Jade Murray and the Joy of Calico Colouring
There’s something instantly comforting about the presence of a cat; the slow blink of approval, the soft vibration of a purr and the quiet companionship they offer without asking for much in return. Calico Colouring is a book that embodies this. For a 22-year-old artist from Dublin, Jade Murray has combined this calming energy with her love of art in an accessible, interactive way for fellow creatives and cat lovers alike.
The idea began simply enough by combining two things she loved. “I honestly just adore cats and people love colouring,” Jade says. “I felt I wasn’t using my art skills to the fullest extent.” Wanting to push herself creatively, she began exploring ways to turn her passion for art into something bigger. “I really wanted to make something art related my full-time job,” she explains, and eventually the idea for a colouring book clicked into place.
Cats have always been a big part of Jade’s life, particularly her own cat Cassie. “I have a cat, Cassie, and she just means the world to me,” she says. That affection shows up across the pages of Calico Colouring, where playful feline personalities and everyday cat chaos take centre stage.
Although the concept started as a personal project, it didn’t take long for Jade to realise this idea excited many others. As she began sharing her progress with people around her, their reactions drove her progress. “When I would show people the progress and how positive their reactions were, I said, okay, I need to make this real,” she says. “People actually want this.”
The creative process itself began naturally. “I started drawing some random cat sketches on paper,” Jade explains. From there, the drawings gradually evolved. “Eventually I began drawing them digitally,” using her iPad to refine the illustrations and transform rough ideas into the final designs that appear in the book.
Despite the detailed artwork, the project moved quickly. Jade estimates the entire process took around three months from start to finish. Some pages, however, were definitely more challenging than others. “The more detailed pages would be more challenging,” she admits, though every illustration still holds meaning for her.
That’s partly because the ideas behind many of the designs didn’t come from Jade alone. “Most of the ideas came from people around the world from my comment sections,” she says. In that sense, Calico Colouring became something of a collaborative creation, shaped not just by Jade’s imagination but by the community that supported the project as it developed.
While the book began as a passion project, it has also become part of a bigger goal for Jade. “I would say both,” she says when asked whether it was simply for fun or part of a larger creative plan. “I wanted to just do art more, but after completing the book and showing the world through my video and seeing people’s positive responses, it made me want to make this truly real.”
Publishing a book is something Jade says she has always dreamed about, even if she never expected it would look quite like this. “Yes, I’ve always wanted to publish a book,” she says. “I didn’t think it would be a cat colouring book, but it was definitely something I’ve always dreamt of.”
One of the most surprising moments in the process came after she shared her journey online. In her first video about the book, Jade spoke honestly about struggling with her mental health, something she hadn’t expected to resonate so widely. “I was very surprised to see thousands of people felt the exact same way,” she says. “And just how lovely people were.”
That sense of comfort and connection is exactly what she hopes people experience when they open the book. Some pages lean into humour, capturing the kind of mischievous behaviour cat owners know all too well. “I made some of the pages funny, showing typical cat scenarios,” Jade says.
Above all, though, she hopes the experience is relaxing. “I hope people can feel relaxed while colouring,” she says, “and also be able to have a little giggle at the silly pages.”
With Calico Colouring, Jade hasn’t just created a colouring book; she’s created a small, joyful escape filled with cats, creativity, and a reminder that art can connect people in unexpected.
Written by: Sadie Murray
Edited by: Shaunamay Martin Bohan
