DIY – How to create your own colouring page

Want to create your own colouring page? Read on to find out how.

Colouring pages and books have become a worldwide phenomenon. They have become part of a growing interest in mindfulness and finding ways to unwind and de-stress in our ever increasingly fast-paced world.

There is no doubt that finding some time for yourself to colour in is a good thing. But it’s made me wonder if colouring in is really being creative?

I believe for something to be truly creative we need to bring something of ourselves and our uniqueness to whatever we’re doing. For instance, there’s not much creativity in painting by numbers, or when our heart’s not in it. I like to think of colouring in as a stepping stone to unleash our creativity by helping us express what lies within. So why not create your own colouring in page to really get those creative juices flowing?

But ‘I can’t draw!’ you might say.

Don’t worry. I’ll step you through this fool-proof way of creating a colouring in page.

Step 1 – Get your materials ready.

You’ll need some blank white paper and a black fineliner pen or texta.

The paper can be any size or thickness (copy paper is fine); just as long as it’s blank. If you want to keep your colouring pages together, then it might be nice to invest in a sketch pad or visual diary. It can be as basic or as fancy as you like :-).

You can use any type of black pen or marker (even a ballpoint pen would be fine), as long as it’s permanent. Then you don’t need to worry about accidentally rubbing out your outline as you colour in. I also suggest black because it’s easier to see the outline and it won’t clash with any colours that you might pick as you colour in. I also prefer a fineliner to a texta as it creates a thinner line.

Step 2 – Draw freehand squiggles, doodles, lines, shapes and images.

Use your pen or marker to create whatever lines and shapes you like on the paper. You do not need to fill the entire sheet of paper. The idea is to be relaxed and get into the flow of drawing.

Don’t worry about the end result. It’s just like making a doodle while you’re on the phone, or in a meeting :-). You can even shut your eyes and just move your pen over the paper without lifting it off the paper. You can make this as abstract as you like. And in doing so it gives you more freedom when you colour it in.

I like to create squiggles and overlapping circles and waves.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t draw straight lines or even a grid.

Perhaps use a ruler or some shape templates.

There is no limit to what you can create. Experiment. Play. Have fun!

Step 3 – Colour in your Colouring Page!

Now that you have your finished colouring page you are free to colour it in however you like.

You can colour in random spaces and shapes to make an abstract pattern.

Or you can pick out hidden images.

You can use shading, cross-hatching, blending or build up layers of colour (watch this space for a blog on colouring in techniques). Or you can create different patterns within the shape.

You can add colour in other ways. Here I’ve washed over Derwent Inktense colours with water to create a painting effect. (Watch this space for more blogs on colouring techniques.)

If you want to experiment with different colour combinations or patterns (like I did in my mandala play adventure), then photocopy or scan your black and white line drawing to create more copies of your colouring page for future colouring in. This way you’ll have a colouring page ready to go when you need that moment of down time. Although, now you know how simple it is to create your own colouring page, you can also just create a new one every time :-).

I hope that this blog inspires you to create your own colouring page. And as a result, may it spark your imagination and unleash your inner creative.

Happy creating! Please share your colouring in creations on my Facebook page.
I’d love to see them :-).

Looking for more Inner Creative mandala inspiration?

Then head over to the Mandala Inspirations Gallery or Mandala Play Adventure series (where I created a different mandala each day from the same colouring page for 30 days).

You can also get free mandala colouring pages, creativity tips, and Inner Creative updates by signing up here for the special Mandala Inspiration Inner Creative mailing list.