Colouring in isn't just for kids. It's been proven to help soothe the mind and destress people of all ages. The act of colouring in can be both meditative and therapeutic hence why we're huge fans of it here at Gathered.
So to help you feel more relaxed, we've rounded up the best adult colouring books on the market! Treat yourself or a loved one to one of these adult colouring books and start feeling more relaxed. We've also rounded up the best pens for adult colouring so you can buy the full package and start colouring straight away.
Overall best colouring books for adults
- Best for mindfulness: Mille Marottas bird colouring book, £4.59
- Best value for money: Kaisercraft Hipster colouring book, £3.67
- Best illustrations: Beatrix Potter colouring book, £7.68
To get you started on your colouring journey, check out these free colouring sheets and these free cats colouring papers. Before you begin, you might also want to take a look at our best colouring pencils guide. And make sure you have a good daylight craft lamp to illuminate your sofa or workstation!
Best adult colouring books to buy
1. Amna Mogul's colouring books for adults
Best for: Mindful colouring
Amna Mogul's adult colouring books include 50 unique handmade designs for you to get creative with.
2. Millie Marotta's beautiful birds adult colouring book
Best for: Nature lovers
Millie Marotta's beautiful birds and treetop treasures will make a fab birthday or Christmas gift. Colouring books for adults have never been so beautiful!
3. Papeterie Bleu's colouring books for adults
Best for: Calming colouring
The best adult colouring books have both images and quotes which is why we love Papeterie Bleu's mindful mandala book.
4. Anna Vavrova's poetry colouring books for adults
Best for: Those wanting a more dynamic colouring experience
After experiencing the end of a relationship, Anna created 13 poems alongside her illustrations in order to express her emotions. She's collected these adult colouring pages and popped them into a book that will take you on a journey of love, loss and heartbreak.
5. Jade Summer's inspirational colouring books for adults
Best for: Growing confidence
Jade Summer's adult mindfulness colouring books radiate good vibes and positivity. Pick up her book and colour yourself happy.
6. Curly Mango Gifts Personalised Baking colouring books for adults
Best for: Gifting to a friend
Curly Mango Gifts make the best adult colouring books to give as gifts because they're personalised! Simply type your name in when you order and your name will be printed on every page among all the sweet treats.
Looking for gift inspiration? Take a look at the best sewing gifts and the best llama gifts.
7. Johanna Basford's colouring books for adults
Best for: Those wanting detailed colouring in
Johanna Basford is the queen of adult colouring books and has published over 10 collections. This whimsical World of Flowers edition will have you feeling relaxed in no time.
8. Ellie Marks' haiku colouring books for adults
Best for: Those wanting printable colouring pages
Ellie Marks has paired her gorgeous floral illustrations with 26 short haiku poems - one for each letter of the alphabet. Her colouring books for adults are just stunning!
9. Sabbuu Editions botanical colouring books for adults
Best for: Adults
Sabbuu Editions have brought out a beautiful botanical adult colouring book. There's 50 illustrations inside just waiting for you to start colouring them.
10. Cocodro's waves and mountains
Best for: Colouring on the go
Cocodro's 15 page adult colouring book is great because it fits into a handy envelope making it an ideal birthday gift.
11. GillianCrossArt's songbird colouring book for adults
Best for: Quick colouring
Adult mindfulness colouring books don't get more relaxing than GillianCrossArt's songbird collection. Her adult colouring pages are available for instant download.
12. Animal colouring book for adults
Best for: Value for money
Relax with colours using Colour Therapy's adult colouring book. This detailed animal collection will have you feeling very satisfied when you've completed it.
13. Posh Pink Pretty adult colouring pages
Best for: Anxiety relief
This African American colouring book is 14 pages of adult colouring pages for black women. It's designed to relax and destress you. Plus you'll be supporting a small business by purchasing!
14. Jade Summer's intricate
Best for: Detailed designs
Jade Summer's Intricate Patterns adult colouring book has loads of detailed designs which help you focus, relax, and improve your colouring skills.
15. Josephine Dellow's adult colouring book
Best for: Adults and children
Josephine Dellow's gorgeous Etsy shop sells everything from tote bags to adult mindfulness colouring books. We love this house and shops collection.
16. Ruth Shanley's Autumn Adult Colouring Book
Best for: Autumn crafting
Embrace Fall with Ruth Shanley's Autumnal adult colouring book. There's everything from amazing acorns to pretty pumpkins.
17. L.J.Knight's Geometric Patterns adult colouring Book
Best for: Repeating patterns
L.J Knight's new adult colouring book for adults includes 50 original pattern designs to soothe the mind.
18. De-ann Black's adult colouring book
Best for: Affordable colouring
Scottish author and artist De-ann Black has created 14 of the best adult colouring we've ever seen and this one is rooted in her Scottish heritage. Whether you're a Scot or not you're going to love this book.
19. Laura Bronte's quirky adult colouring book
Best for: Unique illustrations
Laura Bronte is a super talented illustrator who now has her own adult colouring book. Filled with quirky designs, this colouring book is affordable and pocket-sized.
20. SevsInks adult colouring pages
Best for: Printing your own colouring
If a whole colouring book feels a bit too much then why not try a colouring page? SevsInks has beautiful individual adult colouring pages that you can print at home.
21. Quarantine adult colouring book
Best for: gifting to a stressed pal!
LavishbyTalia's adult colouring book is a nod to quarantine/lockdown and will give you a good laugh as you colour.
22. Creative Coloring's goldfish colouring book for adults
Best for: Fish fans
Adult mindfulness colouring books don't always have to feature positive quotes and mandalas. Featuring 31 gorgeous fish designs, Creative Colouring has channelled the fish's peaceful energy into their colouring book for adults.
23. MightyKaciArt's Color Me Curvy adult colouring book
Best for: Body positivity
Celebrate all bodies with Mighty Kaci Art's plus-sized colouring book. Featuring 24 beautiful women, this adult colouring book is as empowering as it is calming.
24. Under the Sea adult colouring pages
Best for: Families
Imperium By Alanna's adult colouring pages will have you exploring all different types of sea creatures.
25. Paperland's adult colouring book
Best for: Funny colouring
Can you name a better combination? Paperland's funny and adorable colouring book for adults includes all your favourite cocktail and coffee recipes alongside some very cute dogs!
26. Beatrix Potter adult colouring book
Best for: Nostalgic colouring
This lovely Beatrix Potter adult colouring book is a great one for nostalgia. There is also a Wizard of Oz and Roald Dhal adult colouring book too.
27. Angelea Van Dam's Winter adult colouring book
Best for: Festive colouring in
Start feeling Christmassy with Angelea Van Dam's festive adult colouring book. There's everything from enchanting snowy scenes to woolly mittens and hats for you to get creative with.
28. Moomin adult colouring book
Best for: Childhood colouring in
Throw back to the magical work of Moomin's with this gorgeous adult colouring book. The best adult colouring books are always a little big nostalgic right?
29. Siobhan Ferguson London's colouring book
Best for: Scenic colouring
If you're a fan of Britain's capital then pick up this gorgeous colouring book for adults. Each scene was photographed by Siobhan Ferguson and then drawn by Lucy Hester so you can colour in the sites.
30. Arteza doodle adult colouring book
Best for: Artistic illustrations
Arteza has a huge range of adult colouring books and this edition includes 72 unique and complex doodle designs.
31. Soul Coats mindful adult colouring book
Best for: Reflective colouring
Rohadi's Soul Coats contains scenes and verses from the entire Bible including the garden of Eden. This adult colouring book also comes with a free reflection guide so you can work on yourself and your mind.
32. Hipster adult colouring book
Best for: Modern colouring pages
Plants, cameras, glasses and more are all featured in Kaisercraft's hipster adult colouring book.
33. Igloo Books' adult colouring book
Best for: Positive colouring
Igloo Books have created a lovely adult colouring book which is full of positive, cheery and wonderful quotes and illustrations.
34. Marjory Tait's Celtic
Best for: Traditional colouring in
Marjory Tait has created two 40 page adult colouring books inspired by Scottish folklore. From wild deer to Celtic queens, these colouring books will have you feeling relaxed in no time.
35. Molly Suzanne's botanical adult colouring book
Best for: Botanical colouring
We love adult mindfulness colouring books that include flowers and this one not only includes flowers but it's also educational! Molly's book includes 30 pages of healing plants, along with tips and information on each page.
Best pens for adult colouring
Now that you've found all the best colouring books for adults, it's time to pick up some pens! Here are our recommendations for the best pens for adult colouring.
Dual tip brush pens
Dual tip pens are a good all-rounder since they can be used for both bigger sections and smaller sections of your design. This set has a 1-2mm brush tip and a 0.4mm fine tip meaning they're still a little too delicate for tiny hands but for adults they're perfect.
Fine Liners pens
Fine liners are great for colouring in intricate designs thanks to their thin, precise nibs. These pens aren't suitable for kids as the nibs can be fragile and too much pressure can cause them to snap. For adult colouring though they're great! This pack by Jansroad comes with 24 colours and are made from acid-free ink with a 0.3mm nib.
Watercolour brush pens
Watercolour pens are a great purchase for anyone wanting to add a more natural feel to their colouring. You can achieve a beautiful gradient effect with watercolour pens without the hassle of messy paints. Simply pour some water into the premade brush, insert the coloured pen you want and get creative.
We hope you've enjoyed our best pens for adult colouring and adult mindfulness colouring books round up! For more fun projects check out our craft subscription box round-up and our five minutes crafts!
