They are everywhere you look — coloring books very much unlike the ones of childhood. The coloring books that are filling bins at craft stores and tumbling from shelves in bookstores are filled with pages of intricate, detailed drawings that demand focus when morphing the black and white pictures into colorful works.

Coloring books geared toward adults have been on the scene for a number of years, but it is only recently that there has been a surge of interest. Marketing touts the books as means of mindful meditation, an inexpensive way to relieve anxiety, and as a creative outlet. Because the pictures tend to lean toward the fantastical, they appeal to an older crowd than the 6-year-old stretched out on the floor with a box of 12 Crayola Crayons.

How useful these books are as a means of art therapy is debatable, though. In a June 2015 article written for Psychology Today, Dr Cathy A. Malchiodi expressed frustration at this coloring craze. Coloring is not mindfulness, nor is it art therapy or artistic expression, she says.

“The fact that the concepts of meditation and mindfulness are being used to describe coloring premade designs is, in fact, insulting to these practices that have deep cultural and spiritual foundations. Let’s respect these traditions as well as the growing understanding via research of how meditation and mindfulness are specific practices that provide wide-reaching positive health outcomes as well as personal benefits,” Dr Malchiodi writes.

True creative expression comes from the use of hands to make art from imagination, she believes, and it is the “right-hemisphere-to-right-hemisphere, attuned, sensory-based, embodied and reflexive convergence aspects of the art therapy relationship that support art’s reparative powers,” not just the act of coloring premade pictures.

“A lot of people have mentioned the coloring books,” said Rachel Black of The Resiliency Center of Newtown (RCN), on South Main Street. Ms Black holds a master of art therapy degree and works under clinical supervision there.

RCN does not offer any group activities with coloring books, she said, and while coloring can help bring a person into a relaxed state, it is not considered a therapeutic method on its own.

“Coloring is making art as a therapeutic tool, but not actual art therapy,” Ms Black explained, and using coloring as the only form of therapy could be a problem.

“There are misconceptions [about coloring as therapy], with people thinking you can just buy a book to reduce anxiety. Not allowing yourself to process with an art therapist prevents long-term care,” she cautioned.

Coloring, however, is fun and it is grounding, she said. Occasionally, an art therapist will send home a mandala (circular design meant to encourage meditation and focus) coloring page in addition to face-to-face therapy.

“Or,” she said, “we have them make their own mandala page, which has been shown to be more useful.”

Therapeutic or not, the popularity of coloring books geared to grown-ups cannot be denied.

Byrd’s Books in Bethel has carried coloring books for adults since opening in 2011, said owner Alice Hutchinson.

“I carried them for two reasons: Bethel Health Care and Danbury Hospital,” she said, explaining that she realized that these books would make a good gift for someone recovering from illness at either location.

It was the arrival on the scene of The Secret Garden coloring book, in 2013, by Scottish artist Johanna Basford that has opened up a world of sophistication to coloring books, though, said Ms Hutchinson. By 2015, Ms Basford’s other books, The Secret Forest and The Lost Ocean, had sent coloring book sales skyrocketing. Her inked black and white drawings of fantastical iterations of nature and other subjects captivated the older coloring aficionado.

“People have found it embraces a social experience for them,” Ms Hutchinson said of the coloring movement. “It’s a nice way to gear down, not in front of the television. There are senior centers that are hosting coloring afternoons,” she said.

Since October, Ms Hutchinson has partnered with nearby Spark Art in Bethel to offer a once monthly evening of coloring, for $15 a person. Byrd’s supplies crackers, cheese, and snacks, and a tear-out sheet for each participant, from the larger, artist’s edition of The Secret Garden. Spark Art supplies the coloring tools — colored pencils, microfine colored pens, and markers are tools of choice — and a comfortable space, and colorists are invited to bring beverages.

“It’s a relaxed evening of coloring,” Ms Hutchinson said. “We love it, and I’ll sometimes bring some of the latest books with me. There’s just a huge selection of all kinds of coloring books available,” she said, from Anamorphia and Buddhist Art to The Game of Thrones.

“You don’t have to have any desire to be a real artist. It’s designed to be relaxing and fun, and it’s lovely to create something pretty,” said Ms Hutchinson. “People shouldn’t overthink their fun,” she added.

Coloring books are a new item at The Toy Tree this winter, said general manager Joann Whiting. “It really manifested itself on the market this year,” she said, with both men and women seeking the simple art activity.

The Toy Tree carries a broad selection of coloring books, with various themes.

“We have some on the art of mindfulness, gardens, even Star Wars,” Ms Whiting said.

She and owner Tracy Schmid were surprised at how quickly the coloring books sold out, Ms Whiting said, and have had to reorder several times.

“We’ve had excellent sales. People just like them. Some have said that when they are waiting for a child at an activity, they’ll take it out and color; or if they are watching television, they might color, too. Even high school kids,” Ms Whiting said, “are into this.”

Another option for anyone wanting to dabble in this new fad is the coloring program scheduled at Danbury Public Library, on Saturday, January 30, from 1 to 3 pm. Participants will select a coloring sheet from a variety of options, and colored pencils will be available. The program is free of charge, but registration is required. Visit danburylibrary.org (click on Events) or call 203-797-4527 or 203-796-8061 for more information.

Ready, set — get coloring!