Alumna Author Pens Coloring Book of the Lives of Saints

Just in time for Christmas, St. Joseph’s Press has released a coloring book featuring historically accurate illustrations of women saints — all illustrated by Dominique Shema (’07).

Yet Heavenly Crown: Coloring Book and Lives of the Saints is not, as its subtitle indicates, merely a coloring book. Accompanying Miss Shema’s finely detailed line drawings are essays about each of the depicted saints. The work thus serves as a combination of creative outlet, spiritual reading, and catechetical tool for artists of all ages.

“I love history, especially all the little details that let you imagine what it would have been like to live back then,” Miss Shema explains. So the author researched each saint extensively in order to make sure that her drawing would be as authentic as possible. “For example,” she notes, “the ship in St. Margaret of Scotland’s picture is inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Battle of Hastings, an important event in St. Margaret’s life. The herbs in St. Gertrude’s garden at Nivelles are herbs that would commonly have been grown in a medieval monastery garden. For many of the pictures, I went a step further and drew the whole thing in whatever art style was current at the time.”

Heavenly Crown: Coloring Book and Lives of the Saints is available for purchase via the St. Joseph’s press website.