Technique breakdowns for colored pencils and markers: layering, blending, burnishing, and fixing the problems that drive colorists up the wall.
One-Color Coloring: Why Monochrome Coloring Books Are the Ultimate Minimalist Stress Relief What if the secret to relaxing coloring was not choosing from 100 different colored pencils, but using just one? That is the premise behind one-color coloring, a growing trend that strips coloring down to its most meditative form. One pen. One color. No … Read more
Reverse Coloring Books: Why Drawing the Lines Instead of Filling Them In Is the Most Relaxing Thing You Will Try This Year Coloring books have trained us to stay inside the lines. But what if the most relaxing thing you could do was draw the lines yourself? That is the premise of reverse coloring, a … Read more
Stained Glass Coloring Books: How to Create Window-Worthy Art With Just Colored Pencils There is something magical about stained glass. The way light passes through colored panels, the bold black lines framing each section, the way a simple window becomes a glowing work of art. You cannot exactly install a stained glass window in your … Read more
Cottagecore Coloring: How to Bring the Cozy Rural Aesthetic to Your Coloring Pages You have seen it everywhere, on social media, in home decor, in fashion, and now in coloring books. Cottagecore is the aesthetic that romanticizes a simple, rural life: wildflowers in jars, mushrooms on a windowsill, cozy cottages with thatched roofs, and afternoons … Read more
Mandala Coloring for Beginners: Why the Oldest Coloring Tradition Is Still the Best Stress Relief The mandala is the oldest and most enduring design in adult coloring. Long before Coloring Books became a wellness trend, people were coloring mandalas, circular geometric patterns that have been used for meditation and spiritual practice for thousands of years … Read more
Floral Coloring Books for Adults: How to Bring Flowers to Life on the Page Flowers are the original coloring subject. Before mandalas, before fantasy dragons, before geometric patterns, people were coloring flowers. The reason is simple: flowers are naturally beautiful, naturally colorful, and naturally varied. No two flowers look exactly the same, which means no … Read more
Coloring on the Go: How to Build a Travel Coloring Kit That Fits in Your Bag Coloring on the Go: How to Build a Travel Coloring Kit That Fits in Your Bag One of the best things about coloring is that it requires almost no equipment, a book and a handful of pencils. And yet … Read more
Expert Reviewed · Last updated June 23, 2026 · This article is regularly updated with the latest information and recommendations. Fantasy Coloring Books for Adults: How to Bring Dragons, Fairies, and Mythical Worlds to Life Not every coloring book has to be flowers and mandalas. If you have ever wanted to color a dragon breathing … Read more
Meta description: Learn how to blend and shade colored pencils with beginner-friendly techniques. From burnishing to layering, master the skills that turn flat coloring into art. Category: Techniques / Tutorials Affiliate tag: strongdogsmar-20 (Amazon), Blick (5-7%) Why Blending Changes Everything You bought a coloring book, … Read more
How to Fix Coloring Mistakes Without Starting Over You’re 45 minutes into a page, the colors are flowing, and then you do it, reach for the dark blue when you meant to grab the teal. Or you press too hard and leave a gouge in the paper. Or the marker bleeds outside the line and … Read more