The Best and the Worst of the 50 State Quarters, Part 3

This is my third post rating the designs of each of the 50 state quarters. I suggest starting with the first post, which gives the background and explains the criteria I'm using for grading. This time I'm looking at the 5 quarters from Year 5 (2003) and Year 6 (2004). 

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2003 - Year 5 of the 50 State Quarters Program

The Illinois quarter shows Abraham Lincoln within the outline of the state. In the backgrounnd, there is a farm scene on the left and the Chicago skyline on the right. There are 21 stars, signifying that Illinois is the 21st state. Overall, it's a nice quarter that represents different parts of the state well. I have two complaints: I don't like the font and spacing choices for the text. And I really don't like the addition of the century part of "21st State - Century." I get that we were barely (3 years) into the 21st century when the quarter came out and that they wanted to portray Illinois as a modern state with present-day importance, but it doesn't have any meaningful connection to being the 21st state. Aesthetics: 3, representation 4, education 1, for a total of 8. 

 

The Alabama quarter design features an image of Helen Keller (born in Tuscumbia, Alabama) with her name in English and in Braille (a super cool element) and a banner saying Spirit of Courage. The quarter also has a branch of Alabama's state tree, the long leaf pine, as well as a flower. The Mint says it's a magnolia, but other sources say it's the state flower, a camellia. That makes more sense. Aesthetics 3, representation 4, education 1, for a total of 8. 

Maine's quarter shows the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse and a sailing schooner. The design is nice enough, but doesn't wow me. Aesthetics 3, representation 3, education 1, for a total of 7. 

Missouri's quarter shows Lewis and Clark’s return to St. Louis on the Missouri River. The Gateway Arch is in the background, with “Corps of Discovery 1804-2004” printed above it. I don't love this design; neither does the man who won the contest that inspired the design. I've been to the Gateway Arch and it doesn't look much like that, nor does it cross the (Mississippi, not Missouri) River. It's strange the way the trees are bending inward on both sides of the river. I realize the quarter isn't meant to be a factual depiction, but it could have been a lot better. Aesthetics 2.5, representation 2, education 1, for a total of 5.5. 

The Arkansas quarter has rice stalks, a diamond and a mallard flying above a lake. Arkansas is the nation’s #1 rice producer and the only state where you can find diamonds, but I’m not sure what the mallard is doing there, unless it's to represent the duck hunting culture. It’s not the state bird, but there is a proposal (now, in 2025) to make it the state duck. Aesthetics 4, representation 3.5, education 1, for a total of 8.5.

That makes Arkansas my top design for 2003. The runners-up are Illinois and Alabama, followed by Maine and then Missouri. 

2004 - Year 6 of the 50 State Quarters Program

Michigan’s quarter has an outline of the state and the five Great Lakes. This would be a fine design if it represented the Great Lakes, but I don’t think it honors Michigan. Something about Motown and the car industry and cereal would better represent the state. Aesthetics 2, representation 1.5, education 0.5, for a total of 4. 

The Florida quarter design shows a 16th-century Spanish galleon, a space shuttle, and land with palm trees. Together, these items show Florida as the “Gateway to Discovery.” It’s a good theme, but I really don’t like the design. Aesthetics 1, representation 3, education 1, for a total of 5. 

Texas’ quarter has a star over the state’s outline and the inscription, “The Lone Star State,” with rope symbolizing the state’s cowboy history around the edges. It’s simple... too simple. That empty space on the left could hold another symbol - a horseshoe or the state flower, for example. Aesthetics 2, representation 2.5, education 0.5, for a total of 5.

Iowa’s quarter is based on Grant Wood’s painting called Arbor Day and features a one-room schoolhouse with a teacher and students planting a tree. I get the Grant Wood / Iowa connection, but a one-room schoolhouse that looks like this could be found in most states. I tried to find out the meaning behind “Foundation in Education” and apparently it’s because Iowa had schools in place before becoming a state. I don’t know if that’s unique to Iowa. Aesthetics 2, representation 2, education 0.5, for a total of 5. 

Wisconsin leans into their agriculture with a quarter featuring a cow, cheese and corn, as well as the state motto, “Forward.” I like that America’s Dairyland emphasizes the importance of milk and cheese, but I would have replaced the cow with a bottle of milk, then added one or two more of their most important agricultural products. Wisconsin is the #1 producer of cranberries and string beans; those would make nice additions, as would brats. Or a kringle! Aesthetics 2.5, representation 3.5, education 1, for a total of 7.

My top quarter from this batch is Wisconsin, followed by Texas and Florida, then Iowa and Michigan. This group has the lowest average score of the 6 years of quarters I've graded so far. Tomorrow I'll look at how Year 7 and Year 8 did. 

The Best and Worst of the 50 State Quarters, Part 2

This is my second post rating the designs of each of the state quarters. I suggest starting with the first post, which gives the background and explains my grading criteria. Today we're looking at the 5 quarters from Year 3 (2001) and Year 4 (2002). 

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2001 - Year 3 of the 50 State Quarters Program

The New York quarter features the iconic Statue of Liberty, an outline of the state, 11 stars to signify that New York is the 11th state, and the inscription 'Gateway to Freedom.' Overall, I like this quarter. I love that they etched a line marking the Erie Canal and Hudson River into the map. I personally would have moved the star from the lower right that's almost touching Long Island over to the western part of the state to make it a bit more balanced. I also would have scooted Lady Liberty down just a hair so that her torch is not setting the N or E on fire. Aesthetics 3.5, representation 3, education 1, for a total of 7.5. 

North Carolina's quarter is based on the famous 1903 photograph of the Wright brothers' first flight in Kitty Hawk, NC. The design isn't bad, but it's a bit one-note, if that makes sense. Aesthetics 2.5, representation 2.5, education 1, for a total of 6.0. 

Rhode Island is the Ocean State, so it's appropriate that the quarter shows a sailboat in Narragansett Bay with the Pell Bridge in the background. It's a nice design. Aesthetics 4, representation 3, education 0.5 for a total of 8. 

Maple syrup is everywhere in Vermont, so it's not a surprise that maple sap appears on the quarter. That's Camel's Hump Mountain in the background. The quarter also has the state motto. Aesthetics 3.5, representation 3.5, and education 1, for a total of 8.5. 

The Kentucky quarter has a horse and Federal Hill, aka “My Old Kentucky Home.” I suppose those are two appropriate symbols for the state, but the design is a bit dull. It's a small detail, but I don't like that the horse is facing outward - it leads my eye off the coin and makes me wonder what he's looking at. Aesthetics 2.5, representation 2.5, education 1, for a total of 6. 

My winner in this batch is Vermont. Second place goes to Rhode Island and New York, followed by Kentucky and North Carolina. 

2002 - Year 4 of the 50 State Quarters Program

The Tennessee quarter honors the important contributions the state made to the musical heritage of the US. There are three stars to represent the three regions of Tennessee and three instruments to celebrate each region's distinct musical style. I love this quarter. No notes. Aesthetics 5, representation 4, education 0.5, for a 9.5. 

Ohio's quarter features the Wright Flyer and an astronaut over an outline of the state. These represent the pioneers of aviation who were born in Ohio, including Orville Wright (brother Wilbur was born in Indiana) and astronauts John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. The previous year, North Carolina's quarter came out with a Wright Flyer on it; apparently the two states have a (friendly?) rivalry about who lays claim to being "First in Flight" vs. "Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers." Personally, I wouldn't want to be the second state to put the same image on the quarter, although this is the more attractive of the two. Plus, it includes other elements besides just the plane. Aesthetics 3, representation 3, education 1, for a total of 7. 

The Louisiana quarter has a pelican (the state bird), a trumpet with musical notes, and the outline of the Louisiana Purchase territory with the inscription “Louisiana Purchase.” It's a nice quarter. Aesthetics 4.5, representation 3.5, education 1, for a total of 9.

The Indiana quarter features a race car, an outline of the state, the state motto “Crossroads of America,” and 19 stars marking its status as the 19th state. I like how dynamic it feels. Aesthetics 4, representation 3.5, education 1, for a total of 8.5. 

The Mississippi quarter features the state flower and its nickname, the Magnolia State. The design looks crowded; I would completely eliminate one of the two flowers and a bunch of leaves to clear out space to showcase an additional state symbol. Aesthetics 2.5, representation 2, education 0.5, for a total of 5. 

My winner from Year 4 is Tennessee, followed closely by Louisiana and then Indiana. Next is Ohio and then Mississippi. 

Next up: Year 5 and Year 6. By the time those states made their designs, they had 20+ previous examples to help guide their decisions. Did it help? I'll find out in the next post.

The Best and Worst of the 50 State Quarters, Part 1

I recently finished coloring the last of 50 coloring pages, one for each of the 50 state quarters. Along the way, I developed some fairly strong opinions about the designs each state chose to represent themselves in the 50 State Quarters Program. I thought it would be fun to grade them on a rubric and determine which are the best and worst. 

Before I get to that, I want to share a little about the design process. While the Secretary of the Treasury had what essentially amounted to veto power, the 50 states were in charge of creating their own design, by whatever method they wanted. Most states opted to have their citizens submit designs, with an advisory group selecting finalists, and then either the governor (33 states) or the citizenry (17 states) making the final selection. Each state could choose whatever they felt best represented their unique history, traditions, and symbols, with a few exceptions. No design could include the state flag or state seal, an image of a living person, or a head-and-shoulder image of a deceased person. Also banned were any "frivolous or inappropriate" designs, as well as "logos or depictions of specific commercial, private, educational, civic, religious, sports or other organizations whose membership or ownership is not universal." Instead, the designs should feature "state landmarks (natural and man-made), landscapes, historically significant buildings, symbols of state resources or industries, official state flora and fauna, state icons and outlines of the state." You can read more about the design process and requirements, starting on page 15. 

The 50 State Quarter Program lasted for 10 years. Starting in 1999, five states' quarters were issued each year, in order of admission to the Union. The earliest states had a distinct disadvantage in creating their designs, having nothing to serve as examples. They designed from nothing and pioneered the statewide approval processes. Later states were able to look at already-released coins and learn from other states' experiences when selecting their own quarter design. Not only that, but in 2003, the Mint and Treasury Secretary made some changes to the design approval process, requiring a great emphasis on designs with "an educational value, historical accuracy and artistic beauty." All this to say, it would be unfair to compare the quarters released in 1999 (Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut) with quarters that came much later. For that reason, I'm going to be ranking the state quarters in groups by release date, not in comparison with each other. Each blog post will focus on two years at a time. 

I am considering three factors in my grading: 

• Aesthetically pleasing design that makes good use of the space (5 points)
• Unique design that represents the state well (4 points)
• Teaches viewers something about the state (1 point)

On to the rankings!

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1999 - Year 1 of the 50 State Quarters Program

Delaware's quarter features Caesar Rodney making a historic ride to Independence Hall on July 2, 1776, to cast the tie-breaking vote for independence. I like that the quarter mentions Delaware being the first state, but the design is somewhat plain. They could have incorporated another element to give a broader view of Delaware than just this single event. Maybe the state flower or tree for the horse to run by? I'm awarding this quarter 1.5 points for aesthetics, 1.5 for representation, and 1 for educational value, for a total of 4 points.

Pennsylvania's quarter features Commonwealth (the gilded statue on their Capitol dome, which you can see here behind me), an outline of the state, a keystone (their state emblem and nickname) and their motto. Aesthetics 2, representation 2.5, and educational value 1 = 5.5 points. 

New Jersey's quarter features a rendition of the 1851 painting "Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emmanuel Leutze, along with their identity as Crossroads of the Revolution. (Here's when the deRosiers crossed the Delaware.) I'm not sure how I feel about New Jersey using existing artwork for their quarter instead of designing something new. It's a nice design, if a little crowded at the scale of a quarter. Aesthetics 3, representation 2, educational value 1 = 6 points. 

Georgia's quarter has an outline of the state of Georgia, a Georgia peach, sprigs of live oak (the state tree) and the state motto. It's an attractive design. Aesthetics 4.5, representation 3, education 1 = 8.5 points.

Connecticut's quarter features the famous Charter Oak, the tree used to hide the Connecticut Charter from British troops in 1687. Unfortunately, they chose an ugly representation of it. Compare this design to how it has appeared on a painting, stamp, and different coin. Aesthetics 0.5, representation 2, education 1 = 3.5 points. 

So for Year 1 (1999), my winner is Georgia! The runner-up is New Jersey, followed by Pennsylvania, Delaware, and finally Connecticut. 

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2000 - Year 2 of the 50 State Quarters Program

The sixth state, and thus the first quarter released in 2000, is Massachusetts. The design features “The Minuteman,” a famous statue at The Minuteman National Historical Park in Concord, Massachusetts (here I am with The Minuteman), an outline of the state, plus its nickname. The design is simple but very well-balanced. I'm giving it 3 for aesthetics, 2.5 for representation, and 1 for education, for a total of 6.5.  

Maryland's quarter features the top of the State House, surrounded by white oak branches and the nickname “The Old Line State.” (We had a great view of the building from our hotel room!) I'm not crazy about using the top of a building to represent your entire state, even if it is the oldest capitol building still in use, and I don't like the way the state nickname is split (The Line. Old State.) Aesthetics 2, representation 2.5, education 1, for a total of 5.5. 

The South Carolina quarter includes an outline of the state with a star designating the capital city (Columbia), along with the nickname and three of their state symbols: the palmetto tree, the Carolina wren and yellow jessamine. I really like this design. It's well-balanced and has a lot of elements without feeling crowded. Aesthetics 4.5, representation 4,  education 1, for a total of 9.5.

The New Hampshire quarter honors The Old Man of the Mountain. It has the state motto, “Live free or die,” and nine stars to mark that New Hampshire is the ninth state. This design feels unbalanced to me. It feels crowded and heavy on the right, light and airy on the left. I don't like having the text on the mountain. Aesthetics 0.5, representation 2, education 1, for a total of 3.5. 

Virginia's quarter honors Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in what is now the US. The design shows the three ships that brought settlers in 1607 and recognizes the 2007 quadricentennial. This seems like a strange choice to me, since the quarter was issued 7 years before that milestone. And 2007 looks like a death date, like they were mourning its impending death. I would have removed the word quadricentennial (and the 2007) and replaced it with Old Dominion, Virginia's nickname. Aesthetics 3, representation 2, education 1, for a total of 6.  

The winner for Year 2 (2000) is South Carolina, my favorite quarter so far. The runner-up is Massachusetts, followed by Virginia, Maryland, and New Hampshire. 

Tomorrow I'll look at the quarters from 2001 and 2002, the 3rd and 4th years of the 50 State Quarters Program.

Monotype Print Cards

 After making name art using some of my monotype prints, I used the rest of the prints to make cards. 

I had so much fun playing with the Gelli Plate (affiliate link). I need to spend a lot more time experimenting to fully understand how to use it and how best to make interesting layers. I don't own one, but that may need to change soon. 

Monotype Name Art

I recently spent a really fun afternoon crafting with my friend, Ann. This is what I made, spread on the floor to dry. 

Those are monotype prints. Monotype is a technique where you add paint (or ink) to a plate, remove some of the paint (via stencils, stamps, etc), and then transfer the remaining paint to paper. Every image is one-of-a-kind (hence the "mono" in the name). You can create similar prints, but they'll never be exactly the same, which is what makes them so special. You can layer multiple images onto the same paper to create even more interesting designs. We used Gelli Plates, a large brayer, and acrylic paint (affiliate links). 

Making monotype prints is really fun, but what can you do with your finished prints besides just admire them? It should come as no surprise that my first thought was to turn them into name art! I started by picking five of my prints and trimming away the excess paper.

Then I cut patterns for the letters in my name using scrap paper. (No pattern needed for the letter I!) I cut them freehand; as you can see, I folded the C and the Y to help with symmetry. I decided against cutting out the center of the D in order to preserve more of the print. 

If you aren't confident freehanding letters, even on scratch paper, try drawing them first. You could also print out the letters or use stencils. 

Before I cut out my letters, I shifted the patterns so that the most interesting parts of my prints would remain. Then I cut. I'm holding the I in this photo, but the letter N is a better example of this. I'm glad I didn't lose that purple stenciled detail. 

Here is my finished name art, mounted on black posterboard. I love how the letters pop against the black. 

Curious what I did with the rest of my monotype prints? I'll show you tomorrow. 

My Favorite Music Museums Across the United States

As you know, I love museums. Music museums are some of my favorites. There are two reasons and neither is because I'm a huge music fan. The first is that music museums are often highly interactive. It's fun to try out instruments or experiment with sound mixing or give karaoke a go in a recording booth. The second reason is that music museums play music. A lot of museums are visually appealing, but a smaller subset are audibly appealing as well. There may be videos playing, but most of the sound you hear in a non-music museum is the noise made by fellow visitors. A good music museum is designed around allowing you to enjoy the experience with your ears as much as with your eyes. 

Below are my favorites among the many music museums we've visited. I've linked each to the post where I originally described our visit. In those posts, you'll find links to the museums themselves.  

National Museum of African American Music 

The National Museum of African American Music is my all-time favorite music museum. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, it is immersive, interactive, and beautifully done. You don't have to know anything about African American music to fully appreciate this museum; it does an outstanding job meeting visitors where they are and allowing them to dig as deep as they want into five different eras of African American music. 

Country Music Hall of Fame

Also in Nashville, the Country Music Hall of Fame is a must-visit, even for those who aren't fans of country music. Or, rather, for those who *think* they're not fans of country music. The genre stretches much further than many people realize. (Any Elvis fans reading this?) The museum has one of the world's largest and most extensive musical collections and the facility is gorgeous. Go. 

Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum

Nashville is home to three major music museums. In addition to the two above, The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is absolutely worth a visit. It covers all genres of music and it does it very well. The exhibits are fascinating and rich with information. No matter what kind of music you like, it's represented here. The Grammy Museum Gallery is located within the Musicians Hall of Fame and makes the museum even more of a don't-miss. 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland, Ohio. It has seven floors of records, instruments, posters, costumes, ticket stubs, sound equipment, photos, props, letters, and much more memorabilia from the world's great rock artists. The museum has a great energy and is positively packed with things to check out. One large area is devoted entirely to the most recent group of Hall of Fame inductees, so you can visit each year and see something completely different. 

American Banjo Museum

I highly recommend a visit to the American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This museum chronicles the fascinating history of the banjo, from its roots with enslaved Africans in the 1600's through modern times. You'll find no more entertaining way to learn more about what it widely considered the quintessential instrument of the United States. Bonus points because the museum features Kermit the Frog. 

Rhythm Discovery Center 

The Rhythm Discovery Center in Indianapolis, Indiana is all about percussion instruments from around the world. If you can bang on it to make a rhythm, it's probably at the Rhythm Discovery Center. This museum is almost entirely hands-on and it's so much fun. 

Museum of Pop Culture

When MoPOP first opened in Seattle, Washington, it was called the Experience Music Project and was entirely devoted to pop music. Now it has other areas of focus as well. While it is not 100% about music, I still consider it an excellent music museum that is worth a visit. 

Musical Instrument Museum

The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona is spectacular. Or so I'm told. I actually haven't been there. Steve, Trevor, and my uncle Don visited the museum while I was at a conference with my aunt Vickie. The three of them couldn't stop talking about how amazing the museum was and what a treasure we'd missed. Having been to hundreds of museums with Steve and Trevor, they know what my standards are for a great museum and they assured me that's what this was. So I'm including it on my list. I hope to visit someday. 

Sewing a Sock Bear

I got a hole in one of my socks, so I did what anyone would do: cut it up to see if I could turn it into a sock bear. As one does. 

Is a sock bear a thing? There are sock monkeys, of course, and you might remember Sock Lion. Sock Bear is significantly less sophisticated, but I kinda like him. This post contains affiliate links. 

I started by cutting the sock with the hole into a simple tube with two ears, as shown below on the left. 

I turned the sock inside out and then sewed the ears together. 

That is not what I should have done. I should have sewn the tan felt onto the ears when they were open flaps. It would have been a lot easier. I backstitched a mouth onto an oval of tan felt, then sewed the brown fabric button to that. Then I sewed the snout to the sock. 

Then it was time for the googly eye buttons. I stuffed my bear with Poly-Fill, then thought about how I was going to close it to keep the stuffing in. I wanted it to stand up, so I decided the best solution was to sew an extra piece of sock around the opening. 

It's a simple project as it is, but if I were doing this with kids (a Cub Scout Bear den, for example) I would make it even easier. The biggest change would be using hot glue for most, if not all, of the sewing. I'd probably still have them sew the mouth, but you could use a brown Sharpie instead. 

Senior Showcase

Here's another really simple layout from Trevor's senior year of high school. Specifically, this is about the Senior Showcase.

 

Senior Showcase (affiliate link)

Once again, I used the event program as my journaling element. It explains Trevor's Senior Project. I paired it with a photo of him in front of his display and added the school sticker as an embellishment. I love how quickly this came together.  

50 State Quarters: My Favorite Media for Coloring

After completing 50 similar coloring pages using 14 different art materials, I have some pretty strong opinions about which are my favorites and which are my least favorites. Today I'm going to rank them from best to worst. 

Some points to clarify: 

• I like each of these art materials. They perform well for what they are intended to do. In many cases, they are not meant to be used on detailed coloring pages. That doesn't make them bad art supplies. It just means they're not the best choice for this type of project. 

• I printed all the coloring pages on Neenah Vellum Bristol (affiliate link here and below). It's the best quality paper that works in our printer. It is not made for wet media, so that definitely affected the performance of some of the art materials I used. 

• I printed the coloring pages at full size. Some of the materials I used did a great job covering large areas easily, but were incredibly difficult to try to fill in the lettering. Others were the opposite - great for tiny details and frustrating (and time-consuming and product-wasting) for broad coverage. 

• Some of the art materials I used have been favorites of mine for years. Others I used for the first time for this project. My own skill level and familiarity with the products influenced how each performed. 

• I did a better job coloring some pages than others, separate from the amount of experience I had with each art material. Lighting conditions, the speed at which I colored, and stresses going on in my life while I was coloring all played a role in how the finished pages turned out. I like some of the state quarter designs much better than others, which made them more fun to color. Some art materials had a much more limited range of colors than others due to which sets I own. I tried to think just about the art materials themselves, and not how my finished pages turned out, when ranking them from best to worst. 

Below, I've ranked all 14 art materials I used for coloring the 50 State Quarters. You'll find an affiliate link in the title. I've chosen a representative quarter for each material; that image will link back to the post about that art material. OK, let's get ranking! 

#1 - Ohuhu Kaala

The Ohuhu Kaalas get the top spot because they color beautifully and are a pleasure to use. The broad tip covers large areas easily and the fine tip can get into those tiny letters. The color range is fantastic. The markers are comfortable to use even after a lot of coloring. 

#2 - Ohuhu Pupe

To be honest, I never would have expected a water-based marker to rank in the top 2. But Ohuhu's Pupe markers are a dream for coloring. You can go over an area repeatedly without tearing, scratching, or peeling the paper. Once again, having two options for nibs (brush and fineliner) made it easy to get good coverage and to fit in tiny spaces. 

#3 - Prismacolor Premier Markers

My previous favorite markers are in spot #3. Just like the Ohuhus, they're a pleasure to use, are comfortable to hold, and work well for both large areas (using the chisel tip) and tiny areas (using the fine tip). The quality is nearly identical to the Ohuhus.

#4 - Himi Gouache

I had a lot of fun coloring pages with gouache. I loved how the vibrant colors blended on the page. Being able to reactivate dried areas was a major plus too. Filling in the tiny letters took time, but it wasn't unpleasant. 

#5 - Ink and Prismacolor Colored Pencils

I absolutely love coloring with Prismacolor colored pencils, but I knew that coloring in an entire page would be time consuming and would hurt my hand. By starting with a base coat of inks, I could then add details and shading with the colored pencils. It was a lot of fun, although it made me realize that there are a lot of basic ink colors I'm missing. 

#6 - Kuretake Gansai Tambi 

I enjoyed coloring the pages with gansai tambi - I love how easy it is to get deep pigmentation or a light wash depending on how much water you use. However, the paper did not love the amount of water I needed to make the paint work properly. This is an excellent example of a great product on the wrong paper. 

#7 - Sakura Koi Watercolors

Just like above, I love my Sakura Koi watercolors, but they work much better on proper watercolor paper than on Bristol vellum. If I'd been able to print the coloring pages on the best paper for each particular media, that would have made an enormous difference in the rankings. As it was, the watercolors were still fun to use but I struggled to get smooth and even color. 

#8 - Derwent Inktense Pencils

I like the versatility of the Inktense pencils and had fun using them, but I struggled with covering large areas without introducing too much water to the paper. This is another supply that would have been more enjoyable to use with the proper paper. 

#9 - Ohuhu Halawa Colored Pencils

I know some people can happily fill an entire coloring page using just colored pencil, but I prefer using markers or something else that goes on quickly as a base, then adding colored pencil on top for shading, detail, and tiny spaces. Blending wasn't as easy as with other methods. Coloring with the Halawas was fun, but not one of my top choices of I'd reach for the next time I complete a full-size coloring page on this paper. 

#10 - Folk Art Acrylic Paint

How much I enjoyed coloring with acrylic paint varied widely across the four images I completed. Filling in the letters was a pain in the neck, as were other tiny details. Bigger areas were more fun. I had to add a drop or two of water to some of my paints to get them just the right consistency for coloring, so that I was an extra step I would have preferred to skip (and did sometimes, only to regret it). 

#11 - Crayola Crayons

Crayola crayons rank high for nostagia and have a lot of other things going for them. But ultimately, they are not the best choice for coloring if you're interested in achieving any sort of detail or shading. It's hard to cover large spaces smoothly and painstaking to fill in tiny letters. I enjoyed using them, but purely for the good memories of my childhood, teaching years, and early parenthood.

#12 - Flair Pens

I love Flair pens. They are one of the few art supplies that live permanently on my desk within easy reach. I use them all the time. Before this project, however, I had never used them to complete an entire coloring page. And for good reason. I only ended up coloring two state quarters with Flair pens instead of four like I'd done for every material listed above. 

#13 - Stabilo Woody 3-in-1

Once again, I only finished two pages using the Stabilo Woodys. They are chunky and thus great for making big, bold marks on canvas, glass, and other surfaces... not filling in little letters on paper. I didn't hate coloring with them, but I felt very limited in what I could do. 

#14 - Sharpies

I'm a huge fan of Sharpies, but as it turns out,  I am NOT a huge fan of completing coloring pages entirely with Sharpies. This was the only art material that I regretted using for this project. I couldn't work for any length of time before needing a break from the fumes. I did manage to complete two pages, but yikes. 

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There's actually a secret 15th art material that I tried (and failed) to use for coloring: tissue paper. I thought I could paint glue onto the coloring page, then tear tissue paper to color in the spaces. That didn't work well at all, so I tried using a craft knife and a lightbox to cut tissue paper into the shapes I needed. Nope - not fun at all and the detailed lines on the coloring page didn't show through some of the colors of tissue paper like I thought they would. I abandoned my efforts after an hour of frustration.