It’s National Coloring Day! With coloring at the heart of everything we do, it should come as no surprise that this is a day that's extra special to us here at eatsleepdoodle! As a company obsessed with color-in creativity, we are absolutely over the rainbow with excitement to celebrate a day dedicated to all things colorful!

To mark the occasion, we’re diving into the wonderful world of coloring with a blog that’s sure to brighten your day! We’ll be chatting all about the benefits of coloring for kids (hint: it’s great for developing creativity, focus and so much more!) plus, we’ll be sharing tips and tricks to help take your coloring skills to the next level and make your eatsleepdoodle gifts pop!

So, grab your coloring markers, let your imagination run wild and get ready to color outside the lines! Let’s make this National Coloring Day the most vivid one yet! 🎉

But first, why is coloring good for kids?

You know we love the fun and creativity of coloring, but that’s not all… coloring also has lots of benefits for children’s development! For example, coloring helps develop fine motor skills by teaching children how to control their hand movements, which is essential for tasks like writing, tying shoelaces and using silverware. It also sparks creativity, giving kids the freedom to choose their own colors and explore their imagination! Not only does this boost their artistic abilities, but it also helps improve problem-solving skills and encourages outside-the-box thinking.

Coloring also provides a calming activity that promotes focus and patience and is great as an alternative to scree-time. It teaches kids to concentrate on the task at hand and can even improve behaviour and performance at school! Additionally, it provides a safe space for children to express their emotions, helping them to manage big feelings and stress. Plus, there are some cognitive benefits too! Through coloring, kids can learn all about shapes, patterns and cause and effect. It even introduces early math concepts like size and counting!

Check out our previous blog to find out more about the benefits of coloring for children!

 

Our top coloring techniques to make the most of your eatsleepdoodle gift!

Whether you’re a careful colorer who stays perfectly inside the lines or a free spirit who loves to color outside the box, we celebrate all styles at eatsleepdoodle! With all our coloring being reusable with a simple machine wash, we love to experiment with new techniques, color combinations and creative ways to decorate our textile gifts differently each time. Whether you want to create a 3D effect, mix up your own custom colors or make one part of your design pop, we have some must-try tips and tricks to level up your coloring game! Here’s our top coloring techniques to try on your next coloring adventure, featuring our rawr-tastic dinosaur design:

 

Block Shading

Starting off with an oldie but a goodie! Whilst this isn’t exactly a new technique, creating a bold, even base of color is super important to help your coloring look its best.

What it’s good for: creating strong pops of color and an even base layer for other designs.

Why not try… outlining the edge of your coloring first with the fine tip of your pen. Once you have a good outline, color in larger areas with the thicker tip. For super bold color, leave the area to dry then repeat shading to strengthen the color and watch it pop!

 

Ombré/Color Blending

Using your top-notch block shading skills, why not try blending colors! Ombré is an effect where colors blend smoothly into one another, usually mixing from light to dark or vice versa. To achieve this fun effect, block color in overlapping layers using multiple colors until they blend into each other seamlessly!

What it’s good for: adding depth and a realistic effect!

Why not try… one thing that we love to use this technique on is lava! Blending yellow, orange, and red, add an ombré effect as you color in the volcano on our dinosaur design!

 

Spots and Stripes

Spots and stripes are a great way to add some interest to your design - whether on their own or layering on top of block shading, spots and stripes add fun texture to plants, clothes and more! They’re also great for adding color to large areas, like the humpback whale on our under the sea design!

What it’s good for: creating textures or adding color to large areas.

Why not try… adding some spots and stripes to the succulents on our dinosaur design!

 

Color Mixing

Our rainbow of 20 wash-out markers has a color for every occasion, but sometimes we like to get even more creative and mix our own! For the odd time we have a very specific color in mind, we love to layer different shades together to create our perfect match!

What it’s good for: creating an endless range of custom colors!

Why not try… we love our rich brown color from our classic pen set, however we wanted a lighter shade of brown for these Jurassic rocks. Try mixing the orange and grey shades from our pastel pen set for this prehistoric hue!

 

Fine Detailing

As with block shading, it’s important to master the basics! Adding details to small areas of your design is a great way to make things more interesting.

What it’s good for: adding precise details and accents!

Why not try… using the fine tip of your eatsleepdoodle marker to add details in a contrasting color!

 

Shading

This technique is great for adding depth and making designs look more realistic! By strategically placing different shades of the same color, you can create the appearance that parts of your design are further back/forward than others, creating the illusion of a three-dimensional object. You can also use shading to make things appear to be in the shade, for example under a tree!

What it’s good for: adding a 3D effect or creating the illusion that something is underwater or further away!

Why not try… using a darker shade below the water line to enhance the effect that your dinosaur is underwater!

 

Cross-hatching

Finally, we have cross-hatching. Like spots and stripes, cross-hatching is a great way to show texture or color in areas that may not look as good with block color, such as glass windows! It’s also a great way to add shading (by placing your lines closer together) when using only one color!

What it’s good for: adding color and shading to a large area or colouring smooth textures like glass!

Why not try… cross-hatching the fences on our dinosaur design!

 

We hope you have found these techniques helpful and are inspired to try some of them next time you color. For more details, check out our reel on Instagram to see the techniques in action and follow along with a dinosaur backpack of your own!

We have loved celebrating National Coloring Day with you and talking all things color-in! We hope we’ve inspired you to pick up those pens today and get your doodle on. Be sure to tag us on our socials so we can see all your fabulous color-in designs!

Don’t forget you can get in touch with us on social media and share your adventures and colouring creations by using #eatsleepdoodle – we always love to see what you’re up to! You can also tag us on Instagram (@eatsleepdoodle_), Facebook (@eatsleepdoodlehq) and TikTok (@eatsleepdoodle_).