Theresa Chen Arzola

Illustrator & Graphic Novelist

12 Lunar Year Zodiacs

Coloring Book

12 Lunar Year Zodiacs

Available for purchase in person only.

Online purchasing coming soon.

About The Book

12 Lunar Year Zodiacs is a coloring book of 12 pages — 1 page per Lunar Year zodiac animal.

While originating from China (and often called the “Chinese Zodiac”), the Lunar Year Zodiac is widely followed by many East and Southeast Asian countries. Over centuries of cultural migration and evolution, the zodiac animals have been shared across borders, adapting into the regional customs and traditions of each nation.

This coloring book celebrates the history and diversity of these East and Southeast Asian countries through their connection in the Lunar Year Zodiac. Each page depicts a woman in the cultural attire of an East Asian or Southeast Asian country that follows the Lunar Year Calendar.

Each spread in the book includes a snippet explaining the cultural significance of the zodiac animal or an interesting fact about the traditional attire of that country. For Vietnam, the dragon is significant to their origin folklore.

Research & Process

This project was a combination of several interests of mine: drawing line art, drawing women in dresses, and exploring cultural history.

I wanted to go beyond the typical interpretation of the “Chinese Lunar Year Zodiac Animals” and understand how other Asian nations evolved to include the zodiac animals in their culture.

I found patterns of connectivity and cultural significance between different nations and specific animals and learned a lot about the role of women in their societies as well as the cultural significance of their “national” or historical attire. All together, this inspired me to create a set of 12 illustrations, highlighting the pride and optimism of each nation. A coloring book allows the reader to engage in the culture rather in a small way as well.

Note: There could be whole books written about each country and deeper research done into each region’s clothing and cultural history. This coloring book provides just a glimpse into the richness of that history in relaxing and interactive way.

Year of the Rabbit went to Japan due to their folklore about the rabbit in the moon, which is celebrated in the late summer. This woman is wearing a yukata, the traditional summer garb of Japan, while silhouetted by a moon.
China represents the Year of the Rat because of its place as first in the Lunar Zodiac calendar. While the Lunar Calendar is known and used throughout Asia, China is the historic origin and thus deserves the honor of first in this series.
In Nepal, the Rooster is substituted by a phoenix, whose symbolism I incorporated into this woman’s cultural attire and adornments. She stands intentionally proud and regal in her regalia, further exemplifying the phoenix she represents.

How to Purchase

Personal use copies are currently only available for purchase in person. An online order option is in the works. To stay up to date on when that will release, I recommend subscribing to my newsletter for the latest updates.

Wholesale orders are available. If interested, you can reach out to me via email at theresa@theresaarzola.com.