Moonleaf
Line art that holds a pencil
A colouring page lives or dies on its outlines. Lines that are grey, broken or feathered look fine on a screen and then fall apart on paper: pencil bleeds past them, marker pools at the gaps, and the finished page looks smudged no matter how carefully it was filled. Clean black contours that fully close each shape are the whole difference between a page that is pleasant to colour and one that is quietly frustrating.
That is the standard the two pages here are drawn to: solid black contours, closed shapes, and no grey. They are prepared at 4096 by 4096 pixels, which is 35 by 35 centimetres at 300 dpi, so the lines stay lines on paper and not only on a screen.
Paper, by what you colour with
- Coloured pencils. Slightly toothy paper of moderate weight takes several layers without polishing to a shine. Very smooth paper stops accepting pigment after two passes.
- Alcohol markers. These bleed through ordinary paper onto whatever is underneath. Heavy marker or cardstock, and a spare sheet under the page, saves the rest of the pad.
- Gel pens and fineliners. Smooth paper suits them, and they are the one case where standard printer paper is genuinely fine.
Printer settings worth checking once
Two settings account for most disappointing prints. The first is scaling: printing at actual size rather than fit to page keeps the proportions the artist drew. The second is quality, because draft mode thins exactly the black lines you need solid. Setting the paper type to match what is actually in the tray fixes more problems than any other adjustment.
Why people come back to it
Colouring is one of the few evening activities that asks for attention without asking for decisions. There is no score, no next episode and no notification. The page is finished when you say it is, and the only thing you have to choose is which green.
The pieces
Each one has its own page with what it shows, the sizes it prints at and how to get it onto paper. €9 a piece, as a file you download.
Questions people ask
What does a page cost?
A single page is 9 euro. Three pages from one collection are 24 euro. You download the file and print it as often as you like at home.
What is in the download?
The page at 4096 by 4096 pixels, which prints to 35 by 35 centimetres at 300 dpi and to any smaller size, with a printing guide and a licence for personal use.
What paper should I use?
It depends on what you colour with. Slightly toothy paper of moderate weight suits coloured pencils, heavy marker paper or cardstock is needed for alcohol markers, and ordinary printer paper is fine for gel pens and fineliners.
Why do my printed pages look grey?
Usually draft quality, which thins the black lines. Printing at normal or high quality, at actual size rather than fit to page, and with the paper type set to what is in the tray fixes most of it.
Are these suitable for children?
The line density is aimed at adults. Younger children generally get on better with larger, simpler shapes than the ones here.
What is in every download
The artwork at its full resolution, a printing guide written for this kind of art, and a licence for your own walls. Nothing is posted. The file is yours to keep and to print again whenever a room changes.