You do not need to draw, own a large pencil collection or finish a page to enjoy colouring. A small selection of colours and a clear place to sit are enough for a first session. This guide gives you a simple way to begin with what you already have.
Start with a page that suits you
Choose a picture you would enjoy looking at even before adding colour. Flowers, a teacup, a cosy room or a seaside scene can all work. Look at the size of the spaces as well as the subject. A lovely picture with hundreds of tiny sections may be frustrating if you want a relaxed first attempt.
For an easy starting point, choose bold outlines and several larger shapes. If you do not have a colouring page, draw six large circles or a row of simple leaves on scrap paper. These give you somewhere to experiment without needing to buy a book or download anything.
What you need—and what can wait
- A page or plain paper.
- Three to five coloured pencils you already own.
- A sharpener, if your pencils need one.
- A firm surface and enough light to see comfortably.
- A spare sheet beneath your page, particularly if using pens.
Special blending pencils, enormous sets and expensive paper can wait until you know what you like using. If you prefer pens, test them on a separate piece of the same paper first. Some pens show through or bleed through; a protective sheet helps protect the next surface but will not rescue an image printed on the back.
Choose three colours, then begin
Pick a main colour, a lighter or quieter companion, and one colour for small details. Try sage green, pale blue and golden yellow for leaves and flowers. Or choose rose, lavender and grey for a teacup. These are suggestions, not rules: purple leaves are welcome if you like them.
Make a small swatch of each colour before putting it on the picture. Start with a light touch. It is easier to add another layer than to remove a very heavy one. Colour one area at a time, turning the paper when a different angle feels easier.
Your first fifteen minutes
- Minutes 1–3: settle your page, try your colours and choose one part of the picture.
- Minutes 4–10: fill that part lightly. Leave little gaps if you like a soft texture; add another layer if you want a stronger colour.
- Minutes 11–13: choose one edge to darken slightly, or repeat a colour in a nearby shape.
- Minutes 14–15: look at what you enjoyed and choose whether to continue or stop. Put the pencils with the page so it is easy to return.
If following a timer feels fussy, ignore the minutes and use the four stages instead: choose, colour, notice, stop. An unfinished page is simply a page you can return to.
Three small fixes for common frustrations
The colours look muddy
Try fewer layers and test combinations on spare paper. Let one area stay a single colour so the picture has somewhere for your eye to rest. There is no obligation to shade every shape.
The spaces feel too small
Choose a simpler page or work only on the larger parts. You can leave intricate areas white. For a printable page you are permitted to print, check the print preview before enlarging: part of the picture may be cropped.
You keep comparing your page with someone else's
Put the example aside for a few minutes and choose one feature you like in your own work. It might be a colour combination or a single petal. The page can be enjoyable without becoming a finished piece for display.
Make the next session easy
Keep a small envelope or folder with your current page and a note of the colours you used. Before packing up, write one next step: colour the cup handle; add yellow to the little flowers; try a lighter blue. That is enough of a plan.
When you would like company, try our colouring-and-tea afternoon guide. You can each work on completely different pages and still share the same pleasant half-hour.