The idea of publishing a colouring book came to me in 2019, when I started practicing Ashtanga Yoga with my partner, Dean, at Auckland Yoga Academy (probably the oldest yoga studio in Auckland Central). Around the same time, I began running my own art business, creating artwork that reflected my life in that moment. Ashtanga Yoga was a big part of my weekly routine then as I was practicing at least three times a week, and some weeks, almost every day.

Peter and Jude, the owners of the studio and yoga teachers for over 30 years, encouraged me to learn more about the eight limbs of yoga and the chakra system. Peter showed me a beautiful chakra book filled with fascinating illustrations, which sparked the idea of creating mindfulness yoga colouring book for women, a book that filled with mandalas, chakras, and yoga asanas, while also offering basic knowledge about the eight limbs of yoga and the history of the practice.

This became my first colouring book, Yoga Girls Colouring Book: A Beginner's Guide to the 7 Chakras and 8 Limbs of Yoga. I completed the original 20 illustrations in 2020, but it wasn’t until 2024 that I decided to self-publish it, adding 10 new illustrations. Later that year, I published three more colouring books in the Slow Living series, a mix of new and older artwork I had created over the years.

In 2025, I released Sacred Presence, my best-selling fantasy colouring book to date, featuring all the illustrations I had originally created for my oracle deck (a project that didn’t go ahead after a publishing deal fell through). I decided to embrace the self-publishing journey rather than work with a publisher.

Over the years, I developed my love for colouring itself. I’m not only a book creator, I also colour almost every single day myself. I love it because it’s both relaxing and deeply creative. My nervous system thrives on it, and my art skills have improved greatly, especially in colour theory, blending, and shading. I believe in this creative practice so strongly that I’m committed to continuing to create high-quality colouring books, filled with hand-drawn, richly story-telling illustrations.

At the time of writing this blog post, I am currently working on my fantasy book Earthsong, which will feature 35 illustrations and the special 30 oracle cards that you can colour in and cut out to create your own handmade deck.

(Images: My colouring over the years since 2019 when I first started creating colouring pages)

(Images: Some of my colouring books published in 2024 and 2025)

In this post to day, I would like to share with you my creative process for creating colouring books.

My process of illustrating and publishing my own colouring books:

After creating and publishing five colouring books, each with 30 to 40 illustrations. I’ve developed a process that works for me. My latest book, Sacred Presence, is the one I’m most proud of. It came together through all the lessons I learned and mistakes I made in the first four.

My first book, The Yoga Girls, went through 3 or 4 revisions. At one point, it was honestly painful, I felt so sorry for the people who bought the original version before all the improvements. You guys! Thank you for your love & supports!!!

• Phase One: Gathering References. I start by setting up my references. Ideas and concepts go into a Google Doc, and visual inspiration is saved to Pinterest. If I can’t find the right reference picture of a particular pose for my character, I’ll often take a photo of myself to use.
  And then music! I always curate a new Spotify playlist to match the mood of the book. I listen to the playlist during the time I work on the book and also when I colour the pages myself. If you’d like to follow my playlists, find me at Inner Beauty By Sierra.

• Phase Two: Creating the Cover. Yes, I start with the cover! This includes the title and the illustration. But it's not set in stone. My last book “Sacred Presence” ended up with a new cover by the end, and I made the original illustration the back cover.

• Phase Three: Drawing. This is the heart of the process. I draw every day, though the hours vary. I like to alternate between illustrating and colouring in my books. Colouring teaches me what I truly enjoy as a user, not just a creator.

  This phase requires the most focus, so I often need to carve out a few months and say no to many other things. I really love it and I often fully indulge my introverted self with this. It’s even better when it aligns with winter here in New Zealand, like it does now.

  When it’s cold, gloomy and rainy outside, and I am by the window deep in my own fantasy world bringing concepts and ideas to life, I am the happiest and most excited! Art is truly my portal to wonderment.

• Phase Four: Editing. I format everything in Canva and sometimes have to redraw a few pages at this phase. The final step is writing and rewriting the Introduction and any other writing in the book. My partner Dean is my editor these days. He reviews every page, reads the intro, and helps ensure we’re both happy with the final version before publishing the book on Amazon.

• Phase Five: Publishing. I self-publish my books on Amazon. The process is very straightforward. I simply follow the steps, from filling in all the information to uploading the files and setting the price. I always order author copies to check the details myself, to colour in (for my own enjoyment & also marketing), to gift to friends or people that have been supporting my creative journey.

Images: some of the coloured-in version many of you guys have shared & tagged me on via Instagram & email.

All of my colouring books are available on Amazon. You can find them here.