#ColorOurCollections: Top Museums Share Free Coloring Resources

Thousands of cultural institutions invite you to color in images from their world-class collections

Adult coloring books have surged in popularity over recent years. Coloring is thought to be a mindful practice that helps switch off negative thoughts and reduce anxiety. Encouraging us to focus our full attention on the task in front of us, coloring can have a calming, meditative effect.

#ColorOurCollections is an annual coloring festival run by The New York Academy of Medicine. Launched in 2016, this social media event takes place every February and sees libraries, museums, archives, and other cultural institutions around the world share coloring book pages featuring images from their collections, which can be downloaded for free.

Over the course of a week, new coloring books are released on The New York Academy of Medicine’s website and shared by the participating institutions on social media using the hashtag #ColorOurCollections.

Participating institutions

More than 100 institutions participated in the 2021 edition, including Bibliothèque nationale de France, Eton College Library, Harvard Art Museums, Princeton University Library, Royal College of Physicians, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, and many more. Plus, you can also access coloring resources from previous years, which are available to download for free throughout the year.

The collection

#ColorOurCollections offers resources for everyone, whatever their tastes and interests. Into motorcycles? Check out this coloring book uploaded by the Harley-Davidson Archives and learn some history along the way!

This organization has preserved over 100 years of history, with a collection including several hundred vehicles and thousands of objects, such as collectibles and toys, parts and accessories, clothing and riding gear, art, documents, and photographs.

Or how do you fancy coloring in Mexican art dating back more than 100 years? The Escuela Superior de Artes de Yucatán collects and conserves art, theater, dance, and music produced in the Yucatán, and its coloring book includes resources dating back to the early 20th century.

Love plants and flowers? The University of Maryland invites you to color in a series of botanical illustrations.

You can explore the entire #ColorOurCollections catalogue by clicking on this link. But before you dive in, learn a bit more about colors, the art of coloring, and the color theory.

Mastering the art of coloring

Apart from being a relaxing activity, coloring is also a great opportunity to experiment with color combinations, gradients, and using different tools. There is a range of options you can choose from when it comes to deciding what tools to use to add color (and don't be afraid to use more than one!). Here is a list of tools you could try:

- coloring pencils
- felt tip pens
- wax crayons
- oil pastels
- watercolors

When it comes to experimenting with color combinations and different palettes, we recommend looking at the color wheel and applying what you know about color theory.

The color wheel

The color wheel is a tool presenting colors in a circular structure in a particular order. It’s made up of 12 colors based on the RYB system, i.e. red, yellow, and blue. The order in which the colors appear cannot be modified as this order provides us with key information: it shows us how each color was created.

The system is named after the primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. Then, come the secondary colors, which are the result of mixing the primary colors. For example, green is the result of mixing blue and yellow, while violet is produced by combining red and blue. Then, there are the tertiary colors. The names of the tertiary colors are a combination of the name of the primary color and the name of the secondary color that you’ve mixed together, for example: orange-red.

Color wheels can be presented in blocks or as a color gradient. How many colors a color wheel features depends on the preference of the creator. They usually have 12 or 24 colors, but sometimes 48 or more! Learn more about the color wheel and when it was created in this article.

In this video tutorial below, Andonella (@andonella), who teaches the Domestika course, Introduction to Illustration of Characters with Gouache and India Ink, explains how to create a color wheel from scratch and which materials you’ll need.

What is color theory?

Color theory is a set of rules that apply to color, regardless of how color is applied. It helps us to understand how different colors are created, and how they complement one another.

Knowing where a color is located on the color wheel helps when it comes to combining colors or creating a color palette. Learn more about the different types of color in this article.

Do you enjoy our tips on where to find new resources for free? Keep checking our blog for weekly content on free downloads.

You may also like:

- 6 Interesting Facts about Color Theory
- Watercolor Tutorial: How to Create Shadow Using Color Theory
- Free Domestika E-book: Watercolor for Beginners
- Artistic Watercolor Sketching: Dare to Express Your Ideas, a course by Felix Scheinberger
- Illustrating Nature: A Creative Exploration, a course by Laura McKendry