Arthur teen creates dragon-themed colouring book

ARTHUR – A local teenager has created a dragon-themed colouring book. 

The book begins with artist and creator Alana Simpson introducing themself and the book: “I am a 17-year-old autistic, home-schooled artist who lives in Arthur, Ontario.” 

“This book features over 30 dragons (and a butterfly) that you can make your own. It is designed to support a multitude of colouring styles for a variety of ages,” Simpson wrote. 

“As someone who struggles with dyslexia, it was important to me that my book features dyslexic-friendly fonts and an uncluttered layout so that it is more accessible,” they continue. 

Growing up using lots of colouring books, Simpson noticed that the art is mostly stock images and illustrators are often not mentioned, so they wanted to create a colouring book that celebrates the artist behind it, they told the Advertiser.  

They came up with the idea of creating their own colouring book in early summer and spent most of July drawing the dragons. 

“Quite a few mornings I just sat and worked on that,” they said, and most of the colouring pages took a little under an hour to draw. 

Simpson enjoys creating art  because it offers an “escape into the quiet of my imagination without the distractions of the outside world.” 

They drew the dragons digitally using the same process that they use for traditional drawing – starting with a rough sketch of the dragon’s outline, then adding more details and patterns,  and finishing with clean lines and erasing the initial sketch.  

Simpson said they focused on dragons for the colouring book because they can be very diverse and versatile while still being recognizable as dragons. 

Their interest in dragons goes back to when they were about 10 years old. 

They were inspired by dragons in books, movies and TV shows, including How to Train Your Dragon, Wings of Fire, Dragon Keeper and Dragon Masters.  

Simpson started out creating fan art, and then branched out into drawing original dragons.

Simpson said they likely wouldn’t have created the book if it weren’t for their autism, as their autism fuels their special interest in dragons. 

The book is self-published and Simpson said their mother, June Kirk, supported them throughout the process. 

Elora Centre for the Arts (ECFTA) manager and Sparrow’s Nest Makerspace founder Stephanie Lines-Toohill also supported the project, and Simpson said “I probably think, without her guidance, I wouldn’t have done any of this.”

Simpson started selling their art about four years ago – mostly bookmarks, postcards and prints – through the Sparrow’s Nest, a community makerspace at the ECFTA, and said Lines-Toohill was always very encouraging. 

Lines-Toohill told the Advertiser: “There is a shared love of drawing dragons and magical worlds here at Sparrow’s Nest that Alana has helped make accessible for all abilities by offering encouragement and sharing skills. 

“Alana has kindly supported many young artists as a weekly mentor and inspired them to keep creating as they have watched Alana’s brilliant bookmarks and artworks evolve,” Lines-Toohill continued. 

“I am in awe of the thoughtfulness of Alana’s new dragon colouring book that offers original outlines in an accessible format. It is a treasure for all who enjoy colouring magic into the world!”

Simpson had lots of encouragement from friends and family too, and that a nine-year-old family friend has been acting as a colouring tester and has been enjoying the pages, Simpson said.

Their mom has coloured some of the pages too, and Simpson said it’s interesting to see the colour combinations other people pick for their art, and how it differs from what they would pick. 

Seeing the colouring book in print makes them feel proud of themself, especially how professional it looks set up on a display table at The Village Square in Arthur. 

The book is also available for purchase at Magic Pebble Books and Cordial Clove Books in Elora, Brighten Up Toys and Games in Fergus and through Lines-Toohill at the ECFTA.