Can you doodle your way to a lighter mood? Researchers say you can. As you know I am a huge supporter of using art to boost mental health and well-being. Think of something creative that you enjoy doing. Perhaps it’s dancing, painting, knitting or playing a musical instrument. How do you feel when you are creating? Some would say calm, happy, relaxed, inspired, hopeful or even energized. Art has an incredible way of connecting the world around us and giving us a space to express ourselves. Because of these feel-good effects, art is a powerful tool for self-care and supporting our mental health.
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But sometimes the hardest part is getting started. Pulling out a bunch of supplies or trying to find a block of time to create can be a barrier to entry. That is why coloring is one of many great creative tools we can have at the ready when we want to do some creating with limited space and time. If this resonates with you, then I have something new for you to try. It is sometimes referred to as reverse coloring but I like to call it, doodle coloring.
Have you heard of reverse coloring?
It is something I have done on my own for years, but recently found out it has a name! Basically, instead of coloring in a lined drawing, you are given random watercolor blotches and the idea is to find shapes, objects, faces or whatever in them and use a marker to outline them. It is super easy to try with little setup and all you need is a marker or pen.
Check out my example above to see what I mean. I like to think of it as a mix between drawing and cloud spotting.
What’s more, there are no expectations for what the artwork should look like – so don’t worry about making mistakes! Whatever results from this process will be yours alone which makes it all the more rewarding when you’re happy with what you’ve created – allowing for some much deserved self-confidence boosts along the way!
Choose from 6 FREE Doodle Coloring pages to give it a try!
I have created 6 Doodle Coloring sheets for you to download for free. That way you can try it out and see if it resonates with you. If you like to do these, just shoot me an email and I will add more of these to the site. To get started here is what you need to do.
- Print out some or all of the sheets included in this post.Â
- Grab a marker or pen
- Take a few deep breaths to calm your heart and become present (breathing techniques are so powerful)
- *Study the image (like you might if you were staring up at the clouds to find hidden shapes in the sky)
- And outline the shapes, characters, animals and flowers you might see.
- Finally, have fun, be present and congratulate yourself for taking a little time for yourself.
*The best part about this is you make up the rules or don’t have any at all. You don’t have to look for shapes or images, you can just doodle lines or add words or whatever makes you feel good! There are NO mistakes in Doodle Coloring 🙂
Unique Uses For Doodle Coloring Creations
The possibilities are almost endless when it comes to using these pages! Here are just some ideas for how you might use your finished pages:Â
-Make custom birthday cards by adding personalized messages
-Offer up these sheets as activities at social events
-Frame completed pages as vibrant wall decorations
-Use them in scrapbooks or diaries surrounded by pictures, stickers etc.
-Take a photo and use it for your phone wallpaperÂ
-Embed affirmations through collage techniques then hang up finished pieces somewhere where they can act as daily reminders of positivity… The list goes on!Â
So download one and use them to gift yourself some quiet time to connect with your inner creativity and find your flow. Use these as a way to calm your heart and mind after a stressful day or share them with a friend and doodle together while you connect and share. However you choose to incorporate these into your day, I hope they open a space for calmness, kindness and self care.
Feel free to use these as often as you like for personal use, I only ask that you not resell these or use them for commercial use. If you are interested in this, please reach out to me here.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for being you.
And remember, you were made to create!
Always Be Creating!
Big hugs.