Eli5: how does water based coloring books work?

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I have bought coloring books for my son. The book has pages of pictures what turn to color after you brush it with wet sponge ar brush. How does it work?

Also, some of them are single use only – you get them wet, they stay colored. Other (more expensive ones of course) dry out and you can re-wet rhem again after some time. How does thaaat work?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

When I was little, the single use ones had a dissolvable coating on the pages. When you applied water, the thinner white top mixed with the colored paint underneath to reveal color. This was not great because it meant my brush could pick up color which could then stain the carpet I was lying on, haha. 

These days, some of the single use books have the underlying color printed with a method that isn’t water soluble. 

The multi-use versions probably have a structured coating on the pages that scatter light in such a way that is canceled out by water. Have you ever picked up a pretty rock from the river or beach, only to be disappointed by how dull and white it looked once dry? The books use an extreme version of that

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