Looking to add a bit of brightness and fun to a dull day? We know a crew of creatures who are happy to help. They’re waiting for you in the free Monster Coloring Book for kids download, presented by Chicago Parent!
These nine quirky characters are the invention of dad and illustration Brent Mosser. He’s also the talented illustrator behind the little monsters featured each month in “Why”, a new department in Chicago Parent’s magazine all about how kids tick.
For Mosser, an illustrator who lives the metro Detroit area with wife Julie Mosser and their 19-month-old daughter, June, doodling these critters was something he just sort of stumbled into — and it took off from there.
“I started drawing monsters maybe 10 years ago,” he says. “I kind of just liked drawing the big eyes on them and then realized I could draw the fur easily, and it was fun to make them doing different things.”
In the free Monster Coloring Book, that includes skateboarding and guitar shredding, along with making plenty of fun expressions. Mosser started out sharing them in a Google Doc to help families stuck at home in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown.
“I really wanted to help entertain parents and children during a time when everything coming at them seemed a little turbulent,” Mosser says. “I was thinking of the parents who all of sudden have to work from home and do homeschooling. Hopefully they could let their kids color and they can enjoy a cup of coffee or answer an email. Maybe they could color together, too, and just be in that moment.”
We loved his idea, and together came up with a free downloadable PDF version. Just print it out and bust out those markers, crayons and colored pencils.
We had to know: Does Mosser have a favorite monster — or how about little June?
“I love all of them,” he says. “When my daughter sees the monsters, she always points at them and says ‘dada,’ so I think I’m her favorite monster.”
Click here to get your free Monster Coloring Book!
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