I've become a big fan of adult coloring books since my Dad died last fall. I've been dealing with a fair amount of anxiety and grief since then, and coloring has been one of my coping mechanisms. I find it meditative, and it keeps my hands busy. I find it helps me focus during church services as well. I thought I'd share some of my fave products with you guys so you can benefits from my hard-won shopping expertise in this area.
For the coloring books, paper quality is important. You want smooth, thick paper. I prefer those with the design on only one side, as I like to use markers, and you can have problems with bleedthrough. With colored pencils, it isn't such an important issue, unless you like to hang, frame, or otherwise use your finished pages. I prefer perforated pages, as I like to remove the page I'm working on. It prevents bleedthrough to the next design, and it's easier to position and rotate your work. It also avoids having to hold the book open. Two brands I've been mostly happy with are Design Originals and Paige Tate. DesignOriginals books have the added convenience of being purse-sized. Here's a peek at some of my favorite coloring books.
As for markers, I have tried many brands. My favorite water-based markers are the Ohuhu Dual-tipped markers, though the fine side runs out pretty quickly if you use them a lot like I do. This leads to streaking. The brush strokes are very visible with the brush end and sometimes streaky on both ends, as you can see in the photo below.
For the alcohol-based markers, Colorona is great for coloring larger areas, with zero streaking and rich color as seen in the photo below. They are nice and chunky, so easy on the hands. The caps don't match the ink very well, however, and the "fine tip" isn't very fine. Good old Sharpie Ultra Fine are excellent for more detailed work, but they can be expensive. The color quality is great, though. If you see them on discount, grab them.
My current recommendation for markers is that you go alcohol based (if you can keep them away from your kids, as they are permanent). They bleed more, but I prefer that to streaking. If you have a light touch with the markers, you can limit the bleeding of the link. My current favorites are Colorona and Sharpie Ultra Fine as seen below.
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| Sharpie Ultra Fine on Color Cute by DesignOriginals |
For the coloring books, paper quality is important. You want smooth, thick paper. I prefer those with the design on only one side, as I like to use markers, and you can have problems with bleedthrough. With colored pencils, it isn't such an important issue, unless you like to hang, frame, or otherwise use your finished pages. I prefer perforated pages, as I like to remove the page I'm working on. It prevents bleedthrough to the next design, and it's easier to position and rotate your work. It also avoids having to hold the book open. Two brands I've been mostly happy with are Design Originals and Paige Tate. DesignOriginals books have the added convenience of being purse-sized. Here's a peek at some of my favorite coloring books.
 |
| DesignOriginals, Paige Tate, Unity &Fellowship |
As for markers, I have tried many brands. My favorite water-based markers are the Ohuhu Dual-tipped markers, though the fine side runs out pretty quickly if you use them a lot like I do. This leads to streaking. The brush strokes are very visible with the brush end and sometimes streaky on both ends, as you can see in the photo below.
 |
| Ohuhu Markers on Paige Tate pages |
For the alcohol-based markers, Colorona is great for coloring larger areas, with zero streaking and rich color as seen in the photo below. They are nice and chunky, so easy on the hands. The caps don't match the ink very well, however, and the "fine tip" isn't very fine. Good old Sharpie Ultra Fine are excellent for more detailed work, but they can be expensive. The color quality is great, though. If you see them on discount, grab them.
 |
| Colorona Markers on pages from Color Cute by DesignOriginals. |
My current recommendation for markers is that you go alcohol based (if you can keep them away from your kids, as they are permanent). They bleed more, but I prefer that to streaking. If you have a light touch with the markers, you can limit the bleeding of the link. My current favorites are Colorona and Sharpie Ultra Fine as seen below.
Happy coloring!
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