The Coloring Inn
Your Guide to Learn, Relax & Enjoy Adult Coloring
Plain advice on supplies, techniques and coloring without aches, from someone who started with discount-shop pencils.
Beginner’s Quick StartGift Ideas
Black Friday is 27 November
Gift Ideas for the Colorist in Your Life
If you are shopping for a colorist this Black Friday, my gift ideas are in one place, for people just starting out and for those who are already hooked.
Pick Your Starting Point
Each guide stands on its own. Start with what you color with, or with what you want to learn.
Coloring Supplies · see the whole supplies guide
Colored Pencils
Reviews, color charts and test pictures for the pencil sets I’ve covered.
Gel Pens
Gel pen reviews with color charts and test pictures.
Markers
Marker reviews with color charts and test pictures.
Watercolor Pencils
What watercolor pencils can add to your coloring pages.
Paper
Which paper suits each medium, and how to stop bleed-through.
Essentials
Sharpeners, storage and other accessories worth having.
Books and Techniques
Coloring Books
Book reviews by style, plus free pages to download.
Techniques
Blending, backgrounds, bubbles, gems and more, step by step.
Pain-Free Coloring
Color Longer, Without the Aches
Sore hands, tired eyes and a stiff neck stop a lot of people from enjoying their coloring. Most of it is preventable with small adjustments.
- Soft-core and triangular pencils, grips and stretches
- Lighting and workspace setup
- How long to color between breaks
Quick Answers
What do I need to start adult coloring?
A coloring book and a set of pencils is enough. I started with cheap discount-shop pencils and a few KMart books. If you enjoy it, the supplies guide shows what is worth upgrading first.
What paper should I use?
It depends on what you color with. Markers and gel pens want thick, smooth paper (about 215 to 270gsm). Colored pencils want a little tooth. Watercolor pencils want 300gsm or more. If markers bleed through a page, slide a backing sheet behind it. The paper guide has a two-minute test you can run with your own supplies.
Which coloring book style should I choose?
Large-print and color-by-number books suit beginners because they cut down the early decisions. Grayscale books suit you if you are unsure about shading. Coloring Book Styles compares all five.
Can coloring tire my hands or eyes?
Long sessions can. Your hands, neck and eyes all benefit from a good setup and regular breaks. The Pain-Free Coloring guide covers grip, lighting and posture.
Where should I begin?
Try the Beginner’s Quick Start. It takes a few minutes and points you to the right guide for what you want to do first.
A personal touch
How I Got Started
In July 2015 I walked past a “Coloring for Stress Relief” display in a newsagency. I didn’t buy anything that day, but the idea kept coming back for weeks.
One Saturday I bought cheap pencils from a discount shop and a few coloring books from KMart. I worked in human resources in the mining industry and had never drawn or painted. Coloring helped me relax and clear my head, and it changed what I put first in my week.
That is why I know which budget supplies work, and why every guide here starts from a beginner’s questions.
Read my storyShopping for a Colorist?
My gift ideas for the colorist in your life, whether they are just starting out or already hooked.