Day Twenty Two

This is the last coloring assignment for the Coloring Across America Tour. This is the third installment from the Best Adult Coloring Book. The final installment is done with colored pencils. The smooth finish to this paper makes the colored pencils glide across the page and allows colors to be easily layered. As I mentioned previously, I like the way the artists provide open space so that additional designs can be added.

The above image shows a completed page as designed. I am very pleased with the way it turned out. I then decided to add my own designs.

Here is the final result and I very happy with the total page.

Day Twenty One

Merry Christmas to those who observe. As you read this, I am barreling my way home to NYC on the Christmas Train. I left at 7:00 AM from New Orleans. I had to wake up at 4:00 AM to get to get to the train station by 5:00 AM.

I wanted to do  something special for Christmas so I chose this Christmas tree from the Deck the Halls Coloring Book. If you remember, I colored a page with colored pencils here and a page with markers here

I chose to work with markers again. I wish that I had extra fine tip markers or brush markers for this page. The dome tip markers made this a little sloppy. Overall, I am pleased with the colors chosen.

Thanks for following along and Merry Christmas.

Day Twenty

Today’s coloring assignment is the second installment from the book Best Adult Coloring Book. Today I wanted to see how crayons would work on this smoother paper. The waxier content of the formula tends to glop on the smoother paper. The patterns are easier to color because they are larger in design.

This was a fun page to color because I enjoyed the design. I will be excited to see how the paper does with a different brand of crayon. Happy Christmas Eve and be sure to leave some cookies for Santa. Tomorrow, I will be on the Christmas Train from New Orleans to New York City. The third installment from this book will appear on December 26.

Day Nineteen

Today’s coloring assignment is from a new book that I found on Amazon. It is not a holiday themed coloring book but I was attracted to the title: Best Adult Coloring Book. The coloring pages are nine inches square. Also there are some double spreads that cover two complete pages. The paper is a little smooth so I anticipate that it will do well with markers. 

I like the graphic design of the book because the illustrations have a lot of open space that you can add your own design if you choose. Also, the images aren’t over designed so there is a lot of space to color.

As you can see the Crayola markers can get streaky when a lot of space is coveted. I enjoyed coloring this page because of the big bold design. I am very interested to see how the other media do on these pages.

Tomorrow the tour continues as I travel to New Orleans.

Day Seventeen

Today’s coloring assignment is the third installment of the book The Big Book of Christmas Color Book. Previously the pages were colored with crayon and marker. Today’s page is done with colored pencil. The high rag content of the paper makes this an easy page to color with pencils. The color spreads easily but does not cover the entire area. When you crosshatch the color, it still does not completely cover the page.

For this book, the most successful medium was the page with markers and the second most suggested was crayon. The least successful was the colored pencil. This is a great book with a variety of easier to color images.

Marker Page

Crayon Page

Day Sixteen

Today’s coloring assignment comes from the same book as yesterday’s assignment but I wanted to use markers to see how well they would perform. I was concerned that the porous nature of the paper would cause the ink to feather or bleed. Because of the rag content of the paper, it becomes very absorbant and receives a lot of ink. The colors are very vibrant though. The inks do bleed to the reverse side so I would definitely use a coloring page below the page you are coloring.

For this geometric pattern, I chose three different colors for each tree. One color was used for each row and after the third row was completed, the sequence was repeated until the tree was done.

I was very pleased with the way this page turned out. This is the last coloring page from San Antonio.  The next city is Houston where I will spend several days with family.

Day Fifteen

Today's coloring assignment comes from the train trip from Dallas to San Antonio. This is a new coloring book that I found on Amazon. it contains a variety of illustration styles but I was attracted to the geometric patterns that I found inside. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of paper. This paper has a higher rag content which makes it have a more porous surface and is therefore less slick. Because of the paper, I immediately wanted to try crayon to see if it would allow an easier blending of color.

After choosing a color palette and design motifs, I simply applied color. Similar to previous assignments I decided to apply contrasting colors to the separate elements of the snowflake: purples for the foreground and blues for the background. I purposely separated each color and assigned it to a specific element.

I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with all of the blank space in the background. If I was at home, I would have created a plaid pattern with my Copic markers which allows for line variation. Similarly, I could have used Sharpie markers to the same effect.

Since I didn’t have those resources, I decided to create a different effect that I used to call the “quilt pattern.” I gridded off the background and applied colors in a random pattern. I chose a monochromatic scheme—in this case, sixteen shades of green. As I fisnished an adjoining diamond, Inwould blend that color with a previously colored block. I would continue to work in this fashion until all the diamonds were completed.

 This paper took crayon well and the color was very easy to apply and there wasn’t any waxy buildup that normally occurs with a smoother paper.

Day Fourteen

Today is the last page from the book Nature Escapes. It is one of my favorite images in the book. But the goal of today's assignment is simplicity. I wanted to see how the paper would interact with the crayons. Since the paper was fairly smooth I was afraid that the waxy crayon wouldn't fare very well. I layered six different colors to get the effect of the pink feathers. I started with a light pink wash over the entire bird body. I added highlights to individual feathers to try and add some dimension. The goal was to show how simple color washes could add interest for those who do not have the time or inclination to color every single component within an illustration. I wanted to show how adding a color wash could prove to be just as satisfying as some of the intricate coloring of previous examples.

As you can see, the neck was done with six layered colors. The body was done with two layered colors and another color for the dots. The beak was done with two separate colors that were layered. The top part was done with the light yellow first and the orange yellow layer on top. The bottom part of the beak was done with the same two colors in reverse. The frame was done with three separate colors that weren't layered. The background was done with a single color.

The point that I am trying to,illustrate is that you don't have to have a bunch of supplies or a bunch of time to complete these pages. The goal of these books is for you to sit down, relax and enjoy coloring.

In closing, because of the quality of paper, I think the most effective medium is markers. I will test my Copic markers when I return home and will give you another assessment. The second most effective medium is colored pencil. I can't wait to try to see how blending solution will affect the blending of colors. Finally, the least effective medium is crayon. I don't know if it is the new Crayola formula that is causing problems but I will test the pages with a different brand to see if they are more effective.

When you read this, I will be on my way to San Antonio, Texas.

Nature Escapes and markers

Nature Escapes and colored pencils

Day Thirteen

Today’s coloring assignment is a continuation from the coloring book Nature Escapes. For page two, I wanted to see how colored pencils worked with the paper. I am really pleased with the way this turned out. I colored the honeycomb pattern first and I layered theee colors to achieve the effect. Once I worked out the color palette and the patterns I wanted to highlight, the rest was simply coloring by number.

Tomorrow I will do the third in the series and will color with crayons.

Day Twelve

Today's coloring assignment comes from the Crayola coloring book called Nature Escapes. This book has a very special place in my heart. I used the Crayola Supertips markers for this. I like the pattern because you can be as detailed as you like with applying color. I chose a color palette for repeating themes and then just filled in. Because these markers don't blend or layer well, I will very anxiously wait until I can use my Copic markers.

I am very happy with the way this turned out. Some of the colors are subtle--like the body of the turtle--and some are pretty vivid (like the shell). For the water, I chose five different shades of blue and just rotated them in sequence until the background was completed.

Day Eleven

Today's coloring assignment is the final page from the three page spread I brought along from the book Christmas Adult Coloring Book as shown above.

This page is similar to the page I did with colored pencils. It is simply a page of ornament balls with different levels of designs. It is a rather simple page to color in that you can decide how complex a color palette to use, As you can see below, I chose from two colors to eight colors for each ornament.

I am getting used to the waxy nature of the new crayons and I am  starting to wonder if the waxy texture is because they are new. The colors seem to layer better once they have been used. I am anxious to see how my Caran d'Arche non-soluble crayons work on this paper.

I am happy with the way this turned out. I think the most successful treatment was the marker page, followed the the crayon page and then the colored pencil page. I will experiment on two more pages when I return home. I am really interested to see how my Copic markers and  other crayons work.

This is a very enjoyable book and contains different styles and levels of illustrations to color. Many of the designs are not overly complicated and those that are more complex can be simplified by limiting the color palette.

By the time you read this, I will be on the train and returning to Chicago for the second half of my trip where I take the trains South.

Colored Pencils Page

Markers Page

Day Ten

Today's coloring assignment is a continuation of three pages from the Christmas Coloring Book above. Yesterday, I used colored pencils. Today, I used markers and tomorrow I plan on using crayons.

I think markers work much better on this paper. The paper is smooth so the ink doesn't feather and stays in place. There is some bleed through on the reverse but since these are single sided images that shouldn't be a problem.

If you have been following along, you know my affinity of geometric patterns and this snowflake represents exactly what I love about this type of image. You an add as much or little color as you want. You can pick a pattern and replicate across the image or just color randomly. As you can see, I treated this image as two different six sided snowflakes. The foreground starts on the north-south axis. The background is just to the right of the north axis.

I am really pleased with the way this turned out.

Day Eight

Today’s coloring assignment was another page from the Deck the Halls Coloring Book. This is similar to the page I did here .  That example was colored using alcohol inks so I wanted to see how the Crayola Super Thins would do.

Before

After

As you can see the coverage is similar to the alcohol inks and the transparency is similar as well. Because the ornaments were very detailed, I decided to apply a color wash over the entire ornament, including the black parts. There were no problems in doing so.

I am happy with the way that the markers performed. My two complaints are that the markers are not labeled with color names so you have no way of referencing a particular color. Also, the marker tubes are perfectly round and they roll everywhere—not a good thing when trying to color on a moving train.

Day Seven

This is a book that I have been very excited to use. The artist is an illustrator from the team that produces products for the company of Linda &Harriet.. The illustrations feature some of my favorite broad/thick line styles for coloring. I purchased my copy at Blick but it is also available from Amazon.

After yesterday’s experiment with the crayons, I wanted to see what effects this type of paper would have in terms of color saturation and coverage. Because the paper is a deluxe watercolor paper, it has a texture or tooth. I think that it is possibly a cold-pressed paper which will have some effect on how the waxy crayon will distribute across the page.

I used a variety of blending and layering techniques to try and see how they would be affected.  The red peony was colored using five different shades of red. Because of the lack of color value between the colors used, there is very little shading or effects. The darker colors were added first and the lighter colors were added on top.

The yellow peony was created differently. Five colors were used as well. The darker color was added on the outer petal and the lighter colors were added until the petal was fully colored. The fifth and lightest color was applied over the entire petal as a general wash.

The leaves were all colored using the same six crayons. Each branch was colored using a light, medium and dark value. The variation occurs in the sequence in which the colors were applied. The colors were rotated for each separate branch of leaves. To get this variation, colors were applied randomly with the last color applied as a wash.

I also wanted to see if I could create an ombré effect for the background. You can see the clear delineation of the three colors but the colors would not blend at the lines of separation.

I highly recommend this book and to be honest it will probably be the only adult coloring book that I will complete in its entirety--although I would prefer to call it a DIY Artist’s Book. I will continue to experiment with the book to see how wetter media including all types of markers and watercolors will do with this paper. I will probably order a second book to have on-hand so once the experiments are concluded I can color a copy for my personal use.

Day Four

Today's coloring assignment was chosen by Bethanie, a 10 year old young lady from the Twin Cities. Her parents gave her permission to come visit me in the observation car. She only wanted to watch because she isn't a good colorer. She looked through the materials and chose this gingerbread house and she chose all of the colors used. We used pencils because the train was rocking a lot and the markers would have made it difficult to color the smaller/intricate parts.

Before

I am happy with the way it turned out. Granted it is a little more finicky than I prefer but that is what this whole Coloring Tour is about. By getting out of my comfort zone, I get to develop new techniques including learning to color on a moving train. What pains me is how self-critical a 10 year old can be. She didn't like the original color of the marshmallow trees in front of the house and she wanted to stop and start on a different picture. I showed her how layering a different color on top of the first color would get a different color. I also showed her how to test a color on a scrap of paper to see if it was the color she wanted. She was afraid that she ruined the picture. I also told her that since it was her picture she was the only one she had to please.

After we finished, she got up to leave and I told her not to forget to take her picture with her. She didn't realize that she got to keep the picture. I signed it and gave it to her and she literally skipped to her seat.

The coloring book is one of three complete coloring books I brought along. Most of the other pages are just samples. This book has a variety of styles from which to choose and are very fitting of the holiday season. I purchased my copy on Amazon.

Day Two

Today was spent in Chicago. The train arrived at 10:45 AM and went to my hotel. Expedia inexplicably cancelled my reservation but the nice people at the Kinzie Hotel not only fixed things for me but they let me check in early. The night is dedicated to seeing some of my friends
perform in the musical Hamilton (Chicago cast). Tomorrow afternoon I leave for Seattle.

Today's coloring assignment was a loose page from one of my Michael's purchases that I have mentioned before. I used the Crayola Super Thins markers which are water based. Unfortunately, Ihaven't tried layering them yet but I do miss my alcohol style markers. But this exercise is good for me because it forces me to develop different techniques and style.

This is a Mandela style image. I like it when the artist provides some guidelines on a color palette and suggestions on how the image should be filled in. of course, these are only suggestions. I took my supplies to a Starbucks on Grand Street and took a table and started coloring. A couple of people asked me what I was doing but chose not to join in.

Day One

I don't know why people don't travel by train more often. I understand about the time needed but look at all of this space.

There is even a foot rest.

There even is a leg rest and your seat almost reclines to a horizontal position. 

Today's coloring assignment came from this book that I got from Amazon. It has a variety of image styles. I chose a simple design because I didn't know what to expect on the train and how I would be received. I chose colored pencils because that was the easiest option especially with the rocking motion of the train. A couple of people asked me about what I was doing but no one wanted to join in. The train had delays so people weren't in the best of moods.

Day One completed. Now overnight in Chicago and on to Seattle.

Updated Tour Schedule

UPDATED Itinerary (as of November 30, 2017)

Changes in Bold

Dec 4 Depart NYC

Dec 5 Arrive Chicago

Dec 6 Depart Chicago

Dec 8 Arrive Seattle

Dec 9 Depart Seattle

Dec 10 Arrive Sacramento

Dec 11 Depart Sacramento

Dec 12 Arrive Denver

Dec 14 Depart Denver

Dec 15 Arrive Chicago

Dec 16 Depart Chicago

Dec 17 Arrive Dallas

Dec 18 Depart Dallas

Dec 18 Arrive San Antonio

Dec 20 Depart San Antonio

Dec 20 Arrive Houston

Dec 24 Depart Houston

Dec 24 Arrive New Orleans

Dec 25 Depart New Orleans

Dec 26 Arrive NYC

The Coloring Across America Tour

OK Folks. Reservations have been made, tickets have been purchased and hotels book. The Coloring Across America Tour will begin in 7 days. I am taking my coloring books and supplies across the Nation to introduce/re-introduce people to the Joys of Coloring. I will be posting specifics of the tour here and sharing photos on Facebook (Coloring Across America Tour) and Instagram (russromano, #coloringacrossamerica). Here is the schedule (subject to last minute itinerary changes).

Dec 4 Depart NYC

Dec 5 Arrive Chicago

Dec 6 Depart Chicago

Dec 8 Arrive Seattle

Dec 9 Depart Seattle

Dec 10 Arrive Sacramento

Dec 11 Depart Sacramento

Dec 12 Arrive Denver

Dec 14 Depart Denver

Dec 15 Arrive Chicago

Dec 16 Depart Chicago

Dec 17 Arrive Dallas

Dec 18 Depart Dallas

Dec 18 Arrive San Antonio

Dec 20 Depart San Antonio

Dec 20 Arrive Houston

Dec 23 Depart Houston

Dec 23 Arrive San Antonio

Dec 24 Depart San Antonio

Dec 25 Arrive Chicago

Dec 26 Depart Chicago

Dec 27 Arrive NYC

I hope you will follow along.

Coloring for the Holidays 3

For today's entry, I wanted to explain some of the descriptive terms that I used when discussing coloring book pages. The first style is what I call the "thin line" style. These are the bulk of the current adult coloring book pages. These are thinner lines and usually appear "free style" which means there is no discernible pattern to the images. The difficulty with this style of image is it can be very unforgiving when using some markers. These are best used for non-wet techniques.

Thin line, free style

The second style is the Zentangle style where every inch of the image is decorated. It is a very busy pattern and you need to decide if large swatches of color will be applied or if every individual section will be colored. I don't find this style very comforting and tend to get overwhelmed with coloring and the composition. Sometimes, I will refer to this as a micro-pattern.

Zentangle Style or Micro-pattern

The third style is what I call a repetitive pattern. This is very similar to wallpaper. Once you decide on the color palette and how to color the individual objects then the rest is just application of color. Sometimes the individual components will be micro-patterned (as is the case below).

Repetitive pattern

The fourth style is the Mandala style. This is a largely repetitive, geometric and symmetrical pattern that radiates around  a center image. Similar to the repetitive pattern above, once you figure out your color pattern the rest is simply repetition. For example, the ovals below would be one color throughout the image, the leaf pattern would be repeated throughout. While the patterns do not necessarily have to be repeated and could be done free style, the pleasing nature of the visual occurs when the patterns are repeated.

Mandala Style

The fifth style was discussed earlier in the week and that is the Lettering/Font style. For this style, the primary image is based on a writing/lettering/font style.

Lettering Style

The last style is what is typical remembered as a coloring book style. Large thick lines that either can be repetitive or free style. When we think of old school coloring, this is the style we remember.

Thick line Style

That is it for this week. I will be back on Monday with another review.