February 09, 2024
Courtesy/Jennifer Scott
Philadelphia illustrator Jennifer Scott featured 38 canines in her new coloring book, 'Dogs of Fishtown.' The self-published book is available on Amazon for $19.99.
An illustration posted to Facebook has evolved into a coloring book filled with depictions of Fishtown dogs.
"Dogs of Fishtown: A Hand drawn Coloring book" features line drawings of 38 pooches by Philadelphia author and illustrator Jennifer Scott. The self-published book, available on Amazon for $19.99, is intended for colorers of all ages.
The book was born after a friend hired Scott, a Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts graduate, to draw her dog so she could give the illustrations to her mother. Scott then posted her drawing to the Facebook group "Fishtown is AWESOME OLD/NEW/EVERYONE!," and people immediately requested drawings of their own pets, too.
Scott decided to create a coloring book, and received hundreds of photos from dog owners who wanted theirs included. Scott's dog, Rally T, appears twice in the book, once with reading glasses and once dressed as Gritty. The Facebook group also voted on the dog that would make it on the cover — a pug wearing a beanie won.
"A coloring book is approachable, there's no distance, it's not precious. If there's 1,000 copies of it, each one looks different because of the way a person colors," Scott said. "They could make it more like their dog or someone else's dog and they'll enjoy using it."
One of the 38 dogs who appears in Jennifer Scott's 'Dogs of Fishtown' coloring book.
Scott has published 10 books, including three coloring books. She's already at work on a "Dogs of Manayunk" book, and she wants to do another "Dogs of Fishtown" volume in the spring. She's also hoping to do a book featuring cats.
Though she's worked with many mediums, including paint and sculpture, Scott said that small, neat line drawings feel very connected to viewers.
"People respond to that well, and it's just more of a personal interaction, it's more of a conversation, and I feel like it's more of a real representation of the kind of work that I want to do," Scott said.
The "Dogs of Fishtown" book is available now on Amazon and will soon be coming to Barnes & Noble's website, Scott said. Scott also will be selling copies of the book – and her other works – at a book fair at Hilltop Books in Chestnut Hill on Friday, Feb. 23.
