Adult coloring is a popular activity for many folks, as it allows them to relax while exploring and expressing their creativity. Adult coloring books are a great way to participate in creating sophisticated artwork, regardless of drawing ability. However creating smooth and even colors can be a challenge, particularly if you are new or recently returning to adult coloring. How does one best color smoothly?
Your technique will vary a bit depending on your medium of choice, but some good general rules of thumb include using a light touch and leaving lots of space between your hand and the paper. Don’t grip your writing utensil too hard – give yourself space to layer some different colors and create shading. Start by laying down a thin initial layer of pigment; don’t be afraid to leave some white space on your page. You can fill in the entire sheet eventually, but give yourself time to work up to that.
Blending and layering your colors to create shade is a great way to smooth out your lines while adding depth and dimension to your coloring page. Coloring lightly and leaving plenty of white space between your layers will help you to marry your colors as seamlessly as possible. Start with your lightest tints first, gradually moving to darker shades.
How Should I Color?
While coloring, vary your strokes. We tend to instinctively want to color in straight lines, whether back and forth or top to bottom. Yet this can leave your artwork looking streaky. Try making small circles instead, or just moving in different directions. This will allow more of your color pigment to saturate the paper without making lines.
If you prefer the back-and-forth mention, consider cross-hatching. This is a technique where you color top to bottom for your first layer and then switch to top to bottom for the second layer. This technique can also be used to blend more than one color.
Whatever medium you prefer to color with, try to choose a palette with many different options. Having a few different tints and shades of the same basic color will allow you to create dynamic blends, shadows, and gradients. Since adult coloring books are usually filled with lots of tiny, intricate details, having more colors in your palette will allow you to properly bring your illustration to life.
Using the right paper will also help your illustration stay as smooth as possible. You will want to choose a coloring book with nice, thick pages that can handle the stress of several layers of color. If you prefer to print your coloring pages at home, use a card stock rather than a traditional printer or copy paper, which can easily pucker and tear from too much pigmentation. A rougher paper will hold more color than a smoother paper.
Don’t be afraid to slow down and truly enjoy the process. If you rush through your coloring page, you are more likely to make it look streaky and uneven. Yet if you slowly build light layers of color, you can create dynamic illustrations with depth and dimension.
Coloring is a mindful activity that helps us achieve a meditative state; relax and take your time. Consider the different colors and materials available to you and give yourself the time and space to stretch your creative muscles.
How to Color Smoothly with Different Writing Utensils
Whatever genre you prefer, adult coloring books typically contain incredibly intricate illustrations with lots of tiny details. They typically require a specific type of writing utensil with a fine tip or nub, whether you prefer to use colored pencils, markers, or very sharp crayons. Here are some tips for making your coloring pages nice and smooth, regardless of your favorite coloring tools.
Crayons
Crayons can be a bit more challenging to layer and blend due to their waxy substance, yet this unique property also makes them fun to play and experiment with. Crayons can be layered and blended if you make each layer as light and soft as possible. Leave lots of space between your hand and the paper. Take care to leave some white space on your page, particularly in your early layers, as this will give you space to blend in more color.
You can also play with melting the wax to create lovely, blended colors. First, lay down a bit thicker layer of crayon, and then try using your thumb or finger to push the pigment around; the heat from your hand should be able to just slightly melt the crayon, making it easy to push around on the paper. This technique can make your colors appear very vibrant. Try using it to highlight an area of your illustration that you want to make pop.
Solvents such as baby oil or rubbing alcohol can also be used in moderation to blend crayons. You may want to practice this on scratch paper before applying it to your favorite adult coloring book, but this simple technique can yield dynamic results. Apply a small amount (just a drop or two) to a paintbrush or cotton swab and brush it over the crayon, as if you were painting over it. While this technique can make your crayon illustrations look very smooth, just be sure not to use too much solvent, as you risk saturating – and possibly damaging – your paper.
Markers
Markers are a popular choice with many artists due to their dynamic colors and relative portability; they’re easier to pack than paint, and unlike colored pencils or crayons they do not require a sharpener. However, markers can be notoriously streaky. Coloring in straight lines may leave your illustration looking streaky, particularly if you are using a wetter marker such as Crayolas.
Try using a blending tool over the marker to minimize the appearance of these lines. If you don’t have a blender, a cotton ball or swab will work just as well. You can even try making your blending stump by tightly rolling a scrap of paper together.
Colorless blending markers are also a great way to marry two different colors together while softening the edges. Instead of a blending marker, a dab of rubbing alcohol or even plain water will also help smooth out your strokes.
The type of marker tip you choose will impact your ability to blend them. Fine and ultra-fine-tipped Sharpie markers are particularly hard to blend, while a brush tip may afford you more flexibility. However, while brush tips are great for coloring larger areas, they are not as effective at filling in smaller images and detail work. Thankfully Crayola makes handy brush and detail duo-tipped markers that allow you the best of both worlds in one convenient utensil.
Wet markers, such as Crayolas, can also be blended in an artist’s palette to create new colors and then used like paint. Simply press the marker tip into a cup of the palette, releasing a few drops of ink. Add more drops of another color and mix them with a paintbrush or cotton swab. You can then use the marker ink just like paint, creating your custom hues with a smooth finish.
Check out our recommendations for the best markers HERE!
Colored Pencils
Like crayons, colored pencils tend to have a harder substance, making them harder to blend than markers. But if you use them properly, you can still create smooth illustrations using colored pencils to blend and shade colors. Unlike traditional writing pencils, which have a core made from graphite, colored pencils are made from a mix of pigment and binders. The softer the core, the smoother your color will appear. If you color lightly with them, using a gentle grip, you can gradually add more layers, either darkening your original color or slowly mixing in new ones.
Colored pencils produce the smoothest, most vibrant pigment when properly sharpened to a fine tip. A sharp tip can better navigate the paper’s teeth (or texture), whereas a dull nub will pass over many of the paper’s natural nooks and crannies, making it harder to burnish your paper or cover the entire surface with color. If you continue coloring with your colored pencil until the entire surface of the paper is filled in, it will give the page a very smooth look, indeed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to stay in the lines?
Not if you don’t want to! No one is judging or grading you, and coloring is as much about enjoying the process as the final product. Venturing outside the dark black lines can help soften the look of your illustration, creating an almost impressionist effect. Consider adult coloring a space where you can safely break the rules.
Can I mix different mediums?
Sure! Using all of the tools at your disposal, including crayons, markers, and colored pencils can give your piece lots of different textures. You can also try mixing the different mediums, although keep in mind that crayons and colored pencils will layer more smoothly on top of markers, due to their waxier consistency.
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