# Why I Built ColorBug in a Weekend

Canonical URL: https://jeffbrines.com/2025/03/31/why-i-built-colorbug-in-a-weekend/
Author: Jeff Brines
Published: 2025-04-01T00:37:00Z
Modified: 2025-07-13T22:40:54Z
Source: WordPress archive
Original source URL: https://jeffbrines.com/2025/03/31/why-i-built-colorbug-in-a-weekend/

As an uncle, builder, and someone who thinks a lot about technology’s impact on our lives, I’ve been wrestling with a simple question:

**How do we give kids access to AI in ways that _empower_ them—without letting it turn them into screen-zombies?**

This past weekend, I decided to stop thinking and start building.

The result is **[ColorBug](https://www.colorbug.kids/)** — a free, simple web app that lets kids (and parents) turn their ideas into printable coloring pages using AI.

![](https://jeffbrines.com/media/2025/03/image-10.png.webp)

_What the outputs \*can\* look like; its really up to the creator though..._

## What It Does

ColorBug is designed to blend the physical and digital worlds in a way that’s imaginative, tactile, and accessible. Here’s how it works:

-   Kids (or parents) can create custom coloring pages using one of four creation methods:  
    ✏️ Text prompt  
    📸 Photo upload  
    🎭 Character builder  
    🐾 (Younger) kid graphical prompting (more visual friendly)
-   Once generated, you can preview the artwork, print it out, save it and color it by hand — crayons, markers, glitter glue… whatever’s on the table.
-   There are **no ads**, no tracking, no fees — just creativity.

It’s currently an MVP, built in about 48 hours using Replit. But it’s already fun, safe, and (most importantly) getting real use.

![](https://jeffbrines.com/media/2025/03/image-11.png.webp)

_Four ways to create_

## Why This Matters

Most “AI for kids” products are either:

1.  Educational but boring
2.  Entertaining but mindless
3.  Overbuilt, overdesigned, and overcomplicated
4.  **Force you to spend a lot of time with a screen.**

**ColorBug is none of those.** It's simple, open-ended, and low-stakes. It gives kids a taste of AI, then gets out of the way so they can make something _real_ with their hands.

I wanted to build a tool that lets kids stay curious, stay offline, and _own_ their creativity.

## What's Next

There’s a lot I’d like to add — voice-to-text input, more control over illustration style, inclusion of the new GPT 4o image creator feature (not open for API access _yet_) even a more kid-friendly version of photoshop that allows them to create first, edit digitally (with screen time constraints of course).

But for now, it’s out there. It works. And I hope it brings a little magic into your home.

If you’re a parent, educator, or just someone who cares about kids and technology, I’d love your feedback. And if you know a kid who’d enjoy it, send them the link:

👉 [www.colorbug.kids](https://www.colorbug.kids/)

Thanks for reading — and stay creative.  
– Jeff