You've Just Completed a Beautiful Coloring Page. Now What?

Do you recognize the styling of the cat adorned with patterns and surrounded by swirls and flowers? I produced this original creative cat illustration exclusively for Staedtler to advertise their triplus fineliner pens. It appears in an ad in the Fall 2016 issue of “The Coloring Studio” magazine.  This quarterly pub is filled with pages of artwork to color drawn by various artists and offers “simple ways to use your colored pages.” The projects you create with the artwork, such as journal covers, greeting cards, wall art, etc, are for personal use only. Being restricted from using coloring book artwork for commercial purposes is pretty much a standard practice, and, of course, I fully support protecting artists’s copyrights.  

Is there a way to legally sell your colored pages?

Yes, if you obtain an explicit grant of license by an artist or owner of the copyright. I’ve been developing an idea for a coloring book, and you can help me decide whether or not to go ahead with it by completing the survey at the end of this blog post. Essentially, it asks if you would, as a colorist or crafter, want me to publish a coloring book that gives you an “extended license,” so that you can offer your completed projects for sale if you choose to do so. 

Using triplus fineliners

I enjoy my relationship with Staedtler. They offer me a place to share my fancy felines and other animal art. In exchange for receiving the pens, I wrote an honest review in a previous blog post here. After continuing to use the fineliners, they have become my favorite fine-tipped pens.

Giveaway: Enter to Win a Set of 20 Staedtler triplus fineliner Pens

Submit the Survey below by October 10 to be entered to win a set of 20 Staedtler triplus fineliners with a really cool denim carrying pouch, courtesy of Staedtler!

This set of 20 triplus fineliners comes with a unique denim carrying pouch.

Survey for an “Extended License” Coloring Book
[SURVEY IS CLOSED]

Colorists! Your input can help me create a future coloring book. For taking the time to answer this short survey, you’ll be entered to win the Staedtler Giveaway — a set of triplus fineliner pens in a cool denim carrying pouch. Deadline is October 10. See rules below.

Thank you as always for supporting my artwork. It's colorists like you that inspire me to create new books!

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Giveaway Contest Rules: Eligible only for residents of the U.S.A. or Canada. Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. PDT, October 10, 2016. Winners will be drawn at random from Survey entries on October 11, 2016, and notified by email promptly thereafter. If winner(s) don’t respond by October 14, 2016 prizes will be awarded to alternate persons at my discretion. 

[You can read my privacy policy here]

Staedtler triplus Fineliner Pens Are Superior Performers and a Pleasure to Use

Products Reviewed

• 20 Colors Set
• 6 Neon Colors Set
• 6 Pastel Colors Set
• 6 Earth Tone Colors Set

[CONTEST IS CLOSED!]
Staedtler has generously offered the 20 Colors Set and Neon Colors Set to one lucky winner.

[Disclosure: I received the Staedtler Fineliner Pens mentioned in this article at no charge in exchange for writing a product review.]

Staedtler triplus Fineliner Pens come in a sturdy clear plastic case that flips back to become an easel. The easel sets up and down easily, and does not tip over when you reach for a pen.

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I found Fineliner Pens to be a superior quality product and a reliable pleasure to use. They're surprisingly versatile, too.

Well Designed with the Artist in Mind

1. Ergonomic triangular barrels feel great in the hand
2. Superfine tip gets into intricate areas without bleeding
3. The caps match the colors
4. The pens glide smoothly and release color in an even flow
5. Water-based inks give opaque coverage, yet you can create watercolor effects by applying a moist brush over colored areas
6. Colors can be layered over each other. I especially liked using light gray for shading over bright colors
7. The fine tips are great to use for cross hatching, stippling, and other textures
8. Fill larger areas by placing lines next to each other
9. They resist bleeding through paper.
10. They layer well over and under most colored pencil types.
11. They have enough ink to last longer than many other pens of this type
12. The pen caps snap closed and won't fall off.
13. Dry Safe: The pens can be left uncapped for days without drying up
14. Easel storage case is easy to use

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Colors 

Staedtler triplus Fineliners don’t indicate color names on the pens or packaging, so the names I use below are my own.

• The 20 Pen Set includes a complete range of colors: primary, secondary, and tertiary colors along with two earth tones, two grays, and black. The brighter colors in the set are vivid and intense and the dark colors are distinctive
• The Neon colors are vibrant and slightly pale, which is great because they're not overwhelming as are many other brands. The colors are blue, hot pink, pale orange, yellow, green, and red-orange. My only issue is that the blue cap is a different blue from the aqua color the pen actually is
• The Earth Tone colors are deep and rich. The colors are dark red, dark mauve, purple, dark green, brown, and dark gray
• The Pastel colors are pink, lavender, peach, lime, gray, and blue. The colors are soft and mellow enough to be sophisticated without losing the fresh, sweet look of a pastel palette
• The colors are different in each set, so if you buy the entire array you will not be duplicating colors.

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After experimenting with Staedtler triplus Fineliners I found them versatile and satisfying, and now they are part of my repertoire for coloring my work. These are my go-to pens for fine detail. 

The 20 pen set is listed on Amazon and Dick Blick for approximately US$27.00. They are priced right and well worth the money because of their superior performance and how long they last.

Learn more at Staedtler's website.