How to Create a Coloring Book From Scratch Using Free Tools

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

IMPORTANT: Always read and adhere to the individual image licence that accompanies the image you'd like to use in your work. Be aware that some licences place restrictions on commercial usage (for example, Vecteezy allows up to 50 copies of a work to be sold before you're required to purchase an extended licence). Please see this video's description for further information, as well as links to Vecteezy's image licence, and a link to my video on proper image attribution.

[@Voartist]

First, you have a great speaking voice and your diction and grammar make you easy to listen to so you don't need to be an "entertainer." Second this is a great tutorial, and other commenters have great ideas too. As most, I'm concerned about licensing. You mentioned that after 50 sold copies, Vecteezy requires an image license. I infer then, that I would have to track my number of sales. Is there license requirement per image or a general license allowing use of ANY image in unlimited numbers? I haven't read their agreement yet so my questions might be premature. Anyway, thanks!

[@parvoctube6824]

I love you rashel

[@GPD868]

@@venusbonjour9303 some artists just draw so basically thats where a designer takes their work to create content

[@LifeinGlow]

How much a lisence can be?

[@theazillionshow]

You are the best.

[@bettybutler1686]

At 73 years with a BAFA sitting in retirement but 24 grandchildren needing some surprise gifts for Christmas!!! This will do it. And I’ll have a dozen pairs of stinkin Soxs from my kids stunned that I accomplished something thanks to this video!

[@suedeutscher7052]

Rachel, your instruction is great. I'm so tired of having to wade through five minutes of getting screamed at and the teacher trying to be entertaining in other tutorials. You get right to the point, and you make it about the process. Also, every time you do a click or type something, you explain what you are doing. And you don't go too fast. Love it, thank you so much!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thanks, Sue, that means a lot! I seriously wouldn't even know how to try and be entertaining on camera, haha. I'm definitely not a performer. I'm glad to hear that you find my information to-the-point.

[@katielieffers6730]

100% agree! Thank you Rachel!!!

[@susie3790]

@@RachelHarrisonSund All Aloha needed to say was to check all licenses thoroughly before selling, as there is fine print. There are buyers who will know this and do it anyway. No need for Aloha to go into a dissertation. The sites are frequented by newbies and the sites should post in clear, large print about licensing. They are deceiving, not Rachel. Chill people. Life is short.

[@veniseholloway9515]

Hi Rachel, as a retired teacher, I must say that I would be tickled to be in any of your classes. In fact, your tutorials are so concise that YOU should give tutorials to many of the folks on KZbin that attempt to give tutorials. Thank you for your clarity. It was very helpful.

[@luxurycardstore]

I just paid $50 for a course on how to do this, and I still think that your video is as valuable if not more valuable than what I paid for. The course showed more complex designs suitable for adult coloring pages. I think your information is equally valuable because it shows a more simplistic approach with better sources and tools than the course. Thank you so much because I have been searching for a video like this for a couple years now.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

I'm so glad you found it useful! It makes me very happy to know I'm providing good value. :)

[@BobbieJuanKenobi]

It is soooo much easier, and far more rewarding, to make and use your own art!

[@SheenaRea]

Bob, what software or device do you use to create your art? I'm thinking of getting an iPad Pro, but am curious what others use.

[@ShaniOnSinai]

@@SheenaRea Ibis

[@monstersandmothers4475]

Her video is for those that don't want to do the work.

[@doo21leroux]

@@monstersandmothers4475 oh stop.......not everyone is able to draw ya know.

[@jenniferlambert3886]

You could combine your own artwork with other pre-made images. That’s what I plan on doing. I use Adobe Illustrator and Afinity Design. I tried Inkscape and I do NOT like it.

[@NoahHornberger]

I really like how you went through the details of editing the vector artwork. That's a step I've seen skipped over in other tutorials, and it really helps me understand the process of going from a downloaded vector to a coloring page. Thanks!

[@dude988]

Like many others in the comment section I'm votng for an updated version of this tutorial.

[@SophieMarnez]

OMG... you just saved my life !!! I've been looking for exactly that for days in a row... I've sweated over Inkscape but it was always going astray... extremely frustrating ! Now I heard you mentioning its weird behavior on Macs... and its a relief : I'm not stupid ;-) I loved your tuto from beginning to end, your very clear and serene presentation and... I breathe again. I feel like right after a nice meditation... really. THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH ! You're the best teacher I've watched in ages...

[@299eshaarif2]

The best KZbin tutorial I have ever seen. Thank you Ma'am!

[@marfstone]

Thank you thank you so much. I am so glad I found you. I have learned so much from you. You helped me fill in so many gaps in my list of questions I've had in my journey of publishing my 1st children's book. I can't tell you how many times I had to pause the video, or restart, to do the process and to completely understand what I was doing. Your process helped me so much and made me feel more confident in myself. Thank you for you software suggestions. I have Inkscape its a pain in the butt even on a windows computer. LOL maybe it will make more sense now that I have more of an understanding of what I am doing. Everywhere I looked for helps I kept hearing do a coloring book or other low content KDP's before publishing a book. Now I know why, Again thank you so much.

[@taraflake2638]

Nice walkthrough, very helpful for beginners! Please let people know that most sites like (and including) vecteezy require attribution when using free vectors for commercial purposes. So you need to put somewhere in your book that you used their stuff. The free license is also limited to 50 copies for printed pieces. So if you sell more than 50 books you’re required to pay for a pro license.

[@kimief5366]

I agree there is nothing said about Commercial use and attribution.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Hi Tara, I did mention that free imagery requires attribution (it was text annotation because I forgot to actually say it while recording), but it's probably a good idea to go back and record me saying it in case someone misses it. Thanks!

[@taraflake2638]

Rachel Harrison-Sund well that’s what I get for “watching” on a second screen while working - I missed the text!

[@sunnstarzsm]

Hey Rachel! I watched quite a lot of other videos on how to turn a picture into a coloring page and even though I am not one to write comments, I just HAD TO write one to you because your tutorial DEFINITELY deserves recognition and a thank you because your tutorial is the BEST, hands down!!! The others were way too complicated & for most people, they would never have been able to create a design. For me, though I am computer savvy, I simply did not feel like taking that much time to create one design, especially when I would like my coloring books to have 100 pages, so, thankfully I came across YOUR video! Thank you SO MUCH! Stacie in the Youngstown, Ohio area

[@ukasharamzanm.ramzan5742]

1 Smart Thinking 1 What is smart thinking? 1 How do we study smart thinking? 5 Why do we need to 'think smart'?

[@rosemaryma9847]

Awesome teacher! Your voice and speed are very calming and easy to follow. Thank you!

[@silvanoescudero6238]

Thank you Rachel for you illustration

[@noonmamaat]

Thank you so much for your explanation.It doesn't make me bored, it's not complicated. 🌹

[@lizalmond7213]

I figured it out. I had to save the SVG file elsewhere. :)

[@suemcarthur105]

Bravo! thanks so much for your time, so well done, much appreciated

[@kamillagirl]

This was a very great presentation, thank you! The method you explain looks great for children's coloring books, but how would you go about implementing this technique for adult coloring books?

[@Diamonddusted68]

You made this looks shockingly simple. Thanks so much. Great teacher and video.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

You're welcome!

[@TrulyLivingBetter]

Thank u so much! A dream come true of want to do a coloring book for years.

[@LifeinGlow]

Cute animals and a nice tutorial, thank you! :)

[@osaroigbinoba8795]

Thank you so much, Rachel! words cannot explain how grateful I am! Thank you a million timesssss! This tutorial has just given me the confidence I need to create my first coloring book.

[@artofphillipdallas]

I'm currently working on coloring book myself and using Photoshop for the darkening when I need to adjust it. With my drawings I'm using a thicker marker to trace so it has that coloring book look to it when I scan them in. I'm also putting a picture on one side so coloring won't bleed through from another picture. I plan on doing 24 pages and 48 total for mine. I think I might use canva for making the pages and using their fonts.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Awesome, it's great that you can use your own custom images! Good point about placing only one image per sheet so that it doesn't bleed through!

[@rikfeeney1651]

Rachel, where can I find royalty free commercial font software? Thanks, Rik

[@MichaelSalas_Realtor]

This was just what I was looking for. However, I was trying to follow along with Illustrator and got lost almost immediately during the conversion part. I would absolutely love to watch you do the same thing in the current version of Illustrator. I haven't worked in Illustrator for years and have forgotten nearly everything. It's daunting. I love your channel. You are a calm voice with an exceptional eye amongst all the noise. Keep up the great work! Cheers!

[@rc9037]

You made this look so easy. Thankyou.

[@wtf-whattyrantsfear3859]

Using your advice, I published 2 coloring books on Lulu and KDP. You're awesome... BTW, I am working on a color by numbers book now.

[@themarriedcouple9924]

How did your first coloring book through KDP go? Any profits?

[@shamiemigadde835]

Just sold 2 coloring books I created using use your lessons that i upload a week ago. I didn't use canva. Thanks

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Awesome! I'm so happy to hear that!!

[@kayodeolajide7527]

Wao..you are such a nice teacher. I really enjoyed the video. Thank you.

[@rebrox21]

Hi Rachel! When I go to import the image from vecteezy, there is not an SVG file in the image folder. Only jpg is there. Any idea why?

[@aatikahbinteiqbal7160]

I feel like to press the like button 100 times.. Great explanation. Thank u.👍 👍 👍 👍 👍

[@grk6573]

Great tutorial. I look for platform suggestions and their limitations...and you just got to them without much ado and it was great. Thank you. 🙏

[@جساس-ه6ح]

You are inspiring Rachel thanks

[@yesyoucanwithMarilynn]

Hi, so glad I found this video, excellent job! Being of the "much" older generation, it was easy to follow and I learned so much. Thank you for your generosity.

[@veronicalerma3951]

EXCELLENT ! I'm so glad I found you. 😀

[@shirrajohnsonhughes4177]

Hello Rachel, Thank you for this video. I always wondered how to make coloring books step by step. 😀

[@apaiiyui8488]

Hello ! I don't know if you did a video about it yet since i follow you since a few days only.. Could you do a video about how to sell low-content books like that on something else than amazone ? Since I can't use it in Switzerland I would like to know some tips of where to go if we can't there ☺️ I mean, Since we can't order in switzerland from there I suppose we can't sell either.. I'm only beggining on the world of designers, but I wish I could make people happy with my own art 😊 Thank you 🌸 Kind regards ~ Ps: the video was interesting i didn't know about one of the free software ☺️

[@KathyFilia]

I always learn something really useful about graphics, from you, thanks Rachel. You're a natural teacher.

[@ebunmesaiyete]

Thank you!!! I will be rewatching this for sure

[@call4kindness98]

Hello Rachel.. I am trying to follow your video and everything is going great.. except the ungroup button is not working or turned on for me when I select the image. I am using the 15 day free trial. Please advise

[@22questions24]

Hi Rachel, can you do a video for Barnes & Noble how to choose categories for low content books. I have made an adults coloring book, and have no idea how to choose the category for it.

[@dnpublishing]

If I pay to download images will I be able to use them for publishing? Thanks

[@tourdogg]

Wow, you are awesome Rachel! Great work!

[@HasanAhmedAshrafi1]

Whoa! That was smooth like silk, like the snap of Thanos disappearing half of universe, Haa!. Thanks a lot!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Haha, I'm laughing at your comparison! So funny! And thanks for the compliment!

[@RinRar]

Thank you very much! Great tutorial..

[@22questions24]

Hi Rachel can you please do a video how to choose a category for an adults coloring book to publish on Barnes and Noble Press.

[@jhanedoe8346]

This is good to know & I'm definitely interested but it's for people who knows about computers I only know the basic & I know how to read lol but computers is very much gets more & more advance I need an computer crash course in computer language 101 understanding the terms Thank you for sharing 🙏🏽💜

[@truthseeker4490]

very useful video...much appreciate

[@manojgupta-oq7nz]

Hey this is very helpful video for me.I am thinking to do coloring book for children.I am a professional illustrator so don't have issue about illustrations just all about the correct size and setting for publishing.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

That's great! It's nice to have a talent that the rest of us lack. :)

[@radioobsessed8015]

i found your videos very helpful.i've published 4 low content books now.looking forward to learning more from you.

[@nolalorraine6579]

Great idea. I'd never thought of doing those before.

[@lauriehamilton6246]

I must say, your training skills are amazing. You really cannot teach with more clarity if you tried. Thank you and congratulations on having an excellent channel. I just subscribed. I rarely leave comments but your video was done so well, I had to.

[@brendaanyumba5706]

Awesome. Thanks Rachel. I am a beginner. This is very encouraging

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Glad it was helpful, Brenda!

[@CloudProductions]

Vecteezy is all eps files now. I searched dozens of images, and didn't find any svg files. Good video, maybe an update is needed though?

[@melissapowell2943]

You can find free converters online

[@KeithWheelerBooks]

Amazing video, Rachel! I’ve tried so many vector editing software to accomplish this. You’re a life saver!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thanks, Keith! Glad you found it useful! So many programs out there to choose from, and each one has their limitations. I really do like Gravit as a free option; it's a real cut above the rest of them.

[@KeithWheelerBooks]

I will definitely be checking it out!

[@HeavenlyPlaced]

Great tutorial! I have been looking into this for a couple of days now and this video has convinced me that I can do this. Hoping to publish my first book in September 2019! Thanks Rachel!!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Awesome, Cindra! You'll have to let me know how it goes!

[@jackfleming26]

This is the best instructional video I have seen. Thank you.

[@annalubaszewska6625]

This is a great tutorial. Thank You.

[@williamcostello8624]

Love the time you take with details. Perfect! Thanks, BC

[@rickmartinez1769]

Thank you! A lot of great information in this tutorial!

[@MasterBrain182]

Hi Rachel. Your content is fantastic 😁😆😅

[@theblushingbookworm]

Clear explanation. Great video😊

[@3PairDesigns]

Rachel, thank you very much! This was a very good tutorial and you DID put a comment bubble in explaining about acknowledgements. I think for those who tend to search for the negative in a good thing, that it is important to remember that some artists don't want to deal with the retail end of their business and are satisfied to get smaller commissions from great platforms like Vecteezy, based on volume. I think what you have provided here is a wonderful way to get started in this fun low content format. Thank you very much for sharing your experiences and doing all that research for us. Looking forward to more! 😉👍

[@funnyworld5482]

Hi Rachel, I am creating a Low content book for Contractors. Can you tell me if page 2 would be the back of page 1 or are the back of pages loaded as blank

[@hadassah7582]

I think I am doing something wrong because I am only getting jpg and eps options and not SVG after downloading. Another thing the pa settings keep changing it's not staying at 11 inches for the height. When I do try an SVG file it just does not work because the page size does not stay. One more thing in the page size drop-down arrow which option do you choose? Looking forward to your response. Thank you

[@Julie-ib2ti]

Thank you Rachel for your generosity in helping others with kdp

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

You're welcome!

[@kimberlyschuler7165]

Hi Rachel - I loved your video. It was very informative and the steps are quit easy to use. However, I'm stumped. When I go to Gravit and open local file I only have 3 types of files. Encapsulated PostScript, Jpeg, and a pdf on licensing I formation. There is no sgv file for me to select. Did I miss something?

[@EM-qz8wj]

This video tutorial is AWESOME! I can't wait to try to create a coloring book. If I get free images from another site, can I upload them to Vecteezy and not have to worry about giving "acknowledgements" in my final product? If so, do I just download the file in the vector format from the free website? Thanks very much.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thanks Elizabeth! You'll need to adhere to the licence that came with the image from the site you downloaded it from, regardless of if you use them on Vecteezy, so ensure you read it before using it.

[@EM-qz8wj]

@@RachelHarrisonSund Thanks Rachel.

[@funmiadeaga926]

Thanks so much, this has been very helpful!

[@Jeff-gt2xu]

I am thinking that GIMP was not an Illustrator type software with which you want to work?

[@sandraramirez2220]

Wow!! Thanks you very much for this tutorial! I had some problems doing it by Mayen but with this video you solved most of them. Thanks again!!!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

You're welcome, Sandra!

[@Ella_a_yo]

Very informative video thank you for your time making this video!!!!!!

[@MarkWilder68]

I was hoping you would show it in inkscape since I've been using it for years. This is still a great and very helpful tutorial and I thank you for taking the time. Your explanations are great and your presentation is even better. Thank you

[@lisaburkinshaw6186]

Hello Rachel...this tutorial was very helpful. I used the same graphic you did and with a lot of pausing, followed along. I later tried downloading other images but none of them had a .svg option once downloaded. Is there a way to tell which vectors have the .svg? I am a total newby so please excuse my lack of knowledge.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Hi Lisa! Were you downloading your other images from Vecteezy, or another site? All vectors should come in an .svg format, but things like photos won't.

[@Vasuys]

I did not get an svg file either

[@amandajohnson2648]

Hey Racheal, Thanks for this wonderful video....but vecteezy is not providing .svg fils but .eps files. The problem is that i cant pick one image out of the many in a single file. Please how do i do it. Thanks

[@abbimason6360]

You're an absolute GEM!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Aw, thank you, Abigail!

[@josephinejacobs2159]

Can you do the black border prior to changing the fill to white? This way you can still see the image continuously.

[@mania7927]

@Rachel Harrison-Sund Hi Rachel, Do you know how to ensure that the colours of covers look as lively and nice after publishing on KDP as you have created it in reality? I realise that the colours on the covers look very matt after publishing on KDP even though i select the Glossy option while the actual design is very nice, neat, clean and lively. Thanks

[@Anniewhispers]

Thank you for being so detail and making it easy...I can't draw for my life but would like to do coloring books for my kids...and this is awesome...great job..making life just a bit more beautiful 🥰❣⚘🙆‍♂️

[@hosamal-deen8623]

Thank you for sharing ❤️ You have educted me a lot ❤️❤️❤️

[@TheNxd1991]

hi how did you delete the background? thank you love your videos

[@fahadahmed1070]

@Rachel Harrison-Sund ur content is really good but I want to ask that in CANVA the canvas of 8 by 10 is having black line margin in 22:33 how to get that u dint showed that and wth is the measurement of it

[@janellekm]

Thanks for sharing this with us 😊

[@nickbrooks7930]

Great video. I wonder if PowerPoint could be used instead of Canva and what adjustments would have to be made?

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thanks, Nick. I know that many people use PowerPoint for this type of work, but I don't ever recommend it because it is presentation software meant for on-screen viewing only, not for creating print materials. The standard desktop publishing software is InDesign, but Canva does a decent job for a free program. Another free program you could check out is Lucidpress. You can use PP if you must, but keep in mind that you won't get the highest quality results.

[@nickbrooks7930]

@@RachelHarrisonSund Thanks, Rachel. Duly noted.

[@veroohhh4162]

This is excellent! Thank you! I have a question about converting a JPG content to SVG? do I have to get it converted elsewhere for the conversion or is there a way to do it straight from vector?

[@kathydiaz3873]

So much valuable info! Thanks so much, Rachel!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Glad it was helpful!

[@trbelcher]

Fantastic information! Thank you so much!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

No problem!

[@JenniferBaileyOnline]

Do you recommend leaving every other page in a colouring book blank so that the colours don't bleed through/ also in case the pages want to be torn out to stick to the fridge? Great tutorial BTW I was worried about creating a colouring book and I have almost finished my first one which I started this morning. I am using Affinity Designer which is easy to edit the vectors :)

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Hey Jennifer! Affinity Designer looks really great; a genuine alternative to the Adobe Creative Suite. You can do either, but just mention in the description which one it is. A lot of customers do like the every-other-page layout for the reasons you mentioned, so I think that's a good place to start.

[@lunagray-wolf2404]

Thank you Rachel, this was very informative and please don't let the naysayers upset you. Anyone that has worked as a graphic designer or worked with graphics should understand the rules, duh! Those that don't will get caught. I am part of a free image site and use many free image sites as well as pay.! This tutorial was awesome, I'm making a coloring book...😁

[@brighteyes6585]

This is so helpful! Thanks!!

[@District61TM]

Thanks Rachel...Looking forward to giving this a try!! Very easy to follow you.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Glad you found it useful, Fran!

[@ljc.youtube]

question, if your finished size of your book is going to be 6 x 9, and you have an image that is 6 x 9 with a 1/4 inch white border around it, does that border need to be trimmed off before inserting? thank you for your tutorials, you are a great teacher.

[@colscopters]

Omg! You are the one I've been looking for at last a KZbinr that has all the answers I've been looking for I've been struggling getting my first book done I found you by accident your videos are amazing thank you 😊 ❤️ I've subscribed

[@jnnfletv5048]

Je trouve votre vidéo très utile et instructive. Sorry not have a good english. So i mean, you're vidéo tutorial is so instructive

[@uneulvedal2571]

What KDP paper option is ok for coloring books? Create Space had options for this, but KDP? Thanks a lot for any info!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

I would choose black ink on white paper.

[@amirloucif]

really great video ,easy explanation keep it going

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thanks, Amir!

[@laff4lindah55]

thank you so much madam, i have learnt allot 👏👏

[@priyaravin1222]

Great explanation, Great demonstration, and great video!!!

[@MM-vo5xn]

Thanks so much Rachel! Very helpful. Is there a reason why pics from Vecteezy won't download an svg file of your photo? I've tried downloading some photos and non come with an svg photo.

[@ctrgigi]

I subscribe to Adobe's Photoshop and Lightroom. Can I successfully use PhotoShop to design my book and export it as PDF from there. I've designed prints and know how to use graphics, type, layers, etc. I do appreciate your clear and enthusiastic instructtions and suggestions. Thank you.

[@scotttalbot4041]

No. You can't make a multi-page document in Photoshop, or edit vector images.