Because of her children, Nathalie, a French woman living in Singapore, came up with the idea of creating large-scale coloring posters and commissioned a Singaporean illustrator to create the artwork. The Merlion, Changi Airport, National Gallery Singapore, temples and churches, old shophouses… these familiar scenes, with their rich composition and detailed lines, immediately captured everyone's attention.
Do you remember the coloring book "The Secret Garden" that swept the world not long ago? It inspired many people to pick up their crayons again, immersing themselves in the world of coloring and indirectly discovering their potential artistic talents.
Nathalie Delbecq Ferlet, a 45-year-old French woman living in Singapore, capitalized on the trend by launching Scribolo, a large-format coloring poster with a Singaporean theme, last March. Nathalie's two children loved to draw and weren't satisfied with small sheets of paper, so she came up with the idea for large posters. She commissioned Singaporean illustrator Chen Ziyue to create the artwork, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. The first print run of Scribolo, 1,000 posters, sold out within months, and it's currently in its third printing.
Drawing inspiration from hiking
Natalie moved her family from Paris, France to Singapore in 2014 because of her husband Boris's (45 years old) work. This was her first time in Asia, and she admitted that her previous impressions of Singapore came from Western media reports, which were rather one-sided and stereotypical. "I used to know Singapore as a glamorous city that was inseparable from economic figures. Later, I participated in a walking event organized by the French Association of Singapore and visited many historic districts, and I was surprised to find that Singapore actually has a rich cultural heritage," Natalie said.
Natalie drew inspiration from this and wanted to incorporate the island nation’s unique and charming cityscape into her drawings. She conceived a large coloring poster that would allow her children, Hugo (13 years old) and Paloma (9 years old), to paint to their heart’s content and also to depict Singapore’s important landmarks and cityscapes.
The Merlion, Changi Airport, the National Gallery, temples and churches, old shophouses… all these familiar sights are included in the posters, with rich compositions and delicate lines that easily capture the viewer's attention. Natalie says, "Familiar everyday scenes give people a sense of belonging, and many people can't help but stop and look at them, which is probably why Scribolo is so popular!" Because the posters are 1.5 meters long and 0.6 meters wide, they are quite large, allowing the whole family to paint together, thus becoming a family leisure activity.
Speaking about the creative process, Natalie said, "I always believed that only Singaporeans could draw such landscapes, so I screened three local illustrators online, and later decided that Chen Ziyue's fun style best met the requirements. Our collaboration went very smoothly and was very pleasant!"
From conception, sketching, refining, finalization, printing to packaging, it only took three months. Natalie said the only stumbling block was that no local printing plant could print a 1.5-meter-long poster. After some searching, they finally found a printer in Jiangsu Province, China.
Invited to participate in "Car-Free Sunday"
Natalie previously worked as a marketing manager at a French technology company for many years, where she was adept at negotiating with clients. She leveraged this expertise to market Scribolo coloring posters. She said, "I decided to take a hands-on approach, introducing Scribolo to various institutions and universities, and also selling it at some carnivals. In the process, I met many new immigrants and locals, and received a lot of feedback. One auntie suggested bringing Scribolo into nursing homes so that the elderly could color in familiar scenes."
Scribolo is currently sold at Changi Airport, the National Gallery, and some boutiques and children's clothing stores. In addition to giving coloring enthusiasts more coloring options, it has also become a unique Singaporean souvenir for tourists to give to their friends and family.
What's remarkable is that this large coloring poster also caught the attention of Singapore's Land Transport Authority, and Natalie was invited a few months ago to set up a booth to showcase her product at a "Car-Free Sunday" event. She said, "My booth was located on Bencoolen Street, and many passersby and cyclists stopped to participate in the coloring. It wasn't just children; many adults couldn't put it down once they picked up the crayons!"
Natalie's family often color together. She laughed and said, "Sometimes, when we need to get posters to use as promotional samples at stores, we'll get the kids to color, and they love it. I've also found that coloring activities are great to do together at home on rainy or hazy days, as it can promote parent-child relationships."
Appreciate the local multiculturalism
Having lived in Singapore for three years, Natalie, who was born in Paris, says she has spent most of her life in Europe. “I studied in England, and my work took me to Germany, Spain, and other places. When my husband’s payment systems company decided to send him to Singapore, we both thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the other side of the world, and also a great learning opportunity for our young children.”
Natalie's two children currently attend the French School in Singapore, where they diligently study Mandarin and have mastered basic vocabulary. What Natalie appreciates most is Singapore's multiculturalism, where different ethnic groups, despite their religious beliefs, respect each other and live in harmony. In her spare time, she also practices calligraphy to deepen her understanding of Chinese culture.
The widespread popularity of Scribolo across all social strata has given Natalie a boost, and she is preparing to expand into the gift industry, planning to launch more innovative gifts with Singaporean characteristics in the near future.
For more information about Scribolo, please visit www.scribolo.com
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/zlifestyle/culture/story20171106-808690