Colortronic Animals: A Kaleidoscopic Coloring Challenge
By: Lark Crafts
Rating: 5 of 5
I followed the colors suggested for my first project except that I did not use a background color as yet. It was so much fun that I am considering buying two of the book one to follow the colors by and one with which to do my own color choices.
I used Copic markers and then came back and enhanced the colors and some shading with Polychromos pencils. I found that using both gave a depth of color to the project and allowed me to fine tune my color choices for a more balanced looking project.
Apart from the color choices, the animals are drawn realistically without doodles. The designs are detailed but are not overly intricate. I had no problems using any of my medium in the color areas.
The color numbers do show through unless I used an extremely dark or opaque color. I’d love it if the artist/publisher also published the same pictures in a regular line drawn coloring book but I am sold on their style of color by number.
This is what I found while coloring in the book and testing my coloring medium on the paper.
29 Beautiful Animal Designs in a Color by Number format
Designs printed on one side of the page with color guide on the binding side of the perforations
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly rough and micro-perforated
Sewn Binding
Designs do not cross over the perforations. Each design has a framing line at the outer edge.
I could get the book to lay fairly flat for coloring with a little effort.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page. If you use this medium, I suggest using a blotter page to keep ink from seeping through. I use card stock but a couple of pages of paper should work as well. It will bleed through to the quote on the back of the page, which doesn’t bother me, but I want to note it if it is an issue for you.
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens do not bleed through the page. Some do leave slight and indistinct shadows on the back of the page. Some gel pens require additional drying time.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. It has good tooth and allowed for applying layers of the same color to get rich pigment. I could also layer multiple colors well and I could blend both oil and wax based pencils easily with a pencil style blending stick.