Welcome to the preclass lesson for Coloring Books Basics+ class! Students in this course have much freedom – to choose whatever coloring books you’d like to work in, and whatever medium. 

The first few lessons here will show some very simple imagery to teach the basics of blending in three different mediums (colored pencil, alcohol marker, and watercolor) and ways to use them on coloring book paper. Following that –shadows and highlights! We’ll have a lesson on color theory too, so you’ll learn how to create some colors you didn’t already own. That will be followed by some more complex coloring book images using what you just learned in a more complicated environment of shapes. We’ll tackle flowers, textures, skin and hair; not using particular images (no start-to-finish pages in this course) but sections of coloring so you’ll see how you can use the knowledge of the first three lessons to grow in your coloring skills.

All that means – yes you can choose the coloring book YOU would like to work in. It’ll be all about applying the lesson’s learnings, not about just coloring one page. 🙂 

Supplies here in the video and on the list below are items you may already have – in these or other brands.  Use what you’ve got and enjoy yourself!

Before we start…a little housekeeping

I retain the copyright to the content you are learning in class. That means…

1. Do not sell or give away the concepts from my classes – you may not re-teach my instruction contained or created within these lessons.
2. Do not post a video tutorial or step by step photo tutorial of your own redraw of class content.
3. Do not repost any handouts you receive in class.

However…I love to see students making strides and taking this teaching and personalizing it with your own skills.

1. DO make your own designs and develop your own style! I love that!
2. DO gift your creations made with these techniques, of course!

At the bottom of each lesson you’ll see some ways to share your homework and ask questions, so that’ll be handy for you.

Video: Supplies & Swatching

Swatch charts

Print the pages in this PDF that apply to your medium; if none do, feel free to print out the last page and label with your colors. You can also see if there’s a hex chart for your brand of art supply.

Coloring Books

While this selection of books will be used for demonstrations in this course, you can use ANY coloring books with images that contain the kind of picture the lesson is about. 

The other lessons will demonstrate specific texture and materials often needed in coloring more complex images. Note that all three of these were purchased in-store at a Barnes and Noble for only $8 each; some online sites have them marked at $25! The Botanical Art book is printed on hot press watercolor paper but will be demonstrated with all three mediums, just like the other books.

Across all mediums

I’d like to recommend for each of the 3 mediums below, students consider getting some kind of gel pens or white pens, and if you like shiny, how about some gold and silver!

COPIC ACREA PAINT MARKERS

Shop at Blick

Shop at Amazon

Colored pencils

If you’re brand new to coloring, the best recommendation for starting is colored pencils! Some simple techniques in this course will help you make lovely and satisfying art, and pencils are quick to learn. 

While you may WANT a full set of pencils – over 100 in many brands – you can blend pencils to create all kinds of colors with a much less expensive set – like the 36 pencil tin. In this course, pencil work will be demonstrated using Prismacolors, the least expensive of the artist-grade brands, but Polychromos are gorgeous pencils too.

Not shown or linked: Emory boards, cotton balls, small container for gamsol.

Watercolor

Watercolor? In coloring books? Sure, if you go light on the water! Demonstrations in class will show you how. 

I’ve selected to use Gansai Tambi paints but you can try most any inexpensive watercolors.