Is your coloring lacking something? Do you look at other people’s coloring with envy, wishing you could create something equally as beautiful? If so, don’t worry; we’ll have you coloring pretty in no time.
To color pretty works of art:
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- Choose the right tools
- Choose the right color scheme
- Choose the right techniques
- Learn from others
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This guide will take you through everything you need, from picking the right tools to growing as a colorist with the help of the coloring community. Come on, let’s get started!
How to Color Beautiful Pictures
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so they say, but you know if you’re coloring isn’t as good as it could be. While there’s nothing wrong with coloring for fun without worrying about what the finished result looks like, some colorists want to do everything they can to improve and create the most stunning art they possibly can. Whichever camp you fall into, you can benefit from some of the tips in this guide, where we’ll walk you through getting the most out of your coloring to create beautiful pages.
Choose the Right Tools
The first step to coloring pretty pictures is choosing the right tools to work with. Some colorists have one art medium they favor, and they prefer to stick to that. Others switch it up depending on the project and their mood. Still, others prefer to mix multiple mediums in one piece of art.
The more you learn about different art mediums, the better able you’ll be to find one that speaks to you and helps your creative juices flow. Don’t be afraid to try something new – after all, experimentation will only make you a better colorist, resulting in more and more skillfully colored pages as time goes on.
Colored Pencils
Colored pencils are one of the most popular coloring tools in adult coloring, and it’s easy to see why:
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- They’re inexpensive
- They’re portable
- They last a long time
- Colored pencils are good for intricate coloring like mandalas since they can be sharpened to such a fine point. They come with both hard and soft lead; harder lead is better for detailed work and soft lead blends better.
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Crayons
Many of us haven’t used crayons since elementary school, but they’re fun and accessible coloring tools worth checking out. You can color with them normally, or try:
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- Heating them to melt the color
- Using for watercolor-resist art
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The bright colors and easy-glide wax sticks make coloring effortless. They’re best for simpler designs since they don’t hold a point all that well. If you have a large area to cover, you can even remove the crayon’s paper and push it along sideways instead of coloring with the tip.
Markers
Markers are fast becoming an adult coloring staple, thanks to their bold colors and convenient, portable nature. They’re extremely versatile since they come in so many sizes, from ultra-fine to mega-wide. That means you can use them for large-scale landscapes or smaller, detailed pictures. Just be sure to test them out first before coloring in small shapes, since some markers tend to feather out a bit. Markers use either water-based ink, which is somewhat blendable, or quick-dry, alcohol-based ink which is better for color blocking since it dries too quickly to blend well.
Gel Pens
Gel pens don’t bleed through paper or feather out to the sides, making them another perfect medium for intricate designs. They sit on top of the paper rather than soaking into it, so you don’t have to worry about bleeding through. Because of this quality, they’re also ideal for layering on top of mediums, such as markers or colored pencils, to add highlights or accents. Gel pen ink smudges when wet, making it possible to have a lot of fun blending them into one another.
Watercolor Markers
Watercolor markers combine two mediums into one, giving colorists the beauty of watercolor paint with the convenience and portability of markers. They consist of three parts:
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- A pen barrel
- Water-based ink
- A paintbrush-style nib
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Because of the brush-style nib, you can make strokes of varying thickness depending on how much pressure you apply to the pen. This makes them exceptionally good tools for letter art, transitioning from thick to thin in an instant. Watercolor markers can be used with or without water depending on how opaque or transparent you want the color to be. They blend well, also.
Choose the Right Color Scheme
If you want to take your coloring to the next level, you might want to consider learning a bit about color theory, which artists have been using for centuries to invoke different emotions through their art. If you remember anything about the color wheel from middle school art class, some of this might sound familiar to you.
Complimentary Colors
Complimentary colors, or colors opposite each other on the color wheel, are said to have an energizing effect, resulting in vibrant pieces of art.
Examples of complementary colors are:
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- Red and green
- Blue and orange
- Purple and yellow
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Ironically, complementary colors have the highest level of contrast, which doesn’t sound very complimentary at all!
One Color
Single-color schemes also called monochromatic color schemes, are just what they sound like: color schemes in which only one color is used throughout a piece of artwork. This involves using multiple shades of the same color, which can evoke strong emotion in a viewer.
Unusual Colors
Don’t feel like you have to stick to tried-and-true art theory color techniques, by any means. You might try branching out and using color in unexpected ways, like coloring a red sky and purple grass, for instance.
Choose the Right Technique
Now that you’ve got your tools and color schemes all sorted out, it’s time to work on your technique. The following is a small sample of techniques used by colorists to color pretty works of art with ease.
Blending
Probably the most basic of all art and coloring techniques, blending is the use of smudging color to soften lines, and in some cases blend one color into another. Some mediums (pencil) blend better than others (marker). Some colorists use water or mineral oil to aid in blending.
Check out our coloring tips HERE!
Layering
Layering goes hand-in-hand with blending, as it’s the process of laying down layer after layer of color. Sometimes this is the same color laid down repeatedly to add depth and deepen the color, and sometimes it’s done with multiple colors to add warmth and interest.
Color Washing
Color washing is a watercolor technique (that can also be done to some extent with gel pens) that involves using water to “wash out” a color, leaving a transparent film of color over a page. Usually, this is done in larger-scale pictures or to fill in backgrounds, since it’s difficult to contain it in intricate works due to the amount of water involved.
Stippling and Hatching
Stippling and hatching are ways of filling a large area quickly using minimum effort.
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- Stippling: multiple dots to cover a surface instead of linear strokes
- Hatching: parallel lines to cover a surface, leaving the spaces in between the lines blank
- Cross-hatching: hatching that goes in two directions, crossing itself like X’s to cover a surface
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The closer together you place the stipples or hatches, the darker the area will appear. Alternately, the further spread out they are, the lighter it will look.
Shading and Contouring
Shading and contouring give dimension and depth to your pictures, making objects appear to leap off the page if done well.
The general rules of shading are:
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- The lighter an area is, the closer it appears
- The darker an area is, the further it appears
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Shading and contouring are right behind blending as far as basic coloring techniques to learn. Get them down and your coloring will improve drastically.
Learn From Others
It’s important not to underestimate the value of a supportive community of fellow colorists who can encourage you and provide tips and inspiration. If your coloring is not as pretty as you’d like it to be, try:
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- Online coloring forums
- YouTube tutorials
- In-person coloring meetups
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These are just a few of the ways that you can engage with other artists who are looking to improve just like you are.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it: everything you need to start coloring pretty artwork and growing as an artist. Remember, though, that it’s not all about the outcome – half the fun is in getting lost in the process itself, so don’t worry about it too much as long as you’re enjoying yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to color like a professional?
Coloring professional-looking artwork involves many hours of dedicated practice, and experimentation with various tools and techniques Encouragement, inspiration, advice, or even mentoring from other expert colorists can help, too.
How can I improve my coloring?
To improve your coloring, set aside a little time to practice each day. Multiple short coloring sessions tend to yield greater improvement than fewer, longer sessions. Practicing different techniques, trying new mediums, and learning color theory can also be useful.
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