Nobody can deny how Mario Paint (or something like it) would have been an excellent addition to any Nintendo DS unit. Unfortunately, like many other concepts fueled by wishful thinking, it never happened.
Collecting Smiles, however, created the killer painting app we didn’t even know we wanted. Not only does Colors! 3D allow 3DS owners to (finally) doodle like crazy using touch screen controls, but offers legitimately talented artists an excellent avenue to create and display literal works of art.
Simply put, Colors! 3D offers what it promises -- a solid digital canvas for both beginners and advanced artists to express colorful ideas. Users switch back and forth between five different layers in order to create “paintings” in both regular 2D and 3D. One of the most impressive features, believe it or not, is the innovative use of the handheld’s 3D capabilities. The added levels of depth not only allow for visually stunning moments while viewing the Colors! 3D community gallery, but also ensures beginners will forge eye-popping masterpieces in no time at all.
The interactive gallery -- available both online and on the actual 3DS -- is an excellent way to share paintings, search for inspiration, or simply pass some time by admiring other creations. Colors! 3D released very recently, but already there are too many visually stunning works of art to count, an excellent indicator of a growing community. Other users may also rate and comment on the works displayed in the gallery, offering an admirable outlet for feedback and proper recognition.
Now there’s always the chance that controls could be off when interacting with the stylus on a touch screen. As for Colors! 3D, everything runs perfectly smooth. Like many higher priced digital drawing pads, it’s like you’re simply drawing with a real pen or pencil, which allows for highly detailed creations. As an added perk, pointing the analog thumb stick up or down zooms in on paintings when greater detail is needed, and the D-pad lets users reorient the main canvas position. To assure everyone comes out of the program smiling after their first few sessions, Colors! 3D also features a smooth tutorial for beginners. Within minutes of firing up the 3DS, you’ll be painting like Picasso.
Highlighting greater things to come, Colors! 3D is truly a landmark 3DS achievement. With amazing features, an already solid online art community, and plenty of support (not that you even need it), this is a must have app for the 3DS. This highly ambitious project from Collecting Smiles not only represents a stellar independent project, but also shows what Nintendo’s latest handheld is capable of in the form of non-gaming alternatives. Anyone with an extra $7 -- even if they’re no Bob Ross -- should definitely snag this program and immerse themselves in one of the greatest apps we’ll ever see on the 3DS.
As for personal experiments, well... here's a wonderful picture of what appears to be power pellet Pac-Man on an intense drug trip:
