Pencils, Markers, Gel Pens or Crayons?

Walk down any craft aisle and the choice is overwhelming. The good news is that you do not need everything. Each type of coloring tool behaves in its own way on paper, and once you know those habits it is easy to match the tool to the page and the person holding it. Here is a practical, brand-free tour.

Crayons

Crayons are colored wax. The Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society explains that crayons are made from paraffin wax with a little dye or pigment added (opens in a new tab).

How they behave: Crayon is a dry medium that rests on the paper, so show-through to the back of a page is rarely a worry. Coverage is bold but a little textured, and fine detail is hard to reach with a blunt tip.

Best for: big, open pages with thick outlines, young children, and anyone who wants quick, cheerful color. The CDC's milestone list notes that by around 4 years, many children hold a crayon or pencil between fingers and thumb rather than in a fist (opens in a new tab). Before that, sturdy crayons and simple pages with large spaces are a natural fit.

Tips:

• Peel back a little paper wrapper and use the side of the crayon for fast, soft fills.
• Keep crayons away from sunny windowsills, car dashboards and other hot spots. Wax softens with heat.

Colored pencils

Colored pencils are the precision tool. A sharp point reaches tiny spaces, and pressure controls how pale or strong the color is.

How they behave: Like crayons, pencils are a dry medium, so they work well on pages printed on both sides. They can be layered, blended and shaded, which makes them a natural choice for detailed adult pages.

Best for: intricate designs, mandalas, botanical art, older children and adults. They also suit anyone who likes to work slowly and build up color.

Tips:

• Keep a sharpener handy and sharpen often for detail work.
• Store pencils in a case or a cup, points up, so the tips stay sharp and easy to find.
• For techniques, see our guide to colored pencil techniques for beginners.

Markers

Markers lay down liquid ink, which gives bright, even color with very little effort.

How they behave: Liquid ink flows into the paper, which is both the appeal and the risk. On thin printer paper, and on book pages printed on both sides, some markers may show through to the back. The only reliable way to know is to test: color a small patch in a margin, wait a minute and turn the page over.

Many marker inks are also sensitive to light. A study of felt-tip pen inks from the University of Bari notes that these inks are extremely sensitive to degradation, and exposure to light may cause chromatic changes and fading (opens in a new tab). A marker page left in a sunny window may not look the same a few months later.

Best for: open pages with medium to large spaces, bold designs, and anyone who wants vivid results quickly. Fine-tip markers can handle detail, but they show every stroke, so smooth, even strokes help.

Tips:

• Slip a sheet of scrap paper or thin card behind the page in a coloring book to catch any ink that comes through.
• Color one area at a time and let it dry before coloring next to it, so wet edges don't spread.
• Click caps on firmly after every use so markers don't dry out.
• For young children, look for markers labeled washable and made for kids.

Gel pens

Gel pens draw a smooth line of thick ink, and you will find them in metallic, glitter and pastel colors as well as regular ones.

How they behave: Drying time varies with the pen and the paper, so test a few strokes on a scrap of the same paper and see how long they take to dry before you rest your hand on the page. Their narrow tips make them better for lines and small areas than for filling large spaces.

Best for: details, accents and finishing touches: sparkle on a unicorn's horn, dots in a mandala, outlines that need a lift. Older children and adults often get the most from them.

Tips:

• Work from the top of the page down (or left to right if you are right-handed) so your hand does not drag through wet ink.
• Store pens capped, and if one stops flowing, scribble gently on scrap paper to restart it.

Printed pages vs book pages

The paper makes a difference too:

• Pages you print at home can be printed single-sided, which removes any worry about show-through. You can also choose heavier paper for marker work. Our guide on how to print coloring pages at home covers paper weights and settings.
• Pages in a bound book often have another picture on the back. Use dry media (pencils, crayons) freely, test markers in a margin first, and always use a guard sheet underneath.

Detailed pages vs open pages

A quick rule of thumb:

• Large, open spaces: crayons, markers or the side of a colored pencil.
• Medium detail: colored pencils, fine-tip markers.
• Very fine detail: sharp colored pencils and gel pens.

Mixing tools works well. One popular approach is to fill large areas with marker, add shading and texture on top with colored pencils once the ink is dry, and finish with a few gel pen highlights. Test any combination on a scrap of the same paper first.

Choosing for kids vs adults

For children, look for art materials made for their age. The Art and Creative Materials Institute says to check for its AP (Approved Product) seal on creative products for kids in sixth grade or younger (opens in a new tab). The seal means a board-certified toxicologist has evaluated the product and certified that it contains no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious, including to children. The National Capital Poison Center adds a simple rule: art products are mixtures of chemicals, so read the label and follow its instructions (opens in a new tab), and never use them on skin or food unless the label says that is safe. If a child swallows an art product, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

For adults, the choice is mostly about the page and your style. Detailed adult designs reward colored pencils, while bold patterns look striking in marker.

Caring for your finished pages

Finished coloring pages are works on paper, and the same basics that protect a library's collections help them last. The Library of Congress recommends a cool, relatively dry, clean and stable environment (opens in a new tab), minimal exposure to light with no direct or intense light, and avoiding attics, basements and other places with risk of leaks or extremes. It also advises against self-adhesive tape, rubber bands and glue on paper.

At home that means:

• Keep favorite pages in a folder or box rather than taped to a sunny wall.
• If you display a page, choose a spot out of direct sunlight, and swap it out now and then.
• Handle finished pages with clean, dry hands.

Try it

• Test your crayons on simple, bold art: the alphabet animals in ABC Animal Adventure have big spaces for small hands.
• Put sharp pencils and gel pens to work on the pattern coloring pages or the detailed designs in Enchanted Designs.
• Browse the whole free coloring library and print a page to test each tool you own.