Colors Live

In the end, Colors Live is a great little program for beginners or for those who just want to do some doodling while you’re out and about. It’s got the basics that can help you learn the ins and outs of digital art while not bogging down newbies with a plethora of brushes and features. If you’re seriously considering getting into digital art, there are many programs and hardware you can pick up at the cheap, which will give you all the options to make great art. But for a younger person, picking up a physical copy of this game at $49.99 USD, which comes with the impressive Sonar Pen, is a fantastic way to let out that inner Van Gogh.

It's a great game for anyone who wants to check out digital painting. The pen has surprisingly good pressure sensitivity giving you good control. You can then share your images with others or view others' work on the online gallery. Additionally, the Color Quest minigame helps give you prompts if you aren't sure what to do.

Colors Live is a surprisingly capable piece of software that utilizes the Nintendo Switch's unique form factor to deliver a fun and accessible drawing experience that can appeal to both younger and older audiences thanks to its limited but flexible toolset.

Considering the limitations of the Switch’s small screen and physical setup, Colors Live offers a pretty good range of tools and functionality for a low-cost painting game. It doesn’t have the capabilities serious artists will want, but its accessibility and daily challenges provide a fun way to get some drawing practice in and stay creative.

Colors Live may not be the most powerful drawing program for digital artists out there, but it was never intended to be so either. What it excels at is creating an incredible online community that lets anyone lay out their tools in front of them and think outside the box to create interesting and often thoughtful artwork. With online monthly challenges to take part in and inspiration spread out by the bucketloads, there are so many potential hours to spend amongst a much healthier and more welcoming community. More so than pretty much any other form of popular social media out there.

One of the best features included in Colors Live is the online art gallery. When artists finish their work, it can be uploaded to the gallery, where other artists can view, comment, and like each piece. The software also uses a playback feature, showcasing the creation process video. This gives young artists a safe location to share their work while connecting with others. Colors Live is a great fit for new digital artists, offering a taste of features present in bigger applications, but at a reasonable price. While the SonarPen would benefit from several design improvements like a Bluetooth option or a longer, slimmer cable, the pressure-sensitive stylus is a great addition to a non-traditional drawing surface. However, for those who are used to drawing on the iPad or a Wacom tablet, the lack of options could feel limiting, making it a less useful and enjoyable addition to a portable digital studio.

All in all Colors Live is a useful art application with some strange limitations. The Sonar Pen and layers are absolutely welcome in our eyes, but the lack of a bucket tool, restricted brush styles, and many other staples left us a bit wanting. Having said that people have already been creating tremendous artwork showing that any medium is only as powerful as the artist’s skillset. We’d have liked to see a more complete digital art package, but for someone who already owns a Switch and wants to try doodling on a screen with something more than their finger, Colors Live provides a simple and easy entry point.