Weekly Coloring 1

This is the first in the series of the Weekly Coloring Challenges where I will complete each week of The Mindfulness Coloring Engagement Calendar 2018. It seems that last week was a succulent week as they were featured here as well. 

I gravitated towards the same colors without duplicating them. I wanted to add some color so I colored the pots in contrasting colors to the succulents.

The colored page

The two page spread

The paper used here has a slightly glossy finish so the colors were fairly steadfast. They didn't feather after hitting the paper. They inks did bleed to the reverse side. I would be fairly upset if I was using this as a planner rather than a coloring book.

The reverse of the colored page.

I have to say that this is a particular pet peeve of mine when dealing with these coloring products. The distribution companies and the sellers should specify what media should be used with these products. This clearly is not suitable for alcohol ink markers.

I don't fault the artists on this particular matter because they have very little say on the production of the pieces. But the production company should send samples to the artist to test in order to make recommendations to the stores/buyers. If I bought this product in the store, I would have know exactly what was going on. Since I am reviewing these products and purchased them through Amazon, I have no idea of the quality of the product or paper which is why I am sharing my findings with you.

The pages might work with water based markers. They best medium will probably be colored pencils (with or without a blending solution, maybe). I don't think crayon would work well because of the glossy finish and waxy crayon. The paper didn't buckle with the wet nature of the markers but I don't know if I would recommend water colors. Watercolor pencils might work and a water brush might be the correct amount of liquid to spread the color. My next attempt will be my Prismacolor Pencils.

The only other significant aspect to mention is that the paper is a super-white or atomic/solar white color so you might need to adjust your color choices.