PAF
In this installment about designing an adult coloring book, I want to tackle the subject that has been annoying to me to a certain degree but quite necessary when it comes to doing an adult coloring book. That is symmetry and balance, which is the final step before download and dpi to ensure the design is right.
Symmetry is making sure that the background and the forefront design go together. This can be essential for someone such as me who uses public domain clip art. Why, because we want it to look seamless not like something was placed on top of something else. In other words, have to look like the entire thing was drawn together not placed together which was actually the case but don’t want that to be so obvious. One way this is accomplished is by what is illustrated in the first design from my Hearts and flowers book, which is making sure that a dark background is on a dark image.
The same is accomplished with a lighter background and a lighter forefront. The trick is to just make sure the images go together. There are exceptions to this rule as is shown in the second picture from my book Fashionable women, where the background is lighter than the forefront image but this seems to work because the sixties theme is captured throughout the photo, so it seems to work.
Then there is balance making sure that the images are balanced from right to left to top to bottom. I will admit I fell short on this with my earlier coloring books and this is something that is not easy to accomplish. The best course of advice I can give anyone about symmetry and balance is look over the image does your eye go somewhere other than the middle which is where we want it to go in order to take in the whole picture, if that happens to ask why, and take care of the problem odds are it has to do with balance that is usually the case for me.
Also, another pair of eyes helps, my sister has become mine and I have had to deal with some harsh criticisms including redoing an entire page. Well, that concludes going into symmetry and balance not sure it's the most interesting of subjects but still a necessary evil when designing a coloring book.
