There’s been a lot of noise on social media lately about coloring books designed for adults. They are supposed to help us relax and leave the world behind as we get out our colored pencils, leave the stress of daily life behind and enjoy time spent coloring. I’m sure from my own experience doing art, this is all true – so after seeing so many stories on social media – I ordered a few coloring books for myself, pulled out my favorite colored pencils and spent some time coloring.

A few hours later – I had in fact de-stressed and enjoyed letting my creative juices get flowing again.

Of all the books I looked at and the ones I ordered, here are some of my favorites:

Animal Kingdom – Millie Marotta

This gal can draw! Of all the coloring books I looked at, hers are the most beautifully drawn. Such delicate mastery. Such beauty. They are almost too beautiful to color. But if you are going to spend your precious time coloring – why not color the best.

Mindfulness Coloring Book – Emma Farrarons

This is a small pocket size coloring book with 70 different patterns waiting for you to “color your way to tranquility”. Patterns include plants and animals, as well as rolling waves and kaleidoscope designs. The smaller size may make the coloring less intimidating or let you get to coloring a lot more pages.

Secret Garden – Joanna Basford

Joanna’s books have been very popular and are all over social media. Secret Garden has lots of floral and plant designs, and her book, Enchanted Forest is full of animal characters, large and small. Both are full of beautiful line drawings ready for you to color.

Color Me Calm – Lacy Mucklow

I am attracted to this book because the images are less object oriented and more pattern based. The author chose images ‘that would evoke calming responses’ and has included mandalas, nature images, geometric patterns and water themes. The images are less intimidating, while being beautifully drawn with a bit of whimsy.

Colored Pencils – To do all this coloring – you are going to need some good things to color with. And the best thing to use when coloring these kinds of patterns are – colored pencils. Colored pencils come in soft or hard leads and for this kind of coloring I recommend hard leaded pencils. Hard lead pencils sharpen to a very fine point and allow you to color intricate details with impressive results.

My favorites are Prismacolor Verithins –  24 or 36 pack.

These high quality pencils with hard, thin leads make edges cleaner, outlines bolder, and lettering pristine. The point won’t snap under normal pressure, and moisture won’t smear marks.They sharpen to a fine point without crumbling. Bring out the intricate details of your vision. with these high-quality pigments for rich color saturation.

If you prefer a softer lead pencil try Prismacolor 48 pack – soft rich colors.

These are artist-quality colored pencils for every level of expertise. The colors are easily blended, slow to wear and waterproof. The soft, thick cores create a smooth color laydown for superior blending and shading and, the thick leads resist breakage. 

Whether you are artistically inclined or not – you can enjoy time coloring. Everyone can. Choose a few books that appeal to you, get those colored pencils ready – and enjoy!