Moving On From Kaleidoscope Kreator3

You begin designing adult colouring pages using free websites and programs. You design pretty patterns ready to be made prettier by colorists, then you think “What next? Is this it?” 

Begin & Develop Your Art.

Kaleidoscope Kreator3 isn’t the end. It’s great but it isn’t the end of the programs you can use.

There’s the Corel suite – Paint, Draw, etc, – but then there’s the “holy grail” of the Adobe suite. Mmmm – Illustrator.

I tried Corel Paint finding it was a good intermediate program between KK3 and Illustrator. You can do more with Corel Paint than with KK3 but I wanted to conquer Illustrator. Two years on, Illustrator is still refusing to be conquered….but I keep trying!

The trouble with moving up from KK3 is programs cost more. Get free trials where you can to give the program a good tryout before you part with your hard earned dosh.

My “make or break” question was could I add a border to the transparent PNG version with Photoshop? If I couldn’t, I didn’t buy the program. So far, the only program I’ve been able to do it with has been KK3.

Creative Market.

Then I discovered Creative Market. More specifically, Calvin at Findrifter Studio. Calvin’s mandala creator kits made the decision about whether I made the monthly investment for Illustrator or not.

Did I? Heck, yeah!!!

This was made with Calvin’s Jungle mandala creator kit:

The brushes are ready to use, two or three templates is included plus video tuition. The kits are generally advertised as having 300+ vector elements.

Enough to keep anyone out of mischief for several hours!

Another plus for Calvin’s kits is some of the brushes are interchangeable; you can use them in Calvin’s other similar kits. They invite experimentation.

Consider Your Market.

It’s tempting to shove everything you can in one of these mandalas. Some people love well packed mandalas with as many shapes in as possible. Others don’t.

Some people like space between shapes. For example:

I have to say this design is one of my favourites. It’s simple, uses three elements and is pretty even before it’s been coloured.

What would you do with 300+ vector shapes?

We’ve had a look at KK3 and design programs beyond it. We’ve talked about cost and my attachment to Illustrator ably assisted by Calvin’s wonderful mandala creation kits.

What’s next for you?

Join The Coloring Coach design group and start making your own designs. Let me know what you’re doing!

Til next time

Warmly

Shân