Unicorn jumps over a star coloring page

Lyon — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:42:38 +0000

This week’s coloring page was a request from a 9 year-old fan in New Jersey. Enjoy coloring!

Click on the image to get your 8.5X11 download coloring page.

I love to hear from you. Emails, comments and your colored pages make my day.

Email your colored image (less than 1mb) to coloringpage (at) handcraftedpagan (dot) com and I’ll post it to my blog!

Sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and/or click here to view more coloring pages!

Do you have a special request for a coloring page? Let me know either via an email or through one of my social networking sites. I’m on Twitter and Facebook. Let me know that you found me here in a message so I know why you’re following me.

I send out coloring pages to let people know about me, my art and my children’s books. Help support my efforts by spreading the word or buying any of my books. Please stop by any of my social networking sites to leave me a message (here is good too!) and let me know how you like the coloring pages. Remember, I provide these pages free of charge for your own personal use. Do not reproduce them or use them for any other purpose without my written permission.

What makes for good drama? + a coloring page

Lyon — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:15:23 +0000

I’ve been an avid viewer of the popular Sunday night series “Downton Abbey” on PBS. It’s not often that my TV viewing tastes coincide with a huge population, but this show has hit some pretty impressive numbers.

As a story teller myself, I wonder what makes a show catch fire and take off.

What exactly is the secret formula? Is it the characters, the story, the scenery or a combination of them all?

The things that make Downton Abbey successful are also present in simplified form in children’s literature.

For example: in last night’s episode the younger daughter, who has lost her purpose as a wounded soldiers’ nurse, arrived at a life altering decision to get married. This is a big deal in and of itself, but there is added drama and story layering in this specific situation because she’s the lord’s daughter and her intended is the chauffeur. OMG! Not the help! The expected drama of her older relations becoming angry and forbidding the marriage plays itself out during the episode, but with a twist at the end.

Of course, in an adult drama such as this there are many such threads going on at the same time. In a picture book, there is usually only one main theme. But the drama that is present in the above situation can make for a compelling narrative in a children’s book as well.

What are some of your favorite kids’ books? Can you pick out the drama initiation, the build up of the emotions and the climax when the story resolves? Do books without this story development work?

Click on the image to get your 8.5X11 download coloring page.

I love to hear from you. Emails, comments and your colored pages make my day.

Blessings,
Lyon

Email your colored image (less than 1mb) to coloringpage (at) handcraftedpagan (dot) com and I’ll post it to my blog!

Sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and/or click here to view more coloring pages!

February Full Moon is the Snow Moon

Lyon — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:10:23 +0000

According to the Farmers’ Almanac, the traditional name for the full moon in February is the Deep Snow or Hunger Moon. Some other places also refer to this month’s moon as the Wolf Moon. What is more iconic than a Snowy owl flying across a wintery sky to celebrate this month’s Esbat?

It seems strange to look outside with this in mind and see the daffodils poking their heads out from the ground. Meanwhile in other parts of the country, the snow is deeper than it’s been in decades.

Here in Missouri, there’s been no real winter to speak of, it’s been more of an extended fall. To a North East native, I feel as if I’m waiting for the season to start. On the other hand, there is absolutely no reason why I can’t take my daily walk to the library and back.

Click on the image to get your 8.5X11 download coloring page.

I love to hear from you. Emails, comments and your colored pages make my day.

Blessings,
Lyon

Email your colored image (less than 1mb) to coloringpage (at) handcraftedpagan (dot) com and I’ll post it to my blog!

Sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and/or click here to view more coloring pages!

Baah Baah Imbolc sheep coloring page

Lyon — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:38:29 +0000

I cannot believe it’s the last day of January already. Time is moving at light speed this year.

Imbolc is just a few days away. The blood of the earth and trees is moving, and because of the super mild winter we’ve had, there are already budding things everywhere. I hope we don’t end up with a deep freeze now that there’s all these little green babies everywhere.

Speaking of babies, here’s a trio of happy lambs for you to color.

What special plans do you have for February 2nd to celebrate the coming spring?

Click on the image to get your 8.5X11 download coloring page.

I love to hear from you. Emails, comments and your colored pages make my day.

Blessings,
Lyon

Email your colored image (less than 1mb) to coloringpage (at) handcraftedpagan (dot) com and I’ll post it to my blog!

Sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and/or click here to view more coloring pages!

New coloring page and revamped web site

Lyon — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:34:13 +0000

Gently Reader,

I’ve been hard at work behind the scenes trying to bring my web site back-end up to date. There have been some changes of where things are located and in the move, I lost a number of subscribers, (also some unsubscribes.) It seems even if you are really careful and back up everything twice, things can still go all wonky. If you are one of those affected by this weekend’s early spring cleaning, please accept my heartfelt apologies. Also, if you are hunting for something and can’t find it, please shoot me an email and I’ll try to point you in the right direction.

House-keeping aside, here is a new coloring page, a bit early for Valentine’s Day, but as one subscriber said to me, “Everyone loves a good cupid.”

I hope you agree.

Click on the image to get your 8.5X11 download coloring page.

I love to hear from you. Emails, comments and your colored pages make my day.

Blessings,
Lyon

Email your colored image (less than 1mb) to coloringpage (at) handcraftedpagan (dot) com and I’ll post it to my blog!

Sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and/or click here to view more coloring pages!

Do you have a special request for a coloring page? Let me know either via an email or through one of my social networking sites. I’m on Twitter and Facebook.

Internet Censorship and a Walrus seranade coloring page

Lyon — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:44:50 +0000

A great many big internet sites are blackout today. In protest of a law in Congress that could be devastating for free speech and easy information access. It’s called Stop Online Piracy Act.

While stopping piracy in and of itself would be a good thing for creatives such as artists and musicians and writers, the bill as it is currently worded gives far too much power to big business and big government to flip the off switch on sites with content they object to. Anyone can claim a site is infringing copyrighted work and have the site shut down.

The problem with piracy is that it is world-wide and not something a bill in the USA government can control. Many of the worst offenders are over seas, and not under the jurisdiction of our laws. The bill would punish tertiary sites linking to such content by shutting them down as well.

There are (as with all legislation) people on both sides of the fence on having this legislation passed.

The internet being what it is, there are rumors galore on what this bill will and won’t do.

As a creator, it is in my best interest to see piracy defeated. I do not think the scope of this bill will stop people trying to profit off other people’s’ creative efforts by grabbing copyrighted works for their own commercial use. The worst offenders will find other ways around legislation as vague as this bill is. The ones who lose, as usual will be the small business person, the freelance artist, the independent musician and the people with unpopular or fringe viewpoints they wish to express.

Copyright law is broken within cyber-space and legislation to shutter the internet will not fix it. Censorship is wrong, even if the thought behind it is well-meant.

Sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and/or click here to view more coloring pages!

Click the image to open a .jpg to print and color.

Email your colored image (less than 1mb) to coloringpage (at) handcraftedpagan (dot) com and I’ll post it to my blog!

Do you have a special request for a coloring page? Let me know either via an email or through one of my social networking sites. I’m on Twitter and Facebook.

It’s too warm for snow, so here’s some ice cream instead

Lyon — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:50:11 +0000

Click the image to open a .jpg to print and color.

It’s hard to believe it’s 2012. I had so many plans for 2011 that I haven’t gotten to yet!

I’ve spent the last week attempting to corral and finish up a few projects that were already close to the finish line. One out of three isn’t bad. I find it hard to believe how many times I start on something only to have the shiny thing syndrome capture my attention and pull me in yet another direction. One of my “resolutions” for 2011 was to not begin anything new until I had cleared my closets and drawers of started projects. I made good progress with several of them, but in the process of clearing them out, found other projects I had begun and forgotten all about!

I remember my mother had a knitting project in one of the family room bureaus. It was white and had half the bodice and a sleeve done. In all my childhood, I’d never known my mother to knit. I didn’t even realize she knew how until I came upon this abandoned sweater. I wonder if she still has it, or if she eventually got rid of it after two moves.

My abandoned projects are mostly quilts. There are several clothing patterns that have been laid out on fabric yardage which are in sizes that will no longer fit. Surprisingly, there are only a few art related ones. Or maybe it isn’t so surprising since I spent most of last year focusing on my illustrations.

So it would seem my New Year’s resolution for 2012 is the same as for 2011. Finish what is already started before beginning something new. Yup. I can do that.

What are your resolutions, plans, goals, dreams, hopes, wishful thinkings for 2012?

(I will be traveling for a family event so there will be no coloring page next week. See you in 2 weeks! Be kind o each other!)

Email your colored image (less than 1mb) to coloringpage (at) handcraftedpagan (dot) com and I’ll post it to my blog!

Do you have a special request for a coloring page? Let me know either via an email or through one of my social networking sites. I’m on Twitter and Facebook.

A very safe and happy New Year!

Lyon — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:39:37 +0000

Thank you so much for being a loyal blog visitor. There would be no point to doing this without your continued support.

This week’s coloring page is a tiny bit different. Every once in a while, I get a bug to do something ‘more’ with them and they become activity pages. These snowflakes are a matching game as well as a coloring page. I hope you and your little ones enjoy them. Click the image to open a .jpg to print and color.

Here in Missouri, we’ve only had a dusting of snow on Monday, which was all melted before the end of the day. Temperatures have been well above freezing for the majority of the month. For a New England transplant like me, it just isn’t winter without the white stuff covering the ground.

I’m hard at work on a number of book related projects, but I can’t spill the bean just yet. I hope to be able to tell you all about them very soon.

As always, I love to hear from you. Emails, comments and your colored pages make my day.

Happy New Year, to all. Be safe in your celebrations and I’ll see you in 2012!

Blessings,

Lyon

Email your colored image (less than 1mb) to coloringpage (at) handcraftedpagan (dot) com and I’ll post it to my blog!

Sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and/or click here to view more coloring pages!

Do you have a special request for a coloring page? Let me know either via an email or through one of my social networking sites. I’m on Twitter and Facebook.

Solstice is upon us. Bring back the light!

Lyon — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:21:21 +0000

Celebrate the return of the sun tonight. The season are shifting toward spring again. Time to begin planting new ideas for a fruitful harvest in the summer and fall months to come.

Click the image to open a .jpg to print and color.

Email your colored image (less than 1mb) to coloringpage (at) handcraftedpagan (dot) com and I’ll post it to my blog!

Sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and/or click here to view more coloring pages!

Enjoy the coloring page! See you next week!

Do you have a special request for a coloring page? Let me know either via an email or through one of my social networking sites. I’m on Twitter and Facebook.

Penguins carry home their tree coloring page

Lyon — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:26:26 +0000

It’s been a hectic few weeks for me. I did get my house decorated on the rare sunny day last week. It felt good. The penguins for you to color are heading home with their fresh tree.

Click the image to open a .jpg to print and color. Email your colored image (less than 1mb) to coloringpage (at) handcraftedpagan (dot) com and I’ll post it to my blog!

It seems that all these things I want to be involved in and do all have the same time frame for their deadlines. So, even though I am working non-stop to catch up, I feel as if I am not getting much done.

Maybe my lists are too long and I need to prioritize better.

I did manage to come up with my 30 ideas for Picture Book Idea Month. A huge shout out thank you for Tara Lazar, the organizer and head honcho! Take a visit over to her blog for all things picture book if you haven’t seen it already. Now that I have a pile of picture book ideas, I signed up for 12X12. Another challenge to come up with 12 finished picture book drafts in 2012. That would be one a month. A lot more than my usual one every five years. I feel a need for speed.

Speaking of challenges. Last December I signed up for the Of the Shelf book reading contest. I am 3/4 of the way through my LAST entry to meet that challenge. It’s tough going though. The book is non-fiction and written much like a masters thesis. I can only read a few pages at a sitting before my brain cries uncle and I have to move on to other activities. I will do this though. I’m just THAT close. It’s a matter of personal pride now.

The Picture Book Month initiative went viral just after the half way point in November after an entry on the Oprah blog, Life Lift. Now, the other founders and I have the year long behind the scenes work to make it even better and bigger for nest year.

The winter holidays are fast approaching, and with it many people are examining goals and wishes for 2012. What are yours? I think mine should be NOT to sign up for any more challenges!

Sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and/or click here to view more coloring pages!

Enjoy the coloring page! See you next week!

Do you have a special request for a coloring page? Let me know either via an email or through one of my social networking sites. I’m on Twitter and Facebook.