The newest additions to our Magical Scenery & Hidden Worlds Vol. 2 collection have arrived! Our illustrators have been hard at work designing even more whimsical homes and enchanted terrariums tucked inside giant, repurposed everyday objects. As a parent or educator, these intricate designs offer a wonderful opportunity to teach children intermediate art concepts in a fun, engaging way.
If your little artists are ready to take their coloring to the next level, here are a few expert tips for bringing these oversized, surreal landscapes to life.
One of the most exciting aspects of this collection is the concept of tiny homes built into massive objects. But how do you emphasize that a regular household item is suddenly the size of a hill?
The secret is in the surrounding nature! When coloring pages like the Magical Rotary Telephone House, encourage children to use realistic, recognizable colors for the surrounding flowers and leaves. By coloring the daffodils in familiar yellows and greens, it grounds the scene in reality. This creates a striking contrast that makes the blue or red telephone look impossibly huge and delightfully surreal.
Several of our new pages feature radiant light sources and delicate glass enclosures. Capturing the look of glowing light or transparent glass is a fun challenge for growing artists.
To create a glowing effect—like the light spilling from the Magical Glowing Vine Lantern—start by pressing firmly with a bright yellow or white crayon in the very center of the light source. As you color outward, gently reduce your pressure and blend into warmer oranges, and eventually into the greens of the surrounding leaves. This gradient creates the illusion that the light is casting a warm, magical beam across the forest.
For glass objects like the Magical Lightbulb Terrarium, remind kids to leave plenty of blank white space! Using light, icy blues around the edges while leaving the center mostly white mimics the reflective surface of curved glass.
Even static objects can feel alive when you focus on the moving elements around them. Adding a sense of motion can make a coloring page feel like a snapshot from a storybook.
Take the Magical Butterfly Mailbox, for example. To make the butterflies look like they are bursting out of the mail slot in a flurry of motion, try coloring the butterflies closest to the mailbox in deep, saturated colors. As the butterflies fly further away toward the edges of the page, use lighter pressure or softer pastel shades. This technique, called atmospheric perspective, gives the picture a wonderful sense of depth and action.
We can't wait to see how your family brings these hidden worlds to life. Grab your favorite colored pencils, markers, or crayons, and let the magic begin!
This article is part of Magical Scenery & Hidden Worlds Vol. 2 — browse all 12 coloring pages
