11 Best Adult Coloring Books That Will Color Your Mood
Adult coloring books have been on the market for long – however, it’s only recently that they have begun to find footing as an acceptable, regular everyday product. There is a lot of research that suggests that these coloring books are a wonderful way to let go of stress, whether it’s personal or professional. It’s […]
Adult coloring books have been on the market for long – however, it’s only recently that they have begun to find footing as an acceptable, regular everyday product.
There is a lot of research that suggests that these coloring books are a wonderful way to let go of stress, whether it’s personal or professional.
It’s not odd to see adults, especially millennials, travel with a set of colors and books which helps them de-stress after a long time of constantly working.
To avoid burnout, a coloring book is one of the best ways. The question, then, remains: which coloring book is best for me?
Fortunately, today it’s incredibly easy to find a variety of coloring books, which are all different and created keeping particular consumers in mind. Without further ado, let’s begin!
Best Adult Coloring Books
- Kinkade, Thomas (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
This book is aimed specifically at people who prefer colored pencils and can spare a few hours at a time in order to finish up their coloring. The designs come straight from Disney’s classic movies such as Pocahontas and Aladdin, and the paper is thick enough to handle all but watercolors. The coloring is done in the same manner as Thomas Kinkade’s originals!
Experience
The stories depicted in the book are typical of all that one relates to their childhood – a great way of relieving stress. The book has pages that are finished in matte rather than glossy papers you expect to see on generic children’s books.
There are sixty-three such intricate works, so you’ll be covered for a fair bit of time. Going through all of those stories like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, The Beauty and The Beast, and so on will surely put you in a meditative state as you forget the world and immerse yourself in a time where there were no worries, where you could just be yourself.
Most books generally focus on the patterns and designs and the colors – this one, being story-based, does a great job of keeping you involved. However, if you’re just starting out, you may want to get a hang of coloring on another (easier) coloring book before going for this.
- Sixty-three drawings for you to fully explore
- Wonderful with colored pencils, can handle anything but watercolors
- Matte finishing on the pages is a neat touch
- Might be a little difficult for those just starting out
- Hardback Covers to Protect Coloring Pages
- Smooth Bright White 24lb (90gsm) Bond Paper. Ideal for Mixed...
Mandalas are a class of Buddhist religious symbols, which tend to be incredibly intricate and colorful. They symbolize peace and prosperity and ultimately, attaining Nirvana. Many books use mandalas – this one does only Mandalas though it does them very well. The page quality is amazing so you can use any kind of medium in order to fill between the lines.
Experience
If you want the best quality of paper among mandala coloring books, this makes for a very interesting choice. Mandalas are complex, intricate designs and you don’t want to fumble around too much with colors – they take as much time as it is. Therefore, the card stock-esque paper quality is something to write home about – it’s that good.
Furthermore, you get to use any medium you want – from watercolors to colored markers, you can color with whatever is comfortable. Another wonderful feature is that it is spiral-bound, which means you can frame or showcase your coloring if you so wish! Hence, if it’s a calming and high-quality coloring experience you seek, this should be on top of your list.
- Incredible paper quality, the lines are very neat
- Mandala designs vary from the simpler to the more complex, so you can start off wherever you wish to
- Comes in a spiral binding, so you can easily pin these colorings on the wall
- Quite a bit more expensive than the rest
- O'Hara, Sasha (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
This book is meant strictly for adults because the blanks that you’ll be filling in are only relatable when you’re an adult. This book takes the concept of an “adult coloring book” to the most literal extent possible, resulting in one of the most fun and rebellious coloring books you’ll see on the market today.
Experience
The adult experience is often full of not-so-great things, but also full of other great experiences which are unique to adults. This book does a wonderful job at bringing together those parts of our lives which give us pleasure and pain – as well as happiness. The drawings themselves range between being moderate to complex.
There are twenty-one pages full of tidbits from our lives that we can color up – anyway we wish to. There are also (thankfully) two pages that serve a different purpose – these are the test pages that you can use to try out various media like colored pencils, pastels, and watercolors (we wouldn’t suggest acrylics) before going for coloring the designs.
It’s inexpensive, it’s fun, and it’s a bit different from the generic coloring books you see on the market.
- A breath of fresh air in a market that is full of similar designs otherwise
- Page quality is good enough to withstand most media without issues
- Test pages are useful even if you go for other coloring books later
- Twenty-one drawings won’t last you as long as some competing books will
- Kohey, Cherina (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
For people who are completely done with their work and can’t handle more stress, this book may come to the rescue. This book is targeted squarely at the crowd which usually attempts to color these books on getaways from work, or during breaks from high-pressure work. The pages are of decent quality as well.
Experience
This book will be perfect for those who want to do coloring, but on a budget. Further, nature lovers will be impressed by the theme of the book, which revolves around butterflies and flowers and sometimes mixes the two as well! The designs aren’t very complicated compared to many others we’ve reviewed, so feel free to get one if you’re just starting out with coloring.
The book has thirty one-sided pages which are all meant to give you a meditative experience as you go through the drawings one by one. The patterns themselves are open-ended – you can color them in any way you wish to go about it. Though we feel that there could have been more variety in some designs, the book overall does a great job.
- Thirty-one relatively inexpensive and high-quality pages for you to color
- Some of the designs are truly breathtaking
- Easier to complete than many other books, which may get too complex for beginners
- A few of the designs tend to be repetitive
- Coloring, Two Hoots (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
If you’re on a shoestring budget but still want to achieve some kind of mental piece, or are unsure of whether adult coloring is really worth any of the attention it is getting – this is for you. In terms of value, nothing else on the market comes within shouting distance – you could even give away some of these if you’re a fan of coloring and want your dear ones to get started.
Experience
Who said adult coloring had to be an expensive hobby? Adult coloring can be as expensive or cheap as you want it to be – and this coloring book serves as a prime example of that. A set of 12 colors of any medium, and this book will ensure you’re well on your way to attaining mental peace at a fraction of the cost of other books. There are very few compromises, too.
The only compromise here comes in the form of paper quality, which is predictable enough because high-quality paper costs a lot. However, with this book, if you stick to colored pencils or wax crayons, you’ll be good to go – you do get forty-eight of the most diverse designs spread across experience levels. Inexpensive it may be, but it’s a pretty solid book.
- Undercuts the competition by at least half the price
- Designs are varied and range from easy to fairly complex
- Can easily be given away as a gift
- Paper quality is decidedly not the best
If you’re looking for designs that are a bit out-of-the-blue and don’t have a problem with somewhat dark designs, this is what you’re looking for. A small caveat first: there are drawings on both sides of the page, so your markers will bleed through in all probability. If you stick to drier media, you’ll be alright though. Otherwise, it’s a pretty solid coloring book.
Experience
Posh coloring books are the latest trend to hit the market, and this one is no different in being as hip as the others are. These designs are much more modern and sophisticated, and sometimes a bit dark as well. It doesn’t have anything close to the mandalas and nature-based scenery we’ve covered in some other offerings – it has a different audience.
It is also much larger, having more than 100 drawings for you to fill up and make artworks out of! The paper itself can’t handle more than strong pastels – so markers and watercolors are off the table. If you can manage that, the rewards are immense – the drawings themselves hardly ever disappoint. A solid recommendation to this from our side!
- Enough material to last multiple vacations and breaks
- Wonderful, non-repetitive material which is sure to soothe you
- High-quality material used for the pages
- Printing on both sides of the page causes bleeding even though the pages are thick enough
- Works, Selah (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
For the lover of all things swirl, here’s your way to all-but-guaranteed relief. The best part about this particular coloring book is that you get a large variety of swirly patterns which will definitely uplift your mood and color up all the greyness you might have been feeling. The book comes with a variety of difficulty levels, so it is easier for you to start at your ease.
Experience
Sometimes, books don’t have to follow a set subject – they can cover a variety of designs and subjects while following one certain theme. This book focuses exclusively on swirls in all the varieties that are possible – as well as some you may have never thought of. This book excels in providing a few out-of-the-world highly creative designs that you won’t find elsewhere.
It’s one of the least expensive items which are being reviewed today, and that has an obvious consequence – the paper quality suffers in comparison to a few others. Hence, it’s possible that you may see some bleeding around some parts if you do use media such as wet-erase markers, or watercolors. Otherwise, you should not face any problems.
Overall, the swirly designs in this book are abundant and you should have no problems in going about the business of bringing back some peace of mind.
- Comes with a large number of drawings and designs to keep you occupied
- Relatively inexpensive
- Paper quality is decidedly not as good as the best
- Good Vibes Coloring
- You're invited to come inside and play with doodles, shapes,...
The Good Vibes Coloring Book is a perfect fit for those who need some cheering up after a particularly hard week/month/year – it is also a brilliant gift for those who you know are going through a particularly hard time and could be helped by some positivity and optimism headed their way. So whether it’s you or people who you hold dear – this gift is wonderful for all of you!
Experience
The way in which this book unfurls alone makes it worth a purchase, with a number of positive (but not overwhelmingly so) messages lined up for you to give color to. These messages will surely help in uplifting your spirits after a hard time personally or professionally – or if you have been facing problems for a while, this can be a good place to start finding yourself.
The thing about coloring books like these is, they are not only a way to find peace but also to start working towards happiness which may have been lost for a number of reasons.
The quality of paper is such that it can handle any medium, and it’s hard enough to not let any color bleed over to the next page. There are plenty of uncolored illustrations for you to go through and fill up in any color you wish to!
- One of the few books which emphasizes positivity and happiness instead of indirectly leading you to peace
- You can fill it up with any medium you wish to
- Plenty of designs for you to fill up and rediscover happiness
- Some may think it’s too expensive for what it offers
- Laurence king publishing Secret gardens coloring book
- Laurence king publishing Secret gardens coloring book an...
The Secret Garden is one of the more niche entries on today’s list of the top coloring books for adults. It’s niche even though it’s sold millions of copies worldwide and is probably one of the most popular coloring books to have hit the shelves and online bookstores. It’s niche and popular because it’s a color-as-you-go storybook, and you can even color the back and front!
Experience
This book has been on the market for a while today, and it’s for good reason – it has a connection between each of the pages that you fill up with color, and it’s a damned good book otherwise too. The pages are of exceedingly high quality and allow one to use any medium they want to.
The creatures that the book makes you color include octopi, anemones, and more! There are tons of different scenes in the book which you can fill up and create a world that looks absolutely the same way you want it to. This book is great for all ages, should you want to get this for your kids or young ones in the family.
- Coherent story flows between the pages
- Not recommended for detailing and precise art
- The shades are not sold individually
- None
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Wynne, Patricia J. (Author)
For someone who is a fan of all the wonders that lie under the horizon, this book makes a whole world of sense! As children, many of us get to see so many of these creatures for the first time in coloring books. Hence, it makes sense to encourage the kind of peace we found in colors with books like these.
Experience
The first thing that you see about this book is that the difficulty level is tuned a few notches below the rest of the book. That’s because this book is not meant exclusively for adults – this is a book that children and adults can use all at the same time. However, the contents of this book are sure to keep you hooked if you enjoy coloring.
The paper is quality is far away from children’s coloring books – which means as always, the choice is yours for which media to go to. The general medium of choice is of course, pencil colors because they’re the lightest of the lot – but if painting with brushes is more appealing, you’re free to do that as well. A great book all around.
- Comes with a number of drawings to keep you thoroughly occupied
- The page quality is incredibly decent and good
- One side page drawings which can be easily removed if you wish
- May seem somewhat childish at times because of the low level of difficulty in coloring it
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Grange, James (Author)
The last book on our list is a blast from the near past – a reminder of when things were much better (as is the general consensus). Seinfeld was on TV, video game graphics weren’t half as realistic and people actually talked to each other (or as the kids say, in real life – or is that IRL?). Jokes apart, this is a brilliant book.
Experience
While most of these books soothe you by teleporting you to unknown worlds, this one just takes you 20 years or so into the past. Surprisingly, however, it does the job of taking you there very well. With easy-to-fill-in pages, and a free box of crayons included in the bundle, this is one solid book for the nostalgic adult.
While it is nostalgic, the paper quality remains modern. You can bring other materials to the mix, should you wish to do so. All in all, it remains a solid addition to anyone’s coloring book collection. It’s also one of the best ones to start off with because of the ease of coloring in the beginning.
- Comes with its own set of crayons so you don’t have to bother
- A nostalgic trip back to the nineties is guaranteed
- Wonderful designs
- Might not be very relatable for younger adults
Best Adult Coloring Book Comparison Table
| Book | Author | No. of Drawings | Book Binding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disney Dreams Collection | Thomas Kinkade | 63 | Paperback |
| Mandala Coloring Book for Adults | ColorIt, Terbit Basuki (Illustrator) | 50 | Spiral-Bound |
| Calm the F*ck Down | Sasha O’Hara | 21 | Paperback |
| Butterflies and Flowers | Cherina Kohey | 30 | Paperback |
| Adult Coloring Book | Two Hoots Coloring | 48 | Paperback |
| Posh Adult Coloring Book | Andrews McMeel Publishing | 100 | Paperback |
| Coloring Book for Adults | Selah Works | 40 | Paperback |
| Good Vibes Coloring Book | Thaneeya McArdle | 30 | Paperback |
| Secret Garden | Johanna Basford | N/A | Paperback |
| Creative Haven SeaScapes | Patricia J. Wynne, Creative Haven | 31 | Paperback |
| The 1990s Coloring Book | James Grange | N/A | Paperback |
Conclusion
Having been through the books above which cover a large depth and breadth of the variety on offer among adult coloring books today, it is no wonder that everyone is spoilt for choice.
However, there are a few things that set apart some books from the plethora of books available – some are incredibly cheap but deliver a good experience.
Some others are expensive but soothe you in a way no other book can. It all depends on the kind of money you’re willing to spend and what kind of art appeals to you – there’s no right or wrong answer here! Get one you feel like buying and enjoy.
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