We’ve heard you're making some behind-the-scenes changes to the app, what does that mean for users? Anything exciting coming our way?
Jens (Founder and Creator of Colors!) :
Colors Live will always continue to evolve. The goal is to provide a simple and fun painting experience combined with an online gallery, providing a robust way to share art and learn from others. Apart from the focus on Nintendo Switch 2, we want to expand the core painting experience as well as the gallery features. There is a wealth of feature-requests from the community that we want to implement, as well as some new ideas to try out.
Any more news on Colors Live 2, as you visited Nintendo, what did you ask them and what did they say?
Jens:
Meeting Nintendo is always fun. They love the game and were very impressed that we were successful in creating a game relying on a separate accessory like the Colors SonarPen. We discussed what kind of features the Nintendo Switch 2 would be suitable for Colors Live, for example if GameShare would make sense. Our priority was to get access to a development kit so we can start testing the actual Nintendo Switch hardware. Sadly, they couldn’t provide one right away, as there seems to be a long waiting list to get them. But we’re working on it!
Do you have pets?
Jens:
I have kids. :D
Zyik (Community Moderator / Support) :
Not at the moment, but I’d love to eventually get a new pet or more in the future! I’ve had plenty of pets growing up and consider myself someone who admires and enjoys nature, as I love wildlife documentaries. You can see a lot of my current uploaded artwork has characters that are a bit inspired by nature after all. My life as of late has been a bit eventful, so I don’t have time for pets right now, sadly.
As for pets I’ve had, it ranges from cats to dogs, mice, rats, a gerbil, baby turtles, fish, and even a bird (though this was when I was super young and from what I remember my older sister let the bird out of its cage and our half-feral cat killed and ate it…)
A fun fact about me is that I used to raise animals I “rescued” from the wild as a kid. Mainly insects such as caterpillars I’d find in a field that I’d raised into butterflies or moths, a praying mantis once, some ladybugs along with some other insects too. On the vertebrate side of things, I once caught an anole and some toads too.
Twarda (Artist & Designer) :
Yes, my partner and I have budgie pets. Currently, I have three (Pyra, Ziemniak, Tofel), but we are looking to relocate Ziemniak, so eventually we will likely have two. It's unfortunate, as Ziemniak turned out to be extremely aggressive toward any birds. We worked with her for a year, under a behaviorist's supervision too, but unfortunately, this whole ordeal ended up traumatizing Pyra.
It's the first time I’ve seen a budgerigar be afraid of its own species, so this is the tipping point for us. Recently, we got her another companion, Tofel, so hopefully things will start improving. At the time of writing this, Pyra is finally learning that it is safe to relax and nap near another parrot, and is slowly re-discovering that foraging with a companion can be peaceful and fun.
Budgie portrait by Twarda
Johannes (PR & Community Manager) :
I do not. However, we had a turtle last spring and that was great fun. I would, however, like to have a cat and actually, I have a secret dream to have two horses. That’s that dream that all kids have that never totally left me ?
Madwurmz (UI/UX Designer) :
Despite what my name suggests, I don’t have any pets. But whenever I’m outside, I’ll try to pet every cat I meet.
Do you like Kendrick Lamar or what music do you listen to?
Jens:
When I work, I mostly listen to electronica. Anything with lyrics distracts too much. If I’m not working, I can listen to anything. I enjoy discovering new artists and types of music.
Zyik:
I don’t have any idea who Kendrick Lamar is since I don’t keep up with celebrities much. However, my taste in music I’d say is mostly instrumentals, orchestra, chiptunes, sometimes stuff that’s a bit jazzy, but mostly stuff without lyrics or something I can listen to as background noise while I work on other things.
Madwurmz:
Kendrick Lamar is very cool, with honest and profound lyrics. Artistically, he's highly skilled and eccentrically interesting; he can’t really be compared to many others. I started listening to him because Dr. Dre produced some of his songs, Dr. Dre is probably my favorite producer.
I think To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) was a very entertaining album, jazzy west coast vibes, creative rap flows, weird beat switches, and abstract ideas. On DAMN. (2017), there are also some cool, raw, and abstract tracks with heavy beats. Then came Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022), which I also found entertaining. It feels like it has deeper meaning, but to be honest, I can’t fully grasp its essence.
He recently released GNX. I must admit, it was a bit of a disappointment. The beats are too fashionable, almost unrelatable, and it doesn't hold up to his earlier work. It came out during his beef with Drake, which was a fun drama to follow, but the album might've been rushed. Or maybe, again, his intention is just too profound for me to fully grasp.
That’s the thing with all his projects: his message might be too layered for my simple brain. Somehow, though, his early work felt more abstract in a way that made it easier to digest. He’s probably in my top 50 rappers, but not in my top 20.
Any favorite Switch games?
Jens:
I play a ton of games of various kinds. My favorite genres include strategy, puzzle, and exploration games. This year’s favorites include Blue Prince, The Alters, and Expedition 33. The new Mario Kart is pretty great too!
Zyik:
I’ll lump Switch 2 games in this answer too. I grew up mostly as a Nintendo fan, so obviously I own most of their games on Switch and from previous Nintendo platforms. Smash Brothers I remember fondly from the GameCube era, Super Mario is a beloved classic, Mario Kart (especially the new Mario Kart World, which I love for the new mechanics they added alongside the huge, creative tracks), Metroid, which is vastly underrated, Splatoon for its surprisingly interesting lore and being a really unique shooter, etc. I’d add Pokémon to that list too, but I have yet to actually play any of them on Switch yet.
Not because I don’t want to, but because I tend to get a bit too absorbed into the deeper mechanics of the games and lately in life I don’t have as much time to get SUPER invested. I recall during the 3DS days of Pokémon I easily put over 1,000 hours into each game and most of that time was spent just breeding perfect shiny mons haha.
Beyond Nintendo games on Switch, I really love games with a lot of variety or that offer an endless amount of options/playstyles that make for near endless replay value. Think of games like Paladins, Star Wars Hunters, and Monster Hunter Rise. I also really enjoy games that are single-player focused like Cyberpunk 2077 (which I’m greatly enjoying as a lover of sci-fi). Choice-based games with compeling stories I find fun too, like The Walking Dead Telltale game.
And oh yeah, I can’t forget about indie games! Celeste was extremely challenging in a fun way, but after beating the main levels and the extra ones, it will probably be a good while before I ever touch a super challenging platformer again. I’d say I have a pretty varied taste in games and will play most besides sports games. I’m a sucker for nostalgia too, and recently I also beat the Legacy of Kain 1 remastered on Switch too.
Twarda:
Frankly, I haven't been playing much on the Switch recently, so it's hard to tell. But I recall enjoying Pokémon Legends: Arceus for being a rather fresh and welcome take on the franchise. Colors Live is still my number-one app, and I enjoy playing that Etrian Odyssey bundle. As for Nintendo's staples, the open-world Zelda games wore me out, and I wanna go back to Mario Odyssey to form a proper opinion on it. I'm sure there's a Picross game waiting for me to solve too haha.
Johannes:
MK8D (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe) is a long-time favorite that I never stop playing. I am looking forward to the new MK World. It looks amazing, and even though I still enjoy MK8D, I am eager to learn new tricks, courses, and ways to kick my friends’ asses at lunchtime or during parties at the office!
Madwurmz:
Actually, I’ve never bought a game on my Switch! I play mostly on PC, and I used to play a lot on PlayStation.
Some of my all-time favorites are classics like LocoRoco on PSP, Journey on PS3, Dead or Alive series, and pretty much every GTA (Grand Theft Auto) since 1997. Recently, I finished Assassin’s Creed Origins, and I stalled out about halfway through Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
How have things been going lately with where you’re living and any side jobs you’ve had? Anything you’d like to share?
Zyik:
Life has been quite chaotic for me for most of the first half of 2025 due to some unpredictable circumstances. Back early this year there was a fire in my apartment building that forced me and other residents in the building to have to relocate, which honestly really sucked, especially since I had only been in the apartment for a few months at the time so having to relocate on short notice and try to replace important stuff that was lost/destroyed in the fire was really stressful. I’m now in a new,cozier place thankfully so outside of that 2025 has been a solid year!
On the job topic, I’ve had plenty of temp jobs over the years, such as working in a warehouse or some other random temp job, but my favorite temp job I’ve had was probably the one I did at a car detail once. I’m not super passionate about cars, but I did save over $2,000 once from collecting lost change from busted cars!
What are your favorite websites or online spots you like to visit?
Jens:
I do a little bit of social media with Facebook, Twitter, and Bluesky - check out my micro-reviews of video games I post on those (username is @llerd). Other recurring sites are tech news on Ars Technica and some gaming sites like Eurogamer and Kotaku.
Zyik:
I honestly don’t visit many websites besides the ones I use on the regular. YouTube would be my main website because I like to have something to watch or listen to while I’m busy or just need background noise. Pinterest is nice for browsing inspiration, Instagram too occasionally, but mostly that’s just for finding simple recipes to try out when I’m planning to cook. I also like Sketchfab for getting 3D references for art.
Twarda:
Not many of them, I'm afraid. I used to have some gaming-related news sites, some favorite YouTube channels, but I phased them out. But I would say that my current go-to corners of the internet are some old forums, GameFAQs, old blogs, or niche Reddit discussions when I look for expertise from actual people versed in not-well-covered or very specific topics.
Johannes:
colorslive.com ofc! And I do spend quite a lot of time on YouTube. You can learn so so much there that is incredibly valuable in life. It is my go-to whenever I need to learn something new.
Madwurmz:
I watch a lot of YouTube. I don’t have traditional TV or any paid channels, so it’s my go-to. I like following tutorials, gaming and tech news, comedian podcasts, music, and some cartoons. I can’t name specific channels I follow, since that keeps changing over time. Back when I was active on SoundCloud, I loved browsing there, and the same goes for DeviantArt when I used it a lot. These days, I’m often on Hugging Face, just because I’m currently into AI stuff. I'm also very frequently browsing colorslive.com
What is your moderation process like? Do you think moderation can be improved? If yes, why haven't you improved it?
Moderator:
Currently, users can report issues via Discord or email. When a report comes in, we look into it and try to solve the problem as soon as possible. That said, we know moderation could be improved.
It would help if the gallery had easier built-in options and improvements are being considered.
Also, our community guidelines and reporting policy could be more clearly written, so people know what kind of behavior to report and why. These improvements are on our radar; we just haven’t had the time or resources yet to fully implement them.
Is Colors Live gonna work with SonarPens on Switch 2? Wondering if the pen’s pressure sensitivity works since the game isn’t on the “not compatible” list.
Jens:
Sadly, the pressure sensitivity of the Colors SonarPen isn’t working on Switch 2 just yet. You can keep up with the latest updates on our Discord channel!
That wraps up our community questions! We adore our lovely community and it was awesome getting to hear from you all! Of course this doesn't have to be the end of the questions you have for us. As always, feel free to keep posting to #heyzyik or #thecolorsteam and who knows, perhaps in the future we'll answer more questions as we know that as Colors Live development continues on the Nintendo Switch 2 many of you all will be curious about what the next steps will be. So stay tuned!
Next week the artist of the week weekly artist interviews will resume as normal so make sure to keep an eye on your notifications here on the Colors Gallery or in your email!
Don't forget to checkout all of our previous interviews while you're at it!
Artist-of-the-week-interview-list
The Colors Team
Stay creative!
Jens (Founder and Creator of Colors!) :
Colors Live will always continue to evolve. The goal is to provide a simple and fun painting experience combined with an online gallery, providing a robust way to share art and learn from others. Apart from the focus on Nintendo Switch 2, we want to expand the core painting experience as well as the gallery features. There is a wealth of feature-requests from the community that we want to implement, as well as some new ideas to try out.
Any more news on Colors Live 2, as you visited Nintendo, what did you ask them and what did they say?
Jens:
Meeting Nintendo is always fun. They love the game and were very impressed that we were successful in creating a game relying on a separate accessory like the Colors SonarPen. We discussed what kind of features the Nintendo Switch 2 would be suitable for Colors Live, for example if GameShare would make sense. Our priority was to get access to a development kit so we can start testing the actual Nintendo Switch hardware. Sadly, they couldn’t provide one right away, as there seems to be a long waiting list to get them. But we’re working on it!
Do you have pets?
Jens:
I have kids. :D
Zyik (Community Moderator / Support) :
Not at the moment, but I’d love to eventually get a new pet or more in the future! I’ve had plenty of pets growing up and consider myself someone who admires and enjoys nature, as I love wildlife documentaries. You can see a lot of my current uploaded artwork has characters that are a bit inspired by nature after all. My life as of late has been a bit eventful, so I don’t have time for pets right now, sadly.
As for pets I’ve had, it ranges from cats to dogs, mice, rats, a gerbil, baby turtles, fish, and even a bird (though this was when I was super young and from what I remember my older sister let the bird out of its cage and our half-feral cat killed and ate it…)
A fun fact about me is that I used to raise animals I “rescued” from the wild as a kid. Mainly insects such as caterpillars I’d find in a field that I’d raised into butterflies or moths, a praying mantis once, some ladybugs along with some other insects too. On the vertebrate side of things, I once caught an anole and some toads too.
Twarda (Artist & Designer) :
Yes, my partner and I have budgie pets. Currently, I have three (Pyra, Ziemniak, Tofel), but we are looking to relocate Ziemniak, so eventually we will likely have two. It's unfortunate, as Ziemniak turned out to be extremely aggressive toward any birds. We worked with her for a year, under a behaviorist's supervision too, but unfortunately, this whole ordeal ended up traumatizing Pyra.
It's the first time I’ve seen a budgerigar be afraid of its own species, so this is the tipping point for us. Recently, we got her another companion, Tofel, so hopefully things will start improving. At the time of writing this, Pyra is finally learning that it is safe to relax and nap near another parrot, and is slowly re-discovering that foraging with a companion can be peaceful and fun.
Budgie portrait by Twarda
Johannes (PR & Community Manager) :
I do not. However, we had a turtle last spring and that was great fun. I would, however, like to have a cat and actually, I have a secret dream to have two horses. That’s that dream that all kids have that never totally left me ?
Madwurmz (UI/UX Designer) :
Despite what my name suggests, I don’t have any pets. But whenever I’m outside, I’ll try to pet every cat I meet.
Do you like Kendrick Lamar or what music do you listen to?
Jens:
When I work, I mostly listen to electronica. Anything with lyrics distracts too much. If I’m not working, I can listen to anything. I enjoy discovering new artists and types of music.
Zyik:
I don’t have any idea who Kendrick Lamar is since I don’t keep up with celebrities much. However, my taste in music I’d say is mostly instrumentals, orchestra, chiptunes, sometimes stuff that’s a bit jazzy, but mostly stuff without lyrics or something I can listen to as background noise while I work on other things.
Madwurmz:
Kendrick Lamar is very cool, with honest and profound lyrics. Artistically, he's highly skilled and eccentrically interesting; he can’t really be compared to many others. I started listening to him because Dr. Dre produced some of his songs, Dr. Dre is probably my favorite producer.
I think To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) was a very entertaining album, jazzy west coast vibes, creative rap flows, weird beat switches, and abstract ideas. On DAMN. (2017), there are also some cool, raw, and abstract tracks with heavy beats. Then came Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022), which I also found entertaining. It feels like it has deeper meaning, but to be honest, I can’t fully grasp its essence.
He recently released GNX. I must admit, it was a bit of a disappointment. The beats are too fashionable, almost unrelatable, and it doesn't hold up to his earlier work. It came out during his beef with Drake, which was a fun drama to follow, but the album might've been rushed. Or maybe, again, his intention is just too profound for me to fully grasp.
That’s the thing with all his projects: his message might be too layered for my simple brain. Somehow, though, his early work felt more abstract in a way that made it easier to digest. He’s probably in my top 50 rappers, but not in my top 20.
Any favorite Switch games?
Jens:
I play a ton of games of various kinds. My favorite genres include strategy, puzzle, and exploration games. This year’s favorites include Blue Prince, The Alters, and Expedition 33. The new Mario Kart is pretty great too!
Zyik:
I’ll lump Switch 2 games in this answer too. I grew up mostly as a Nintendo fan, so obviously I own most of their games on Switch and from previous Nintendo platforms. Smash Brothers I remember fondly from the GameCube era, Super Mario is a beloved classic, Mario Kart (especially the new Mario Kart World, which I love for the new mechanics they added alongside the huge, creative tracks), Metroid, which is vastly underrated, Splatoon for its surprisingly interesting lore and being a really unique shooter, etc. I’d add Pokémon to that list too, but I have yet to actually play any of them on Switch yet.
Not because I don’t want to, but because I tend to get a bit too absorbed into the deeper mechanics of the games and lately in life I don’t have as much time to get SUPER invested. I recall during the 3DS days of Pokémon I easily put over 1,000 hours into each game and most of that time was spent just breeding perfect shiny mons haha.
Beyond Nintendo games on Switch, I really love games with a lot of variety or that offer an endless amount of options/playstyles that make for near endless replay value. Think of games like Paladins, Star Wars Hunters, and Monster Hunter Rise. I also really enjoy games that are single-player focused like Cyberpunk 2077 (which I’m greatly enjoying as a lover of sci-fi). Choice-based games with compeling stories I find fun too, like The Walking Dead Telltale game.
And oh yeah, I can’t forget about indie games! Celeste was extremely challenging in a fun way, but after beating the main levels and the extra ones, it will probably be a good while before I ever touch a super challenging platformer again. I’d say I have a pretty varied taste in games and will play most besides sports games. I’m a sucker for nostalgia too, and recently I also beat the Legacy of Kain 1 remastered on Switch too.
Twarda:
Frankly, I haven't been playing much on the Switch recently, so it's hard to tell. But I recall enjoying Pokémon Legends: Arceus for being a rather fresh and welcome take on the franchise. Colors Live is still my number-one app, and I enjoy playing that Etrian Odyssey bundle. As for Nintendo's staples, the open-world Zelda games wore me out, and I wanna go back to Mario Odyssey to form a proper opinion on it. I'm sure there's a Picross game waiting for me to solve too haha.
Johannes:
MK8D (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe) is a long-time favorite that I never stop playing. I am looking forward to the new MK World. It looks amazing, and even though I still enjoy MK8D, I am eager to learn new tricks, courses, and ways to kick my friends’ asses at lunchtime or during parties at the office!
Madwurmz:
Actually, I’ve never bought a game on my Switch! I play mostly on PC, and I used to play a lot on PlayStation.
Some of my all-time favorites are classics like LocoRoco on PSP, Journey on PS3, Dead or Alive series, and pretty much every GTA (Grand Theft Auto) since 1997. Recently, I finished Assassin’s Creed Origins, and I stalled out about halfway through Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
How have things been going lately with where you’re living and any side jobs you’ve had? Anything you’d like to share?
Zyik:
Life has been quite chaotic for me for most of the first half of 2025 due to some unpredictable circumstances. Back early this year there was a fire in my apartment building that forced me and other residents in the building to have to relocate, which honestly really sucked, especially since I had only been in the apartment for a few months at the time so having to relocate on short notice and try to replace important stuff that was lost/destroyed in the fire was really stressful. I’m now in a new,cozier place thankfully so outside of that 2025 has been a solid year!
On the job topic, I’ve had plenty of temp jobs over the years, such as working in a warehouse or some other random temp job, but my favorite temp job I’ve had was probably the one I did at a car detail once. I’m not super passionate about cars, but I did save over $2,000 once from collecting lost change from busted cars!
What are your favorite websites or online spots you like to visit?
Jens:
I do a little bit of social media with Facebook, Twitter, and Bluesky - check out my micro-reviews of video games I post on those (username is @llerd). Other recurring sites are tech news on Ars Technica and some gaming sites like Eurogamer and Kotaku.
Zyik:
I honestly don’t visit many websites besides the ones I use on the regular. YouTube would be my main website because I like to have something to watch or listen to while I’m busy or just need background noise. Pinterest is nice for browsing inspiration, Instagram too occasionally, but mostly that’s just for finding simple recipes to try out when I’m planning to cook. I also like Sketchfab for getting 3D references for art.
Twarda:
Not many of them, I'm afraid. I used to have some gaming-related news sites, some favorite YouTube channels, but I phased them out. But I would say that my current go-to corners of the internet are some old forums, GameFAQs, old blogs, or niche Reddit discussions when I look for expertise from actual people versed in not-well-covered or very specific topics.
Johannes:
colorslive.com ofc! And I do spend quite a lot of time on YouTube. You can learn so so much there that is incredibly valuable in life. It is my go-to whenever I need to learn something new.
Madwurmz:
I watch a lot of YouTube. I don’t have traditional TV or any paid channels, so it’s my go-to. I like following tutorials, gaming and tech news, comedian podcasts, music, and some cartoons. I can’t name specific channels I follow, since that keeps changing over time. Back when I was active on SoundCloud, I loved browsing there, and the same goes for DeviantArt when I used it a lot. These days, I’m often on Hugging Face, just because I’m currently into AI stuff. I'm also very frequently browsing colorslive.com
What is your moderation process like? Do you think moderation can be improved? If yes, why haven't you improved it?
Moderator:
Currently, users can report issues via Discord or email. When a report comes in, we look into it and try to solve the problem as soon as possible. That said, we know moderation could be improved.
It would help if the gallery had easier built-in options and improvements are being considered.
Also, our community guidelines and reporting policy could be more clearly written, so people know what kind of behavior to report and why. These improvements are on our radar; we just haven’t had the time or resources yet to fully implement them.
Is Colors Live gonna work with SonarPens on Switch 2? Wondering if the pen’s pressure sensitivity works since the game isn’t on the “not compatible” list.
Jens:
Sadly, the pressure sensitivity of the Colors SonarPen isn’t working on Switch 2 just yet. You can keep up with the latest updates on our Discord channel!
Thank you for the questions, Colors Gallery!!!
That wraps up our community questions! We adore our lovely community and it was awesome getting to hear from you all! Of course this doesn't have to be the end of the questions you have for us. As always, feel free to keep posting to #heyzyik or #thecolorsteam and who knows, perhaps in the future we'll answer more questions as we know that as Colors Live development continues on the Nintendo Switch 2 many of you all will be curious about what the next steps will be. So stay tuned!
Next week the artist of the week weekly artist interviews will resume as normal so make sure to keep an eye on your notifications here on the Colors Gallery or in your email!
Don't forget to checkout all of our previous interviews while you're at it!
The Colors Team
Stay creative!
