6 tips when Colouring with Gel Pens

One of my most popular books is called Colour on Black with the travel sized version slightly renamed Colour on Black Background. The black background lends itself to the use of gel ink pens and glitter gel ink pens in particular. Gel pens come in a variety of colours and qualities. Something they all have in common is that they are inky and will smudge if not used carefully. Here are six suggestions for getting the best use out of your gel ink pens.

1. Decide on your color palette and have these pens at hand.
2. As you colour you should have an extra sheet of paper to rest your hand on as you work to protect the design.
3. Make sure an area is dry before moving on to another area to avoid smudging.
4. The ink in these pens flow smoothly so there is no need to exert too much pressure when colouring. If the ink is not flowing that’s a sign that the pen is running out of ink and should be replaced.
5. When colouring fine lines start in the middle and carefully push the colour out to the edges. A small dry brush may be useful to do this.
6. Choose an area to start (top/bottom or left/right) and work out from there. Turn the book as you colour so that your hand is always in a comfortable position.

I hope that you find these tips useful. Colour on Black and Colour on Black Background are the same book in two 8" x 10" and 5.5" X 8.5" respectively. They are both available for sale on Amazon.com.


I'm afraid we do not offer free downloads of these images because of the black backgrounds. However we do have other colouring pages available for you to download free here.