Other Grayscale Coloring Information to Explore
What is Grayscale Coloring?
So you might be thinking, "I've heard of this grayscale coloring stuff...what is it exactly?!" When I first heard about it, I wondered the same thing and I couldn't find much information about it. I did some of my own experimentation and found out how incredibly FUN it is! So much fun actually, that I decided to create my own grayscale coloring book based on my original fantasy art. Then, I was asked so many questions about it when sharing my progress pictures online, that I thought I should dedicate a HUGE section to my website about grayscale coloring! My hope is to spread the word about grayscale coloring so that others can find the joy in it that I did!
First and foremost, coloring should be enjoyable! There is a TON of information on my website about grayscale coloring and I do not want you to get overwhelmed. You don't have to read any of this or follow any rules if you don't want to. Just experiment and have a blast! I sure did. But if you find yourself getting frustrated because your images aren't turning out like you want, you're having problems with your medium or paper, or you are interested in learning more techniques, please take a look through my website. I hope you enjoy it!
Use these links to jump to the section you are interested about:
First and foremost, coloring should be enjoyable! There is a TON of information on my website about grayscale coloring and I do not want you to get overwhelmed. You don't have to read any of this or follow any rules if you don't want to. Just experiment and have a blast! I sure did. But if you find yourself getting frustrated because your images aren't turning out like you want, you're having problems with your medium or paper, or you are interested in learning more techniques, please take a look through my website. I hope you enjoy it!
Use these links to jump to the section you are interested about:
- What is it exactly?
- Why color over grayscale?
- Is it hard?
- Why are the images so dark?
- What materials can I use?
- What techniques do I use?
- Basic Colored Pencil Techniques
- Basic Marker Techniques
- What colors do I choose?
- What's the best way to blend colored pencils on top of grayscale?
- When in doubt....test, test, test!
- Where can I find grayscale images to color?
- Do you have any free grayscale coloring pages?
What is it exactly?
Grayscale coloring has been gaining popularity recently in the Adult Coloring World. It's when you color directly over a grayscale image instead of a black and white line art image. You can see the difference in this photo. Meet my adorable dragonfly fairy, Brinley. On the left is a traditional black and white line art coloring page. On the right is a grayscale coloring page created from my original watercolor painting. Think of a black and white photograph to sort of understand what it is.
Why color over grayscale?
Coloring over grayscale can give you the look of shading without having to shade at all! Depending on the darkness in the grayscale image, you can color a single color over an entire area and the shades of gray underneath create all sorts of subtle variations providing depth that is very hard to achieve on a traditional coloring page. My original paintings take me weeks to create! I paint layer, upon layer of color to build up shadows and highlights. You can mimic this look in just an hour or two by coloring on top of grayscale! Once you start experimenting, you'll see how magical it can be!
Is it hard?
It doesn't have to be! The grayscale image underneath does a lot of the work for you depending on the technique that you use. It really can be as simple as choosing a color and coloring that same color over the entire area, much like filling in a blank space in a traditional coloring book. I've actually found it to be a lot more forgiving than coloring on a traditional coloring page. You don't see marker streaks as much, you can get away with coloring outside of the lines much easier and I don't feel like I have to be as thorough when coloring an area either.
Of course if you want it to be more challenging, it definitely can be! Advanced grayscale colorists can use the grayscale image as simply a guide to place their light and dark colors. The grayscale image aids you less for shading with this method and the shading is instead built up by the colorists themselves. But that's the great thing about grayscale coloring! You get to choose the difficulty level by using different techniques which I'll go into more detail about below.
Of course if you want it to be more challenging, it definitely can be! Advanced grayscale colorists can use the grayscale image as simply a guide to place their light and dark colors. The grayscale image aids you less for shading with this method and the shading is instead built up by the colorists themselves. But that's the great thing about grayscale coloring! You get to choose the difficulty level by using different techniques which I'll go into more detail about below.
Why are the images dark?
The beginner versions of my grayscale images and the images in the Beginner's Edition of my grayscale coloring book are dark, but they're dark for a reason! I have tested different amounts of lightness and darkness in my grayscale images and have found that the darker images look best when using beginner methods. The darkness in the grayscale provides so much depth to the coloring on top. If the grayscale image is too light, the shadows get lost when you color it, making your final coloring seem flat. But the lightness/darkness in a grayscale image is very much a personal preference. If you are a more advanced colorist and want more flexibility in your coloring, try my printable grayscale coloring pages. I offer 3 different variations (dark, medium and light) of each image so you can pick your favorite! The Advanced Edition of my grayscale coloring book also includes lighter grayscale images.
What materials can I use?
You can use anything and I mean pretty much anything! I have thoroughly tested many different types of materials and different brands and I haven't found much that doesn't work well over grayscale. I have used markers, colored pencils, watercolor pencils, chalk pastels, crayons, and even eyeshadow on grayscale pages and they each produce their own interesting effect!
You can even use gel pens! But since gel pens are such an opaque media, I would not recommend them for large areas. They cover up the shadows almost completely. So instead, I would recommend using them for very small parts of the image such as details on the clothes or highlights. A good, opaque white gel pen will provide incredible highlights to eyes, lips and other shiny areas!
It is important to keep in mind that you are coloring over a printed surface. Depending on printing methods and paper, some materials and brands can be abrasive to the printing. I always recommend testing your materials first to make sure they are gentle to the grayscale page that you are coloring on.
For more thorough explanations about materials and product recommendations, see my page here.
You can even use gel pens! But since gel pens are such an opaque media, I would not recommend them for large areas. They cover up the shadows almost completely. So instead, I would recommend using them for very small parts of the image such as details on the clothes or highlights. A good, opaque white gel pen will provide incredible highlights to eyes, lips and other shiny areas!
It is important to keep in mind that you are coloring over a printed surface. Depending on printing methods and paper, some materials and brands can be abrasive to the printing. I always recommend testing your materials first to make sure they are gentle to the grayscale page that you are coloring on.
For more thorough explanations about materials and product recommendations, see my page here.
What techniques do I use?
Riley colored with markers on the left and colored pencils on the right
The techniques that you use will vary slightly depending on what media you use. I would recommend colored pencils, markers or a combination of the both for the majority of your coloring. Then you can accent with gel pens or create really pretty backgrounds with chalk pastels.
I will outline the basic techniques for each media type below. I've decided to call the different techniques "Beginner" and "Advanced" for a lack of better words. But please don't think it's something that you have to progress through (i.e. conquer the beginner method and then master advanced), because that's not how it works! Just choose the technique that seems the most fun to you. The advanced method simply provides a little more flexibility and color variety.
I will outline the basic techniques for each media type below. I've decided to call the different techniques "Beginner" and "Advanced" for a lack of better words. But please don't think it's something that you have to progress through (i.e. conquer the beginner method and then master advanced), because that's not how it works! Just choose the technique that seems the most fun to you. The advanced method simply provides a little more flexibility and color variety.
Basic Colored Pencil Techniques
Beginner: If you're just getting started with using colored pencils over grayscale, I recommend choosing one color and coloring that same color over the entire area. There is absolutely no shading necessary! You will be amazed as the image comes to life and the grayscale image creates all sorts of interesting highlights and shadows! Colored pencils can be a very opaque medium depending on the brand that you use. If you find when you're coloring that the pencil is covering up the shadows completely, try stopping before you get to the darkest areas and don't color over them so that they can still be nice and dark. You can also go back after you're done and touch up any areas that got too light by using a black colored pencil on the darkest areas of the image. (Use the "Beginner" version of my printable coloring pages for the best results).
Advanced: Try picking three (or more) shades of a color for each area: a light, medium and dark. Use the grayscale image as your guide while placing your colors. Put the light colors in the light areas of the grayscale image, medium colors in the medium areas of the grayscale image and the dark colors in the darkest areas of the grayscale image. Use your preferred blending method while applying the colors. See my blending tools section for more information. (Use the "Beginner", "Intermediate" or "Advanced" versions of my printable coloring pages. Choose your favorite. The lighter the grayscale image, the more flexibility you have over color choice, but the less the grayscale image will "aide" you while coloring.)
For step by step colored pencil tutorials, see my page here.
Advanced: Try picking three (or more) shades of a color for each area: a light, medium and dark. Use the grayscale image as your guide while placing your colors. Put the light colors in the light areas of the grayscale image, medium colors in the medium areas of the grayscale image and the dark colors in the darkest areas of the grayscale image. Use your preferred blending method while applying the colors. See my blending tools section for more information. (Use the "Beginner", "Intermediate" or "Advanced" versions of my printable coloring pages. Choose your favorite. The lighter the grayscale image, the more flexibility you have over color choice, but the less the grayscale image will "aide" you while coloring.)
For step by step colored pencil tutorials, see my page here.
Basic Marker Techniques
Beginner: Choose one color for each area and color that same color over the entire area. Markers are a very transparent medium, so even though you're coloring over the whole area, the shadows will still show through creating so much depth to your coloring. If you find that your coloring is too dark after using markers over the whole piece, consider accenting it with colored pencils on top! This is by far my favorite method. It's sort of a mixed media approach and I find it produces stunning results. You can choose a light and dark color for each area or even use plain old white and black. Use the grayscale image as your guide when applying the colors (light colors go in the lightest areas of the grayscale image and dark colors go in the darkest areas of the image). You will be shocked at how your image comes to life when adding just a little bit of colored pencil on top! (Use the "Beginner" version of my printable coloring pages for the best results).
Advanced: I would not recommend the advanced technique unless you have a very large set of blendable markers (Copics, Spectrum Noir, Prismacolor Premier, etc...). These markers are designed in sets of colors that blend well together. You will find blending to be nearly impossible with less expensive marker sets. But if you do happen to have a very large set of markers, give this technique a try! Choose a light, medium and dark color (or more) for each area. Use the grayscale image as your guide when applying the light, medium and dark values. (Use the "Beginner", "Intermediate" or "Advanced" versions of my printable coloring pages. Choose your favorite. The lighter the grayscale image, the more flexibility you have over color choice, but the less the grayscale image will "aide" you while coloring.)
For step by step marker tutorials, see my page here.
Advanced: I would not recommend the advanced technique unless you have a very large set of blendable markers (Copics, Spectrum Noir, Prismacolor Premier, etc...). These markers are designed in sets of colors that blend well together. You will find blending to be nearly impossible with less expensive marker sets. But if you do happen to have a very large set of markers, give this technique a try! Choose a light, medium and dark color (or more) for each area. Use the grayscale image as your guide when applying the light, medium and dark values. (Use the "Beginner", "Intermediate" or "Advanced" versions of my printable coloring pages. Choose your favorite. The lighter the grayscale image, the more flexibility you have over color choice, but the less the grayscale image will "aide" you while coloring.)
For step by step marker tutorials, see my page here.
What colors do I choose?
Work with the grayscale image when selecting your colors and consult my reference images that show the colors of my original painting. For instance, if the witch had black hair in the original painting, there is no way she's going to be a blonde! So consider choosing darker colors for her hair like dark brown, dark red or even fun colors like dark purple.
Try not to use too many dark colors when using markers. Dark colored markers will cover up the highlights and make the whole image seem very dark. Try choosing light or medium colors instead.
Those are really the only limitations I have found when selecting colors for grayscale images. So try every color under the rainbow and see what results you get!!
Try not to use too many dark colors when using markers. Dark colored markers will cover up the highlights and make the whole image seem very dark. Try choosing light or medium colors instead.
Those are really the only limitations I have found when selecting colors for grayscale images. So try every color under the rainbow and see what results you get!!
What's the best way to blend colored pencils on top of grayscale?
First off, put down the blending pencil!! I know, I used to love it too, but quickly discovered that a colorless blending pencil is way too abrasive for many grayscale coloring pages and books. When you scrub and burnish with the blending pencil it eats away the fibers of the paper and can literally lift up the grayscale printing. It may work ok on some papers, but since I got such inconsistent results with it depending on paper type and printing method I highly recommend not using them. But I have found several other methods that I think you will really enjoy, maybe even more than the blending pencils!! Petroleum jelly and an alcohol based blending marker both work wonderfully over grayscale. See my blending tools section for more information.
When in doubt....test, test, test!!
Both my grayscale coloring book and my printable grayscale pages, come with multiple small tester images. Use these images to test your preferred media, techniques and/or paper. While I have done EXTENSIVE testing for this little venture, it's nearly impossible to test every media and every paper combination. So please do your own testing before starting on your page to make sure your materials are gentle to the grayscale and that your process will give you your desired results.
If you are coloring inside my one of my grayscale coloring books and find that you really want to use a method that just doesn't work on the paper, you are more than welcome to copy the page onto your preferred paper for your personal use only. But, please do not share the uncolored image anywhere. I want you to have fun with the book and my images! I know paper is a very personal preference and specific to certain media, so I would like for you to have that option.
If you are coloring inside my one of my grayscale coloring books and find that you really want to use a method that just doesn't work on the paper, you are more than welcome to copy the page onto your preferred paper for your personal use only. But, please do not share the uncolored image anywhere. I want you to have fun with the book and my images! I know paper is a very personal preference and specific to certain media, so I would like for you to have that option.
Where can I find grayscale images to color?
I now have four grayscale coloring books available for purchase on Amazon! You can read more about them here. I also have printable grayscale coloring pages in my shop for you to download, print, color and enjoy! Each grayscale coloring page pack comes with different difficulty levels, multiple frame options, basic instructions, tester pages and links to full length tutorials created specifically for each image!
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Do you have any free grayscale coloring pages?
Yes! Click the link below to download a free printable grayscale coloring page of my dragonfly fairy, Brinley!
**Please note: This coloring page is for PERSONAL USE only. Absolutely no sharing or posting of the uncolored image anywhere. If you know someone who is interested in downloading this, please direct them to my website to download it themselves. You may not sell any products using this image or your finished colorings. Digital use is not allowed. You may not mass produce, distribute or publish this image in any fashion without direct consent from Nikki Burnette. You may share your colored images online, but kindly credit Nikki Burnette as the artist and link to my website. Thank you! =)
**Please note: This coloring page is for PERSONAL USE only. Absolutely no sharing or posting of the uncolored image anywhere. If you know someone who is interested in downloading this, please direct them to my website to download it themselves. You may not sell any products using this image or your finished colorings. Digital use is not allowed. You may not mass produce, distribute or publish this image in any fashion without direct consent from Nikki Burnette. You may share your colored images online, but kindly credit Nikki Burnette as the artist and link to my website. Thank you! =)
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