Bloglander

Local artist Tiffany Patterson created the artwork for this year’s Best of the Inland Northwest issue — and then she had a great idea: What if we let everyone else get creative with the art, too?

So she made the illustrations that appear in this week’s issue into outlines for coloring, and we’re excited to announce the Inlander’s 2014 Best Of Coloring Contest for Kids and Grown-Ups. (If you’re not feeling competitive, you can just color them for fun at your leisure.)

It’s easy and fun. Here’s how to enter:

• Download the PDF below or here, and choose one or more pages.

• Make it awesome in any way you like*.

• Include the artist name, age, city and a preferred contact — phone or email — on the back. (For children, please include full name but indicate if you prefer we only publish first name.)

• Get it to us by noon on Monday, March 31. If you want to scan and email, send to chrisb@inlander.com. If you want to mail it or drop it off during business hours, our address is 1227 W. Summit Parkway, Spokane, WA, 99201.

We’ll select winners in the following age groups: 0-4, 5-10, 10-16, 17+

And then we’ll post the winners (and other favorites) online the week of March 31. We’re still working on procuring age-appropriate prizes, but winners will receive something fun — as well as fame and recognition, of course.

*Conversation between me and art director Chris Bovey, more or less:

LISA: Should we make a rule about, like, the materials allowed?

CHRIS: What are you talking about?

LISA: When I was a kid, the local newspaper always listed the materials for their Thanksgiving coloring contest, like are beans OK? Macaroni? Can you give the turkey feathers by pressing little squares of tissue paper with glue so they stand up?

CHRIS: I assumed most people would use crayon or marker. Right?

LISA: Probably. Some places ban glitter. It gets in the air ducts or something.

CHRIS: What?

LISA: I mean, I’m OK with pretty much anything. Except, like, blood. But who would really do that?

CHRIS: [no response]

LISA: OK, we’ll just leave it open-ended.