Are you feeling stressed? Is anxiety a normal part of your life? Do you crave some creativity in your life? If any of these things apply to you, you might want to take out some colored pencils, pastels and crayons because you should be coloring!
Wait, what? Coloring? Really? Well, of course!
What? You think coloring is just for kids, do you? Believe it or not, adult coloring is actually a thing. It is one of the best ways for adults to let go of the stresses of their day-to-day affairs and try to get their life together.
In fact, coloring has been found to have some significant therapeutic perks for adults. It can help reduce anxiety and stress. Even if you do not suffer from those and you are just plain bored, coloring books can help you in many ways.
Guess what? If you are thinking about getting a start with coloring in your life, you are in luck. You will find so much information about some of the best adult coloring books you can buy right now that you will not need to look elsewhere. With so many categories and choices in their designs, you will definitely find something that you cannot resist.
How Do Adult Coloring Books Help?
Obviously, some people might need a little more explanation before they start splurging on coloring books left and right. Some proof, perhaps? According to Gloria Martinez Ayala, a psychologist, coloring can help adults bring out their imagination and reconnect with their childhood – a time period that was definitely less stressful than adult life.
Coloring books do more than just take us back to the years gone by. There have been extensive studies regarding adult coloring and how they can help ease anxiety. Here is one research paper you can look at to understand the influence of creating art for managing anxiety. It’s actually quite an interesting read for those who want proof of coloring being a beneficial activity for adults.
In a nutshell, here are the top benefits you can enjoy if you have a good selection of coloring books for adults at your disposal:
- Relieve anxiety
- Reduce stress
- Exercise both hemispheres of your brain
- Reduce boredom
- Bring back the best memories from your childhood
- Displace negative emotions and thoughts
- Provide a break from adult life
- Can be a meditative experience for a lot of people
- Become more self-aware and mindful
- Can prove to be therapeutic for common disorders and conditions
Now we will move on to some of the best adult coloring books out there. Remember that these are not ranked based on which ones are better. All of them are truly amazing. The list is divided into categories to make it easier for you to decide on what you want to get.
Best Adult Coloring Books
Contents
Mandala Coloring Books for Adults
A mandala is a popular design that is made using geometrical forms based on squares or circles. These designs have been used by a number of different cultures throughout history and are still used by many today.
Hinduism, Native Americans, Aztecs, Aboriginals and Buddhism are some of the cultures which have had mandala artwork as a vital part of their cultures.
Aa a symbolic element, the mandala represents the universe, wholeness and the human species and its connection with a great and infinite power. A lot of people and cultures still regard this practice of design with this meaning. For a lot of others, mandala-based designs provide the perfect complex imagery, which is used by some of the best coloring books for adults. The complicated images take quite some time to color in and require focus, if you want to do it properly.
The three books below put the mandala to best use for adult coloring books.
Mandala Coloring Book for Adults by Terbit Basuki
Terbit Basuki created this incredible mandala coloring book for adults with ColorIt to help ease your worries and stresses. Good for adults and children alike, it is a must-have coloring book.
Mandala Coloring Book by Jade Summer
Jade Summer is one of the bestselling brands when it comes to coloring books. This one features an amazing 100+ mandala designs that you can color in order to minimize your stresses and clear your mind.
Mandalas for Beginners by Jade Summers
Made for people who are just starting out and do not want to deal with all the coloring details, this book is a perfect starting point for you. Adult coloring books do not need their users to be incredibly artistic. They are just made to help you relax. This is the best way you can get started in adult coloring.
Even if you do not share the beliefs about the symbolic interpretations of mandalas and their historic significance, they still make for diverse and intricate designs for you to concentrate on while coloring.
Fairytale Coloring Books
Some adults might not like to start off their adventures in coloring through spiritual abstract designs. For those who are looking to use this activity to connect with their past, there are other options they can go for. After all, one of the best things about coloring books for adults is that they help us find our inner child, right?
This does not mean you should pick up a children’s coloring book. There are coloring books with designs aimed to cater to the needs of teenagers. These coloring book designs are perfect for adults as well. They can help you to retain that missing connection with your youth while staying complicated enough to improve your focus and concentration.
Adult coloring book designs that put up a bit of a challenge provide the perfect therapy. Here are three coloring books targeted for the teenager market that also work perfectly well as for adults.
Festive Magic by Selina Fenech
Selina Fenech is a bestselling author of coloring books. The volume 12 coloring book by her allows you to delve into the holiday spirit in this Christmas inspired coloring book.
Disney Dreams Collection by Thomas Kinkade Studios
If you’re looking to color right in the style of the master himself, the Disney Dreams Collection by Thomas Kinkade is perfect. Revisit the timeless classics from Disney through this wonderful adult coloring book.
Fairy Art Coloring Book by Selina Fenech
Another amazing adult coloring book by bestselling author Selina Fenech, you can enjoy coloring in some incredibly detailed illustrations of fairytale magic through this fourth volume.
Swear Word Coloring Books
Not everybody likes to swear but dropping the F-bomb every once in a while feels fantastic, doesn’t it? For those seeking catharsis through swearing and mixing it up with the art of coloring, there are some designs in these adult coloring books that will serve your needs.
These books have a great selection of swear words curated into brilliant designs and images for you to really get a feel of it all. The details will have you focusing on coloring, while providing you the perfect distraction as well. The end results for every page you get done with will give you a bit of humorous thing to entertain yourself with. Needless to say, the next four adult coloring books are strictly for adults.
Cheer The F**k Up by Sasha O’Hara
To leave yourself with that sense of cathartic relief, Sasha O’Hara came out with this popular book to help you cheer the f*ck up. Forget all the worries of the world and relax as you fill in the pages of this fantastic book.
Calm the F**k Down by Sasha O’Hara
The first adult coloring book and a bestseller by Sasha O’Hara, Calm the F*ck Down will do exactly that. It will help you de-stress and find some personal space to unwind and reconnect with yourself.
Go F**k Yourself, I’m Coloring by Alex Fleming
Part of the “I’m Coloring” Series, Alex Fleming launched this book after the success of his adult coloring book called Screw You, I’m Coloring. It contains new designs, creative new swear words and expressions with the ultimate goal of making you laugh and have a good time.
You Are F*****g Awesome for Adults by Charla Bond
For all the women looking for the perfect inspirational adult coloring book, this is pretty much it. Profane, stress relieving and incredibly empowering, “You Are Fucking Awesome” is for all the people who need that not-so-subtle boost of confidence in themselves.
Go crazy with these coloring books and let all your stresses out. Just remember to keep them away from the reach of your kids so you will not need to deal with some “colorful” additions to their vocabulary.
Basic Coloring Books for Adults
The adult coloring books you will see below are some of the most popular ones online. The reason for that is that they come in a mix of different styles of coloring. This allows you to freely mix things up in case you are likely to get bored with just one style of coloring.
You can find everything from animals, mandala designs, abstract designs and everything in between. If you are not sure about what your preference is for your drawings that you might want to color, it is best to pick any of these.
There is more than enough detail in them to make the task engaging for you and relax and rejuvenate your mind after a long day:
Adult Coloring Book by Dan Morris
Dan Morris’ Adult Coloring Book features animal pattern designs that you can color to just calm your mind.
Coloring Book For Adults by Cindy Elsharouni
With over 60 unique different drawings that adults can color within this book by Cindy Elsharouni, you have everything in there for various skill levels. The amount of practice you get from when you start this adult coloring book to the time you get to the end of it will make you a coloring pro while helping you become a more relaxed person.
Life Of The Wild by Karen Sue Chen
Intricate and nature-inspired drawings fill the pages of this book by Karen Sue Chen. You get to unleash all your inner creativity that you might not have known you had when you were filling in the pages of this book. Use markers, crayons, colored pens and whatever else you like. The pages are all single-sided so you won’t have to worry about the color bleeding on to the drawings on the other side.
These adult coloring books feature a wide mixture of animal designs, mandala designs, flowers, paisley designs and everything else you need to ensure an enjoyable experience.
Adult Fashion Coloring Books
If fashion is your thing, the next few adult coloring books are right for you. Each of these books has several fashion designs, which are just waiting for you to fill them in with colors of your liking. You get to color everything from delicate corset dresses to frills and even hats to match.
You get to easily create all of the designs that you dreamed of and at the same time, relieve the stress and anxiety you face every day. Turning your attention towards something you are passionate about will make it easier for you to divert your attention from useless stress.
Vogue Colors A to Z by Valerie Steiker
The first ever fashion coloring book by Vogue, this adult coloring book invites you to the world of the fashion industry. You get to revisit some of the most popular covers of the Vogue magazine from 1912 to 1932 in this book and fill in illustrations from Vogue all over the world.
Fashion Coloring Book for Adults by Alena Lazareva
This adult coloring book features a set of amazing grayscale illustrations, which make coloring all the more satisfying. The end visuals you get when you are done coloring the illustrations in this book are just out of this world.
80’s Ladiesby Latoya Nicole
If you want to revisit the outrageous fashion trends that were hip and happening during the 80’s and the 90’s, do it in style with this adult coloring book by Latoya Nicole. From jean jackets to jelly shoes, you will find plenty to color in this book.
You will get to revisit the old Vogue fashion magazine covers, cool designs from the 80’s and 90’s fashion and even modern-day fashion trends for coloring.
Random Adult Coloring Book Designs
The next few adult coloring books
contain some of the very best randomized designs. These are coloring books for
the people who really get into it because there are a lot and we mean a lot of pages filled with detailed and
complex designs.
These are all peaceful design patterns, which will satisfy you to the core with each and every page you fill in with color. If you are having trouble sleeping because of anxiety, these will work just fine. Counting sheep is more stressful than helpful. The calming nature of all these designs will soothe your senses and allow you to enjoy a good night’s sleep without a hitch.
Posh Adult Coloring Book by Thomas Kinkade
Thomas Kinkade released the Posh Adult Coloring book for people who want to enjoy coloring in the same style as the master himself. From villages to seascapes, you will get plenty of calm and relaxing images to fill in with color in this adult coloring book.
Adult Coloring Book: Favorite Pages by Jade Summer
This adult coloring book provides you a pretty cool deal. Consisting of a variety of different drawings that adults want to color compiled in a single book, you have something for every skill level in here. You can enjoy increasing detail and difficulty based on your own improvement in skill.
Joyful Designs Adult Coloring Book by Joy Ting
Fully immerse yourself in this adult coloring book curated with the designs by Joy Ting. It features a set of complex yet relaxing designs that you can color.
Enjoy some of the best adult coloring book designs all in these compiled forms and relieve yourself from stress for a long time by coloring in the pages every day.
Coloring Book With Animals
If you are an animal lover and you want to unleash your creativity by coloring them in sophisticated style, the following few adult coloring books are will help . There is a very wide range of animal-based coloring books out there for you to choose from.
There are even images that have been carefully selected from the collection of scientists that used to make elaborate drawings of animals in order to document them back to the 18th and the 19th century before cameras became the high quality devices they are now.
The drawings of animals made in the centuries that have passed were intricately detailed. They had to be so that people could get an actual idea of what these animals are like. These books feature some of the most fantastic and realistic drawings of animals you will ever come across. They are wonderful to look at just in black and white. Imagine what they will be like once you color them in!
Creative Haven Wild Animal Portraits Coloring Book by Llyn Hunter
This stunning and ready-to-color book consists of some amazing illustrations of wildlife from around the world. All rendered in incredible detail, you will get to enjoy taking part in making all the wildlife portraits come to life.
The Art of Nature Coloring Book by Adams Media
The Art of Nature Coloring book consists of some of the most important historic illustrations captured in intricate detail. Fill it with vibrant colors and relax yourself as you breathe new life into yourself and into these images.
50 Amazing Animals by Jade Summer
This epic adult coloring book is nothing short of an adventure. Another book from the bestselling author Jade Summer, you get to color in 50 different and unique images of animals enamored by intricate designs.
Animal Kingdom by Millie Marotta
Of course, for those looking to mix things up and color images of animals in a creative manner, the book by Jade Summer has adult coloring book designs filled with intricately-detailed images of animals that are incorporated with mandala designs.
Coloring Books for Adults with Flowers
Throughout history, artists have applied their trade and illustrated some of the most beautiful flowers in the world. A simple Google search of art made using flowers will show you some of the most realistically made flowers to the more abstract representation of floral beauty.
If you feel more inclined towards coloring in floral patterns of different kinds, you will be happy to know that there is a huge selection of adult coloring books for you to choose from. The next few coloring books for adults are diverse but they surround the same premise: Flowers.
Flower Mandalas Adult Coloring Book by Stefania Miro
The black background pages in Stefania Miro’s Flower Mandalas really bring out the beauty of all the unique floral mandala patterns in this book, which you can color to relax. Create a personal work of art by playing around with all the images in this adult coloring book.
Flowers Coloring Bookby Patience Coster
The one-sided designs in this adult coloring book by Patience Coster allow you to freely color in the unique floral images. Relaxing while sitting in the garden with your coloring book does not get better than with the incredibly-detailed illustrations in this book.
Flowers: Coloring Book for Adults by Juliana Emerson
When it comes to flowers and floral patterns, there are just so many options to choose from and all of them are deeply satisfying to our senses. In fact, some of the images are so intricate, you almost do not want to color them in but when you do, you only accentuate their beauty further.
Coloring Books to Help Adults Achieve Mindfulness
To very large degree, almost all of the adult coloring books you will come across are aimed to get you started with mindfulness. In fact, coloring is generally considered to be one of the most effective mindfulness activities out there.
They are specifically designed to help you with mindfulness are composed in a way that you just slow down. You start to put aside all the other things from your mind as you slowly focus on the coloring as you keep on filling the pages in. It encourages you to very carefully shift your focus to the here and now. That is pretty much what mindfulness is all about.
One of the best ways to combat stress and anxiety is through acts of mindfulness. Mindfulness does not only help to reduce anxiety and stress but it can also help you overcome issues in all aspects of your life.
Adult coloring books are going to help you achieve the goals of mindfulness but these are some of the designs that cater exactly to that need. The following are some of the most prominent coloring books for adults designed to help you focus on the here and now.
The Mindfulness Coloring Bookby Emma Farrarons
The titles of Number 1 National Bestseller, the Number 1 Boston Globe Bestseller and a whole lot of other awards have already been given to this adult coloring book by Emma Farrarons. Pocket sized, easy-to-carry and incredibly relaxing, this adult coloring book is an experience like no other.
Good Vibes Coloring Book by Thaneeya McArdle
Whimsical images curated to help you focus on the here and now fill the pages of this adult coloring book by Thaneeya McArdle. This beginners’ coloring book offers you the opportunity to relax when you feel stressed out and take in some good vibes no matter how artistic you are.
The Coloring Book of Mindfulness by Holly MacDonald
The nature-based line illustrations in this book by Holly MacDonald look amazing on their own and make for a satisfying experience when you color them in. It’s the perfect way to calm your mind and help you focus on the present as you delve deeper and deeper into the beautiful images in this adult coloring book.
Color Me Calm by Lucy Mucklow and Angela Porter
In order to help you recalibrate your focus back on yourself and get in touch with your inner child again, this adult coloring book by Lucy Mucklow and Angela Porter is the best way to calm down. There are few other ways to take a step back from the stresses of daily life and just calm down.
What do you think about the coloring books above? Have you found the one you would like to start with?
Have colorful week!