5 Essential Art Supplies for Getting Started with Colouring

1. Colouring pages or colouring books: It may seem obvious, but when you first venture into the world of adult colouring, one of the first questions you ask yourself is what you want to colour, both in terms of subject matter and format (books or individual pages). When I started out, I opted for digital pages that can be purchased on Etsy from various artists, as they offer the following advantages: Although they may seem more expensive than a colouring book, once you’ve bought and downloaded a single page, you can print it on different types of paper and colour it using various techniques. This makes it an excellent way to practise colouring (if you make a mistake, you can simply print it again) and learn new techniques.

   
   

2. Paper type: if you opt for digital pages, the choice of paper to print on depends largely on the colouring technique you’ll be using and the type of paper your printer is capable of handling. This doesn’t mean the paper has to be expensive to achieve good results. For example, 180gsm school drawing pads are excellent for coloured pencils; for alcohol-based markers, however, 160gsm smooth satin-finish paper (the sort used for printing plans, for instance) is an excellent, economical alternative to professional marker pads, as it is sold in reams of 500 sheets.

   
   

   As for the printer, it is important to check the supported paper sizes: if you decide to colour with watercolours or any technique requiring the use of water and thicker paper, it is important to bear in mind that not all home printers are capable of handling thick paper with a weight exceeding 200g/m² (watercolour paper is usually 300g/m² and above).

   
   

3. Coloured pencils: to get started, you DON’T need to buy complete sets of professional coloured pencils, which are often expensive. An excellent alternative – especially if you’re still undecided or haven’t picked up a pencil in years – is to use school-grade coloured pencil sets, which often offer a full range of colours at a reasonable price. In this regard, Faber-Castell pencils or those from the Giotto Stilnovo range are an excellent starting point.

   
   

   However, if you want to try professional pencils, I would recommend buying individual colours that are not included in the sets you already own and gradually building up your collection. For example, I bought individual coloured pencils from the Caran d'Ache Luminance range to learn how to colour skin tones.

4. Alcohol-based markers: alcohol-based markers are the second most important colouring tool and can be used either as a substitute for pencils or in combination with them as a base for mixed-media techniques. Again, there is no need to buy complete professional sets containing hundreds of colours; instead, it would be advisable to purchase individual colours as required, depending on the subject. For this reason, when choosing, I would base my decision not only on price but also on whether or not individual colours, ink refills and tips are available for purchase.

   
   

5. Acrylic markers: these are the essential tool for creating highlights and making the artwork look even more realistic. Available both individually and in sets, and in a range of colours and tip sizes, the one I use most is the Uni Posca white marker with a fine tip, both for highlights and for removing outline lines. Some artists use white gel pens as an alternative, but this type of pen is often difficult to use depending on the surface it is applied to: if the surface is too glossy, as is the case with wax-based pencils, the ink may not flow out of the tip.

These were my tips on the essential art supplies for getting started with colouring.

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See you soon.

Laura