After the success of my first coloring book, EQUINOX, I decided to make another one. I’ve always liked drawing angels, and I was sick and tired of fluffy, dumb-looking angels in so many coloring books that I saw, so I decided to do a book on serious angels. These angels would range from peaceful or happy angels to strong, powerful angels. Real angels have power – they’re not the cute Fiorucci cherubs, oh no.

I thew in a few hunky, male angels for the ladies, as well as strong female angels as well. I did only one child-angel, but she was an old soul and wise, NOT a cherub. All in all, I did 24 angel drawings, and put them into two categories: Angels and Archangels.

In a third category, I also did 12 Ikons. These were a selection of Christian-themed images that range from the classic Chi Ro to a Chartre Labyrinth to a stained glass Rose Window. That made a total of 36 images that can be colored.

I really like doing pen-and-ink drawings, and after two years of drawing (making EQUINOX and then Angelikon), I really improved my pen drawing skills – which were getting a little rusty. Colored pencils can be more loose and free, while drawing in pen-and-ink needs more precision and tightness of technique.

I did reach back again into my previous body of work, where I redrew the Growth Angel (above) and Amy’s Guardian, which were angels I originally drew back in 1999. Redrawing an old image can be tedious, as I like doing new things, but it does give you an opportunity to improve any faults in your original and make a better image.

Angelikon was well received and it got some great reviews. I was very happy that it won a Silver Medal in the 2017 Illuminations Book Awards. Both of Angelikon and EQUINOX are available on Etsy as instant downloads, too.

The response to Angelikon was good, but I could tell that the coloring book fad from 2012 was over. There is still a solid base of colorists out there, but unfortunately the coloring book market got oversaturated and way too crowded. I did one more small coloring book, then I stopped. These books will always be available, and I hope they can continue to find new audiences in the future.

You can always find my books on
www.AntarcticaArts.com

Angelikon is also available on Amazon:
www.Amazon.com