There is an amazing array of artists and coloring book illustrators that want to help (or have already helped) Australian Wildlife impacted by the current bushfires in Australia. You can read more about the Australian bushfires and their impact below.
Australian Bushfires  Background
Since June 2019 parts of Australia have been suffering from extreme bushfires. Every state of Australia has been affected by fires, some more than others.  As of February 2020, there are still fires burning that have not yet been contained.  Although Australia has had horrendous bushfires in the past, it does not compare to the current conditions.  These bushfires started well before the peak Summer season for bushfires. They have been burning across more areas and for far longer than in the past.
It is estimated so far that over 30 million acres have been burnt.  In addition, there has been a massive loss of human life (estimated 34) and property (estimated nearly 6000 buildings including residences).
Among the wildlife affected are our beloved koalas.  Koalas are known worldwide for their uniqueness and “bear” like appearance.  It is estimated that over 8000 koalas have died in the bushfires on the mainland of Australia. Over half the koala population is estimated to have died in the Kangaroo Island bushfire in South Australia.  The Kangaroo Island koala death toll is estimated at 25,000 – 30,0000.  These koalas were a special breed, kept away from the mainland and free of chlamydia. This is a massive amount for a species that is considered vulnerable to extinction.
All of these firefighters and army personnel put their lives on hold to travel to Australia to help a country that needed them.  Many firefighters have been in Australia for months working side by side with Australians to help contain the fires.  The sacrifices that they have made in their personal and professional lives to do this are inspiring.  Sadly, three of the firefighters from the USA lost their lives in the process.
There have been numerous fundraisers organized by people both locally in Australia and around the world to support those in need during this time, including donations to wildlife.  International support has been inspiring and very much appreciated.
What can you do to help?
I assume that you are reading this because you like adult coloring and would like to help Australian charities 🙂
One way for you to help, and still enjoy your hobby, is to support one of the many artists that have created coloring pages or books that are donating to Australian charities or promoting the issue.
Thank You
A big thank you to the amazingly talented coloring book illustrators who have taken it upon themselves to create coloring pages and donate to Australian charities.  These artists have selflessly given up hours of their time to create an illustration, promote it and deal with the administrative detail of processing donations.  Your support is very much appreciated x
THANK YOU to all of the artists that have already created coloring pages and/or pledged donations to Australian bushfire related charities including: –
Jennifer Zimmermann – Modern Coloring
Check out 7 coloring book artists that are currently donating to help Australia
You can see 7 coloring book artists that are currently donating part of their profits to Australian charities below.  This is not intended to be a complete list, but a list of artists, as at the date of writing, that are pledging support.
Hannah Lynn – Hannah will be launching a new Kickstarter for Whimsy Girls Around the World on 12 February 2020.  This book will feature her gorgeous big-eyed girls at various locations around the world.   Hannah actually plans to travel to various places in the world to actually sketch out her images on-site for this book.  This artist edition book will be launched on Kickstarter which doe snot allow charitable donations. However, Hannah has stated that she plans to donate a percentage of her royalties to an Australian wildlife charity (at this stage, she hasn’t specified a charity).  Keep up with Hannah’s Kickstarter project by following her on Facebook here.
Colors of Australia – This is a project featuring 30 artists.  You can make a set donation, purchase a coloring book or buy a single page if you like.  The whole 100% of funds raised are being donated to WIRES which is an Australian charity that helps sick and injured wildlife.  WIRES is a New South Wales based charity and generally just funds that state only. WIRES has stated that it will share donations that it has received with other States (the percentages are not known though at this stage). You can check out the Colors of Australia Coloring Book here.
Hollow Moon Art – The talented Nelleke Schoemaker has created a bundle of five coloring pages as a digital download for sale. Each page features an animal from Australia.  Nelleke is donating 50% of the proceeds of sale from this bundle to Australian charities that help restore the environment by planting new trees. You can check out the Hollow Moon set of coloring pages here.
Ruby Charm Colors – Susan Carlson has created a koala themed coloring page called Koalas for Australia in a number of formats that are included in a digital download.  Colorists will receive a version with black and white line art, one with grey line art, and with a rainfall background and without.  The artist is donating all the net profits from the sale of these sheets to Wildlife Victoria for a limited period of time. You can purchase the set Koalas for Australia here.
Nerea Li Santi – This Australian artist has created a coloring page based on her own possum that lives in her garden.  Nerea is donating all the net proceeds of the sale of this coloring page to the Australian Red Cross. You can check out this extremely low priced coloring page here (and also see a photo of the possum that it is based on).
Nathan Ferlazzo – If you love wildlife and animal illustrations you may like Nathan’s work. He has a range of coloring books including Wild Australia, Wild America, Farm Friends and Wild at Heart.  Nathan regularly donates to wildlife charities from the sale of his coloring books and other merchandise.  Five percent of the proceeds of sale from Wild Australia are being donated to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.  This is a conservation charity that helps protect Australia’s native fauna. You can check out the range of Nathan’s work here.
Artworks by Alice – Alice has created a gorgeous print of a koala that you can print out on A4 paper.  Although it is a print and designed to be hung on the wall there is nothing stopping you coloring this little beauty (just print in black and white rather than color).   Alice is donating 100% of the net proceeds of the sale of the print to Wildlife Victoria. You can check out the cute koala here.
No Cost Ways You Can Help
You do not need to spend a cent in order to show support for the above artists and Australian charities.  Here are some easy things that you can do:
- tell the artists how much you appreciate what they do.  You can like their social media pages, make a comment and tell your friends.  If you have purchased a coloring book or page from the artist you can leave a review/recommendation on their Facebook page, Amazon page or Etsy store. This helps more people become aware of their work;
- support the colorists that have colored the amazing pages created for the bushfire charities.  You can like their social media posts and leave a comment showing your support;
- share and promote posts from reputable Australian charities that are distributing funds to those affected by the bushfires; and
- spread the word about these fabulous artists and share this post 🙂
Happy coloring x
Lea
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