What exactly is LittleLDS?

• The Name:  For those who might not be familiar with the LDS faith, "LDS" stands for Latter-Day Saints, or, in it's entirety, the name is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also commonly known as the "Mormons" (after a prophet in the Book of Mormon).  LittleLDS was given its name to identify with it's main demographic,  Latter-Day Saint children, or in other words Little Latter-Day Saints.
• The Product:  Designed by Ty Harmon, the CD-ROMs contain customized church-friendly coloring pages that have been embedded in a user-friendly patent-pending software which allows you to reprint your coloring pages over and over again.

LittleLDS Coloring Pages on CD-ROMs provide solutions!

• In A Word..."$aving$"

  • THE CONCERN:  Anyone who has kids will tell you that they're expensive!  When it comes to kids' entertainment, they want it NOW, and we want CHEAP!  Coloring books are typically a good wholesome form of entertainment, however, kids tend to go through them quickly.  Granted, they're not all that expensive individually, but when you’re going through one coloring book after another, this little activity can get costly after just a few replacements.

  • OUR SOLUTION:  Because LittleLDS Coloring pages are on CD-ROM they are a virtually  ENDLESS supply of coloring pages!  You buy a CD-ROM one time, and then re-print your coloring pages over and over.  These CD-ROMs will pay themselves off!  Also, because they're COLORING pages (i.e., black and white), you don't need a color printer!  Any printer will do.

• Fun, Wholesome Content

  • THE CONCERN:  Have you ever been sitting in church, and noticed what the kids are doing?  Well, when they’re NOT bugging each other, crawling under the seats to salvage spilled Cheerios, or getting into your purse, they're usually coloring.  Parents know that a happily coloring child is usually a quiet child.  And what kind of coloring books are they coloring?  Barbie?  Dora the Explorer?  Bob the Builder?  Sponge Bob Square Pants?  Of course, there's wrong with those coloring books.  After all they're all that's available to us, right?  Not any more!

  • OUR SOLUTION:  LittleLDS Coloring Pages are a GREAT alternative!  It's been said that, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."  We couldn't agree more.  When in church, do as the Mormons do!  Our church-friendly coloring pages fit perfectly into the spiritual and reverent environment of church.  Each page depicts a different aspect of LDS life, and LDS values, thus helping your kids to learn about the gospel and good attributes while they enjoy coloring the fun characters.  They also make great Family Home Evening and other lesson visual aids for the kids.  It's definitely easier to hold a child's attention during a short lesson when they have something fun to look at.  They'll love the LittleLDS characters!

• User-Friendly Software

  • THE CONCERN:  Many software programs can be cumbersome to figure out.  With too many menus to flip through or buttons to push, they can get overwhelming and confusing.  Software should be user-friendly and designed specifically for the people who buy it, especially when software is designed for kids. 

  • OUR SOLUTION:  Printing your LittleLDS Coloring Pages is a snap.  With a built-in auto-run function, all you have to do is place the disc into the CD-ROM drive of any computer that is attached to a printer and wait for the program to pop up on your screen.  The print menu is so simply laid out that even children are able to use it!  From the list, just select the pages you want to print, while simultaneously viewing each one, and then push the "print my selection" button...and out come your pages!  It's really that easy!

How did LittleLDS get started?

• Coloring pages:  As an artist, Ty Harmon (founder of Tyed Art, Inc. and the LittleLDS brand), wanted to encourage his daughter (an only child at the time) to try her hand at artwork so he drew pictures for her to color.  While in church one day he observed that other kids were coloring many different brand-name coloring books and wondered how expensive it got for their parents week after week.  Not wanting to give his daughter commercialized coloring materials in a spiritual setting, he attempted to create a set of coloring pages that were more church-friendly (i.e., pictures of church-oriented scenes).  This was the catalyst for the concept of the LittleLDS brand.  Ty reasoned that if his own daughter enjoyed coloring these pages, other kids might enjoy them too.  Understanding also that other parents could appreciate its application, it dawned on him that this could be a helpful tool, as well as a marketable product.

• Software:  As the pages accumulated, Ty realized that he could keep a scanned copy of each image on his computer, and then simply reprint them as a booklet for his daughter to color again the next Sunday.  With this process, Ty's software concept was born.  He set out to design software that would allow anyone to have this convenience on a Sunday morning.  He did some research and discovered that embedding images into software, specifically designed to preview and print over and over, had never been done before.  To be sure, he had a patent search done.  Sure enough, it was a novel idea!

• STEP 1: SKETCH - Pretty self explanatory, really.  First I have to envision the scene in my mind's eye.  Once I've conceptualized the scene I want, I sketch out the basic shapes of characters and surrounding objects until the major composition feels right.  Details are then drawn in on top of that.  As I sketch, the closer I get to an useful concept, the darker my sketch lines become.  This process narrows down my messy sketched lines into "keep" lines and "discard" lines.  Then I just erase unwanted "discard" lines to make the finished sketch more discernable for the next step. (click for larger image)

• STEP 2: INK - After the image has been conceptualized in pencil, I can then go back over the entire illustration with ink (usually just a sharpie for outside boarders and any old black pen for finer details) to give absolute definition to the lines that will remain in the final version.  Everything else gets erased.  After I've inked the entire illustration by hand, I scan it, and clean up any inking mistakes or last minute changes using the computer.  Scanning an image leaves me with what's known as a "raster" image.  A raster image is one that is made up of pixels.  (click for larger image)

• STEP 3: VECTORIZE - Once I have scanned the image into a digital format, I have to convert it from a "raster" image into a "vector" image.  A "vector" image is one that is no longer made of pixels, but a dynamic collection of points, lines, and curves.  These elements provide several benefits.  First, they allow you to resize the image to ANY scale, without compromising the quality of the image's resolution or clarity.  Second, "vector" images, by nature, are much cleaner and sharper looking.  This gives any illustration a much more professional appeal.  (click for larger images)

• STEP 4: COLORIZE - Because these are coloring books on CD, the only thing I really have need to color myself are my packaging - the external DVD cases.  They need to look presentable on the shelves, so I've chosen to color them.  Coloring an image is simple on the computer.  Areas are individually selected and filled in with color.  The more complex the image, the longer this step takes, obviously, but in then end it is always worth it.  (click for larger image)

• STEP 4: SHADE - Although shading isn't necessary, I feel that it adds a perception of depth and shape to the image.  Again, this process is a bit tedious, but it makes all the difference.  (click for larger image)

What does LittleLDS have planned for the future?

• Get the word out!  Of course being a "household name" would be nice, but we're committed first to making sure each page reflects the LDS values and teaching that our children should be learning.  We know that if our product is great, the word will spread without too much effort.  We want members of the church to know that we're providing them with a quality product that will save them money, and entertain their kids with edifying pages that'll help them learn about the gospel.  So, get yourself a title tell your friends and ward members!

• Suggestions:  There are many more LittleLDS coloring CD-ROMs in the planning, sketching, and programming stages,  but your comments and suggestions are always welcome.  We want to know what themes you would like to see in the next few LittleLDS titles.  So, please, send us an email and give us your great ideas!

• Programs: LittleLDS will soon be launching a new LittleLDS Party program too.  We're very excited about this new and innovative approach at the otherwise ordinary product party model.  No more pressure to buy or sell in order to qualify for the products you want!  We're giving the "product party" a jump start.

• Pay it forward: LittleLDS donates a portion from each sale to the Church's General Missionary Fund.  We're members first, and a business second.

• Tradeshows: As we've done in the past, we're always looking for the next opportunity to host a booth at a tradeshow!  We love interacting with new people, sharing ideas, and getting feedback from those in attendance.

• The Latter-Day Side:  We're also very excited about our newest endeavor, a new comic with which we're inviting members to step in front of a proverbial mirror and giggle at our very own wacky LDS culture.  Lets face it folks....we're quirky!  The Latter-Day Side comic will have you blurting out, "It's funny because it's true!"  Go to the News page to see the comics.