What a valuable message, Jackie! We all benefit from this reminder to talk to ourselves in a way that cultivates the curiosity and enjoyment of a five year old. I remember my joy as a child with a fresh box of crayola crayons - I wasn’t worried about what anyone else when I was that coloring kid… no comparison, no judgement…just joyful engagement! With a little awareness, I can spend more time in that space. Thank you!

I absolutely love your tips for how to get rid of the streakiness with water-based markers. So genius, Jackie!! 💖💖💖

Loved watching and listening as always Jackie. Colouring is my escape and me time. It’s helpful in so many ways. Also it just helps me chill out enough not to pass on my stress to those closest, so they benefit from it too 😅 that’s what I tell myself anyway ❤

Thanks Jackie. This is a good reminder to treat ourselves kindly, we don’t want to bring negative feelings into the colouring and I can tell they sometimes start to creep in. I was recently colouring with the brand new crayolasupertips that I’d had for a bit and hadn’t even opened. I was taken back to the beginning of school holidays, when we used to take a trip to the bigger shopping area and the big WH Smith branch and spend our birthday/christmas/pocket money on a brand new set of pens. As soon as we got home they were all out on the table and being tested on any books we had. I tried to let myself feel like that again and not worry about particular shades or anything negative, and at the end it was a bright happy page.

Love color and chat! After finishing a harder page I turn to a simple illustration and just let go.

You and your granddaughter inspired me this morning. My children (I have three - 12, 10 and 8 years old) and I are going to pick a colouring book to work in together, something simple like a matchstick mouse book. We’ll each pick pages and colour the book to completion, signing each page as ours. I’m going to bring my colouring level down to theirs, and we’ll probably just stick to water based markers, to encourage them to be artistic rather than discourage. I think it will be such a lovely keepsake to have in the years to come.

Jackie thats was so good i felt so relaxed just listening to you I find choosing colours the right colours put stress in colouring where a child doesn't worry I'm definitely going to try for the inner child❤worry free Heather

Perfect video, love your philosophy. Lots for me to learn as life lessons as well as colouring. Thank you 😊

Loved this so much Jackie! I, like many, it seems, did no coloring as a child but am really interested in it now and I am in my seventies! I appreciate you showing what can be done with markers having spent a few dollars for them and they were just sitting in the box, unloved. Had a color along with you tonight and I was really excited to see what can be done with them, especially after adding water. Your tip for streaky lines worked like a charm for me too. Look forward to your lovely chats and advice. You are a god-send!

I loved it all. Please don't stop sharing your thoughts. I know social media can be so negative. I can't imagine anyone saying anything negative to you but if so please recognize how much love we all have for you! I am such a fan of you teaching your granddaughter. I'm the same with my kiddos but I like how you've dumbed down your coloring a bit for her so she's not overwhelmed! ❤

Thank you❤

Hi Jackie! I am a Single Colorist in My Huge Family. I have been told to Grown-up and stop acting like a child. I have been told by a KZfaqr that I don't know how to Color in Certain Books, that Hurt! I have talked Myself into keep Coloring. I have My Own Way of doing things and I am Very Happy with the Pictures I Complete. Yes, I mess up sometimes, but I don't post, that I do. We all do at times. Thank You for Addressing the Topic about being Harsh on Ourselves and Allowing ourselves to just let go! I love coloring with my 10 yr. old Grandson, he just colors so creativity without fear. It's Beautiful! Have a Beautifully Colorful Day!💜🥰

A lovely colour and chat video. You asked our thoughts. Heres mine - totally off piste, that front page coloured by your granddaughter looks to me ,at first squint, to be a blindfolded elf. An extra ear and a cute grin might be a wonderful return surprise for her from you, a way of thanks for the drawings at the front. Well that's my 2c worth. Im off to play with my markers. Your videos always make me want to "go play" with my art things. Thank you.

Hi Jackie thank you for sharing your thoughts. As a child I loved to get a brand new box of crayons and new colouring book.Changing our thought and words about ourselves is so important in all areas with colouring being kind to ourselves and have fun. 😊💜

Very Beautiful ❤️

I wasn’t interested in colouring as a child, it was reading. I got excited by receiving a “book token” (as they were back then) for my birthday. I haven’t picked up a marker or pencil since last year. In fact, I haven’t done any of my “interests” for a wee while. I think I told you I am a “dabbler” I still haven’t found the one thing that keeps my attention.

💗💜💗

Hi Jackie! I just playing around with my Albrecht Dürer watercolor pencils which i never used with water, you let me do it, and i watched this video…it came out how it was expected, horrible 😂😂 but i had a lot of fun and i enjoyed it! Afcourse i picked a picture i don’t mind because i new i tried this for the first time and it will not be the last try, some parts i really like. I also want to try this out with waterbased markers! I don’t know if this is my go to but thank you so much for the inspiration!! I am not hard for myself but when i want to colour in my beauty’s i want to know for sure that i can do some techniques. That’s why i practise in my simple books which i don’t dislike, but they don’t amaze me that much..I love your video’s.

By far the best way to kill a person's interest in art, regardless of age, is to criticize their creativity. Creative art is part of a person put into the physical world. When you criticize creativity, you criticize the person. Any time anyone shows me their creativity I look for at least one thing I appreciate about it, and tell them so. It can be a simple as a choice of color, the subject matter, a feeling it inspires, a single form or brushstroke. Never criticize unless asked to do so, and even then be kind. Use "I" phrasing, not "you" phrasing. There are two kinds of art instruction, technical and creative. There is NO wrong way to create. If someone wants technical instruction, they will ask for it. Even then, unless you are pursuing drafting, or reproduction, or anatomical studies... they aren't doing it "wrong" no matter what the end result is. There seems to be a push for everyone's art to be the same, can you imagine how boring the world would be if this were the case? Share knowledge, demonstrate or describe a technique or media, then let them go do what they do... and show appreciation for the time and effort put in if nothing else. My daughter, who is a semi-professional artist (she does sell work when she wishes to but has disabilities that prevent her from pursuing a full time career ), often has me review her friends art when they need a lift up in mood or inspiration.. and I'm always saddened by their previous experiences with critical teachers, peers, strangers online, and the worst offense.. parents. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "my art is really bad" before I've even seen it. It's truly heartbreaking. All of this applies to the individual just as much as it does to those we are in contact with.. don't be your own bully. Did you enjoy it? If so then it is a success. If you didn't, try something else. I love to do really complex detailed pages.. but I have more than a few books that are very simple, something you would hand a small child. I enjoy them just as much, it's like getting home from work and putting on comfy clothes, just in book form. I often rotate the two one after another to avoid burnout. Same with media and techniques.. I will go from a tight fully shaded and highlighted work to something super loose with single dark colors washed out with blender pencil or water, or even a simple block colored approach with no shading at all. All of it is valuable.. and if you just like the simple stuff there is nothing wrong with it. If you want more technical skills be very specific.. "I want to learn to blend this pencil brand more smoothly", or "I want to learn about color wheel theory". Focus on just one thing at a time. You don't need to learn to color like "x" person on instagram.. you should color like yourself with a skill set you are comfortable with... and again, be kind to yourself. It takes practice to get good at just about anything and that means lots of pages.