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A few years ago, I got sentimental and began tracking down all the great coloring books that I'd had as a kid, and Space W.A.R.P. is one of my favorites.
Already being a fan of the Japanese Shogun Warrior toys from the Seventies, I immediately recognized the rip-off/homage to Reideen The Brave in the design, but I loved it anyway!
Troubador Press in San Francisco, just across the Bay from where I grew up and still reside, published an incredible series of large format coloring books, and I was able track down multiple copies of almost all of them.
I love that WARP is an acronym for Warrior Activated Robot Patrol, and that Warrior is perhaps another allusion to the Shogun Warrior character from which the artist Larry Evans took inspiration.
This is the first two pages. What is lovely about this and most of Troubador's coloring books is that the art is always beautifully composed and strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and detail.
Most of the black lines are thick to allow for young hands to make mistakes with their Crayolas, and the story is quite detailed!
As an adult, I must confess that I really agonize over color choices.
Being a Lego builder for decades has spoiled me in regards to color saturation and consistency, so working on these early pages has been good for me to learn to let go of such high expectations.
My mom was a landscape architect back when most drawings were made and colored by hand. She taught me the technique of applying more pressure for a richer color to add depth to the lighter strokes, which can best be seen in the cat and the sun.
The art is this book is just superb. Every panel has depth and action and a strong kinetic feeling.
The challenge, which often confounds me, is how to choose distinct and contrasting colors without making the final piece too busy or cluttered.
I only have the space station left to do, but I'm satisfied with this overall.
I'll never color in the blackness of space because it would take forever and I think, as in the previous page, it's good to have some negative or uncolored areas to give the eyes a rest!