Temple grad's adult coloring book is reminder about self-love
Coloring books aren’t just for kids. Temple grad Andrea Pippins knows that, so she created “I Love My Hair,” an adult coloring book to soothe the nerves, with an added dose of self-love.
Coloring books aren't just for kids. Temple grad Andrea Pippins knows that, so she created "I Love My Hair," an adult coloring book to soothe the nerves, with an added dose of self-love.
"In the last few years, coloring books in general have gotten to be really popular," Baltimore resident Pippins said in an email interview. "And with all that's going on around us in the world, we're all in need of time to relax and just be. I think people are gravitating to coloring because it allows you to do just that."
Coloring books have been known to settle adults for over a century, but Pippins' book comes with added benefits. Featuring hair types from coily to straight, long and short, and styles from afros to ponytails, "the coloring book explores hair with a self-empowerment lens," explains Pippins.
"I Love My Hair" features everything from "Medusa's slithering coiffure" to "Marie Antoinette's towering bouffant," but Pippins weaved a personal touch inside the book's swirled pages.
"There are a lot of images [in "I Love My Hair] that celebrate traditional black hairstyles that either I love to wear," she said, "or that I see worn in my community of friends and folks I admire."
"I Love My Hair" started as a design thesis in 2008, Pippins told Clutch magazine. She was inspired by the budding modern-day natural hair movement and fascinated by how much black women spent on the hair industry. The thesis turned into a social awareness campaign which featured Pippins' prints and T-shirts. The coloring book brings it all together, she said.
Originally from Maryland, Pippins moved to Philly to attend Temple University and graduated from the Tyler School of Art graduate program in 2009. With a background in graphic design, she later received her B.F.A. from Tyler. When she's not working on her book, which will be available to purchase for $11.99 on Nov. 10, Pippins has worked on graphics for the BlackStar Film Festival, illustrations for Carnival Cruise, and did work for the Pan Caribbean pavilion at the Pan Am Games. Her "I Love My Hair" campaign was also featured on a Hallmark Mother's Day Card.
"I love drawing," she said. "I love being an image-maker, so I'm really happy doing the work I get to do." Pippins' love for her craft translates into the intricate "linework" glittered throughout "I Love My Hair."
Published by Random House Books, "I Love My Hair" is available for pre-order now on Amazon.
"I'm hoping the book will be a little reminder of how necessary it is to practice self-love," Pippins says.