This local artist wants you to color in Boston
Find out how Jillian Taylor narrowed her Boston-based coloring book calendar down to just 12 iconic Boston images.
Fenway Park is featured in October.
Jillian Taylor spent the summer creating illustrations of iconic Boston spots, and now she wants you to color them in.
Taylor, 36, of Pembroke, is the artist behind Calendraw Boston, a Boston-themed coloring book calendar for 2016. It’s available at Amazon.com and will be in book stores soon.
“It’s where I grew up and it’s the city I’m in love with,’’ she said.
Taylor, who signs her art “Jillsy Taylor,’’ is a graduate of Weymouth High School who attended the Massachusetts College of Art. She works primarily with ink and almost always in black, white, and grey.
The calendar idea took root when friends kept saying that her typically colorless work was perfect for coloring. On top of that, Taylor knew that adults have been coloring like crazy lately — Johanna Basford’s “Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book’’ has sold more than 1 million copies worldwide.
“I absolutely love it,’’ she said. “People are taking time for themselves and using it for meditation, and using it to get together with their friends. You can’t mess up coloring. There’s no wrong way to do it.’’
Taylor wanted to provide something to color, but with a twist. She wanted it to be useful and to inspire people to display their own work. But how did she decide which spots to use? She asked everyone she knew: What do you love about Boston? Then she narrowed the long list of answers down to 12.
“It was, like, impossible,’’ said Taylor about deciding on just a dozen.
Taylor colored December’s Paul Revere statue.
Which places made the cut? The MBTA in front of the TD Garden, the dinosaur at the Museum of Science, the Make Way for Ducklings sculptures at the Public Garden, the Boston Marathon finish line, the Public Garden bridge, the entrance to Chinatown, the Hatch Shell, the Citgo sign, a cobblestone street in the North End, Fenway Park, the Mayflower II, and the statue of Paul Revere. It took her about six weeks to draw them all.
She’s encouraging folks to share photos of their coloring on social media using the hashtag #Calendraw.
What’s next for this artist? She’d like to create calendars of more cities.
“This has been rewarding in ways I totally didn’t anticipate,’’ said Taylor, who said she’s been asked to speak and color with folks at an elder care facility. “I honestly love to see all the different ways that people color them.’’
Interesting facts about iconic Boston landmarks:
[bdc-gallery id=”139827″]
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com