Why Hello 2018 – I hope you are going to be a good one. Well to help you start the year in a great way I have this fun fab and free 2018 Mandela Calendar for you to download and colour in. Perfect for keeping you on track and I love that it has somewhere for you to personalise and colour in.

Free 2018 Mandela Calendar to Colour

Anyone that knows me will tell you that I love to colour in. I find it really therapeutic and I am delighted that so many people feel the same way. This Free 2018 Mandela Calendar to Colour is simple enough for children to use and keep in their bedrooms or you can add more colour and shading.

Each month of the year has a different mandala for you to colour in and I would love for you to come and share them with me over on my facebook page or Instagram

I have printed off three copies and the boys’ and I are going to each have one for above our desks. I am also going to keep one on my desk for doodling whilst I am on conference calls.

Download your Free 2018 Mandela Calendar to Colour below:

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Free 2018 Mandela Calendar to Colour
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Colouring Supplies:

I am often asked what products I use and I am a big advocate of using the best supplies you can afford. It is really frustrating to use pencils that keep snapping or refuse to blend well, oh and don’t get me started on pens that bleed through the paper. I always buy the best quality I can afford, not just for me but for my kids too. I want colouring to be a joyful experience. These are mine and the

These are mine and the MiniMad’s suggestions to you. Our tried and tested favourites. When I first started colouring I just pinched the boy’s products, which is why adult colouring is so accessible and over the period of a year I now have my own supplies!

Pens

We are currently loving using Staedtler Triplus colour pens (UK Link/US Link) – they do not bleed through the paper, which is great for adults and kids and they are really bright. Plus you can get different nib sizes (UK LInk/US Link), my niece has the 3mm nib ones (I bought her them for Christmas and she adores them). I also love the way they stand up in the packaging, so you can see the colours.

For a more inexpensive pen, we like the BIC kids coloring pens. These are great with minimal bleed through the paper and last for ages if you forget to put the lid back on (yes I am guilty of this)! (UK Link/US Link).

Pencils

Again we have two distinct favourites. One high quality and the other medium. Staedtler Ergosoft pencils are great value. They are soft and blendable and last really well. These are our go to pencils for pretty much everything (UK Link/US Link), they are not paying me to say this – honest! These are the pencils that the boys use for all their work and colouring too.

If money was no object then it would be Prismacolor pencils. I was introduced to these by the amazing illustrator Jennie Maizels (go check out her sketchbook club, you can thank me later). They are blendable, fantastic colours, durable and everything you could need, but are at the top of the price range. (UK Link/US Link)

Paper

As you are printing off these pages you can control the quality of the paper and unlike colouring books that you buy, you can print one sided (whoop). I print a lot of my pages on standard copier paper and if you have good quality art supplies then that is fine, however, if you are planning on framing or keeping your artwork then it would be better to print on a higher quality of paper. Or if you plan on painting them, then you can print onto inkjet watercolour paper (UK Link/US Link). For standard colouring get some bleed proof paper and use it to print off your pages (UK Link/US Link).

Accessories

You need to have a good quality pencil sharpener for your pencils. I LOVE my standard office supplies one. It can be adjusted to sharpen to a killer point or to a more blunt edge and there is something therapeutic about the crank handle and all the shavings being collected (UK Link/US Link)! We use a Staedtler pencil sharpener for our on the go one and this is the one we keep in pencil cases (UK Link/US Link).The other must have for me is a clipboard. I am often found colouring in downstairs on the sofa on an evening (I try to reduce screens on a night) and rather than rest on a book I use a clipboard (UK Link/US Link).