Who says coloring is just for kids?! Not me!
Coloring is an excellent way for adults to relax, express creativity, and keep hands busy.
Coloring books can be used with colored pencils, watercolor paints and watercolor paint pens, as well as regular acrylic paints and markers. And of course, you could also use Crayons. 😉
Listed below are some of my most favorite non-standard coloring books for adults. I’ve also listed some creative ideas for additional uses for these coloring books. For more information about each book, just click the links or photos below.
I only write about things I have or love – and I’m sharing them with you because maybe you’ll love them, too. The links in this post may contain affiliate links. I’ll receive a small commission (at no expense to you) if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.
Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book
This Secret Garden Coloring Book contains beautiful pictures to color in. The book also includes tiny garden creatures that are hidden within the pages, waiting for you to find them.
Grab your favorite colored pencils and relax and have fun while coloring in the pages of this book.
Lost Ocean: An Inky Adventure and Coloring Book
If you enjoy the Secret Garden book above, you’re sure to like this book as well. The Lost Ocean Coloring Book is similar to the book above – it contains illustrations of ocean scenes for you to color in, as well as hidden objects to find among the pages.
World of Flowers: A Coloring Book and Floral Adventure
Like the two books above, the World of Flowers Coloring Book is more than just a coloring book. Find the hidden objects as you color in the pages. The illustrations are lovely and relaxing to color in.
Colormorphia
The Colormorphia coloring book is very unique and is sure to be a favorite. This book includes some of Kerby Rosanes’s artwork in full color. The book guides you by demonstrating different techniques colorists can use when coloring. There are also black and white illustrations in this book for you to color in. Each illustration is very detailed and unique with a steampunk vibe. So many possibilities with this coloring book – don’t pass this one up!
Worlds within Worlds
Here is another fantastic coloring book by Kerby Rosanes. Like the book above, the illustrations in Worlds within Worlds are very detailed and very unique. This book includes creatures, people, animals, and landscapes – all blurring the line between familiar and magical. Grab your colored pencils and get lost in this book!
Daydreams Coloring Book
Immerse yourself in thought with this Daydreams Coloring Book. This one is from a series of coloring books by artist Hanna Karlzon. This book includes illustrations of flowers, bees, birds, underwater worlds, cats, and so much more. Unlike some coloring books, this is a hardcover book and makes a creative and fun coffee table book.
In addition to this book, you can also find coloring pages you can download instantly in the artists shop on Etsy at HannaKarlson.
This artist also has a new coloring book coming out soon, titled “Tales from the Midnight Masquerade“. You can see a flip-through of this upcoming book on the artists Facebook Page at Flip Through.
Twilight Garden
The Twilight Garden Coloring Book is filled with illustrations that are fun to color in. This is a hardcover coloring book with high quality pages. The illustrations include gardens, flowers, and animals. Some of the pages have black backgrounds, making the color of the images really stand out on those pages – very unique.
Infinitism Coloring Book
Let your imagination and creativity flow with this Infinitism Coloring Book. This is unlike a standard coloring book – it is filled with abstract illustrations that can be colored in and interpreted in so many different ways. Once you start coloring a page, it’s easy to lose track of time, as you become so absorbed in the drawings. This is really a fun book to try!
Intricate Ink: Animals in Detail
Wow! You simply must see the detailed illustrations in this Intricate Ink Animals in Detail coloring book. There are so many ways you can color in these images – from realistic colors to the fanciful. I highly recommend you make copies of these pages so you can color each one of them differently. The details really are amazing!
This is the first book in a series of three. The other two books are “Intricate Ink Animals in Detail Volume 2” and “Intricate Ink Animals in Detail Volume 3” – I recommend them all.
The Flower Year Coloring Book
The Flower Year coloring book celebrates all the floral and fauna of the year. This is a hardcover book, filled with intricate illustrations that were inspired by old Victorian etchings. It really is a delightful book!
Fantastic Cities: A Coloring Book of Amazing Places Real and Imagined
Fantastic Cities is a fun coloring book – it makes you feel like you’re traveling to far away places. The illustrations in this coloring book include places like New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Melbourne, and many more locales. The drawings are detailed and give you plenty of room to finish the cities the way you’d like to see them.
Color Me Crazy
Color Me Crazy is a challenging, yet fun, coloring book. The illustrations are very detailed line art with wild abstract shapes. You can color in the lines, between the lines, and in and around the shapes. Lots of possibilities with this coloring book.
Additional Ideas for These Books
All the coloring books shown here are relaxing and fun to color in, but there’s even more you can do with these books! Here are some ideas for you to try:
- Gift Wrap – Photocopy your favorite pages from the books, color them in, and then use that paper to wrap small gifts. Perfect for Mother’s Day, birthday’s, or gifts just to surprise someone you love.
- Placemats – Photocopy a variety of pages from the books, then use the uncolored pages as placemats. Perfect for a garden party! Make sure to set out your colored pencils for guests to use to color in their own pages.
- Wall Art – Have a page you’re particularly proud of? Cut it out, frame it, and hang it on the wall! If you don’t want to use the original page, make a copy of the page first, then color in the copy before framing. You could even make 4 copies of a favorite page, and then color each page different colors (perhaps for the seasons of the year) and then hang all 4 copies together to decorate your wall.
- Large-Scale Wall Art – Find an image you love, then project it onto a wall where you can trace it! Imagine a bathroom wall filled with flowers, or a family space with a wall filled with fantastical creatures. Be creative! Keep the wall tracing black and white, or color it in.
- Stationery – Make your own stationery with a photocopy of your favorite coloring page. You can either color in the page, or leave it uncolored. Write a letter to a friend or family member on the backside, fold, slip it in an envelope and mail. If you leave the illustration uncolored, your friend will be able to color it in – two surprises in one envelope!
Do you have a favorite coloring book? Share in a comment below!
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I used to buy cheap markers for kids, assuming it wouldn’t make a difference. But when I did use the best adult coloring book markers, I was astounded at how much better the results were. Needless to say, I didn’t look back. Adult coloring just got better and more exciting because I was already using colors designed for adults.