Becky Goldsmith - Color Creatively: Over 50 Tips and Tricks for Adult Coloring Books

Introduction: Why Color?

How Coloring Fits into Your Life

Coloring is an easy-to-master skill that helps you stop worrying and focus on the moment. It helps you to stop thinking about the past, or stressing about the future. Working with color and making something beautiful is a confidence builder.

While coloring is a fulfilling solitary activity, it can also be a wonderful group activity. Search the Internet for adult coloring clubs and you will find all sorts of options; maybe theres one near you! If not, youll find instructions on how to throw your own coloring party at the end of this eBook.

When people gather around a table to color, conversation flows freely. With your hands busy and your eyes focused on the page, you will find yourself making new friends and strengthening social bonds.

Intergenerational coloring is great! At your next family gathering, put out coloring books and lots of colored pencils. Children and teenagers especially may start coloring together on their ownif not, sit down and get the ball rolling. You may be surprised to find yourself having good conversations with kids who are normally quiet around adults.

Finding the Flow

Flow is the feeling that overtakes you when you are completely immersed in being creative. Time doesnt stopit flows, and you are carried with the current.

Being in the flow is meditative. While you are consciously focused on one thingthe act of coloringyour thoughts are less cluttered. Your mind clears. Time flies by, and you are left with a thing of beauty. Finding the flow may be the best reason for coloring.

But what if coloring isnt easy for you? What if youre stucknot knowing where to begin, what color to choose, or how to apply color to the page?

This book will empower you with the skills and knowledge you need, so that when you sit down with a coloring book, you will have the confidence to jump in and start coloring!

Coloring Techniques

BY BECKY GOLDSMITH AND SAMARRA KHAJA

Materials

Coloring books Check out C&Ts full line of coloring books at ctpub.com, including Off the Bookshelf Coloring Book by Samarra Khaja and Boho Designs Coloring Book by Valori Wells.

Colored pencils You can stick to one brand or combine brands of colored pencils. I like Caran dAche and Prismacolor pencils. You need a set of at least twelve colors, but more colors give you more options.

Sharpener Its easier to color with pencils sharpened to a long point. You can use a handheld sharpener or an electric sharpener. Unplug and clean the cutting blades and grooves in your electric sharpener every now and then.

Black permanent pens We like to use black Pigma pens in a variety of sizes to retrace black lines that have been colored over, or to add more lines and designs to the page.

Soft paintbrush Look for a soft 23 brush to brush away colored-pencil dust to keep the color from smearing.

White artists eraser These white erasers are easy on the paper and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

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Prepare to Color

Wash your hands and dry them well.

If possible, remove the coloring page from the book so that you can lay it flat on the table in front of you. Always color on a smooth, clean surface. Placing a sheet of white paper or poster board underneath will soften the surface and may give you a better result than working on a hard tabletop.

Sit in a comfortable chair at the right height for you. Youre going to be there for a while, so be sure that you are sitting with your forearms supported. Try not to slump over the page, causing your back, neck, and shoulders to tense up and get sore.

Work in good light. Daylight, or a lamp that shines with clear color, will be easier on your eyes and will allow you to see the colors more clearly on the page.

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Sharpen Your Pencils

Whether you sharpen your pencils with a handheld or electric sharpener, it is best to use gentle pressure. The harder you jam the pencil into the sharpener, the more likely you are to break the lead.

HANDHELD SHARPENING

If you use a handheld pencil sharpener, hold the pencil either horizontally or vertically. Hold the sharpener in your other hand and insert the pointed end of the pencil into the sharpener. Do your best to keep the pencil straight in the sharpener.

If your sharpener is in good shape, the wood pencil shaving will come off in a long, unbroken ribbon. If, instead, the wood shavings are coming apart as you sharpen, its time to buy a new sharpener.

ELECTRIC SHARPENING

You have less control over the sharpening process with an electric sharpener. You push the pencil in and hope for the best. But, when they work, electric sharpeners are fast and cut a nice, clean point.

Buy an electric sharpener that is easy to open and clean. The grooves where the grinding happens inside the sharpener will get clogged with the waxy colored-pencil lead. If you sharpen a graphite pencil every now and then, the grease from the graphite may help to clean and clear the blades. But if the build-up is bad, youll need to clean out the grooves.

WHAT IF THE LEAD KEEPS BREAKING?

Do your pencils keep breaking as you sharpen them? Check if the sharpener is dull.

Dropping pencils on a hard surface, like a floor, is another possible cause of broken lead. Even if you never drop your pencils, you cant know whether or not, between the factory and you, the pencils have been dropped.

If you are working with wax-based colored pencils, you can warm them in hope of fusing breaks together. On Prismacolors website, they recommend setting the pencils in a warm, sunny spot for a few minutes, which can soften the wax-based colored pencils.

You might find suggestions online for putting colored pencils in the microwave on low for a few seconds, possibly with a cup of water, or in an oven set on low. We have not tried any of these suggestions, but if your pencil is unusable because you cant get it sharp, you might want to try one of these warming methods.

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The Mechanics of Coloring

When first starting to color, you may find that your hand hurts because youre clutching the pencil for dear life! Stop, take a breath, and loosen up.

Hold the pencil with a light grip. Dont make your fingers do all of the worklet your hand control the movement. Keep your wrist loose so that as you move the pencil over the paper, your whole hand is moving.

Paper has texture ranging from smooth to rough. When you color, pigment from the pencil catches in the texture (the tooth) of the paper, which affects the colors appearance. Most coloring books are printed on smooth paper to ensure smoother colors on the finished page.

The more color you lay down on the page, the more colored pencil dust there will be. Try to keep your hand away from colored areas so that you dont smear the page. Periodically, use the soft paintbrush to gently brush the dust away. You can also cover parts you arent working on with paper to keep them clean.