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Although grayscale coloring is becoming quite popular, it's still very new to a lot of people and somewhat unapproachable to many. A common response when someone first sees a colored grayscale image is to think "I couldn't do that!". The extremely realistic result one can achieve with grayscale coloring can look unattainable when in actuality it's much easier than giving depth and dimension to a coloring of a regular line drawing. I thought it would be worthwhile to interview a whole range of colorists regarding their grayscale coloring experience in order to give those considering it some insight into the experience & process, hopefully encouraging them to give it a try! For those that are already coloring grayscale, I think you'll find the grayscale coloring tips from these colorists quite helpful. I asked 14 colorists (including myself) to provide a grayscale picture they've colored and answer these 4 questions:
I've also included two practice grayscale pages for you to download and try. You will find those at the end of the post. I hope that after you've read everyone's grayscale coloring tips you will print out the practice sheets and give grayscale coloring a try, if you haven't already! "Grayscale coloring acts as a guide so it's almost impossible to mess up! You can be as realistic or as abstract as you like...I colored blue flamingos with a purple sky!" Christy HammerMemphis, TN, USA I have been coloring since September of 2015. I had come across an article online that had suggested coloring as way to de-stress and aid in blood pressure control. It worked!!  Colorist: Christy Hammer Source: Beautiful Creatures by Nicole Stocker What attracted you to grayscale coloring? The realistic nature of the picture once colored. So many tend to give the appearance of an actual photograph! What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? The ability to bring each picture to life with color using all kinds of mediums. What is your top grayscale coloring tip? Follow through and complete the picture. Often times when beginning a picture, it does not appear the way we had envisioned until the picture is finished. What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? Grayscale can be quite forgiving. The monochrome colors are an excellent guide for applying light and dark colors to reflect shading. Do not be afraid to layer on the color as you can add so much depth and detail by doing so. Christine KowbuzToronto, ON, Canada I've just started coloring as an adult but I used to love it as a kid. I love to draw, paint, and sculpt but it's so hard to find the time when you work full time. Coloring lets me work a little bit each night and on the weekends as a way to relax and to do something creative.  Colorist: Christine Kowbuz Source: Beautiful Creatures by Nicole Stocker What attracted you to grayscale coloring? I liked the idea of adult coloring and wanted to try but I wasn't really into coloring other people's drawings. I find that I'm picky about the subject matter of the picture. What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? I live for animals. They play a huge role in my life and I was searching and searching online for a coloring book of animals. When I found 'Beautiful Creatures' it was perfect! The variety of animals, the exceptional quality and detail of the photographs, and the idea of coloring a photo was so unique. Such a great idea. What is your top grayscale coloring tip? Take your time and enjoy each line from your pencil or pen. Don't work to just finish a piece, this way you can focus on the details and think carefully about what colors blend nicely together. What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? I would say have fun with it and look at it as a type of meditation. I think everyone is an artist and when you create, the piece is unique to you. There's nothing else like it in the world and so it's very special. Don't compare yourself to others but look to learn new techniques that you can try. Claire EadieNottingham, England, UK I've been coloring since April 2015, when I started my blog, Colour with Claire  Colorist: Claire Eadie Source: Beautiful Creatures by Nicole Stocker What attracted you to grayscale coloring? It seemed to be the new trend in coloring, and I was bowled away by the realistic results I saw people acheive from grayscale images. Some of them really are like looking at a full color photograph. What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? I think it takes some of the decision making out of coloring! If it's a picture of a horse you know straight away what colors to use. Also, you don't have to know how to shade - just follow the shades of gray with your lightest & darkest colors and it all comes together. What is your top grayscale coloring tip? Layer Layer Layer! If you block color a grayscale image with solid areas of color it's never going to look as effective as light layers to make up the texture and depth of the piece. Take your time with it and don't try and look for the finished result too soon - you think you're making a mess of it until you've nearly finished and it's pretty much colored itself. Make sure you pick out your color palette before you begin - you'll need to keep your light-to-dark order so you can quickly find the tone you need. What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? You'll never know what you can do until you give it a go! Just follow the rules of coloring light areas with light colors and vice versa, and the photograph itself will do the rest. Read Claire's review of Beautiful Creatures on her blog, Colour with Claire. Ann ReidBundaberg, Queensland, Australia I only began to color at the and of June 2015. My love of watercolors began in February 2016.  Colorist: Ann Reid Source: Beautiful Creatures by Nicole Stocker What attracted you to grayscale coloring? I was becoming tired of tiny leaves & flowers that were readily on offer. Then I saw Beautiful Creatures pop up when searching Mr. Google for something else to do. I checked Huelish.com & really loved the grayscale photographs & ordered one. I was so enamoured with it that I ordered another - one to color & one to admire as it is. This lead me to wanting/needing a really good set of color pencils & while I have and use several brands of pencil, both wax and oil based, FC Polychromos are my go to pencil. What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? The challenge of turning the grayscale photograph into a very "real" being. What is your top grayscale coloring tip? Be really prepared to do justice to your subject. If unsure of colors - look for pictures as a guide. Work with pencils sharpened to suit the effect you are trying to achieve. Take breaks - for me, being a "realist" takes concentration & I tend to lose the plot if I rush it all at once. What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? The answer to this would have to be ...much the same as your last question - prepare yourself and your tools before you begin. Print out grayscale photos & practice your techniques. Read anything & everything you can on the subject - YouTube will help immensely. Then jump right on in. Oh...and remember that there is never a need to press hard with your pencils - the way to intensify your colors is through the application of many light layers. You will find that there are no "rules" with coloring - have fun with it & do it your way. Shona KeenTorquay (also known as The English Riviera) in South Devon, England, UK I began coloring in September 2015 as a means of relaxation and to create some affordable "me time". Coloring seemed an ideal solution because I could choose where to do it, indoors or outside, at home or away.  Colorist: Shona Keen Source: Beautiful Creatures by Nicole Stocker What attracted you to grayscale coloring? I was attracted to grayscale coloring after seeing a post on social media of a rooster which claimed to be a coloring. I found it difficult to understand how coloring over grays could possibly produce such amazing results; then I saw another social media post of a cat from the same book which completely blew my mind! I was so intrigued I had to buy Beautiful Creatures; I didn't know until then that grayscale coloring existed! I had a wait of about 14 days for the book to arrive from America, it wasn't available in the UK, however it was well worth the wait. My previous colorings had consisted of coloring between lines with Sharpies and fineliners so I bought some regular pencils because I thought they would be easier to rub out when I made mistakes! What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? You don't have to be a great colorist. Unless you have never colored since your early childhood, you could not have been more inexperienced than me! None of my family, friends or work colleagues believed I had created my first picture (the cat) until I had shown them the book! What is your top grayscale coloring tip? Grayscale coloring acts as a guide so it's almost impossible to mess up! You can be as realistic or as abstract as you like....I colored blue flamingos with a purple sky! What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? Take your time and enjoy coloring the picture. Also, practice with pencils to find different looks created by different pressure/strokes. When Beautiful Creatures arrived, I was so excited but at the same time so nervous! The whole book is beautiful, from the pictures to the paper which is divine to color on (compared to my previous books) to the space for recording your finished picture, to the explanation at the start of the book, to the cover! I didn't want to ruin it by what I thought would be my immature and learner attempts. I chose the picture of the cat as my first attempt because I've got a cat and could look to him for reference. Once I had decided which colors to use I started carefully; when I saw the effect that only a small amount of color had produced, I was hooked and barely looked at my real life cat! Each picture I have colored since still brings a sense of trepidation and excitement but I think it only adds to the experience of grayscale coloring. Lucy FylesWest Sussex, England, UK I’ve colored my whole life really but I got properly back into it as an adult 2 years ago. I started reviewing coloring books on my blog, Colouring in the Midst of Madness, about a year ago.  Colorist: Lucy Fyles Source: Beautiful Creatures by Nicole Stocker What attracted you to grayscale coloring? I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and I was sent the Beautiful Creatures grayscale coloring book to review so I had to get stuck in. I’d seen so many amazing finished pictures and I wanted to challenge myself to do something new and see if I could manage it. It’s totally different from ‘normal’ coloring so it was a real challenge for me. What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? The fact that the finished image looks so realistic. No matter how hard I try, I can’t get normal coloring pages to look real whereas with grayscale coloring I can make it look really realistic which is very cool. What is your top grayscale coloring tip? Try to match the real colors as best you can so that it looks really realistic. I didn’t like grayscale coloring to start with because a lot of the images I saw had a really grey tinge after being colored and I didn’t like that look (personal opinion, I’m sure others like this effect), so when I colored my image I tried to use really bright colours that would look realistic. What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? Jump in. I found it so hard to start but once I got going with a pencil in my hand it was easier. Find an image where you can either find the original in full color, or find an image of something you know the color scheme of (like the animals in Beautiful Creatures) and copy that first so you can get to grips with what coloring over gray is like and then spice things up with more outlandish colors on future pages. Just get stuck in! Read Lucy's review of Beautiful Creatures on her blog, Colouring in the Midst of Madness. Shelley McGee-WilsonNova Scotia, Canada I started coloring in August 2015. I consider myself a beginner.  Colorist: Shelley McGee-Wilson Source: Beautiful Creatures by Nicole Stocker What attracted you to grayscale coloring? I actually stumbled across grayscale coloring. When I saw the Beautiful Creatures grayscale coloring book, saw the quality of it and that Nicole (the author) is from Canada, I wanted to support local. I kept the book for quite some time because I was a little intimidated by how well other people seemed to color and thought I would never be able to color as well. With encouragement from people on the Beautiful Creatures Facebook group I tried my first grayscale coloring and absolutely loved it! What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? I love watching the images come to life as I color. It's really amazing and something I never thought I would be able to do! What is your top grayscale coloring tip? Layer, layer, layer! Start with a light hand. What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? Choose reference photos of color schemes that you like. Pick your colors before you start. Even if you think the coloring is not going well, keep going! It challenges you to find ways to do things differently. Try not to feel intimidated. We are our own worst critics. Lizz ChavanneDepew, NY, USA I've been coloring pretty much all my life. I was so happy to "come out of the closet" when adult coloring became popular.  Close-up of the Rooster's eye being colored Colorist: Lizz Chavanne Source: Beautiful Creatures by Nicole Stocker What attracted you to grayscale coloring? I was attracted to the finished look of photography. What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? I like the realism of grayscale. Though I have "jumped out of the box". What is your top grayscale coloring tip? Many mediums work on grayscale, so start with what you're most comfortable with. There is no wrong way to color it. What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? Just jump right in. It's so much fun. Vani KurupAlaknanda, New Delhi, India I've been coloring for 9 months.  Colorist: Vani Kurup Source: Beautiful Creatures by Nicole Stocker What attracted you to grayscale coloring? The spectacular colored-in images of Beautiful Creatures that popped up in my Facebook feed caught my eye. These looked like photographs after being colored in, which I love being a photography buff. What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? The fact that the grayscale guides you to the color tone required, and of course the magical life-like end result. There isn’t much that can go “wrong” so to say while coloring grayscale images. What is your top grayscale coloring tip? I am a newbie and have colored in only one grayscale image as yet. But I would say just follow the guiding grayscale and go with the flow; it is pretty simple once you get the hang of it. What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? Having colored mostly black-and-white drawings, my first few strokes on the grayscale ended up being drawn to coloring the white parts. It was too comical. My advice would be to check out the wonderful tutorial and tips that Nicole has on her Facebook coloring group page and huelish.com. It is easier than you think, so just get down to coloring. The interesting part was that I started off on a grayscale test page with the thought that I will take many days to master the technique and will then attempt a final coloring. It was so enjoyable and so quick I didn’t even know how time flew and how the picture took on a life of its own all in just one sitting. I am a pretty slow colorist. My work took a backseat (LOL!!!!). I'm thankful for the relaxing and wonderful space I was in. Cindy ButlerGreat Falls, Montana, USA I've been coloring my whole life, but only recently got into adult books.  Colorist: Cindy Butler Source: Mermaids, Fairies & Fantasy by Cheryl Casey What attracted you to grayscale coloring? I originally tried grayscale coloring because I saw a few people doing it in different Facebook groups. After that, I was hooked. What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? Being able to match the existing picture to get a professional result. It really makes me feel like an artist. What is your top grayscale coloring tip? Don't get discouraged by the way it looks partway through. For some reason, I always hate my grayscale pictures until they're completely done. Just hang in there and finish. You might just surprise yourself. What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? Just try it. If you're not sure where to start, watch a few tutorials online and jump in. You won't know what it's like until you try. If you're not super comfortable, don't be afraid to make a few copies of your picture before you start. That way, you have lots of room to make mistakes or experiment without ruining your project. If you'd like some previews of grayscale books before you buy, feel free to stop by my review page and take a look. I'm always happy to answer any questions people have or take suggestions for books I should review. www.facebook.com/cindyscribbles Read Cindy's review of Beautiful Creatures at Cindy's Scribbles - Adult Coloring Book Reviews on Facebook. Bonnie Flamm StichterFleetwood, Pennsylvania, USA I started coloring about 6 months ago.  Colorist: Bonnie Flamm Stichter Source: Beautiful Creatures by Nicole Stocker What attracted you to grayscale coloring? I like how realistic the finished project looks. What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? Coloring relaxes me. I feel such joy when I see this beautiful picture unfold. What is your top grayscale coloring tip? Take a picture of the page before you start coloring. It helps me to find my way on lighter vs. medium gray as I get deeper into the coloring. What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? Having that back up picture of the original grayscale picture gives me confidence. Christie CahoonLaurinburg, NC, USA I've been coloring for about 15 years  Colorist: Christie Cahoon Source: Beautiful Creatures by Nicole Stocker What attracted you to grayscale coloring? The challenge to do something totally different than what I was used to. What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? How you can bring your pictures to life, and make it look like it is going to jump right off of the page. What is your top grayscale coloring tip? Take your time and use your imagination to see the finished product. What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? Don't give up. If it doesn't look right to start with, keep going as it will all come together in the end. Maria Marzouca MooreCobble Hill, BC, Canada I am a single mom who is now 60. I have a son and a daughter who gave me seven grandkids. Originally I'm from Jamaica. I have been coloring since December of last year but I did take an art course years ago when my daughter was five.  Colorist: Maria Marzouca Moore Source: grayscale photo of Maria's cat, Mazzie What attracted you to grayscale coloring? Taking a black and white picture and bringing life back to it really interests me. What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? It's amazing once you start and you can see the colors coming out you just want to keep going. What is your top grayscale coloring tip? Start out very light in your coloring and just keep adding colors over it to make it darker. When you're doing eyes make sure you put life back in those eyes (e.g. using white). In animals, when it comes to their fur, always step back and think of the way the fur flows. I only use gray colored pencil in between where I think the fur should lay. What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? You will feel a bit intimidated at first but once you start and you see life coming to your picture all that feeling of intimidation will be replaced with joy! Nicole StockerVancouver, BC, Canada I loved to color as a child but didn't pick it up again as an adult until the spring of 2014.  Colorist: Nicole Stocker Source: Beautiful Creatures by Nicole Stocker What attracted you to grayscale coloring? I have always had a desire to color black and white photography. One day I was coloring a regular coloring book when I looked up at this beautiful photograph on the wall of my parents' summer cabin. It was a black and white photo of an apple tree on a bank in front of the ocean. I'd been looking at it since I was little and I always wanted to color it. I decided it was time to try! I found a gorgeous photo of a dahlia, turned it to grayscale and started coloring it. I didn't really know what I was doing, especially given the fact that I had no idea how to shade. I just followed the gray and watched the image come to life. I was in shock and so excited to see what I was creating. I showed my family and they were all very surprised. I got comments like "you did that?!"  The first grayscale image I colored Colorist: Nicole Stocker Source: public domain photo What do you enjoy most about grayscale coloring? It makes me feel like an artist as I bring the image to life. I'm also enjoying how much I am learning about shading. What is your top grayscale coloring tip? Trust the gray!! It might seem ridiculous to be shading or highlighting in a specific area but the gray will not be wrong. Don't overthink it! Use dark colors over the dark grays, light colors over the light grays and medium colors in between. What advice would you give to someone that has never tried coloring grayscale before and feels intimidated? I promise it looks harder than it is. Remember, you are just doing what the gray tells you. I'd suggest having your first pages be practice pages (you can try on the pages below!) so you can get the hang of things. That way you won't put pressure on yourself to produce the perfect picture. If you don't have the pressure then you'll be able to relax, enjoy and trust the gray to guide you. You'll quickly get comfortable with the process and be ready to dive right in to the world of grayscale coloring! Your turn to try!Here are two pages for you to download and try coloring. Practice Sheet #1: Grayscale Eyes Eyes are a great place to start when you are testing out grayscale coloring. They offer a defined area that has lights and darks and they can be extremely satisfying to color because it doesn't take long before you start to see them come to life! Before you start coloring the eyes, take note of how the colored versions followed the gray, capturing all the details (even when they appeared to make no sense!) in the uncolored version. 
 Practice Sheet #2: Grayscale Cat Here is a full grayscale picture for you to try coloring. Don't worry about coloring each individual hair. Just try to accentuate the key light and dark details and then layer with a medium color to bring it all together. The really small details of those individual hairs will come through your color, adding detail and dimension to your final picture. For reference, you can see how others have colored this same cat by visiting the Beautiful Creatures cat coloring gallery. 
 Let me know about your grayscale coloring experience!I'd love to hear your thoughts on grayscale coloring as well as any tips you have to offer to others. If you are trying out grayscale coloring for the first time with these practice sheets, let me know how it went! Was it harder or easier than you expected? Did you enjoy coloring grayscale or is it not for you? Any helpful insights from your experience? I look forward to your comments and questions!
Happy Coloring!
Terry Kenyon
4/5/2016 08:28:05 am
Thanks for such a great article! I am determined now to get "stuck into" (as my Aussie hubby would say) these practice sheets and am ordering Nicole's book today!! 4/5/2016 10:47:58 am
Wonderful! I'm so happy to hear you are going for it! :-)
Terry Kenyon
4/5/2016 10:56:33 am
Thanks so much for the response, Nicole! Your explanation on "how to" is very clear!
Barbara Vicknair
4/5/2016 11:56:54 am
When I do greyscale coloring I like to allow so of the grey to remain, not cover all of it up is this okay 4/5/2016 12:33:22 pm
Yes, absolutely!! In fact, that can have a very dramatic and beautiful effect on your final picture. I plan to do a post about that exact technique sometime soon. That said, you should color in whatever way you wish. There is no right or wrong way :-).
Jane Ritz
4/5/2016 01:19:18 pm
I couldn't get anything to download 4/5/2016 01:29:08 pm
Jane, sorry for the trouble downloading the practice sheets. Just click on the "Download File" link. That will open the file up. Then you can either right click on it and choose to save it OR use the "File" menu in your browser and select "Save Page As...". If neither of those approaches works then just email me at [email protected] and I will email the practice sheets to you.
Natalia Kiecz
4/14/2016 06:12:26 am
Hi! Is Beautiful Creatures Facebook Group still working? I'm trying to join but no success- page is not available. Pls help 4/14/2016 06:14:57 am
Yes, it is. Here is a link to the group. I just tried it and it appears to be working from my end. Can you give it another try? https://www.facebook.com/groups/427491640779965/
Natalia Kiecz
4/14/2016 06:33:59 am
It must be something on my side then- the link doesn't work for me. I contacted FB and hope they will help. 4/14/2016 06:40:15 am
One other thing to try would be to go to Facebook and then type "Beautiful Creatures Adult Colouring Adventure" into the search box. That should bring the Facebook Group up at the top of the search results. Then you could try clicking on it and see if that gets you to the group. Hopefully that will work!
Natalia Kiecz
4/14/2016 10:35:54 am
Unfortunately this also doesn't work. I tried from my boyfriend computer and it seems we have the same problem.
Sandy Newman
8/19/2018 07:57:33 am
I’m new to grayscale coloring. Any tips and photos would be greatly appreciated. 8/19/2018 09:13:46 am
I'd recommend checking out this post: https://www.huelish.com/grayscale-coloring-techniques/grayscale-coloring-round-up-90-tips-tutorials-coloring-pages as well as our "Getting Started" page: http://www.huelish.com/get-started for all kinds of grayscale coloring tips, tutorials, techniques and images. Comments are closed.
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