What’s the Best Adult Coloring Book?

Johanna Basford is one of the best-known adult coloring book authors — her hit book, Secret Garden, sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. She’s recognized for her elaborate hand-drawn designs, often inspired by the natural world. Sophie Conners of Diffusion PR recommends Basford’s fifth book, Magical Jungle, which has “just the right amount of detail” and features rainforest illustrations teeming with flora and fauna to color. Conners notes that it “has really pretty nature scenes that are detailed enough to look impressive when you’re done, but not so detailed that you’re stressing out when you’re working on it.” She also says it “has thick enough pages to absorb marker ink without it bleeding through,” which is welcome news for anyone in a marker era.

Ximena Vengoechea is another fan of Basford’s work. Vegoechea is an author specializing in professional and personal development. Unlike Magical Jungle, World of Flowers focuses solely on floral designs, which are inspired by Basford’s grandmother, who was a gardener and an artist.

The fine detailing of the designs is what drew Vengoechea to this book. She says, “The illustrations are quite intricate, which means that you get a little hit of enjoyment with every small spot you fill.” Similarly to Magical Jungle, the pages are thick to prevent bleed-through, and the book is carefully and thoughtfully designed.

Yoga instructor, and founder of Nature Sound Retreat, Michelle Justice describes the Mindfulness Coloring Book for Adults as “a boat that takes you on a journey to a peaceful place where your imagination can really go wild.” Justice says this coloring book helps to “guide me deeper into mindfulness.”

It contains 50 designs featuring animals in a mandala style (an intricate geometric design in Buddhist and Hindu traditions). And though the mandala designs can be intricate, Justice notes that the designs come in a range of difficulties, so it’s equally enjoyable for all skill levels. Ink bleed-through can be a problem with coloring books, but she explains that the thick, dark pages between designs stop it from happening.

This mandala-themed coloring book contains 40 coloring pages with soothing mandala-inspired designs. This ultraportable coloring book is the shortest on our list, so it’s a good one to toss in your bag to take to a café or to the office. It’s a favorite of Suki Eleuterio, a social media strategist and creativity coach. She recommends this book to clients because she finds coloring its mandala designs “relaxing and rewarding.” Eleuterio adds that she uses this book herself to relax — she notes that the designs are “perfect with a glass of wine.”

Strategist writer Arielle Avila “never once considered picking up a Crayola” during self-isolation. However, she recommends this coloring book for any fan of the Real Housewives of New York City, saying the attention to detail is what makes it perfect for a Bravoholic. “Each page of this coloring book features a different scene from the series, starting with housewives who haven’t been on the show in years,” Avila explains. “One of the first pages is an illustration of Countess Luann facing off against Alex McCord, accusing her of wearing Herman Munster shoes (they were actually Louis Vuitton).”

“I love to travel. I love cities. I love architecture,” says Greenwald. She relishes how this book lets her “mentally escape and travel,” both to real cities — such as Melbourne and Rio — and ones invented by the illustrator. The designs are beautifully drawn and highly detailed, so it’s perfect if you want something complex you can take your time over.

She also likes that it lets you reimagine what cities would look like with their colors changed. “What would a classic white cathedral look like in fluorescent colors, and how would that change your perspective about what was happening inside that building?” she adds.