What is Meant by Grayscale Coloring?


You’ve heard about this thing called grayscale coloring, but you’re unsure about what that means.  Maybe it sounds colorfully boring.  Or maybe you think you’re coloring with only grays, black, and white. It’s positively not either of those things! We will explore how to get started, share some tips, and get you confidently coloring in grayscale. So, what is it?

Grayscale coloring is when the page you are going to color is printed in shades of gray, black, and white. This is different from a traditional coloring page printed with lines only in black and white. You can make it as colorful as you’d like, coloring directly over the grays, black letting the picture do the shading for you.

When we visualize grayscale, think of black and white or old-time photos.  Some artists take these photographs, digitally or printed, and add color to them.  In recent years, the coloring book community has adopted the idea of coloring grayscale pictures by creating grayscale coloring books in a variety of themes.

Why is grayscale coloring such a thing?

Grayscale coloring pages take coloring pictures to the next level.  The shades of gray, black, and white become the areas of shading in the picture when you put color over them.  This creates a coloring page that has more depth with colors becoming more vivid.

What do I use for grayscale coloring?

You can use watercolor paint, colored pencils, and markers to color grayscale coloring pages.  If you use watercolor paint, the paper needs to be heavy enough, like card stock or specific to watercolors, to prevent the paper from wrinkling or buckling. Most people use colored pencils and markers.  Let’s explore these two options.

Colored Pencils

Colored pencils are the easiest when beginning to color grayscale. You can use any brand of colored pencil, most people choose what is more affordable for them.  If you are looking for a lesser-price brand, Crayola makes a good quality colored pencil.  Pricier brands, like Prismacolor, can be found at arts and crafts stores.

Many people prefer the leeway colored pencils allow in functionality.  You can make the pencil color light or dark and can erase it if necessary.  Blending colors is easier than markers as well.  You can also purchase erasable colored pencils if you choose.

Markers

Markers are a good option for grayscale coloring and come as alcohol-based or water-based.  Let’s explore their differences.

Alcohol-based markers

Alcohol-based markers, or art markers, are usually permanent and come in a variety of tip sizes and shapes.  These can be found in brand names such as Copic and Prismacolor at arts and crafts stores.  Art markers come in packages or individually and have less of a marker scent than more commercial brands of markers.

Two commercial brands of alcohol-based markers are Sharpie and Bic.  Both brands offer a variety of lines in many colors and are less pricey than art markers. Whether you choose Copic, Prismacolor, Sharpie, or Bic, these brands will offer the quality you want for using markers for grayscale coloring.

A bit of caution: all markers bleed through paper.  It is best to place a couple of sheets of paper behind the coloring page to protect the surface underneath.

Water-based markers

Water-based markers, or watercolor markers, are found in arts and crafts stores by brands that include Winsor & Newton and Arteza.  If you want a less pricey option, Crayola has anything you want in a marker.

Water-based markers are more challenging to work with than alcohol-based markers because they can wear and tear on your paper more easily.  It’s best to choose a coloring page of heavier paper like card stock or choose a coloring book specific to watercolor.

  A common complaint with using water-based markers when blending is they streak in the transition from color to color.  Water-based markers are, also, no exception to the color bleeding through the page.  You will need to put a couple of pieces of paper behind the coloring page as you would with alcohol-based markers.

Choosing Your Colors

You can choose your colors as you go, as you would with a traditional coloring book, or choose all of them at once before you begin.  

If you decide to choose your colors upfront, think of what three main colors you want to work with that vary from light to dark.  For example, you may want to color your picture with yellow (light), green (medium), and red (dark).  The next step is to pick three shades of each of these colors using the 3 Tone Rule.

3 Tone Rule

The 3 Tone Rule can be used with colored pencils and markers.  Simply put, you will select three different shades of the main light, medium, and dark colors we discussed above.  Let’s look at an example using Prismacolor colored pencils beginning with our main light color, yellow.

To apply the 3 Tone Rule, begin by picking out three shades of yellow in light, medium, and dark tones.  With the Prismacolor colored pencils as an example, you can pick Yellow Chartreuse for your light tone, Canary Yellow for your medium tone, and Sunburst Yellow for your dark tone.  Then, repeat this process for your medium and dark main colors.

There are a few guidelines to keep in mind with the grayscale coloring process, blending colors, and applying pressure to the paper, which we will further explore. 

Guidelines and Applied Pressure

Grayscale coloring uses the darker colors in the black and dark gray areas and the light colors in the white and light gray areas. When blending colors it is best to color with the dark color first and then the light color over the top of the dark color.

The amount of pressure applied to the paper when you are using colored pencils and markers can make your colors darker or lighter shades of the original.  However, when applying pressure to the paper there is a difference in the behavior of colored pencils and markers.  Let’s take a look.

Applied Pressure

Markers are less forgiving than colored pencils when it comes to applied pressure. This is because the shade of the marker doesn’t get any lighter even when light pressure is applied to the paper.  But by increasing the pressure on the paper, you will get darker shades of color.

You’ll want to apply heavier pressure gently and slowly until you get the dark shade you like. If too much pressure is applied, it can cause damage or tear the coloring page.

When using colored pencils, you can start coloring lightly by applying light pressure to the paper.  This is great when blending colors to slowly get to a shade you like.  Also, if you lay down a color you decide you don’t like, you can color over it.

Getting the most out of your colored pencils

Since we’re discussing colored pencils, let’s look at two tricks, the Petroleum Jelly Trick and the Transparent Tape Trick, that will let you have even more fun when grayscale coloring.  Any brand can be used for petroleum jelly, transparent tape, and colored pencils.

Petroleum Jelly Trick

We’ll start by dipping just the tip of the colored pencil into the petroleum jelly.  A little bit of petroleum jelly goes a long way, so be careful.  If you get too much on the colored pencil, just wipe it off and dip it again. 

Once you have the petroleum jelly on the colored pencil, begin coloring the area of the picture.  You’ll see the petroleum jelly works to make the color look more smooth and vivid.  This smoothness also helps when you’re blending colors by giving a fluid transition from color to color.

When you start to feel the tip of the colored pencil drag on the paper, then dip it in the petroleum jelly again, a process you’ll repeat again and again coloring through your picture.

Transparent Tape Trick

Using this trick, we can correct or lighten previously colored areas on the coloring page.  It is important to note: that before applying the tape, determine if it is too sticky.  A tape that is too sticky can damage and tear the paper, ruining your picture.  If you think the tape is too sticky, you can apply it to your skin first to remove some of the stickiness. 

Learn some of our favorite blending tips HERE.

Let’s get coloring!

Now that you know what grayscale coloring means, you can choose a grayscale coloring page or purchase a grayscale coloring book.  You can decide if you want to use colored pencils and markers and be on your way to creating fun and different coloring pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I buy grayscale coloring books?

It can be difficult to find them in stores because they are relatively new to the coloring book community.  However, online, you can find a large variety of grayscale coloring books and free downloadable pages in many different themes. 

Are there tutorials for grayscale coloring I can watch? 

You bet!  A quick search online shows you many blogs with tutorial videos and, of course, YouTube is a great tutorial video source.

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Shawn C

Hi! I’m Shawn and I Love Coloring and Art and the people in it! I created this website as a resource to help those who are considering getting into adult coloring. My website is your one-stop destination for all the inspired instruction and resources you need to start and grow your adult coloring hobby. From geometric to floral to zen doodles and from time to time even mandala’s when I am in the mood. I have researched and gathered the information to help you in your goal of starting your adult coloring hobby.

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