Tag: home arts and crafts ideas

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3 Simple Things You Need to Start Your Printable Coloring Adventure!

Post author By lszkoln0@mail.naz.edu
Post date May 10, 2021
4 Comments on 3 Simple Things You Need to Start Your Printable Coloring Adventure!

Printable coloring is all the things: easy access, affordable and versatile!

Here’s how printable coloring works: You download an image you love, print it and color it! Want to try a different palette of colors? A new medium? A unique technique? Just print the image again! And again! (Cue maniacal colorist laughter.)

But what do you need to start this fantastic printable coloring adventure? I’m about to tell you the three things you need. I’ll go into a bit of detail for each of them. But really it’s only three things for this home craft idea. (Psst! Want a cheat sheet? Scroll down for the “Print at Home Infographic”!)

1. A Printer

Oooooh! I’ve stunned you now! Yes. For printable coloring book pages you need a printer. But what TYPE of printer? Inkjet or laser is the common question. The answer is laser! Yes indeed they are a sometimes more expensive – but they really pay off in the long run with coloring printables. You are going to be creating art! You need something that will give you a quality experience. And laser printers can print way more pages than inkjet. That’s a handy gizmo for a home office printer and all your DIY home projects!

Moreover, laser printers use dry toner – which means their ink wont smudge. This is good news! Especially if you like to color with markers. Did you know that colored pencils can smear ink too? Not that I’ve EVER done such a thing while coloring (and then muttered some colorful words while printing a new page…)

Also, laser printed images look better. They give you high-resolution images with marvelous sharp lines. Hands down they are the best printer for crafters.

On the other hand, do you already have in inkjet printer? That’s cool. No shame. Just be sure to print your coloring pages well in advance to give the pages time to dry before you start coloring. Give them a solid 24 hours to dry – 48 hours if you want to be super safe. You can still OWN printable coloring as your homemade craft of choice! YES!

In case you are in the market for the best printer for crafting, look for a monochrome laser printer. And make sure it has a flat feed, to accommodate thicker kinds of paper. Check out this top rated monochrome printer on Amazon (yes, I’m shopping for you): Brother Compact Monochrome Laser Printer

2. Printable Coloring Paper

Yeah, I know. I’ve shocked you again. But what type of printer paper for your crafty ideas and printable coloring sheets? Well that’s a bit of a personal question for colorists. It depends on your preferred medium and style. Let me break it down with this little list:

65LB Light Cardstock – For Colored Pencils, pastels, crayons and chalk. Not good for markers or wet media, which will warp the paper. Notably these sheets are very affordable! In fact I always have a pack on hand for quick coloring fun. Available here: Neenah Bright White Cardstock, 8.5″ x 11″
110LB Cardstock – For colored pencils and slightly wet media. I love using this paper for blending colored pencils. But what the heck is “slightly wet”? In general gel pens, fineliner pens, and some markers. Be careful with the amount of moisture in your medium. There’s still the risk of warping the paper. Nevertheless this is a great choice for paper crafting projects! Available here: Neenah Cardstock – Heavyweight, 110 lb, 8.5″ x 11″
Canson Watercolor Paper – For Colored pencils, pens, markers and watercolor paint. This is when you can go crazy! This super thick paper comes in 9×12” sheets, so you should cut them to size for your printer. But beware! This fabulous paper can be a bit too thick for some printers. A flat feed printer is a must with such robust paper. Moreover I currently have TWO of these pads in my studio. A colorist should never be without watercolor paper! It’s fantastic for crafts for home décor. Available here: Canson Watercolor Paper Pad, 30-Sheet, 9-Inch by 12-Inch

3. Printable Coloring: Resolution

What does that even mean?! Crispness! You and I both know that blurred, fuzzy lines do not make great digital coloring art pages. We are artists! We have standards!

If you see a coloring page online that blurry (usually these culprits are offered as “Free”), chances are they were stolen. Sometimes artists will offer a free sample, but those are usually crisp and clear. If you see a blurry page back away! Definitely don’t encourage the theft! It hurts the artists who are working to create art for your coloring enjoyment. (OK, I’ll get off my soapbox now.)

The common resolution is 300 PPI (pixels per inch). And wouldn’t you know? The printable coloring pages in MY SHOP are already set to 300 PPI and set to 8”x10” to fit on most printer paper. What luck!

Three Things for Printable Coloring Infographic

Print Coloring Pages: Bonus Round!

Unique Paper Finds!

I just reviewed the 3 basic things you need to print coloring book pages at home. But what if you want to branch out? What if you are a creative colorist who likes to experiment? Of course, you are a daring crafter and I am here for YOU! Coloring page inspiration can come from many craft paper ideas. Check out this list of fun and funky paper you can use:

Brown Kraft Cardstock – Warm brown paper ready for some hardcore coloring? Yes please! Try using lighter colors on this paper to really make your image pop! Whites, creams, and pastels are shouting for a chance to color here. Available here: 120 Pack Kraft Paper – Brown Stationery Paper
Antique Looking Vintage Papers – This is lighter paper, so be careful what medium you use. BUT IMAGINE! Your coloring home art on vintage-looking paper. Gah! Classy and fun. Available here: Aged Paper -120 Sheets of Antique Looking Vintage Papers -Classic Aged Paper Design
Bright Color Card Stock Paper – I see you! You are a brave colorist who embraces color. You don’t shy away from vibrant paper craft ideas. Furthermore these cardstock sheets give you the variety you need. Just a reminder: paper color will effect the way your medium looks. A red pencil mark looks WAY different on white paper versus blue paper. Available here: Bright Color Card Stock Paper, 8.5 x 11″ Multi-Color Cardstock for Greetings

Do you have instant download adult coloring pages ready to print yet? No worries! I got you! Check out my hand-drawn digital coloring pages HERE! Seriously. Every printable coloring page has been drawn by hand. PLUS these gorgeous grayscale images make perfect diy crafts for the home. Easily make new home art when you bring these images to life with color! SHOP NOW!

Did you enjoy this post? Have you tried coloring yet? Tell me! Show me! For real, I love seeing coloring masterpieces. Comment here OR find me on social media and share! Below are my social links where you can find me and brighten up my day with YOUR creativity!

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Ready For Your Ultimate Beginners Guide to Really Gorgeous Grayscale Coloring?

Post author By lszkoln0@mail.naz.edu
Post date May 4, 2021
31 Comments on Ready For Your Ultimate Beginners Guide to Really Gorgeous Grayscale Coloring?

What is Grayscale Coloring?

What the heck is grayscale coloring anyway? First things first, grayscale means a range of gray shades from white to black. Grayscale coloring is when YOU (the marvelous colorist that you are) add color to an image that already has shading. This makes it much easier to create a more realistic coloring in less time. It helps make a more professional looking image. So grayscale coloring pages for adults save time and look great! Ba-BAM!

(Quick Tip: Keep scrolling down to find a fantastic grayscale coloring infographic you can save for future reference!)

The Details

Another nice feature of grayscale coloring is the detail work. You can follow the details precisely (hello, realism and FUN DIY arts and crafts ideas!). Or you can let them be a general guide. OR you can ignore them completely. The grayscale coloring is a starting point. I mean really, there are no hard and fast rules in your magical coloring world! MAYBE this is just a relaxing thing to do while you enjoy some life inspiration. (This is me giving you permission to relax and focus on yourself!!)

Color on Grayscale

Also let’s talk about color. Perhaps you’re wondering “How do I color grayscale coloring book pages? I need a coloring tutorial to make my image realistic!” OK, yes, the starting image is realistic. But you are free to choose any colors you want. Certainly you can challenge yourself to create the most stunning, photo-realistic image possible. (Side Note: if you are a hardcore realistic you should look up art by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Swoon!) But you can also experiment with a bunch of fun new color inspiration. Don’t think bright and funky colors are classy? Look up the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo. That dude rocked a vivid palette of colors!

Not sure what color palette you prefer? Try them all! Seriously, go get yourself a digital printable coloring page that you can download at home. Print as many times as you want to try different colors! (I even have a few for you HERE. Enjoy!)

Next there is the straight up question: But HOW do I color grayscale?!

Gotcha. You want a straight coloring tip. Here is the super simple starter grayscale coloring guide:

Light colors over light grays
Dark colors over dark grays
Medium colors in between to seamlessly blend light to dark

Take that tip a step further. Better yourself as a master colorist and try to get three tones for each color you want to use. Gonna rock a green? Try to have a light, medium and dark green standing by to make your coloring masterpiece.

That’s it. You can even separate out your colors into dark, medium and light before you start coloring if you want to really organize the heck out this. No judging. You do you!

Remember you can also overlap, or blend, your colors! Personally, I like to apply pigments with light pressure. That way you don’t fill all the tooth, or texture, in the paper. So there’s more room on the paper surface to share with other colors when you blend. Try it out during your coloring fun! Delicately put down a layer of light blue. Now gently blend a layer of red over the blue. OMG, look at that you are mixing and blending like a pro! Just remember to be cautious around distinct detail areas where you want a strong highlight or shadow (for example: the gleaming reflection of light in an eye).

Now what about those SUPER dark parts of the grayscale image. The ones that look almost black? Do you leave them alone? NOPE! Add a dark color over them! Ok, sure, the dark color wont show as vividly as it would on white paper. But it will make that dark section POP. What is better than dark grey? Dark grey with intense red tones! You just turned your arts and crafts project into some cool art!

Oh look! A super stupendous grayscale coloring infographic! Feel free to save and share this image:

Grayscale Coloring Supplies

Every colorist needs some coloring stuff to make their masterpiece! Eventually you will learn what coloring supplies you prefer. And you should definitely experiment! But for starters, I recommend the Prismacolor Premier colored pencils for coloring over grayscale (Click HERE for a lovely, and affordable pack of 36 pencils). They have vibrant colors and blend nicely. Want to branch out? Try mediums that can blend (watercolor pencils, acrylic paint, pastels, blendable markers, etc. – I’m basically just showing you my studio shopping list). Also, Gel pens and fine tipped markers can work well for detail work.

And then there’s paper. Are you printing your coloring page at home? Coloring printables are the best! With DIY coloring book pages, regular printer paper will do in a pinch. Again, no judging. But a slightly “heavier” paper will usually have more tooth (texture) to hold more pigment. Standard printer paper is 20lb and will work in a pinch. But I like 110LB Cardstock paper. It’s great for colored pencils and slightly wet media such as: Gel pens, fineliner pens, and some markers. (Oh look, here’s a link to some great 110LB Cardstock paper! It’s like I ENJOY shopping!) This is the beauty of digital coloring pages – you can print them as many times as you like on any paper you like! (Ahem, did you know you can order hand-drawn printable coloring pages in my shop HERE)

Your paper and color choices are endless! And it’s all up to you. Do what you want. Choose the colors you love. The paper you like. Because as awesome as this coloring guide is (and it IS The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Grayscale Coloring) it’s all about you. Have fun! Relax! Get creative! And start grayscale coloring today!

Are you past the “beginner” stage of grayscale coloring? Want something a little more in-depth? Check out these super FUN Coloring Tutorials from my studio! Here’s a sample video coloring in one of my grayscale coloring pages:

Did you enjoy this post?

Have you tried coloring yet? Tell me! Show me! For real, I love seeing coloring masterpieces. Comment here OR find me on social media and share! Below are my social links where you can find me and brighten up my day with YOUR creativity!

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