I love hearing from colorists !  I invite colorists and artists to be a guest on my blog, sharing whatever your heart feels about coloring . In this blog, Cleo Fraser shares her experiences over the past year about coloring.
Cleo Fraser

I started colouring just over a year ago, when I was first introduced to Adult Colouring . I knew nothing about Adult Colouring so I started to teach myself how to do this & how to do it well.
I looked up articles; watched every tutorial & video I could find (& still do); learned different techniques; found out about what materials you need (coloured pencils-wax or oil), less expensive to most expensive pencils, & what each offered; crayons; markers (water vs alcohol based), brush tipped markers, fineliners, etc; & all the different brands for all of these materials.
It seemed totally overwhelming to me @ first. I’m sure, from listening to others just starting out, they all say the same thing…how it’s hard to know what they need to get started with. Again, there are many tutorials on this type of information, ie: ‘How to begin colouring’ or ‘Coloring 101’, etc. There’s so much you can learn before you spend a lot of money on things that you may not even need, or like to use.
There are artists out there, like Anne Manera, who do ColourAlongs, where you actually colour a picture as she colours hers. All the while, she’s telling you things/materials, mediums, etc, you can use to save money. You don’t ‘have’ to put out an exorbitant amount of money to do Adult Colouring.
Anne teaches different techniques to help you when doing these ColourAlongs, so you’re learning as well as colouring, & enjoying your hour with someone who’s very knowledgeable in all areas of colouring. It’s quite a fun experience to join in on a ColourAlong. I never fail to learn something new @ each one I attend.
Looking back over this last year of colouring, from when I first started to now, I can see a vast improvement in my colourings, which is very satisfying to me. It gives you a great sense of pride & accomplishment in yourself. A lot of people ‘colour’ due to health/medical issues, & I for one, can attest to it’s great pain relieving results. I highly recommend it to anyone with health issues that need a new focus in life.
It’s a rewarding hobby & a great way to get to know a large group of wonderful people, from all over the world, who are: @ your level, not quite @ your level, & far beyond your level. They all have the same focus & all want to help out anyone who’s struggling with any part of the colouring process/hobby.