Calming Colouring Patterns: 80 blissful patterns to colour in

Colouring is a terrific tool for staying relaxed and present in a demanding and hectic world. Requiring focus on a small scale, colouring in is a refreshing way to practice mindful attentiveness while reigniting your creative side.

Approaching colouring slowly and carefully, giving your full attention to the movement of pen on page, creates the perfect escape from all those worries buzzing around your head.

Here, over 80 hand-drawn illustrations - from grids to Art Nouveau florals, from Japanese waves to Medieval motifs - are just waiting for a touch of colour from pens, pencils, felt tips or paints.

Whether you’ve got ten minutes to spare at lunch or a few lazy hours on a Sunday, losing yourself in a colouring book is a simple, enjoyable and undemanding path to inner peace.

Graham McCallum is an artist, designer, and craftsperson. His books include 4000 Flower and Plant Motifs; 4000 Animal, Bird and Fish Motifs; and 4000 Alphabet and Letter Motifs, as well as Pattern Motifs (all Batsford). He teaches and writes on design and lives in Durban, South Africa.