When you think of coloring, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it fun? Happiness? A childish activity? To me, I think of a practice that I have loved ever since I was young. Obviously, I colored as every child does, in those cheap, thin coloring books with Crayola crayons and fail to stay inside the lines. As I grew up, that “childish activity” of coloring never escaped me. Even though I didn’t color for a long stretch of time, the desire to engage in a simple yet relaxing activity has always resonated with me, no matter how much I distracted myself with other activities deemed more “age-appropriate.”
Though I had tried more passive activities such as watching TV, I could tell that deep down, I yearned for a pastime more creative in nature. I bought a couple of coloring books: one with Mandala designs, one with inspirational quotes, and one with designs of birds. My aunt had also gifted me a set of artist colored-pencils which up until that point, I had not used. Finally, I began to color. As I went on, I developed a sort of routine while I was coloring. I would sit on my bed and stream YouTube on my TV, I would then play one of my favorite true-crime YouTubers (either Eleanor Neale or Danielle Kirsty) and have one of their videos play in the background as I was coloring.
As I continued the practice, I arrived on various criteria and preferences for what I do and do not like to do while coloring. I found that I don’t like Mandala coloring books or just any coloring book with small, intricate patterns with lots and lots of detail. Though the designs were beautiful, I ultimately became overwhelmed and frustrated by the designs to the point of burn out and giving up. Now, however, I mainly color in coloring books with easy, simple designs that don’t take me hours on end and leave me stressing over how I’m going to color the crazy-looking design.Â
Additionally, I have developed a preference for the types of coloring utensils I use. My all-time favorite are the Sargent Art colored pencils, because they are vibrant, durable, long-lasting, and they don’t get broken and misshapen by my pencil sharpener. Crayola colored pencils were okay in terms of vibrancy and pigment, but when it came down to sharpening them, they would always get mangled by my pencil sharpener and never turn out sharp the way I wanted them to be. Though I could have been sharpening my pencils improperly, my Sargent Art colored pencils were always sturdy and consistent. I do occasionally use markers or crayons while coloring, but not often. I like to use markers to to highlight a specific detail in a drawing. As for crayons, I use them mainly because they are nostalgic, and seeing the pigmented wax cover sections of the plain paper brings me joy.Â
I am not ashamed of what I like to do, even if people would consider it “childish.” Coloring has helped me to relax after a long day while creating something beautiful at the same time. I encourage people to continue with their untraditional hobbies; as long as they are bringing you joy, nothing else matters. Happy Coloring!