coloring books (e.g. Johanna Basford). However, I don't want a big book with big pages. And since I have occasional downtime (and colored pens) at work and sometimes doodle on my notepads, I think it'd be rad if I could have some sort of small notepad with sections to color in. Nothing huge that takes a lot of time or sends an obvious "hey, this person isn't doing any work" signal, just a little thing that I can color for a couple minutes at a time.
Ideally, the page size would be no bigger than a typical paperback novel, with artwork on 25-50% of the page and enough blank space to write down notes. Smaller than that is okay.
If all the pages have the same design, I'm fine with that.
I really want either a spiral notebook or a glue-top pad - something that can lay flat and that I can tear pages out of. I don't want a traditional coloring book format or a Moleskine-style binding. I do not want to print my own coloring pages. I also do not want color-your-own postcards or anything like that.
Does something like this exist? Where can I buy one?
So, one option you might want to consider is border paper like this. My mom is a teacher and I remember going to teacher supply stores with her back in the days before the internet where she found this kind of thing. There were ones for teachers (usually the same border in a glue top peel off stack of 50 or so, for letters home to parents) and ones for students (that came loose so you could photocopy one for every kid in the class). The designs can be fairly cheesy.
Unfortunately, I think a lot of this has been phased out because now anyone in the world can google and print anything they want, but there are still retailers that sell it. I think it's just going to be a lot tougher to find actual pads of it than it used to be (since these days teachers are probably typing their parent letters rather than hand writing them). Worth poking around though. Here's one source to get you started.
posted by phunniemee at 7:24 AM on July 7, 2015
Unfortunately, I think a lot of this has been phased out because now anyone in the world can google and print anything they want, but there are still retailers that sell it. I think it's just going to be a lot tougher to find actual pads of it than it used to be (since these days teachers are probably typing their parent letters rather than hand writing them). Worth poking around though. Here's one source to get you started.
posted by phunniemee at 7:24 AM on July 7, 2015
A friend of mine made these spiral-bound recycled pads - they're great for notetaking, and some of the "creative prompts" include line art to finish creatively or just color in.
posted by torridly at 7:40 AM on July 7, 2015
posted by torridly at 7:40 AM on July 7, 2015
I know you said you don't want to print your pages, so sorry if this is a derail - but what about getting a rubber stamp with some line art on it?
posted by pmcp at 7:47 AM on July 7, 2015
posted by pmcp at 7:47 AM on July 7, 2015
I have been looking for something similar for quite some time so will be watching this thread with interest. I use graph paper for this sort of thing - my go-to paper for note taking is a glue top pad of graph paper (8.5"x11") that I can sketch and colour on. Not quite as structured as a colouring page with line drawings, but I've created many Tetris-like doodles over the years.
posted by Juniper Toast at 9:44 AM on July 7, 2015
posted by Juniper Toast at 9:44 AM on July 7, 2015
Except for the part where they don't already have drawings on them, it sounds like the composition notebooks with pages that are half lined / half blank. They'd be good for doodles and such. [And I just found out about the half-quad / half-ruled composition notebooks.]
posted by bentley at 12:11 PM on July 7, 2015
posted by bentley at 12:11 PM on July 7, 2015
Here's a direct link to the 2016 Ryan McGinness calendar. The 2015 version is out of stock.
posted by moxiequz at 12:12 PM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by moxiequz at 12:12 PM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: None of these are quite what I'm looking for, but the Dodo Jotter Pad comes kind of close, and is awfully endearing. The recycled sketchbook is pretty neat too!
(I am secretly hoping some office supply manufacturer/coloring book publisher sees this question and starts making these things. You'll be rich!)
posted by Metroid Baby at 8:27 AM on July 8, 2015
(I am secretly hoping some office supply manufacturer/coloring book publisher sees this question and starts making these things. You'll be rich!)
posted by Metroid Baby at 8:27 AM on July 8, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by The Bellman at 7:17 AM on July 7, 2015 [2 favorites]