PURPOSE: To improve the adhesion between a carbon coating film and a substrate by providing an intermediate layer consisting of a silicon compd. between the substrate and the thin carbon film at the time of coating the substrate with a thin hard carbon film to produce the title colored article.

CONSTITUTION: When the surface of a substrate 1 (a spectacle frame, a camera body, etc.) is coated with a thin carbon film 3, an intermediate layer 2 consisting of a silicon compd. (especially a compd. consisting essentially of silicon, carbon, and oxygen) is provided between the substrate 1 and the film 3. The thickness of the intermediate layer 2 is controlled to about 0.01W10μ or preferably to about 0.1W5μ, the film is formed by vacuum deposition, coating, etc., and a heterogeneous structure can be formed, as required. The thickness of the film 3 is controlled to ≥about 0.5μ when the film is black, and to a value causing interference when an interference color is desired. By this method, a colored article with the thin carbon film 3 formed on the substrate 1 with good adhesion is obtained.