My Latest Love: Adult Coloring Books! {Giveaway & Review}

I rediscovered my love of coloring this year and won’t ever go without it again! It’s not because it’s the fad right now though that certainly helped remind me. Coloring is something I have always truly enjoyed doing since I could wield a crayon. Through the hustle and bustle and mundane things of life, I wasn’t taking time for me. Coloring is quite therapeutic as it can bring clarity, inspiration, deep concentration, and a peaceful and pleasant state of mind. Today, I’d like to share a few coloring books that I’ve been using during my quiet times thanks to Adams Media. 

The Mandala Coloring Book  | 100 Designs| 208 pages| Retail Pricing: $15.99 |

I feel this coloring book is a good place for beginners to start. The designs vary from simple to more challenging. Each design features thick bold lines which makes colors stand out beautifully. The pages are single print which means the back side doesn’t feature another design. The paper has a good weight to it making it ideal for many different coloring mediums. If concerned about permanent ink bleeding through, one can always slip a thin piece of cardboard behind the paper while coloring.

The front of this book has an introduction which provides helpful tips. Tips include color guides, what certain colors often represent feeling wise, suggestions on discovering what art medium you’ll be coloring in ( pencil, permanent ink, crayons, paint , etc), how to  choose which design to color,  and so forth. There are no perforated edges to remove the pages if you want to frame for display.

I’ve found the designs I’ve colored in this book to be quite relaxing. My method of coloring is just going with what colors speak to me at the time.  I’ve colored some designs in short amount of time and others for a many days in a row with the time I’ve carved out to do so.  Quite happy with it! Very relaxing.

 

The Art of Nature Coloring Book  | 60 Illustrated Designs| 128 pages| Retail Pricing: $14.99 |

The  vintage botanical and scientific prints found within the pages of this coloring book are beautiful. The images give one a taste of the art commonly popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth century.  There are illustrations of plant life, fruits, vegetables, nautical sea creatures, shells,  birds of the sky, and insects. A few of my favorites are the Dogwood, Garden Peas,  Seahorse, Common Lobster, Black-Capped Chickadee, and Honey Bee illustrations.

All the shadowing and intricate detail of each image really comes to life when colors are added. It’s been a calming and joyful experience to color. This book was well worth carving out some time in my day for. It’s reminder to not get so lost in the business of everything and to take in the amazing world around us as it’s truly spectacular.

The pages in this book are perforated and can be removed so you can hang each beautiful piece on your own wall or to gift to someone near and dear to your heart. These fit perfectly into any 8″ x 10″ frame. It’s a taste of art, history, science, and nature  that you can color and freely do with the designs as you please! How wonderful an aid this has been not just for myself but in homeschooling my children.  I highly recommend this one!

Stress Less Coloring – Mosaic Patterns| 101+ Designs | 208 pages| Retail Pricing: $14.99 |

This coloring book features illustrations with basic to very detailed designs. The Mosaics are made up of so many different shapes in various sizes.  It’s like looking through a kaleidoscope but on paper instead of the brightly colored tube and you get to be in control of every color seen in each pattern.

The pages in this book are one sided and meant to reside inside in the book. The pages aren’t as thick as some coloring books I’ve used but if worried of paint, ink, or whatever else bleeding through, you can slip a thin piece of cardboard behind the page while coloring. I’ve used brightly colored sharpies as well as colored pencils when coloring the designs. I did have to put a piece of cardboard behind the pages so it didn’t bleed through to the following pages. Some of the illustrations have very small areas to color so I feel a very thin fine pointed ink pen or very sharp colored pencil would works best for these.

Mosaics always remind of intricate garden stepping stones. The thought of coloring these to whatever whim I have is fun because the garden is one of my stress-free zones of enjoyment. I have a strong feeling these will become an inspiration to future decor I will personally create for my home. I love experimenting with colors and seeing just how different each page will be as I go along.

 

Stress Less Coloring – Paisley Patterns | 101+ Designs | 208 pages| Retail Pricing: $14.99 |

When it comes to Paisley Patterns my full attention is grasped. There’s just something about the whirls, curves, feathers, and tear drop like shape that captivates the eyes. Throughout history  and among many different cultures the Paisley has been used. Most commonly I imagine my current generation will place it in the era of the 70’s as it was quite prevalent in psychedelic to contemporary styles.

The pages in this book are one sided. The paper the designs are printed on are on the thinner side so I wouldn’t recommend using paint or sharpies on it. I would recommend using very sharp colored pencils or fine liner pens. There are some pretty small spots to fill on a number of the patterns.

I am in love with variety of designs in this coloring book! These range from bold to light and intricate to straight forward. One can start simple and work their way up or tackle a more challenging design first. These I feel are best colored over the span of several days. I always feel less stressed after coloring and when I complete a work a sense of accomplishments rushes over me. I like this coloring book quite a bit and love that it allows me to express my creativity in such a way!

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Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of the product for review purposes. The opinions are my own or my immediate family members, based on our personal experience with the product.