When people think of coloring, there’s a few typical coloring accessories that come to mind. Adult coloring enthusiasts tend to look for colored pencils as their coloring tool of choice. And why not? They lay on dry, are relatively cheap, come in a wide variety of colors, etc. Markers and crayons seem to be great choices for children (but we’ve met a lot of adult colorists who love both markers and crayons). Gel pen art is an art medium all its own so there's no reason not to color your coloring books with gel pens. If you haven’t tried gel pens with your coloring books, then you are missing out on a very versatile and interesting coloring tool that will set your coloring apart.
One unique attribute of gel pens is the tip remains the same size unlike a crayon or colored pencil that changes shape as you color. This means you have a lot of control over what your coloring art looks like.
Using Gel Pens to Make Unique Coloring Projects
Perhaps the best characteristic that colorists like about gel pens is the amount of detail work that can be made when coloring. Coloring books that have a high amount of detail and tight spaces are no problem with a gel pen, let alone a fine tipped one. But in larger spaces of a coloring book the coloring artist can make more than just solid colored works of art. Texturing your coloring can add a unique dimension to any coloring project.
3 types of textures you can try out are hatching, stippling and scribbling.
1. Hatching - Hatching is a series of parallel strokes. It can give your art a very uniform look based on the angle of the hatches. Try some cross hatching for a different effect as well.
2. Stippling - Stippling is basically placing several dots together to create a texture. Uniform dots, non-uniformed ones, the tightness of the pattern and even the use of several different colors can make big changes to your coloring. When you gradually change the density of dots you can make some really fun gradations that will give your coloring a more 3D effect.
3.Scribbling - Scribbling is just that; making a bunch of scribbles in an area to create that textured look. Again, the tightness of the pattern, different types of scribbles and different colors will make all sorts of interesting coloring. Experiment and see.
Using different types of textures together in the same coloring page leads to all sorts of amazing coloring effects.
Try using different colors with the same texture to create different shades and shadows.
Another great thing about gel pens is that they come in a variety of styles and different types of colors like neon gel pens. Also there are glitter gel pens that leave a sparkly sheen of gel ink. Using neon and sparkling ink is a great way to add dimension to your coloring and make certain elements stand out.
Here at OOLY, there’s a few gel pen sets to look out for that will help take your coloring to a different level.
Color Luxe Fine Tip Gel Pens - This set of colored gel pens is great for super fine gel pen coloring since each pen has a very small .07mm tip. You can make all sorts of interesting detailed coloring and textures with these small tipped pens. And with 12 different colors, you won’t have a problem with color variations either.
Yummy Yummy Scented Gel Pens - When you want a lot of color with some bright sparkle then Yummy Yummy Gel Pens are a great choice. With 12 colors to choose from, you can’t go wrong with this set with its wide color variety. Every colors sparkles with glitter and the ink lays on very thick.
Totally Taffy Gel Pens - Totally Taffy Gel Pens is a set of pastel colored gel pens. When you use these colors among more traditional ones you can make elements of your coloring book stand out with stunning appeal.
Super Duper Scented Gel Pens - This set of gel pens offers a very large selection. With 12 standard colors, 6 neon colors and 6 glitter colors you’ll have plenty to choose from for your coloring book art.