Coloring Books And Coloring Techniques

When most people think about coloring, they immediately think about colored pencils. Yes, they are great and offer some versatility and efficiency of use, making them popular among many coloring enthusiasts. However, as you advance through coloring, you need to consider watercolors, markers, acrylic, pens, and much more. It’s something to behold because as you mix your materials, you can create a whole new mood and texture to your coloring. Here is what you need to know to achieve this effortlessly.

1Layering With Markers

If there is a background or a large open space to color, you can layer your pencil over the marker to cover it. Start by applying the marker, then use the colored pencil afterward to create a large area of intense colors, such as the depth of the ocean or the wild night sky. This combination will create a much deeper color rather than using a pencil or marker alone. Note that this technique can be used with just any color, such as the blue colors used to create the sky.

2Blending With Gel Pens

Although some types of gel pens might smear very easily, it’s not a drawback if you think about it. Take advantage of this by blending a lot of colors together to create a gradient effect. When used, the gel pens might be a little wet on the page, while others are dry. Choose the wet pens whenever you’re creating a blending effect.

Take a blank page and start experimenting to find the pens with a good smear. You can color a small square and use a blending tool or smudge it using your fingers. There are a few tools that work well when you’re blending, such as silicone spatulas, bristle paintbrushes, pencil erasers, flat-ended cotton swabs, wet paintbrushes, and many more.

3Splattering With Acrylic

The next step will bring the ultimate fun out of the game. With a fairly wet brush, you should splatter or flick paint on the work surface to create an uneven splatter effect. Here, you will create an abstract landscape or a simple starry night as well as adding some texture to your image.

4Underpainting With Watercolor

Underpainting refers to the monochrome wash used on the first layer of your painting. You should add layers of transparent washes on top to create a great luminous or realism effect. You can start by mixing a light purple shade (such as ultramarine blue or cadmium red for a significant effect). You can also try out neutral shades of green or blue.

Start with a purple shade to paint your subject, then pay a lot of attention to shade and light. You don’t need to think about colors, so your focus should be creating a shape. With a soft brush and a very light hand, keep the purple color from overpowering everything else in the painting. Allow the underpainting to dry completely before glazing. If it’s still wet, your colors are likely going to get muddy.

5Coloring Consistently With Crayons

Whenever you’re using crayons, any change in coloring direction will make it look sloppy, regardless of whether or not you’re staying in the lines. You need to color in a consistent direction to make it look tidy and easier on your eyes. If a turn or corner is making it tough to change the direction, color using small circles rather than lines or curved lines for the best effect. You need to consider how the color will be visible and create the texture.

6Blending With Pencils (Burnishing)

With burnishing, you will use pressure to blend the layers and completely fill the tooth of the paper with color. It creates a shiny and smooth appearance of any color on your image. For this, use sharp colored pencils since they will saturate the color in the paper faster.

7Blooms With Gouache

Since it is a water-based medium, gouache can be watered down to move around the paper and react just like watercolors. Using blooms, add the base of color, then start painting on top of it. Next, load the painting brush with a lot of water and some pigment before applying it to the paper. With more water and different colors, blot some color into the puddle on your paper. The color will start spreading and bleeding into the paper for a great effect.

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