Getting Started with Adult Coloring: Using What You Have

One of the best things you can do for yourself if you're interested in becoming a colorist involves going to any store and picking up any coloring book and set of colored pencils. As a child, you likely used crayons to lay color onto a coloring book. While crayons are still absolutely fine if that's what you prefer, you'll find that you can get much more precision and control from a colored pencil. Colored pencils come in many, many brands. You'll find cheap brands like Rose Art and Cra-Z-Art at Walmart, and if this is all you have, then use them by all means. When I first started this hobby a few months ago, my brand of choice was Crayola. I picked up a 100-count box of Crayola colored pencils at Walmart for about $15, and they gave me endless hours of coloring joy.

However... As time goes on, you'll start learning more about colored pencil techniques. In fact, I'll provide you with some of my favorites right here in this blog. Unfortunately, Crayola colored pencils won't allow you to achieve some of the more advanced results, and you'll likely want to upgrade to something a little better. We'll get to that in another post. If you're on a very tight budget, or if you're not sure coloring is the hobby for you, there are two other very low-end brands I would recommend - even over Crayola. The first is from a brand called Prang. I picked up a box of 36 Prang colored pencils at Walmart a couple weeks ago on clearance for $4, and they're much smoother and softer than Crayola. Simply put, they're easier to get the color onto the paper without giving yourself serious hand cramps.

The second is a brand I just picked up a couple days ago at Target. It's called Art 101 Premium, and they even came in a cute little canvas wrap! I got this set for a whopping $15. It came with 24 pencils and room in the wrap to hold 24 more.

As far as coloring books go, you have lots of options. If you have a printer at home, you can find hundreds upon hundreds of free coloring pages online in PDF form. Simply download, print, and go! If you'd rather purchase an adult coloring book, you'll find them ranging in price from $1 to as much as $30. These prices vary, and we'll discuss why in another post, but for now, just pick up something inexpensive. The Dollar Tree (everything in the store costs $1) has a few options, and Dollar General sells some for $2 to $3, as well.

With all this in mind, it's absolutely possible to get an adult coloring book and a decent pack of colored pencils for about $5. While they won't be the best tools in the world, they can give you an indication of whether it's a hobby you'll enjoy. If you have $5 and you're interested in trying coloring, please do so. It isn't always about the quality of the end product. Sometimes, it's about your own enjoyment and satisfaction.