Coloring by numbers is incredibly accessible because it doesn’t take skill to execute the task at hand. If you’re able to count, then you’re able to color by numbers. There’s no need to have to understand color wheels, shading, and all of the other dramatic implements that circulate in a lot of adult coloring cliques.
Coloring by numbers means you assign a number to a certain color, and then you color in every element on the page according to the number of assignments you’ve created. You’ll see that the numbers are all over the page as you study the image. This is wonderfully beneficial to people who miss out on the relaxing aspects of coloring because color schemes, choices, and too much artistic license cause conflict instead of zen.
How you choose to approach the world of coloring by numbers will be defined by how you choose to partake in your adult coloring. If you prefer to color with the stylus on a tablet, art coloring by number applications will be the best for you. If you color with traditional crayons and paper, you’ll want to find a physical book that also allows you to color in the image by numbers.
Coloring by Numbers and Completion
One of the best parts of the adult coloring experience is when a piece is finished! Humans by design receive a positive response in their brains whenever a goal is reached, or a task is completed. Milestones like finishing a piece can aid in enjoyment and relaxation, and coloring by numbers provides more opportunities to do just that.
Since they’re easier to color in than coloring pages or unstructured web spaces, they’re easier to finish. When you’re trying to make art where color choice and breadth of color swath have to be decided with no outside references, it can be daunting which defeats the purpose of coloring in the first place. If reaching end goals is an appealing way to achieve a state of peace when you’re trying to relax, coloring by numbers will provide.
Jigsaw Puzzles and Coloring
Coloring by numbers is less about artistic know-how and more about your natural intuition regarding solving puzzles. Instead of having to understand how light and shadow play together, or how to read a color wheel, you’ll be assigning colors to numbers and placing down the color associated with that number wherever you’re told to do so.
The more color you put down, the more the image becomes readable in that you’re able to make sense of what is portrayed. This feels more like solving a puzzle than it does the creation of fine art, and a lot of people find this monumentally more relaxing and in line with why they picked up adult coloring in the first place.
So, think of coloring by numbers as more of a jigsaw puzzle with some creative license instead of a fine art endeavor. While personal tastes will affect color choices and the result, the clear boundaries provided by the coloring sections can be a huge relief.
Coloring by Numbers Phone Applications
There is a huge array of art coloring by number of applications available. It seems easiest to select an app based on the subject matter of the coloring you’re looking to do, so make sure you have a topic in mind, so you don’t drown in the choices available.
Some of these apps have pages that are more traditionally associated with coloring books, while others branch out into other areas. A common theme among a lot of color-by-number apps is the ability to recolor fine art pieces that you may recognize from your daily life. Some of these apps will even let the fine art savvy choose an artist so they are presented with their favorite paintings by that person.
Some of these apps are not merely pointed-and-click coloring. Some have simple puzzle games or stories embedded into the coloring session in various ways, so if you already spend time gaming on your phone, consider selecting an application that cross-pollinates between your two hobbies.
Some of the apps will ask you for personal information, like your birthday, and will present you with coloring pages and games that are only available if you play on those days. These kinds of video game “easter eggs” are common in more complicated games, and they’re easy to put into the sphere of coloring since topics can vary widely.
Pens, Paper, and Color by Number Books
Just as there are many colors-by-number apps, there are just as many colors-by-number books available across the internet. The trick to using these is to make sure you remember your color assignments.
An easy way to do this is to write the number you’re assigning to, say, yellow in yellow on a piece of paper. Do this for every color assignment you make, so you can reference it if you have to walk away from your project. Some books will even have keys in the back of the book where you can color in a square next to your number choice.
Make sure to follow the standard paper choice vs coloring device advice you’d follow in freehand coloring books as well. Unlike coloring on a tablet, coloring by numbers with physical paper still maintains a level of artistic knowledge. If you want to use watercolor pencils, choose a book that’s made of watercolor paper. If you want to use graphite, get a paper that will do best with pencil markings.
Shading by Numbers
You’ll find that there are advanced coloring-by-number books that provide an introduction to shading while also leaning heavily on the ease of use that is provided by color-by-number applications. You’ll be expected to shade in an area to a certain degree either according to directions for that specific coloring spot or by assigning different levels of shading to different numbers, so that one color may own up to 5 or more different numbers presented on the coloring page.
These books are a great way to practice more evolved art techniques without having to do a bunch of research or make judgment calls while you’re still trying to learn to execute the shading. The decision-making process is reduced and you’re able to focus on sheer mechanical technique.
Seeing how shading can bring a piece together as you “solve” it with color will help concepts related to the color wheel and light sources stick better than if you had read them passively off of a web page.
The Art in Art Coloring by Numbers
While some people who are predisposed to a more rigid outlook on life might try and diminish the artistic importance of coloring, it’s important to remember that even applying colors to a screen according to a numbering scheme exercises your capacity for creativity and expression. Most consider that art.
Some books and apps won’t have the finished picture for you to reference as you’re completing the piece, so you are creating something unique as you color on the page. You may not know until the end what the final image is supposed to be!
If you’re creating something that didn’t exist before you influenced it, you’re creating art. It’s okay to have pride in numbered coloring book pages you’ve completed, and it is not time wasted to utilize numbered coloring book pages to unwind.
Coloring by numbers is a great way of relaxing and experiencing the benefits of artistic time without worrying about the logistics of creativity. It allows the mind to focus on one activity that doesn’t require much decision-making, which offers adults a chance to get lost in their thoughts or tune out the world around them.
Coloring by numbers provides a noncommittal way to experiment with color play and how that plays out in a larger picture. The anxiety of beginning a piece is diminished and the benefits of finishing a piece come more quickly as this type of art is easy to do.
Check out our suggestions for coloring apps HERE.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a pixel?
Pixels are uniform dots on a screen that, when put together, create an image on electronic devices. As computers have evolved, more and more pixels can fit on a device’s screen. When these dots are perceived together, they create an image.
How can pen markings stand the test of time?
Make sure to use absorbent paper and keep the markings out of sunlight. Your surface should be acid-free. There are also specific pigments designed to fade slowly, but remember that writings exist for hundreds of years when properly stored without worrying about the ink’s composition itself.
Are video games art?
Yes, in a sense. A lot of design work goes into creating a video game, and there is usually an artist driving that visual effort. There are other creatives besides programmers on a team building a video game, such as writers and sometimes even costume designers.
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