Today I did something I genuinely hate doing as a colorist: I made myself a big list of WIPs. But honestly, it felt like the lesser of two evils, because what I hate even more is having untouched coloring books sitting on my shelves. So this is part one of a little series where I tackle the untouched books in my collection by completing one background in four different books—chosen by a random spinner wheel—so that by the end, that “untouched” stack is finally smaller. I focused purely on backgrounds for three reasons: I’m obsessed with making them right now, they make the foreground so much easier to commit to later, and I know backgrounds can feel super daunting when you’re starting out. You’ll see me translate Pinterest inspiration in a few different ways: a doodly nature-inspired alcohol marker background in Ohuhu’s Mandala & Animals (after a brief brush pen fail on bleed-proof paper), a pastel geometric grid background in Blossomia using Ohuhu’s Nahuku acrylic brush markers, a framed vignette idea in Romantic Gothic done mostly with sharpened Prismacolors (yes—straight coloring and I survived), and a galactic honeycomb vibe in Johanna Basford’s Inklings using my current technique obsession: Neocolor II layers + Polychromos + a colorless alcohol blender, finished with paint splatters and dots. Trust the process, start smaller, and remember: it’s always easier to add more than take it away.