Category Archives: Adult Color Books

Lovely Swirls: Coloring Book for Adults

By: Happy Coloring

Rating: 5 of 5

I own several coloring books by artist Stefania Miro so when I saw that she had a new swirl design book, I was very happy to purchase it. The 30 designs (31 if you include the title page which duplicates another design in the book) are of animals, birds, and flowers (and even a mermaid) with mostly swirling vines surrounding them. I don’t believe I saw a straight line anywhere in the coloring book.

The designs are detailed but not what I call intricate (i.e., with tiny spots to color.) Some of the designs are easily colored while others will take more time to complete.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
30 Flowing and Swirling designs
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is typical of CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not merge into the binding.
Glue Binding (there is room to cut the pages out if you choose to do so.)
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

Romantic Country: The Second Tale: A Fantasy Coloring Book

By: Eriy

Rating: 5 of 5

I so loved the first book in this series, Romantic Country, I didn’t think it would be possible for artist Eriy to come close to the success of it with her sequel book. I was wrong. If anything, I think that Romantic Country The Second Tale is even better. It is a beautiful set of designs.

It’s hard to imagine but the artist draws her beautiful artwork using ink and a toothpick! Because of this technique, the lines of the drawings have a varying thickness and the print is lighter in tone than in other coloring books. Of the 65 designs in the book, 20 are two-page spreads.
The designs take us back to the beautiful land of Cocot. There is a map at the front of the book which shows all of the landmarks. There are thumbnails at the end of the book which explain each of the designs and what and where they are in Cocot. There is a fold-out poster at the end of the book as well.
The book is divided into five chapters: The Glow of Beautiful Old Castles, Magnificent Lakeside and Mountain Landscapes, Fairies and Works of Nature, The Witch and the Hidden Secret Forest, and Cheerful Town Scenes. Each of the chapter heading pages includes a lovely two-page spread designs. Additionally, the designs within each chapter relate back to the title of the chapter. There are a couple of designs at the front of the book which sit outside of the chapters. These designs are not included in the thumbnails at the back of the book.
The book has a brown kraft paper style attached cover. This cover has line drawings on front and back covers which you can color if you wish. The detached dustcover is beautifully illustrated with colorful designs of Cocot. The inside of the dustcover is white.
This is what I found when I was coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
65 Beautiful designs set in the fantasy land of Cocot. There are 20 two-page designs spreads.
Designs are printed on both sides of the page
Paper is cream colored, heavyweight, smooth and non-perforated.
Sewn Binding
Designs merge into the binding area and two-page spreads cross over the binding as well.
The book opens fairly flat for coloring but a little effort is needed to color into the binding edge
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper. I don’t suggest this medium as it will ruin the design on the back of the page. If you decide to use this style of markers, I suggest a blotter page of card stock or a couple of pages of heavyweight paper under your working page to keep ink from seeping further in to the book.
Water-based markers and India ink pens left slight shadows on the back of the page. I could see them and it bothered me enough not to want to use these for coloring my designs.
Gel pens did not bleed through but required additional drying time.
Colored pencils worked fairly well with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and had a little trouble blending with both. Due to the smooth texture of the paper, when I used a blending stick, there was a slight amount of smear versus blend. Otherwise, colored pencils worked well. Pigment went on deep and thick and I was able to easily layer multiple colors.

LANG – Adult Coloring Book – “Doodle House” – Artwork by Susan Winget – Hardcover – Spiral – Designs for Beginner to Expert – 100 Pages – 9″ x 11″

By: The LANG Companies, Inc

Rating: 5 of 5

I was surprised at how well this Lang coloring book is constructed; however, I was not surprised at all by how cute the designs were. I have seen Susan Winget’s designs in household goods and needlework for years and was really happy to find a coloring book filled to the brim with her designs.

The book is called Doodle House and it appears to be a glimpse at Ms. Winget’s sketchbook. The designs are hand-drawn and have the charming less than perfect look I expect from hand-drawn. I think that it makes coloring them more interesting and I am enjoying this book quite a bit.
Two things that I really like about the construction of the book are the spiral binding and the hard covers. The binding makes it easy to open the book to a flat position for coloring. It also makes it easy for leftys to color with the same easy as rightys. The hardcover gives a good flat surface for coloring on the go.
There are many designs with sayings as well as birds, animals and flowers. While it is not a book dedicated to the natural world, many of the designs lean that way. The designs are quite detailed but not what I would call intricate with tiny spots to color. As I mentioned previously, the hand-drawn nature of the artwork does show less than perfect. There are disconnected lines, a bit of uneven spacing, and even lines of varying thickness. It is that which gives it the sketchbook quality.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
100 Design pages featuring hand-drawn artwork by Susan Winget with a focus on nature
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and perforated
Designs do cross over the perforations but stop short of the spiral binding. If you remove pages from the book, the edge that you will lose does not contain essential elements of the design.
Spiral Binding with hard covers that help the book lay flat and provide a good coloring table
Alcohol-based markers bled through the paper lightly. I was surprised at how little bled through given that the paper is more medium in weight. I would still use a blotter of card stock to protect the designs below my working page when using these style of markers.
Water-based markers, gel pens and India ink pens did not bleed through or leave shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. It has a good tooth and allowed for applying layers of the same color to get rich pigment. I could also layer multiple colors well and I could blend both oil and wax based pencils easily with a pencil style blending stick.

The Magic of Christmas (50 Adult Coloring Book Designs, Doubled on the Back of Each Sheet): Cubs, Bears, Dogs, Cats, Christmas Trees, Toys, Santa’s … Holiday Spirit Experience) (Volume 1)

By: Leo Art Gibson

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a coloring book of traditional and detailed Christmas designs. There is a focus on certain types of designs. I found a lot of design with ornaments, wooden soldiers, and Christmas elves that looked a lot more like gnomes.

The interesting difference with this book is that the same design is printed on both front and page of the page. That way you can color the same designs twice or you can treat the page like a single page design and ignore the back of the page. It works well for both right and left hand colorists as you don’t have to work over the hump of the binding. Just choose which page works best for your writing hand and color that one.
For me, I will use the book as a one-sided design book. My coloring medium of choice will either bleed through or leave dents on the back of the page. Because of that, the back of the page won’t be in good enough shape (due to the them CreateSpace paper) to be useful.
The designs are detailed with lots of elements to color. Some of the designs have intricate and small areas to color. These may require small nib pens/markers and thin, sharp pencil points for coloring. Because of this, I don’t recommend this coloring book to any one who has fine motor or vision issues.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
51 Traditional Christmas Designs
The same design is printed on both front and back of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs merge into the binding area. If you cut your pages out, you will lose part of the design.
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

Magic Christmas: Coloring Book for Adults

By: Happy Coloring

Rating: 5 of 5

I own a couple of coloring books by artist Juliana Emerson but I believe that this is the first one that I have that focuses on people. The scenes are all traditional Christmas and include: Santas, angels, baby Jesus and a nativity scene, outdoor scenes, trees, candles, packages, and more. The designs are done with a vintage style from a by-gone era. The book is filled with designs that evoke the holiday season and give a lot of joy to my time spent coloring.

The designs are detailed but not what I would call intricate (calling for special small nib pens/markers and fine point pencils.) I am able to use both fine and ultra fine points with no problem. The designs are beautiful background scenes for a fun coloring project.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
30 Vintage style Traditional Christmas Designs
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not merge into the binding and have an unusual double line frame at the outer edges of the design
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

Christmas Coloring Books: Christmas Coloring Books for Adults Relaxation

By: Adult Coloring Books

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a cute Christmas coloring book. It has traditional holiday designs with Santa, Christmas trees, ornaments, gingerbread houses, ornamented animals and more. Some of the designs have repeating patterns and look to have computer generated parts of the design though most of the designs have a more unique look to them. My two favorite styles in the book and the ornaments and the animals. While all of the designs are cute, I just think these are especially so.

The designs are detailed and fun to color. Some of the designs have intricate and small areas to color. These may require small nib pens/markers and thin, sharp pencil points for coloring. Because of this, I don’t recommend this coloring book to any one who has fine motor or vision issues.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
30 Traditional Christmas Designs
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not merge into the binding
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

The Curious Carnival: Coloring Book for Grown-ups

By: M.R. Umlas

Rating: 5 of 5

We have recently started taking our grandchildren to the circus when it comes to town. We have all been thrilled by the spectacle of the acts under the big top. This coloring book captures that feeling and gives me the opportunity to both color the designs and to discuss the circus with my grandson.

There are trapeze artists, clowns, animals, fortune-tellers, magicians, jugglers and more. The designs have a lovely hand-drawn quality and represent the images with an old-time vintage (almost steampunk) feel. I’m really pleased with the quality of artwork in this book. The paper is the same thin quality I have come to expect from CreateSpace printed books. While I wish it were better, it is the only choice for self-published artists, so I accept it to get the wide choice of designs.
The designs are quite detailed and include intricate elements with lots of tiny spots to color. I would not recommend this coloring book to anyone with fine motor or vision issues. I would also suggest that, for the intricate areas, use of ultra-fine point markers/pens or really sharp pencils would be best.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
25 Hand-drawn Designs inspired by Carnivals and Circus images
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not merge into the binding and have a framing line around the outer edges.
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

Animals Flowers: Adult Coloring Book Stress Relieving Patterns (animals coloring books for adults relaxation)

By: Sophia Payne

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a slightly smaller than average format coloring book. The designs in it are reduced somewhat on the page as well. This makes for a very detailed and intricate set of illustrations inspired by animals and flowers. Both the range of the animals and the flowers are extensive with the animals ranging from birds to mammals, reptiles and even insects. Each design features an animal set among greenery and flowers. While I wish the designs were done full page, I like the illustrations themselves.

The designs are quite detailed and include intricate elements with lots of tiny spots to color. I would not recommend this coloring book to anyone with fine motor or vision issues. I would also suggest that, for the intricate areas, use of ultra-fine point markers/pens or really sharp pencils would be best.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
24 Animal/Flower inspired designs which are sized rather small on the page
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not merge into the binding. A few have framing lines at the outer edge but most stop without a line.
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

Silent Night: Adult Coloring Book

By: Phoenix Amulet

Rating: 5 of 5

I am a fan of both Christmas coloring books and coloring books which utilize doodle creatures. This coloring book by Mardel Rubio combines both in a really interesting fusion. The designs are quite traditional, with Santas, snowmen, fireside tree scenes, Christmas trees, angels, and even a nativity or two.

What is interesting to me about the fusion of styles is that I can choose how to emphasize each design. I can choose bring out the doodle creatures by coloring them contrasting colors to the rest of the design. Or I can choose to blend them in by using complimentary colors.
The designs are quite detailed and include intricate elements with lots of tiny spots to color. I would not recommend this coloring book to anyone with fine motor or vision issues. I would also suggest that, for the intricate areas, use of ultra-fine point markers/pens or really sharp pencils would be best.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
23 Traditional Christmas Designs with Doodle creatures
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical of CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs merge into the binding area (and extend to all sides of the page)
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

Adult Coloring Book: Island Dreams: Vacation, Summer and Beach: Dream and Relax with Gorgeous Illustrations

By: Julia Rivers

Rating: 4 of 5

The designs in this book are inspired by islands and the ocean. There are many island scenes, fish, waves, palm trees, etc. Each page has a lot of detail by way of lots of wavy lines. The publishing company (Okami Coloring) has not provided the artists name(s) for the designs. The designs have the appearance of hand-drawn and seem to be the style of one artist.

The designs are quite detailed and include intricate elements with lots of tiny spots to color. I would not recommend this coloring book to anyone with fine motor or vision issues. I would also suggest that, for the intricate areas, use of ultra-fine point markers/pens or really sharp pencils would be best.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
40 Island/Ocean inspired designs with lots of details and wavy lines
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not merge into the binding and have a framing line around the outer edges.
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.