Teaching Kids How to Color Well

I think it is important to learn how to color. I remember, when I was around 6 years old I entered a coloring competition. In the 80’s they did that kind of thing… and there was always only one winner. Well, I entered and entered and even though I LOVED coloring and did it regularly, I was not what you would have considered the best “colorer!” One day I was expressing my disappointment as my mom and our neighbor were sipping their coffees. Our neighbor Aunt Debbie, told me to get the coloring sheet I entered in to the contest, one of my coloring books, markers, crayons, and coloring pencils. BOY, WAS I EXCITED!!

I gathered everything and met her at the kitchen table. I was about to learn the secrets of coloring! She told me that when we color there are some things that we needed to be concerned about. I could choose to color in different styles and she was going to show me a couple. Before I go on, I want to explain something…

I am all about the PROCESS OF ART unfolding itself. I think it is fine and well to let kids scribble, color a page with one crayon, and allow children to enjoy art. But I also believe in art instruction. Sometimes it is time for art instruction. This should always be done before a child starts to color not after they start. Once they start they are on their own, we do not stifle their choice or guide unless we are asked. During instruction, we instruct and on their own they practice and refine in their own way. It is all ok. Next, I am going to show how I was instructed and I hope it gives you ideas on how to help your child or students.

She told me to take a look at the whole picture first and imagine what I want it to look like when it was done. To think about the colors I have and how I want to combine them to reflect what I imagined in my head. She asked me what part of the picture I would like to color first. It was a tree and since I was a realist I wanted the trunk brown and the leaves green. So she gave me a brown marker and showed me to trace the inside of the line of the tree and the bark lines brown. Once I was done with the marker she had me choose the brown in crayons and go ahead and color in side the brown marker lines and make sure I color the bark  in the same direction the entire time. She showed me on a blank paper how going in one direction will ensure that there are no white spots and can show direction. I choose to color the bark in a vertical fashion since I wanted to show length.