How Do You Find Your Personal Coloring Style?

Introduction: The Beauty of Finding Your Coloring Style

Coloring is not just coloring in space — it is a creative art, a mindfulness exercise, and a search for discovering your own artistic voice. Whether you are an adult colorist or an artist searching for new techniques, finding your own coloring voice allows you to create pieces of art that are truly you.

But how do you find that special style that makes your pages pop? How do you move beyond coloring inside the lines to creating pages that are expressive, cohesive, and instantly recognizable?

In this complete guide, we'll explore everything you need to know about finding your own coloring style — from understanding what style even is, to experimenting with mediums, colors, textures, and moods that are like you.

At the end of it, you won't just learn how to develop a coloring style, but also how to refine it so that it grows with you.

What Exactly is "Coloring Style"?

Your coloring style is the group of choices that distinguish your artwork from others — the equivalent of a signature. It's how you color blend, your favorite tools, your subject interest, and the overall mood of your artwork.

Visualize it like this: if two people color the same image, the result will look totally different. That's style happening.

A few important things that dictate your coloring style:

Color palette preferences: Do you love soft pastels, neon brights, or nature tones?

Techniques: Do you like blending, shading, outlining, or flat coloring?

Mediums: Colored pencils, markers, watercolor, gel pens, digital coloring — each will produce a different look.

Mood: Do your pages feel cheerful, moody, dreamy, elegant, or whimsical?

Linework and texture: Some colorists emphasize outlines, others soften them into the background.

Your style develops naturally over time — through exploration, experimentation, and intuition.

Step 1: Reflect on What You're Drawn To

Finding your style starts with awareness. Ask yourself what visually excites you.

What kind of coloring books catch your attention?

Do you adore fantasy gardens, mandalas, animals, snug houses, or outdoor vistas?

Whose art are you most drawn to — and why?

Create a small Pinterest board or sketchbook where you pin and save:

Coloring pages that inspire you

Favorite palettes of color

Illustrators whose work speaks to you

Your favorite art supplies and brands

After a while, you will start noticing your own tendencies. You may adore soft gradations, dreamy flowers, or vibrant cartoonish contrasts.

Tip: Don't copy others — instead, use what inspires you as a starting point and establish your own visual voice.

Step 2: Experiment With Different Coloring Media

Different tools completely change the look and feel of your artwork. To discover your coloring style, you need to experiment.

Here's an overview of typical coloring mediums and how they affect your style:

Colored Pencils

Good for soft shadows and blending

Allows for precision and layering

Perfect for realistic or low key art styles

Popular brands like Prismacolor, Polychromos, and Derwent

Style match: Detailed, realistic, or delicate art lovers

Markers

Smooth finishes and rich colors with vivid tones

Fits modern, graphic, or comic art

Alcohol-based markers (Copic, Ohuhu) blend well.

Style match: Expressive, bold, bright people

Watercolors

Delivers transparency and fluid motion

Dreamy, organic effects

Fits nature landscapes, fantasy landscapes, and more emotional works

Style match: Free spirited, creative people

Gel Pens & Metallic

Adds shine, detail, and emphasis

Ideal for mandalas, lettering, or highlighting

Style match: Playful and decorative personalities

Try combining mediums also — such as colored pencils on top of watercolor or markers with gel pen highlights. Every attempt brings you closer to understanding what you adore.

Step 3: Learn Color Theory (Made Easy!)

Color is the building block of all coloring styles. Having a little knowledge about color theory can instantly elevate your pages.

Start with the Color Wheel

Red, yellow, blue = primary colors

Orange, green, purple = secondary colors

Colors that are opposite each other (blue & orange) = complementary colors

Neighbors on the wheel (blue, blue-green, green) = analogous colors

Experiment with these pairs and see what feels most natural.

Play Around with Different Color Palettes

Some colorists love high contrast — others, softly muted colors. Experiment with the following palettes:

Earthy and warm: Terracotta, olive, beige, rust

Dreamy pastels: Lilac, blush, mint, sky blue

Bold & bright: Red, yellow, teal, violet

Monochrome magic: One color in various tones

Your favorite palette tends to tell us a lot about your art personality.

Step 4: Identify the Mood You Establish

Coloring is not technical — it's emotional.

Ask yourself:

What do I want to get my coloring pages to make others feel?

Relaxed? Happy? Uplifted? Sentimental?

Your coloring mood is your personal style. A colorist who enjoys muted browns and blues might be expressing calm or introspection, while one who works with neon greens and pinks expresses energy and excitement.

Try some more until your pages feel the way you want them to.

Step 5: Try Different Techniques

Your technique is the skill of your art , how you use your tools to get ideas across.

Here are ideal and easy techniques worth trying:

Blending: Use circular motions with colored pencils for seamles gradients.

Burnishing: Layer colors and use a colorless blender for a polished, shiny finish.

Layering: Always apply multiple shades for depth.

Cross hatching: Always add texture with crisscrosing lines.

Pointillism: Create shading with small dots (great for whimsical or comic styles).

Backgrounds: Experiment with soft pastel, ink, or watercolor backgrounds.

Over time, you'll find the techniques that feel natural to you.

Step 6: Examine Your Completed Pages

After you've colored every page, take a moment to review your work.

Ask:

• What were my favorites?
• What looks most "me"?
• What would I do differently in the future?

Save your completed pages in a Coloring Journal. If you turn it, you'll see your progress — and patterns will emerge. You might always color flowers in the same style or prefer cool colors.

That's your style emerging!

Step 7: Find Inspiration (Without Comparison)

The internet is full of talented colorists — from Instagram and Pinterest to Facebook coloring groups and YouTube tutorials.

Surf for inspiration, but remember: inspiration ≠ imitation.

If you're a fan of someone's work, ask yourself why you're a fan. Is it their:

• Color harmony?
• Texturing technique?
• Use of light and shadow?

Use that understanding to bring similar ideas into your own vision.

Tip: Watch 3–5 artists whose styles are different from yours. This keeps your imagination expanding rather than contracting to copying.

Step 8: Mix Your Passions

Maybe you love botanical coloring, but you love fantasy art — why not mix the two?

Personal style usually starts to develop when you mix two or more passions. For example:

• "Cottagecore fairy gardens"
• "Vintage floral mandalas"
• "Galactic animals with boho patterns"

Mixing genres and styles makes your pages stand out and individual.

Step 9: Accept Imperfection

Perfectionism is the biggest style-killer.

The moment you overthink every line or shade, your art loses its character. Your best personal style generally emerges from mistakes.

That "too dark" shadow or "surreal color mix" can be your signature in the end.

Let go of control — often your most personal style emerges when you color without thinking.

Step 10: Practice More (and Be Patient)

Artistic identity does not emerge overnight. It grows.

Most colorists take months (or years) to develop their look. Consistency is key. The more you color, the more natural your taste will become.

Try to create an artistic goal, like:

• "Color one page each week for three months."
• "Experiment with a new medium each month."
• "Recreate the same page with different palettes."

Each project teaches you something new about your visual self.

Step 11: Showcase Your Work

Showing your work teaches you about your style from the outside in.

Share on:

• Instagram (#adultcoloring, #coloringcommunity)
• Facebook coloring groups
• Pinterest boards
• Your own blog or Etsy shop

Notice what resonates most with viewers — often the pages that you enjoyed creating most are the ones that work for others.

Over time, your followers will recognize your "signature look," even without seeing your name.

Step 12: Know the Psychology of Color Preferences

Your inner life might sometimes be reflected in your coloring palette.

A brief synopsis is as follows:

• Blue: Calm, knowledge, and tranquility
• Green: Balance ,growth, and renewal
• Red: Self assurance, vigor, and enthusiasm
• Pink: Love, playfulnes, and sensitivity
• Yellow: Imagination, hope, and joy
• Purple: Luxury, mystery, spirituality
• Brown: Coziness, stability, comfort
• Black/Gray: Introspection, control, sophistication

Knowing which colors you attract can reveal a lot about your emotional coloring palette.

Step 13: Define Your Signature Elements

Once you've played around enough, look for what makes you unique.

Signature traits examples:

• Always using a gold gel pen highlights.
• Creating gradient skies on every page
• Adopting pale pastel color schemes
• Focusing on cozy indoor spaces
• Using dark bold lines for contrast

Write down 3–5 things that always appear in your work — these are your style anchors.

Step 14: Style Evolves Over Time

Just like with fashion or handwriting, your coloring style will evolve as you do.

You can start with bold markers, then be carried away on soft pencils years down the line — don't worry! Change is in the journey.

The trick is to stay curious. Let your environment, atmosphere, and even music influence the way you color. Your style is a living being — ever-changing, yet forever you.

Step 15: Develop a Personal Style Guide

Wishing to seal gains? Create a "Personal Coloring Style Guide."

Have:

• Pictures of your favorite pages
• Color palette observations
• Favorite media and brands
• Popular themes (e.g., whimsical forests, cozy cottages)
• Inspirational quotes or artists

Keeping this visual reference board helps you stay consistent — especially if you plan on publishing your own coloring book or sharing tutorials online.

Bonus: Coloring Style Quiz (Mini Exercise!)

Try to answer these questions to assist in determining your style:

What is your default mood to create when you color?

Do you prefer realistic or abstract results?

What is your favorite color palette?

What medium comes most easily to you?

Do you love details or go simple?

Which subject themes are you most excited about?

What emotion do you want people to feel when they look at your pages?

Jot down your answers — that's your coloring identity statement.

Final Thoughts: Your Coloring Style Is Already Within You

Finding your own coloring style is not choosing one thing — it's finding your creative drive and doing what feels real to you.

Your unique combination of colors, texture, and moods is already inside you. The more you color, the more it becomes apparent.

So grab your pencils, markers, or brushes — and let the art begin. With every coloring page, you're that much closer to your own authentic artistic voice.