150 prompts

30 Day Coloring Challenge for Pages You Already Own

Press Pick 30 new prompts for a month of coloring limits, one a day, with a box to check off.

Next step Deal a limited palette with swatches Subjects that use these pencil techniques

All 150 prompts

Palette limits 30

A crossfade: one color melts into a second across the sheet Change a little with every shape you cross, so the picture shifts from one to the other.
A dice throw sets how many colors you may use Roll first, then choose that many with the book still shut.
A palette lifted from the nearest mug Match each color on the mug to something in your set before you begin, and use nothing else.
A split complementary trio, chosen with a color wheel in hand Start from one color, cross the wheel, and take the two that flank the color you land on.
A strict trio of colors, picked with the book still shut Take a light, a middle and a dark, so the picture still has contrast.
A triad: three colors evenly spaced around the wheel On the painter's wheel red, yellow and blue make a triad; so do orange, green and violet.
All your blues together and none of the rest A one-hue scheme is called monochromatic. Sort the blues from light to dark before you begin.

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Palette limits, continued

An analogous set: three colors that sit side by side on the wheel Yellow, yellow-green and green are one such set. Save the darkest of the three for the smallest shapes.
As many colors as shapes: none appears twice Pick a design with fewer shapes than you have colors, and count both first.
Colors handed to you by somebody else Ask for four, and do not show them the picture first.
Colors matched to one picture hanging on your wall Squint at it, name its four main colors and find the nearest thing in your set to each.
Complementary duo: opposites on the wheel, nothing extra Complementary colors face each other across the color wheel, such as blue and orange.
Cool colors only: whatever in your set leans toward blue Blue-greens, blues and blue-violets. Put the darkest blue low down, where the picture needs weight.
The dullest colors in the set: beiges, muddy greens, slate Put the lightest of them where the eye should go first.
Earth colors: browns, ochres, olive and rust Use your lightest tan wherever you would normally leave white.
Every color in the set except your favorite Take the favorite out and leave it across the room before you begin.
Five colors drawn from the set with your eyes shut No swaps. Lay them in a row from lightest to darkest before you begin.
The five longest pencils in the tin Stand them all on end to find them. The longest are the ones you have sharpened least.
Four colors matched to the street outside Hold your set up to the glass and match one thing at a time.
Grays plus a single bright accent Decide where the accent goes first, and keep it to one small area.
Nothing pure: each color layered over or under a gray Lay the gray lightly on scrap first to see how much it mutes the color.
One color for everything alive and one for everything else Go around the picture pointing at each shape and naming its group before you begin.
One pencil in five values, from barely there to as dark as it goes Value is the lightness of a color. Fill a five-step strip in the margin first.
Only the deepest colors, with untouched paper for the lights Mark the areas that stay bare with a small pencil dot before you fill anything.
The palette of what you are wearing right now List the colors from collar to socks and find the nearest match for each.
Pastels throughout, kept pale Test each one on scrap and leave out any that will not go pale.
The season outside today, in a palette of four Name them aloud before choosing, for example frost blue, bark brown, lamp yellow and dusk violet.
The three painter's primaries and whatever they make when layered Red, yellow and blue. Try yellow over blue on scrap to see what green your set gives.
Warm colors only, from your palest to your deepest Reds, oranges and yellows. Begin with the largest area in your palest yellow and work toward the reds.
Your previous palette again, with the shares reversed The one that had the smallest share last time gets the largest today.

Technique 30

A coin or leaf rubbing showing through one area Slip it under the sheet and shade lightly over the top so the pattern comes up.
A gradient inside every shape, dark edge to light edge Begin at the dark edge and lighten step by step as you move across.
A gray underlayer first, then color glazed on top Work out the lights and darks in gray, then lay one color lightly over each area.
A hairline of bare paper wherever two colors meet Stop a hair short of each printed line on both sides.
A pattern instead of flat color in every third shape Choose three patterns before you begin: stripes, dots and checks, say.
A touch of each neighbor's color in every shape's shadow side Where a red shape sits by a blue one, glaze a little blue onto the dark side of the red.
Blend two markers where they meet Lay the lighter one, add the darker at one end, then go back over the join with the lighter.
Blend two pencils without reaching for white Overlap them with light pressure where they meet, then go over the join with the lighter one.
Burnish one area until it shines Burnishing is pressing a colorless blender or a light pencil firmly over layered color. Layer first.
Cross-hatch the shadows instead of pressing harder Lay one set of lines, then a second set across it only where the shape is darkest.
Every shadow made with its color's opposite Under a red shape that means green. Lay the opposite lightly first, then the main color over it.
Flick strokes inward from the printed line so the middle fades out Land each flick on the line and lift off as you travel in.
Hatch every area with strokes in a single direction Hatching is shading with closely spaced parallel lines. Turn the book, not your wrist, to keep the angle.
Highlights saved as untouched paper, never added afterward Ring the highlights lightly in graphite before you begin and work around the rings.
Light pressure only, with three layers or more everywhere Layering builds a tone up gradually. Hold the pencil near its far end so you cannot press hard.
Lightest tones across the whole picture first, darkest last First pass: every pale area. Second pass: the middle tones. Third pass: the darks.
Loose overlapping loops in two colors for a background Do the lighter loops first and leave gaps for the second color.
Marker underneath, pencil on top Lay flat marker, let it dry, then shade over it in pencil.
Mix a color your set does not have Layer two colors on scrap in both orders and keep the order you like.
One imaginary lamp, fixed in a corner, lighting every shape alike Sketch a small sun in that corner of the margin. Each shape is palest on the side that faces it.
One large area in flat marker with no streaks Work in small overlapping patches while the ink is still wet, from one side to the other.
One shape tested three ways on scrap before it goes in the book Flat, graded and patterned. Tape the scrap into the margin when you finish.
Outline each shape in a deeper version of its fill Fill first and edge last, with your finest point.
Resharpen each time you move to another shape Keep the sharpener in your other hand and watch how the fill changes.
The side of the lead for every large area Tilt the pencil low to the paper and save the point for edges.
Skim so lightly that the grain of the paper shows through A light layer leaves the tooth of the paper showing as pale specks. Hold the pencil loosely.
Stipple a background Stippling is shading with small dots. Crowd them for a dark patch and scatter them for a pale one.
Strokes that follow the form: curved on round things, straight on flat Trace the curve in the air once before you touch the paper.
Three pressures of one pencil, each in its own area Make a three-box key in the margin and match each area to a box.
Tiny overlapping circles only, never back-and-forth strokes Keep the point sharp and the circles smaller than a grain of rice.

Habit breakers 30

A coin flip for each shape: heads warm, tails cool Flip for the first ten shapes, then carry on by eye.
A full color plan written into the shapes before you begin Write a faint letter for each color in each shape, then fill them in.
A kitchen timer decides when you are done Choose the time with the book shut, and sign whatever is there at the end.
A negative: pale where the picture expects dark, and the reverse Find the palest thing in the picture and give it your darkest color.
A sky, a sea or a river in anything but blue If the picture has none of these, apply the rule to its largest background area.
Background before the motif Choose the background color first. It decides everything that goes in front of it.
Bands of color straight across, ignoring what the lines show Rule faint guides, then change color at each guide whatever shape you are in.
Begin in the corner you usually finish in Notice where your hand wants to go, then go to the opposite corner.
Begin with the darkest area Squint at the line art and ask where the deepest shadow would fall. Fill that first.
Blunt points only: no sharpening today A blunt point lays broad, soft strokes. Let the edges stay soft as well.
The book turned upside down for the whole session Upside down you see shapes, not things. Choose colors for the shapes.
Clashing colors picked fast, then one thing found to like Ring your favorite accident in graphite when you finish.
Dark at the top and light at the bottom, whatever the picture shows Sort your set into three rows, dark, middle and light, and work down the sheet.
Each color used everywhere it belongs before you put it down Plan where it goes, visit every one of those places, then cap it or tin it.
Fiddly little shapes before the big easy ones Go over the picture one color at a time, hunting only the tiny ones.
From the outside edge in a spiral to the middle Work around the border first and let each lap take you closer to the middle.
Half the picture left white on purpose Rule a faint graphite line across it, straight, slanted or wavy, and stay on one side.
Impossible colors for anything alive in the picture Keep its light side and its dark side and it will still read.
Mirror image: whatever goes on the left also goes on the right Finish a shape on one side, then its twin, before moving on.
Neighbors must differ: no shape shares a color family with one beside it Check what each shape touches before you fill it.
No black anywhere: darks made from layered colors Try dark blue over dark brown in the margin and see what you get.
No green on anything that grows Try violet stems and orange leaves, and keep the lights and darks where they would be.
One color repeated in at least five separate places Touch it into each corner and once near the middle.
One shape finished completely before the next is touched Shade it, blend it, edge it. Then move to its neighbor.
Outside the lines in one place, deliberately Let one shape spill into the background as a soft glow.
The printed lines traced in color and the shapes left white Change color wherever a line changes direction.
Two neighboring shapes treated as one Choose the pair first and run a single gradient across the line between them.
The whole set: nothing left unused by the end Use up the ones you would normally skip while the big areas are still free.
Your least liked color in the largest area Test neighbors on scrap until you find two that flatter it.
Your non-writing hand for one entire area Pick a large simple shape and use short strokes.

Page choice 30

A design built around words: a quotation or a single big letter Do the letters last, so they can contrast with everything around them.
A design chosen by whoever is nearest Hand over the book and take whatever comes back.
A design small enough for a single session A bookmark, a gift tag or a motif no bigger than a sticker.
A design with one shape repeated: make each repeat different Number the repeats faintly in graphite and plan one change for each.
A design you have done before, in the opposite palette Warm where it was cool, dark where it was light. Use a second copy or a close cousin.
A design you think is too childish or too fussy for you Treat it seriously: full shading, a light source, a finished background.
A design you will hand to someone as a gift Think of the person first and use their colors.
A half-done page you once gave up on Keep what is there. Choose today's colors to go with it, not to fix it.
A loose sheet of line art, not a book Tape its corners down first, then try a palette of three.
A page of pure pattern with no picture in it Set a rule, such as one color for each ring or row, and keep to it.
A page to color away from your desk Take three colors and one sheet to a bench, a waiting room or a train.
A quarter of a design, the rest masked off Cover the other three quarters with plain paper held by a clip.
A sheet from the book gathering dust on your shelf Give it your best materials for once.
A two-sheet spread treated as one picture Run the same background color across the fold first.
The boldest, chunkiest line art you own Bold lines hide a loose edge, so work fast.
The design you keep flipping past Go through the book until one makes you hesitate. That one.
The emptiest design you own Big shapes show every stroke, so plan a gradient for each.
The final sheet, right at the back cover If you work front to back, it is the one you would reach last.
The first design in the book, if you skipped it If it is still blank, today is its day. If not, take the first blank design after it.
Just the decorative border, the middle untouched Work around it in one direction, so repeats match as you go.
Line art on the heaviest paper you have Plan three or more layers on every shape and see how the paper holds them.
The most crowded design you own Finish one corner the size of your palm before moving on.
The most delicate, hair-thin line art you own Use your sharpest point and stop a hair inside every line.
The neighbor of your most recent picture, across the fold Borrow two colors from the finished side so the pair belong together.
Only the background of a design with one big figure Leave the figure white and make the background as rich as you can.
The reverse side of a completed picture If ink has come through from the other side, work it in as texture.
The same design as a friend, done apart and compared afterward Agree on the design and nothing else.
The sheet whose number matches today's date Count that many in from the front cover. If it is done, take the next blank one.
The smallest motif in the book Sharpen two pencils to needle points, or find your finest nibs, before you begin.
Wherever the book falls open Shut your eyes, open it, and work on whatever your thumb is touching.

Finishing 30

A background for a picture that never got one Take one color already in the picture and fade it outward from the motif.
A caption lettered below the picture Name it after its palette, not after what it shows.
A dark outline around the main motif only Follow the outer edge of the motif and nothing inside it.
A final pass over the three deepest spots Squint to find them, then give each one more layer.
A finished picture trimmed and mounted on colored paper Choose a paper in the color the picture uses least.
A floor line so nothing floats A strip of color under the motif, darker directly beneath each object.
A patch of shade tucked under each object Pick the lit side first. Each shadow falls on the other side, touching the base of the object.
A pattern added to a plain background Dots, dashes or small stars in a color one step darker than the background.
A photo of the finished picture by a window Lay it flat, with no flash, and look at the photo for patches you missed.
A soft glow around the brightest shape Lay a pale yellow around it, strongest beside the shape and weaker further out.
A straight-edged frame penned just inside the margin Use a color from the picture and keep the line a finger's width from the edge.
A unifying glaze of one light color across everything A light yellow or a light blue, laid thinly over the whole picture.
Called finished: the set put away with one flaw left in Shut the tin first and then look. One fix at most.
Corners darkened so the middle stands out Darken each corner and lighten the color in steps before you reach the motif.
Every edge tidied with an eraser Cut a sliver off the eraser for tight corners.
The far edge of every shadow softened Let each shadow get paler as it leaves its object, until it is gone.
The first flaw you notice from across the room, fixed Prop the book up, step back, change that one thing and stop.
Loose pencil dust brushed off before the book is shut Use a soft dry brush rather than the side of your hand, working from the middle outward.
One color deepened everywhere it appears Take the color that looks weakest and add a layer in each place it sits.
One patchy area evened out Fill the pale specks with a sharp point, in small circles.
One small detail the printed lines do not have A stripe on a cup, a seam, a freckle. Add it in color, not in ink.
The one white shape you missed, tracked down Go back through a finished picture and hunt for a shape that is white by accident.
The palette recorded in the margin A swatch of each color with its name or number beside it, so you can use the set again.
Printed lines redrawn where color has dulled them Use a dark pencil or a fine pen, and only where the line has gone faint.
Sign it: your initials plus the year, tiny, at the foot Keep them small and use a color the picture already has.
Texture marks on top of flat color Fur strokes, wood grain or fabric weave, in a color one step darker than the fill.
Today's page shown to someone, who says what they notice first If it is not what you meant, strengthen the part you did mean.
Today's picture laid beside the oldest one you kept On the back of today's, write one thing you do differently now.
The weakest area tried again on scrap and taped beside the picture Try it two ways on the scrap before you choose one.
White sparkle dots as the finishing touch A white pencil or a white pen: one dot or dash on each shiny shape, on the side facing the light.

How this list was compiled: Own work: coloring prompts written for this page, for people who color printed line art they already own. Every prompt is a limit on palette, technique, habit, choice of design or finishing, and none names a subject; each has a line on where to start. No brand of pencil or marker is named and no organized event is named, dated or copied. Terms checked on 2026-10-01 and again on 2026-10-03: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colored_pencil (layering builds tones up gradually and leaves the tooth of the paper showing; burnishing is a colorless blender or a light pencil applied firmly over layered color); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stippling (shading with small dots); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatching (closely spaced parallel lines; cross-hatching when sets cross); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_scheme (monochromatic, complementary, split complementary, analogous and triadic schemes); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementary_colors (on the traditional wheel the pairs are red and green, yellow and purple, blue and orange); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightness (value is the lightness of a color); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory (warm colors are usually given as the hues from red through yellow, cool colors those from blue-green through blue-violet). Licence: own work

How it works

This 30 day coloring challenge is for coloring books and printed pages you already own. Each day gives a limit, not a subject: a palette, a technique, a habit to break, a page to choose or a finishing touch.

Read the full guide

Deal the month

The tool opens on thirty numbered prompts, each with a line on where to start. Press Pick 30 new prompts for a different month. Check off a day when it is done; a checked day stays when you deal again. Add another, at the end of the sheet, adds a day for a month of 31, the × on a row takes one away for 28, and Print gives the list with an empty box for each day.

Match your pencils or markers

The menu under the button narrows the deal to one kind of prompt, or to prompts that work with colored pencils or with markers. Burnishing and layering need pencils; streak-free fills and marker blends need markers.

Dealt a prompt your set cannot do? Deal again: checked days stay and the rest change.

Questions and answers

How does a 30 day coloring challenge work?

You color every day for thirty days and let a prompt set one rule for each session. Here the rule is a limit, such as a strict trio of colors or the background before the motif, so any coloring page will do.

Do I need colored pencils or markers?

Either. Most prompts work with any medium. Some need pencils, such as burnishing, where a light pencil is pressed over layered color until it shines. Two need markers and one needs both. Choose your medium in the menu to deal only prompts that fit it.

What do I color for the challenge?

Anything you already own: a coloring book, a printed sheet of line art or a single loose page. On some days a page choice prompt decides for you, for example the design you keep flipping past.

Can I print the 30 day coloring challenge?

Yes. Press Print over the list for the prompts dealt on screen, each with an empty box to check off. Switch to 31 or 28 days first if the month needs it.

Is this an organized event?

No. It is a list you can start on any date. There is no sign-up, no hashtag, no set dates and no prizes, and the page is not connected to any organized coloring event.