About

Hi, It’s Lee. I only started my colour by numbers journey fairly recently, thanks to my wife, PerpetuallyMagic on TikTok, buying me a Pokémon Colour by Numbers book. What started as me supporting her hobby very quickly turned into one of the most relaxing and rewarding hobbies I’ve picked up in years.

It started simply enough. A colouring book, some acrylic markers and plenty of late-night colouring sessions. Then came more books, more markers, livestreams, experimenting with different colours and, inevitably, me wanting to keep track of all of it, that’s really how Colours by Lee has grown into what it is today.

The site started as somewhere to share my completed colouring pages and write honest reviews of the books and supplies I was using. As my marker collection grew, though, I realised there was an opportunity to build something a little more useful around all of that content. Not just somewhere to show the finished page, but somewhere you can actually explore the colours behind it.

So alongside completed pages, book reviews and marker reviews, Colours by Lee is gradually becoming a reference for the acrylic markers I use. You can browse individual markers and complete sets, explore different brands and colour families, see which colours I’ve actually used in finished pages, and find similar colours from other marker collections, and importantly, that information comes from the colouring itself.

As I complete more pages, the marker database grows with them. Colours start appearing across different books and illustrations, favourite combinations begin to emerge, and the site can show which markers I genuinely reach for most often. Rather than having a database sitting separately from the creative side of the site, the two are connected.

That’s something I’m particularly excited to keep building. A marker might begin as little more than a colour swatch and a code. However, over time its page can show where I’ve used it, the colours I tend to pair it with, which sets it belongs to and some of the closest alternatives I have from other brands. The more I colour, the more useful that information should become.

The reviews work in much the same way. Everything I review is something I’ve actually used for colouring, whether that’s a huge set of acrylic markers, a new colouring book or something as simple as the clear gesso I use to prepare a page. I’m not interested in pretending every product is amazing. If something works well, I’ll say why. If something annoys me, I’ll probably tell you that too.

I’m still learning as I go, and I actually think that’s an important part of the site. I’m not trying to present myself as a professional artist or colour expert. I’m a colour by numbers enthusiast who became slightly more obsessed with markers and colour data than I originally intended, at the heart of it all, though, is still the reason I started.

Colouring is relaxing. It gives me an excuse to slow down for a few hours, put something on in the background and concentrate on filling in tiny numbered spaces with probably far more consideration over the exact shade of green than is strictly necessary.

The colouring community has also been incredibly welcoming, whether that’s chatting during livestreams, comparing marker sets or seeing what everyone else is working on. I want this site to keep that same relaxed feeling while becoming a genuinely useful resource for anyone who enjoys the hobby.

So whether you’ve arrived looking for a marker review, trying to find an alternative to a colour you don't own, browsing colouring books, looking for inspiration for your next page, or you’re simply curious about what I’ve been colouring lately, hopefully there’s something here that helps.

And this is still very much the beginning. Every completed page, marker set and review adds a little more to the site, so Colours by Lee will essentially grow alongside my own colouring journey.

Thanks for stopping by and being part of it.