Mobile coloring in a digital world

By Cham

~First published in the Burlington Times-News, section A10

The adult coloring-book phenomenon is sweeping the nation, and now there’s a sophisticated alternative. for those who prefer using a screen to books and pencils. Referred to in the App Store as “relaxing and energizing — a form of creative expression that gives you a Zen-like zone-out,” Recolor is certainly all it claims to be.

Recolor, created in 2015 by Sumoing Ltd., has more than 1,000 art illustrations ranging from beginner to. expert organized into categories including fantasy, sea life, folk art and 3-D images. New drawings are. published every day, and with virtually unlimited options it never ceases to amaze. Once you sign up with. either Google or Facebook, you can import your own line drawings or choose from the multitude of ready- made offerings.

After you select and open a drawing, choose a color from the “palettes” or from a previously colored area. Tap once on an area to add a color, then tap again to remove it. Once you’ve finished changing the colors, you may add a “style theme” to complete your drawing. After you’ve completed your masterpiece, you can then. save it on the app or to your camera, share it directly via Instagram, or publish it to the app.

Recolor for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch requires IOS 8.0 or later, and for Android, 4.0.3 and up. Not only does the app work equally well on all mobile devices, but it’s also easily translated into a wide array of languages including French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and more. The app can be found on either Google Play or in the App Store, and the initial download is free. The “Recolor Unlimited Subscription” is $2.99 per week, $7.99 per month or $39.99 per year. With the subscription, you will be able to save all your drafts and pictures, as well as publish finished pieces to your own personal platform. To learn more, visit recolor.com.