A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO COLORING | 1. Choosing your page and choosing your medium | Adult Colouring

Hi guys!

Many of you have been asking questions regarding the process of colouring, from start to finish! From how to pick out a page, to choosing colours, shading, creating a 3D effect and finishing off the page with embellishments. I have bene avoiding doing these videos for a while as I am self-taught and don’t think I have much theory behind what I do when it comes to colouring – I just colour and have fun doing it!

But I thought it is about time I took on the challenge and atleast share with you all my process of colouring from start to finish!

I really hope you guys find this video informative, interesting and helpful! I hope you enjoy watching this series!

Happy colouring!

Some videos you may be interested in referring to:

If you wish to say ‘hello’ somewhere other than YouTube:

Instagram: @shelscolouringjourney2020

#adultcoloring #coloring #beginnersguide

[shelscolouringjourney]

Is there anything you would like me to share in these videos? Anything you have been itching to ask me?
Let me know! 💗

[waymire]

I would highly encourage anyone starting out when it comes to dry media... buy one big set of pencils... the best you can afford or are willing to spend. More colors makes everything easier.. don't listen to professional artists who say you only need 12, yes you CAN do anything with the right 12 colors but it's so much easier to have a nice big selection of hues, tones, and shades ESPECIALLY if you are not a trained artist. I have never once said "I wish I didn't have so many colors to work with" when it comes to dry media. Learn that set. Know that set. Your hand, eye, and brain learn the colors and how the formula works with application and you will get better results easier with a product you know inside and out. If you really are not sure and want to try several of the more expensive brands buy a nice three or four color spectrum, light to dark, of a color you will use.. I like greens because I color a lot of plants. Maybe choose purple if you like flowers, or brown/grey if you like urban scenes or wildlife. It's so much more useful to really get a feel for how they color than a 12 set with random midtone colors and it's less expensive. You can save a ton of money buying a large set vs open stock.. or you can budget out open stock purchases a little at a time until you collect the set... but if you do the math most small sets don't save you much at all.. just lock you into random colors that are hard to use together. I'd rather spend the same amount or even a bit more buying 12 open stock colors that actually work together in spectrum and tone. Also remember you can mix any pencils together.. I know many colorists/artist who buy purely for color and mix tons of different brands together on a regular basis. It's way too easy to get caught up in collecting pencils vs coloring with them, it's something I struggle with constantly even though I know better.

[silvers_ink]

One of my biggest tips for beginners is to start with coloring books that have images that are easier to color. I started off with some Kerby Rosanes and Mythographic books, and a few other more advanced coloring books, and I really struggled! I think part of my problem was that I had seen so many videos of other people's pages and they did such a wonderful job, but I wasn't able to do nearly as good of a job as them and it really discouraged me and had me feeling down for a while. I still struggle with Mythographic Magical Earth but I am doing much better than when I first started! I already knew how to do shading and blending really well, and I was pretty good at knowing where shadows go when I first started because of some art classes, but I almost quit coloring altogether because I was so discouraged. I was so frustrated and upset with myself that I actually thought about giving away all of my books and supplies! But then I realized that I do love coloring, and I have $150 set of Prismacolor pencils, plus other sets of pencils and many other mediums and supplies, and I snapped out of it and was like, I can't just give 100's and 100's of dollars worth of my precious art supplies away!!! (I got tax return money and did a major coloring book and supplies haul before I even started coloring officially). Finally I had gotten a few books with images that were a lil easier to color, and that really helped. So my advice is, don't try to start at expert level like I did lol! The Nice Little Town books and Nice Little Dragons books are good ones to start out with, or even the Johanna Basford books. I think Johanna's books are good for all skill levels. And ALWAYS watch a flip through video before buying any coloring book, that way you know what kind of coloring pages are in it because some have these covers that draw you in, but when you get the book you realize that the images aren't really your style or what you enjoy coloring! Sorry this comment is so long, but I hope it helps at least one person to not make the same mistake that I did!

[bubbletip]

You shouldn’t be intimidated by anything all of your pages are stunning

[KarenHavenaar]

I find this video so refreshing having watched a lot of colorists here on YT. Most of them have so many brands of pencils and other stuff that it's quite intimidating. I'm just coloring a couple of months, I'm not very good at it (yet), but that's fine. Thank you for this video and I'm definitely going to watch the rest of the serie's.

[raggedblossom]

I like the way you broke down the process, eg, background, base, then the colouring. I also love the vibrancy of your finished pages! 💗

[nuivrae]

That's a great idea to make a series of such videos. Looking forward to the color choice one - something that I usually struggle with 😊❤

[gooddollie]

Absolutely enjoyed this video! I’ve been coloring since 2016, so I consider myself on the low end of intermediate.

[silvers_ink]

I came back to watch this video again and refresh my memory! And now I'm off to watch the other parts of this series! And yes, it was very interesting! Thank you for all of the info, tips, and ideas!

[riannesalemink]

Just watching the first 5 minutes and I love it already! Yeah for a serie. Thank you!

[CHARUL]

Thank you so much. Very good guide in so much depth and length you have gone to explain it and make it so easy. You have spent a lot of time bringing this information and I really appreciate it. Thank you.

[laney]

Thank you for your time and effort putting these videos. Yes I’m an experienced colourist but I find it so useful as there’s always something new you can learn also, it gives you a different perspective that may be conducive to my normal methods. But most importantly for new colourists what I’d have given for this comprehensive direction when I was starting out, like you I had to ‘feel’ my own way.
I look forward to watching the upcoming videos 👍🏼👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[orcawhisperer]

It is so relaxing to watch your videos 🤍🙏🏻 I also enjoy taking a cup of tea and flipping through my books. 🤍 It’s as enjoyable as coloring itself. 😊

[crossstitchbutton]

Very interesting video Shelly look forward to the rest of the series happy colouring xx

[jackiekonrad]

This sounds like a great series it will be helpful to many beginners and for the rest of us to ❤

[Rose-bvwp]

Thank you for such a clear, well thought out and thorough video, I really enjoyed it and you have inspired me to finally get over my hesitation in colouring a page from Mythographic. Breaking the page down as you suggest makes perfect sense and eases the feeling of being overwhelmed and wondering where the heck do you start? LOL. Looking forward to the rest of the series, thanks again Shel!

[ColouringwithK]

Superb video Shel, watched a bit and will come back to it later but I’m enjoying it. Thank you ❤

[jenell]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I so appreciate you taking your time to help some of us newbies get started. I love this video and can’t wait for the rest of the series. Your pictures are phenomenal! You are a true artist!

[kirstendecoster]

I’ve only watched 5 minutes, and I have to go now, but I’m already enjoying it so much and looking forward to the rest.

[eileenharris]

Hi Shel, I want to thank you for a very detailed and comprehensive video. I believe this series you've planned is going to be excellent and very helpful for beginners or for people who maybe are like me who want to go from doing color alongs, to planning out their own color themes.
I'm looking forward to your next video!! P.S. I do still like all the color alongs!!🤗