Category Archives: Adult Color Books

Doodles in the Flower Meadow – Adult Coloring Book: Discover the Hidden World amidst the Flowers

By: Okami Books

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a book of designs which focus on little doodle creatures. If you have seen any of the doodle people in the Zifflin line of books, these will look familiar to you. However, unlike the Zifflin books, these creatures are just present in the design they do not used to become part of another element of the design. They are cute and fun to color but don’t have the punch of what I generally find in doodle books of this nature.

The 40 designs are hand-drawn and have a kind of ink-pen look to the printing in that it is an ivory black rather than a deep black ink. It is definitely a book that will appeal to a certain type of colorist one who likes to color small areas and has a zany sense of humor. The designs are detailed and have intricate and small spaces to color.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
40 Doodle creature designs with flowers and garden themes
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical of CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
Designs do not merge into the binding and there is plenty of room to cut out pages if you choose to do so. The designs have a framing line at the outer edge
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.

John Byrne’s Stowaway to the Stars: A Graphic Album to Color

By: John Byrne

Rating: 5 of 5

Stowaway to the Stars is an interesting and different type of coloring book. It is more rightly considered a color-able graphic short story. There are 25 design pages which are intricate and detailed to color. There is also a short story which coordinated with the designs. The portion of the story pertaining to a design is on the facing page to the design (i.e., on the back of the prior design page.)

The story is about a 14 year old girl who lives on an Earth colonized planet but who dreams of adventuring into space. She realizes her dream as a stowaway and the story (and designs) continue her adventures. Really an excellent story and the designs are equally great.
The designs are very intricate and will, for the most part, take special small nib pens/markers and very sharp point pencils to color. It is a book that would be of interest to colorists who enjoy a project which takes time and attention to finish. I would not recommend it (as a coloring book) to anyone who has fine motor or vision issues. As a story, it can be enjoyed by all.
This is what I experienced when I colored in this book and tested the paper with my coloring medium. I will list, in the comments section below, the coloring medium I used for testing and which I generally use for my coloring projects.
24 Science Fiction designs and a great short story
Designs are printed on one side of the page (with the story printed on the back of the pages.)
Paper is heavyweight, white, lightly rough (good tooth), and perforated
Glue Binding
Designs do not merge into the binding area. The designs have a framing line at the outer edge for a natural stopping point.
Pages can be removed at the perforation if you choose to do so. I won’t as it will destroy the continuity of the story.
Alcohol-based markers lightly seep through this paper. I like to use a blotter when working with this medium. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps ink from seeping through to the next design page and ruining it.
Water-based makers, India ink gens, and gel pens do not seep through or leave shadows on the back of the page. Gel pens take a longer time than normal to dry.
Colored Pencils work well with this paper as it has a bit of tooth to it. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a pencil style blending stick. Both wax and oil based pencils worked well with the paper.

Impressions of Spring – Adult Coloring Books: Dive into the Nature and Relieve Your Stress (Animals, Birds, Meditation)

By: Okami Books

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a lovely coloring book filled with 30 Spring inspired designs. There are lots of flowers and birds in addition to other elements which call to mind the springtime. While the animals are drawn fairly accurately, some of them include doodle style elements to enhance the fun of coloring.

The 30 designs are detailed and a few have slightly intricate elements which are fairly small to color. On the whole, it is a book that should be somewhat easy to color but may require a few pens/marker/pencils with tiny tips.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
30 Spring inspired designs with lots of birds and flowers plus other subjects
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical of CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
Designs do not merge into the binding and there is plenty of room to cut out pages if you choose to do so. The designs have a framing line at the outer edge
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.

Santa Clause: The Book of Secrets Colouring Book

By: Russell Ince

Rating: 4 of 5

Santa Claus the Book of Secrets is a fairly detailed coloring book for the holiday season. There are a number of Santa designs and lots of patterns and holiday symbol designs in the book. A number of pages are patterns that mirror that of the opposite page or which contain repeating elements (rather like wall-paper).

I found that most of the designs were detailed but not to the point of being intricate. While some elements may require use of small nib pens/markers/sharp pencils, for the most part, my standard coloring medium should work fine.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing it with my coloring medium:
45 pages of Christmas designs including repeating patterns
Designs are printed on both sides of the page
Paper is white, thin cardstock, slightly smooth and non-perforated
Hybrid glue/sewn binding with many stitches
Book can be opened to a fairly flat position for coloring but it takes effort and you must break with spine
Designs merge into the binding
Some designs spread across two pages
Alcohol-based markers lightly bleed through this paper
Water-based markers, India ink pens, and gel pens do not bleed through or leave shadows on the back of the page. Gel pens require additional drying time.
Colored pencils worked well with this thin but slightly smooth paper. There was still enough tooth to get decent pigment. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and got good color with multiple layers of the same color, good results from layers of different colors and nice results using a blending stick.

Faedorables – Sweet and Simple Coloring Book (Fantasy Coloring by Selina) (Volume 14)

By: Selina Fenech

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my first coloring book by Selena Fenech which is focused on simple and easy to color designs of young girls in fantasy. The style is very different from that of her adult fantasy girls. The young girls have sweet round faces, tiny shy eyes with a fringe of eyelashes and small little mouths turned up in tiny smiles.

The designs cover a nice range of fantasy with mermaids, fairies, witches, dragons, unicorns and more. The designs are fairly simple to color and have open and easy line drawings. These would be great designs for someone with slight fine motor issues and/or visions issues as there is nothing detailed or intricate about them.
I also really appreciate that this artist provides you with two copies of each design. That makes it easy to share or to try two different colorways or mediums.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
25 x 2 Cute Little Girls Fantasy Designs
Printed one side of the page
Paper is white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated
Designs do not merge into the binding and there is plenty of room to cut out pages if you choose to do so. Some designs have a framing line around the outer edge
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 pencils style blending stick. Both wax and oil based pencils worked well with the paper. Hard lead pencils can leave dents through the page.
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 Trees: Coloring Book for Adults

By: Happy Coloring

Rating: 4 of 5

Christmas is my favorite holiday and I am always looking for fun Christmas tree coloring books. This book has 30 different trees, most with themes. The designs have many small and intricate elements to color. These will require small nibs pens/markers or very sharp pencils. If you have good eyesight and a steady hand, these are a wonderful set of designs for the holiday.

I especially like that the base of the tree has not been neglected. There are packages and pets and lots of fun things to color that remind me of Christmas morning. The trees themselves are less detailed and the ornaments and other designs elements stand out.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
30 Christmas tree designs with intricate and detailed ornaments
Printed one side of the page
Paper is white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated typical of CreateSpace published coloring books.
Glue Binding
Designs stop short of the binding area and can be cut out if you choose to do so.
Book opens fairly flat for ease of coloring
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 pencils style blending stick. Both wax and oil based pencils worked well with the paper. Hard lead pencils can leave dents through the page.
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.

1-4: Spellbinding Images: A Fantasy Coloring Book Collection: Volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4

By: Nikki Burnette

Rating: 5 of 5

I own a couple of grayscale coloring books by Nikki Burnette but had not purchased any of her regular line drawing coloring books. When I saw that she had put together a coloring book which included all four volumes of her first four books, I decided that it would be a good time and a great value to purchase it.

The drawings are familiar to me as the grayscale is based on the same figures. It is quite fun to color some of the same images and there are certainly so many more that I have not yet seen. The drawings are a mix of detailed and more simple drawings. That provides a good change of pace while I am coloring. The detailed drawings have backgrounds and lots of elements where the more simple drawings are of the fantasy female by herself.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
80 Female Fantasy Line Drawing Designs, including witches, fairies and mermaids
Printed one side of the page
Paper is type of CreateSpace paper: thin, white, slightly rough, and non-perforated.
Glue Bound
Designs do not merge into the binding and designs have a framing line at the outer edge for a natural stopping point. There is plenty of room to cut pages out if you choose to do so.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper
Water-based markers bleed through in spots
Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. India ink pens can seep through in spots if used heavily or in multiple coats.
Colored pencils worked nicely with this thin but slightly rough paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and got good color with multiple layers of the same color, good results from layers of different colors and nice blending results using a blending stick. Hard lead pencils easily dent through the page and can damage the page below.
I use a blotter page of card stock or a couple of sheets of heavier weight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

Mythical Enchantments Adult Coloring Book — Large (8.62 x 11.75 inches)

By: Action Publishing

Rating: 5 of 5

This is one of my first coloring books by Action Publishing. I was surprised at how well made the book was compared to other coloring books. It has a spiral top binding so left and right handed colorists should both have an easy time coloring. It is printed on a good grade of card stock and it also has a plastic blotter page which can be moved around under whatever your current working page is.

The designs are great fun too. There are a full 36 designs with half of them being full page and the other half being banner size. The subjects are all fantasy with dragons, unicorns, castles, mermaids and more. The way the book is arranged, there is a full length design first and then a banner design on the same subject. It’s a different and interesting way of setting the book up.
This is what I experienced while coloring in the book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
36 Fantasy Designs 18 subjects in full page and banner size designs.
Printed one side of the page
Paper is white, card stock, lightly rough and non-perforated
Spiral bound
Cutting line is at the top of each page but the pages are not perforated.
Easily opens flat for ease of coloring
Designs stop well short of the cutting line and spiral binding
Includes moveable medium weight plastic blotter page
Alcohol-based markers bleed lightly through this paper
Water-based markers and India ink pens leave indistinct shadows on the back of the page
Gel pens do not bleed through the paper
Colored pencils worked nicely with this thin but slightly rough paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and got good color with multiple layers of the same color, good results from layers of different colors and nice blending results using a blending stick.

The Art of Marjorie Sarnat: Elegant Elephants Midnight Edition Adult Coloring Bo

By: Marjorie Sarnat

Rating: 5 of 5

I own this coloring book in the first version which was black line drawings on white backgrounds. When I saw that Marjorie Sarnat was releasing a book with black backgrounds, I purchased it immediately even though I already had the original book. I did so because I have found that designs on black background have a whole new look and vibe and it makes having the design twice a new experience the second time around.

The 34 designs in this book are beautiful and detailed. What is interesting is how much easier it is to color a detailed design with a black background. I don’t have to bother with coloring it myself and I tend towards bright and/or pastel shades with midnight books. That’s really different from what I do with Ms. Sarnat’s other books. Ms. Sarnat also took it a step further than other artists have done and reversed some of the detail elements to be mostly black with white lines on their outlines. Just this extra step makes a world of difference in how the finished design looks.
As with all of Ms. Sarnat’s coloring books, the designs are very detailed but don’t have tiny, intricate details that are hard to color. There are a number of doodle style designs as well as designs which feature other types of details added to the hides of the elephants. This makes coloring fun as you can color the creatures in any fashion you can imagine.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
34 Detailed Elephant Designs by Marjorie Sarnat
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is medium weight, white with black backgrounds printed, slightly rough and non-perforated
Glue Binding
Designs do not merge into the binding area and there is enough room to cut pages out if you choose to do so.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper. Water-based markers bleed through in tiny spots (mostly leaving colorful shadows on the back of the page.) I suggest you use a heavyweight blotter page of card stock or several sheets of paper below your project page if you are using alcohol-based markers. This will keep seeping ink from ruining the pages below.
Gel pens and India ink pens do not bleed through the paper but do leave colorful shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils work extremely with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and got good results with color, layers of the same color, layers of different colors, and blending with a pencil style blending stick.

Scribbles & Doodles: Stress Relieving Doodle Designs: A Unique Antistress Coloring Gift for Men, Women, Teenagers & Seniors with Relaxing Doodle … Relief, Mindful Meditation & Relaxation)

By: Papeterie Bleu

Rating: 4 of 5

This is my first coloring book by Papeterie Bleu. I don’t know if they generally print the reverse side of the page black with gray print or if this book is unusual. For me, it was different and interesting. The designs are black line printing on white background. Because of the black on the back of the page, the white background has a gray tone to it.

The designs are done in a swirly doodle style. The designs all have a hand-drawn look to them with very few straight lines. While I like many computer-generated designs, hand-drawn are still my favorite.
Some of the designs are repeated elements (not wallpaper style as each element is slightly different) and some of the designs are a mass of unusual shapes, lines, and elements. All of the designs have framing lines at the outer edge which provides a natural stopping point in coloring.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
31 Swirling Doodle style designs
Printed one side of page
Paper is thin, white, slightly rough and non-perforated. The back of each page is black with a variety of quotes and designs in gray print.
Glue Binding
Designs do not merge into the binding and have a frame around the outer edge. Plenty of room to remove pages if you wish.
Book opens fairly flat for coloring by creasing the spine hard.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper. You don’t see much more than a shadow at the back of the page (because of the black print) but you will need to be careful to use a blotter page so the page underneath does not get ruined by ink bleeding through.
Water-based markers spot through to the back of the page. Again, you can’t see it too clearly but I still recommend at blotter page with this medium.
Gel pens and India ink do not bleed through. If they leave shadows, it is hard to see through the black print.
Colored pencils work well with the rough texture of this paper. I did note that pencil style blender sticks did not work well. I found that using them smudged the black print of the design consistently. While I generally don’t test with wet blending medium, I did so for this book. I found that mineral spirits and other wet blending pens worked well and that petroleum jelly also worked well. No smudging but I would use a blotter page to be safe.
Otherwise, colored pencils did well with pigment lay down and layering with both the same color (for deeper pigment) and multiple colors. I tested both oil and wax-based pencils.