Ohio State Quarter Coloring Page (Redo)

Yesterday, I shared an improved version of my Missouri state quarter coloring page. When I colored the original, I didn't have the correct ink colors to do what I wanted. I updated it now that I have new supplies. I'm much happier with attempt #2. 

Today, I'm sharing my improved version of the Ohio state quarter coloring page. In this case, I can't blame the materials - I simply made poor color choices the first time I colored it. I don't know what I was thinking. I used the same colored pencils for the redo and I like it so much better. 

I'm not going to be redoing any more of these coloring pages, now that the two that bugged me the most are better. On to different crafts!

Coloring Donald and Daisy Duck with a Neon Effect

After coloring Dumbo with a glow effect, I was excited to color Donald and Daisy with a neon effect. What a fun technique! And so much easier than I expected. Affiliate links below. 

 

Like Dumbo, Donald and Daisy came from the Disneyland Parks Colouring Book. I cut down the image to a 7" square. I got out my black Ohuhu Honolulu...

... and colored the background black, making sure i could still easily see the lines of the coloring page. 

Then I traced the lines of the characters using Ohuhu Nahukus. 

The next step was adding a really thin line of white over the center of each of the colored areas. It didn't end up perfect, but no matter. When that was dry, I used my Ohuhu Halawas  to add a soft glow around the edges of each line, then colored right up to that glow with black. I worked on one section at a time. 

In retrospect, I wish I'd used the black Honolulu or a black Kaala to color the background. It would have been easier and faster than the colored pencil. Not to mention, my black Halawa is now half the size of the rest of the set. 

I love how this turned out! And like I said, it was a lot of fun. I will definitely be doing this again. 

Coloring Dumbo with a Glow Effect

There are a lot of really cool coloring trends lately. In her latest video, Sarah Renae Clark covers thirty (30!!) of the most trendy coloring techniques. Some of them look like so much fun! I've especially been wanting to try the neon effect, so I got out my Disneyland Parks Colouring Book (affiliate link here and below) and picked a Dumbo image.  However, as I almost always do when crafting, I ended up going rogue. Instead of following the easy steps for a neon effect that Sarah outlines in her video, I complicated things with a bunch of experimentation. I'm calling this a glow effect, because it definitely isn't the neon effect and it reminds me of the lighted inflatables at the zoo during the winter.    

I cut my coloring page down to a 7" square, then got out my black Ohuhu Honolulu. 

I colored the background, making sure i could still easily see the lines of the coloring page. I decided that I would just be coloring Dumbo, not the nephew riding him or anything in the background. I traced all the lines I'd be keeping in white using an Ohuhu Nahuku. In retrospect, I should have jumped in with color, not white. But we learn through experimentation. 

I started out trying to do a gradient kind of thing with the three blues in my set, but ended up coloring over most of that. I love how the Nahukus can just layer and layer and layer. As you can see, I decided to add some of the greenery back into the image. I (mostly) followed the lines on the right-hand side but made up my own design on the left. 

Oops. I gave Dumbo three front feet. Did you notice? It's a good thing the Nahukus layer so well. Third foot gone!

After I finished coloring, I used Ohuhu Halawas to add a soft glow around the outside edges. Finally, I added more black to the background. I kept the coloring page on the cardboard you see protecting my table, which is what gave the background that interesting mottled look. It helps disguise the original lines of the coloring page. 

I learned a lot while coloring Dumbo and had a lot of fun. I'm eager to try this glow effect again, but before that, I'm going to try actually doing the neon effect properly. Stay tuned!

Santa's Closet - A Printable Drawing Challenge for Kids

We all know what Santa wears during the winter, but what does he wear the rest of the year? This printable challenges kids to use their imagination to draw what they think Santa wears during each season of the year. 

Of course I tried my own challenge! But before you scroll down and look at my sketches, take a minute to decide how you think Santa dresses in spring, summer, and fall. 

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It was great fun thinking about what Santa does in the off-season and how he would dress. I decided that Santa's spring wardrobe includes a red polo shirt, khaki convertible cargo pants, a yellow and green ball cap, and tennis shoes. In the summer, he wears a red tank top, yellow and green floral board shorts, a green visor, and red flip flops. In the fall, he wears a black and red knitted sweater, brown corduroy pants, a yellow knitted beanie, and brown hiking boots. I colored my designs with my Ohuhu Kaala markers, which are always so much fun to use. 

If any of you take the challenge and draw what's in Santa's closet, I'd love to see it! You can email photos to cindy.mycreativelife@gmail.com. Enjoy!

Ohuhu Coloring Gallery Giveaway Challenge

Ohuhu, maker of my all-time favorite water-based and alcohol markers, is sponsoring a coloring contest and you should enter! Why? Well, not only are there fabulous grand prizes for six winners, but EVERYONE who enters earns reward points you can use toward Ohuhu purchases. All you have to do is visit the Ohuhu coloring page gallery, print out your favorite design, color it in, and submit it. You can enter up to three coloring pages. You have until December 15 to enter. 

For fun, I played along but turned it into a challenge. I printed out a cake design, chose 7 colors (plus black, a warm grey for shadows, and the colorless blender) from Ohuhu's Kaala Landscape set (affiliate link), and gave myself two hours to color. This is how my page looked at the end of two hours. 

I love Ohuhu markers. If you've never tried them, buy a small set and see why so many artists absolutely love them. At 55 cents a marker, they are far more affordable than the other artist-quality brands. They make a great gift for tweens and teens who are interested in moving beyond the student-grade supplies. 

Good luck in the contest!

Christmas Name Art

Turn on the holiday music and challenge the kids to turn the letters in their names into Christmas icons. Like all good name art projects, this works with any name and is a fun and creative activity. Affiliate links below. 

Christmas Name Art

Materials:

• Neenah Bristol Vellum
• Ohuhu Kaala Illustration markers
• Sakura fineliner

Steps: 

Use a pencil to lightly write your name in block letters on a piece of bristol vellum. Sketch in details to turn each letter into something associated with Christmas. I made my C into a candy cane, the I into a snowman, the N into gingerbread, the D into a gift, and the Y into an oddly skinny Santa. Other ideas include: an elf, snow on a chimney top, an angel, a reindeer, a sugar cookie, or tree lights. Certain letters are perfect for specific shapes, like a stocking for J or a Christmas tree for A. Feel free to mix upper- and lowercase letters to get the shapes you want. Anything goes!

Once you are happy with your design, color it in. Erase any stray pencil marks, then outline your design with a fineliner. 

Standing Snowboarder Craft

Did you know that Colorado has named three official state sports? Colorado's state summer sport is pack burro racing (!) and its winter sports are skiing and snowboarding. This standing snowboarder craft may look familiar, as it's based on an Olympic snowboarding craft I did awhile back. I used the drawing I made last time as the template for this one, but I changed up some of the materials. I'm happier with this version. Affiliate links below. 

Standing Snowboarder Craft

Materials: 

• Bristol vellum paper 
• Ohuhu alcohol markers
• microtip scissors
• Mod Podge

Steps: 

Sketch a snowboarder and a snowboard onto a piece of Bristol vellum. Draw the arms and hands in any position you want, but make sure the feet are slanted slightly in the same direction. You can substitute a heavier weight paper, but don't go any lighter or your snowboarder might slump instead of standing. 

Color the snowboard and snowboarder with the alcohol markers, then cut out the pieces using microtip scissors. I'm not sure if my snowboarder customized his board to match his favorite scarf, or if he made the scarf to match his favorite board. 

Bend the feet upward so they are at a 90° angle to the rest of the body. Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the snowboard, then position the snowboarder onto the wet Mod Podge. When the Mod Podge dries, the board will be shiny and the snowboarder will be permanently connected to the board. 

 

I love how versatile Mod Podge is. And I'm really happy with my snowboarder. 

Underwater Scene: Paint Markers on Aluminum Foil

When I reviewed the new Ohuhu Nahuku Acrylic Markers, I was impressed by how well they color on paper, plastic, and metal. Ohuhu sent me a different set, the Kakaako Acrylic Markers, to try and I was eager to see if they performed as well. I'm happy to report that they impress me too. I'm not surprised, as Ohuhu's products are consistently high quality and a pleasure to use. Affiliate links here and below. 

The Kakaako set includes 30 double-ended acrylic markers: 15 basic colors, 9 metallics, and 6 fluorescents. Unlike the Nahukus with their brush nibs, the Kakaakos are what I think of as a traditional paint pen. To activate the paint, you shake the pen, then press down on the round or fine tip until the color is flowing. These pens are made to color on a wide variety of surfaces, including: paper, plastic, glass, ceramic, rocks, wood, fabric, and more. I decided to test "and more" with a more unconventional surface: aluminum foil. 

I cut an 8" square of aluminum foil, then colored the background with patches of color from four different blue pens. The paint dries fairly quickly, but there is enough open time that you can fingerpaint if you want to. I used my index finger to soften and blend the background in some places. I intentionally let the foil show through in many spots. You can't tell on the scan, but it's super shiny in real life. 

I used the round tip to add a sea floor, kelp, coral, and fish. Then I went in with the fine tips to add a bit of detail. The paint layers nicely if you let the base coat(s) dry first. 

Here's a look at the full color palette and how each looks on white and black cardstock. You can also see how the coverage is with a single coat. 

Just like the Nahukus, I definitely recommend Ohuhu's Kakaako Acrylic Markers but once again feel that using them on paper would be a waste. Try them on a wide variety of surfaces, including aluminum foil!

Quirky Collages to Color: Carousel Horse

I wanted to give the Ohuhu Halawa colored pencils another go, so I used them to color another super fun image from Quirky Collages to Color. This time, I colored a carousel horse, made up of all sorts of toys and games and other miscellaneous stuff. 

How many of the 60 hidden items can you spot? I'm the one who colored it and some of them are still hard for me to find!

 

Once again, I enjoyed working with the Ohuhu colored pencils. They hold a nice sharp point, which is great for coloring the tiny spaces in this collage. The color selection is great. Because they are oil-based, they don't blend as easily as the wax-based Prismacolors I usually use, but that wasn't really an issue with this image. In the future, I can see myself using both sets of colored pencils in order to take advantage of the best features of each. 

50 State Quarters: Coloring Pages Using Ohuhu Halawa Colored Pencils

I've finished coloring all of the 50 State Quarter coloring pages! The last four states in my 8-month long project completing the 50 pages using different art materials include Alaska, Texas, Kansas, and Ohio. I colored these four with the Ohuhu Halawa colored pencil set. Affiliate link here and below. 

Ohuhu fans like me have been waiting (im)patiently for Ohuhu to release a colored pencil set and it's finally here! Ohuhu has a well-deserved reputation for making high quality art materials at affordable prices and I'm happy to report that their colored pencils uphold that reputation. This was my first time trying them and I was really happy with their performance. I wasn't entirely happy with MY performance; I'm used to wax-based pencils, so there was a learning curve with these oil-based pencils. I intentionally tried a bunch of different techniques while coloring to see how they compare to the other brands I've used. I also tried to use as many of the colors as possible across the four pages.  

The Ohuhu Halawa colored pencil set contains 72 pencils with ultra-soft lead in a nice range of colors. At only 62 cents a pencil, they are significantly cheaper than other brands of equal quality. They're packaged more securely than pretty much anything I've ever received through the mail. That said, I did have issues with repeated breakage in one pencil. None of the others broke, even with hard pressure. I'm looking forward to coloring with them again, particularly in combination with Ohuhu's markers. 

Here are the art materials I used for the rest of the coloring pages:

• Ohuhu Kaala markers (Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Wisconsin)
• ink and Prismacolor colored pencils (Connecticut, Idaho, Missouri, Montana)
• Flair pens (Delaware, Indiana)
• Sharpies (Maine, South Carolina)
• Stabilo Woody 3-in-1 (Colorado, New Hampshire)
• Folk Art acrylic paint (Wyoming, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Michigan)
• Crayola crayons (Florida, Maryland, South Dakota, Vermont)
• Himi gouache (Iowa, New York, Utah, West Virginia)
• Derwent Inktense pencils (Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana)
• Ohuhu Pupe markers (Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Washington)
• Koi watercolors by Sakura (Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oklahoma)
• Prismacolor art markers (Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Virginia)
• Kuretake Gansai Tambi (California, Georgia, North Carolina, North Dakota)

Tomorrow I'll rank the 14 art materials from my favorite to least favorite for coloring the 50 State Quarters. If you've been following along, you can probably already guess what will be at the top and what will be at the bottom!

Painted Plastic Easter Eggs, Using Ohuhu Nahuku Acrylic Markers

The Ohuhu Nahuku Acrylic Markers perform really well on paper and a Ziploc bag. I'm happy to report that they work just as well on two more surfaces: a plastic egg and a CD. Affiliate links below. 

Painted Plastic Easter Eggs

Materials: 

• Ohuhu Nahuku Acrylic Markers
• plastic Easter eggs
• blank CDs
• rubber bands

I started by drawing the chick on the plastic egg. As before, the paint glided beautifully across the surface. I only had to use a single coat to get good coverage. Obviously, you can decorate the eggs with any pattern or design you want, including words and names. If you want to layer colors, let the first coat dry before putting another on top. 

Next, I decorated the CD. It is there for two reasons: first, it gave me another surface to try with the Nahukus; and second, it holds the plastic egg upright. I put a rubber band on the desktop under the CD, which lifts it just enough so that the egg nestles into the hole and doesn't topple. 

These would make really fun place cards for Easter dinner. Decorate them ahead of time and fill them with each guest's favorite candy. Or, have each person make their own when they arrive. There are lots of possibilities!

Doodled Animals with Ohuhu Nahuku Acrylic Markers

Ohuhu is known for making high-quality art supplies that are much less expensive than comparable brands. I own four products by Ohuhu: the Honolulu Dual-Tip Alcohol Markers; the Kaala Dual-Tip Alcohol Markers; the Marker Sketchbook; and the Pupe Paper-Friendly Water-Based Markers. I love them all. So I was delighted to have the opportunity to try out the Ohuhu Nahuku Acrylic Markers (affiliate link here and below). 

I've used acrylic markers ("paint pens") by other manufacturers, but Ohuhu's Nahuku is completely different than anything I've used before. 

I'm used to acrylic markers with a chisel or point nib, where you press down to let the paint flow into the nib the first time you use it. Instead, these markers have brush nibs. The paint flows into the brush without any pressing (though you do have to shake them). There's a peekaboo window on the side of the pen so you can see how much paint is left. Genius! 

And that paint? The pens are really juicy and the paint flows onto the surface beautifully. The colors are highly pigmented. They are gorgeous on white and even more so on black. I did a single coat for my swatch cards; as you can see, most of the colors are completely opaque on both black and white. Only the four lightest colors could use a second coat on the black. 

    

After swatching the colors, I couldn't wait to try the pens on an actual project. I recently found a scrap of paper from years ago where I'd doodled four animals in a distinctive style. (I wish I knew what artist had influenced my doodles so I could give proper credit. Let me know if you recognize the style.) I used the Nahukus to doodle those animals (and a few more) to fill a page. In each case, I colored the base, let that dry, added the secondary colors on top (ears, whites of the eyes, tummies, stripes, dots, etc) and let that dry. I did the outlines with a Flair pen to see how it would write on top of the paint (perfectly). 

I loved working with these markers! The paint flows so well. But using them on paper is a waste of an amazing product. You can use any markers on paper, but these pens are made to write on non-traditional surfaces, like glass, plastic, rocks, wood, fabric, and much more. 

There was an empty plastic Ziploc bag sitting on my desk, so I decided to doodle more animals there. And that's where the Nahukus really shine. The brush nib glided over the plastic like skates on ice. I did the base layers, let those dry, then did the detail layers. I only outlined two of the animals; this time, I used the black acrylic marker to see how fine of a line I could get. 

The bag is wrinkly, so the scan isn't great, but you get the idea. 

I tested the Ohuhu Nahukus Acrylic Markers on two more surfaces, which I put together into a single project. I'll show you that on Monday.

Faux Glitter Name Art

Check out my glittery name art! I love it. So pretty, right?

 

I made this name art using plain, non-sparkly pens on ordinary printer paper. There is no glitter or anything shiny or shimmery at all. Read on to find out how to make your own- it's really easy! Affiliate links below. 

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Faux Glitter Name Art

Materials: 

• your name, printed or handwritten, in outlined letters (I used the Ossem Rounded font on PicMonkey)
• markers (I used Ohuhu's paper-friendly Pupe set)
• white Posca pen

Steps: 

Choose three markers for each letter of your name. They should be the same basic color, with one darker, one in the middle, and one lighter. Start with the darkest one. Draw dots along the outer edges of your first letter. (I worked from right to left, of course.) The dots should be concentrated along the edges, with an occasional dot in the middle of the letter. 

Use your medium color to make more dots, concentrating them just inside the darkest color. Again, allow a few dots to go in the middle and a few along the edges. 

Add dots with the lightest color, concentrating them in the middle of the letter. 

Finally, add white dots, concentrated at the very center of the letter. 

Then move on to the next letter. Obviously, you can use the same three markers or choose another set of three. I like the variety, so I did a modified rainbow. 

Here's a closer look at my completed yellow I and the start of my pink C. 

Here are all of the markers I used to color my name. They look so pretty together! And I love the way they perform on paper. If you haven't read my review of Ohuhu's Pupe paper-friendly markers, do that now. 

You can leave your artwork like this, but the letters don't POP until you put them on a black background. Color the background black or cut out the letters and glue them to black paper. 

Looking for more name art ideas? I have a few dozen for you to choose from. I love name art. 

Coloring Disney Villains: Evil Queen

I took a break from coloring state quarters to do a quick Disney villain. Here's my Evil Queen: 

The image is from Art of Coloring Disney Villains (affiliate link here and below). It's a fun book filled with lots of different evil characters to color. 

Overall, I like the coloring book. There is a good mix of designs, some more simple and others more detailed. They represent a wide range of Disney movies, both older and newer. However, some of the images span across two pages, meaning some of the design is lost in the binding. The designs are printed back-to-back, so you can't color all the images if you work with markers. Fortunately, the paper is fairly thick, so I didn't have an issue with the printed design on the back showing through to my colored side. 

I started by coloring a base coat with Ohuhu Kaala and Honolulu markers, which is what you see on the left. Then I used Prismacolor colored pencils to add the tonal variation and shadows you see on the right. 

  

After coloring 42 pages using 12 different art materials, it is telling that I chose Ohuhu markers and Prismacolor pencils to do this page just for fun. Using the two combines the best of both worlds for me - the speed, color choice, and coverage of the Ohuhus along with the precision and ease of blending of the Prismacolors. 

I'm looking forward to coloring my next villain!

50 State Quarters: Coloring Pages Using Ohuhu's New Pupe

I was trying to decide what art material to use for my next batch of 50 State Quarter coloring pages when I got an email from the folks at Ohuhu asking if I'd like to review their latest markers. Would I?! Yes! I absolutely love everything that Ohuhu makes. Just read my reviews of the Ohuhu Honolulu and Ohuhu Kaala alcohol markers and you'll see! Affiliate links below.  

Ohuhu's latest set, called Pupe, includes 60 water-based markers. But these are not ordinary water-based markers. They are specifically designed to be paper-friendly, meaning they won't scratch or peel the surface of your paper, even if you color over the same spot repeatedly. This is a total game-changer!

The Pupe markers are double-sided, with a brush tip and a 0.4 mm fineliner tip. They're non-toxic, acid-free, and fade-resistant. They come in a handy carrying case. And best of all, they are extremely inexpensive. But how is the quality? Fantastic! The ink goes down beautifully and my paper held up to 3-4 layers with no issues. Both tips are comfortable and easy to use. The colors are vibrant. If I have any complaint at all, it's that I wanted a paler grey for shading. I'd happily trade one of the oranges or reds for another grey or a light tan. But other than that, I absolutely love the Pupes. Here are the pages I colored: 

 

I know I said I wasn't going to announce my favorite art materials until after I've done all 50 State Quarters, but I will say that the Ohuhu's Pupe set is near the top. Here are all of the materials I've used previously:

• Ohuhu Kaala markers (Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Wisconsin)
• ink and Prismacolor colored pencils (Connecticut, Idaho, Missouri, Montana)
• Flair pens (Delaware, Indiana)
• Sharpies (Maine, South Carolina)
• Stabilo Woody 3-in-1 (Colorado, New Hampshire)
• Folk Art acrylic paint (Wyoming, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Michigan)
• Crayola crayons (Florida, Maryland, South Dakota, Vermont)
• Himi gouache (Iowa, New York, Utah, West Virginia)
• Derwent Inktense pencils (Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana)

A big thanks to Ohuhu for letting me test out the Pupe set. I'll be back to them soon, but for now I need to set them aside, find a different art material, and start on my next batch of State Quarter coloring pages.