Choosing the Right Coloring Book for You
With so many options available, here’s how to choose the right coloring book:
- Consider Your Interests – Choose themes you love.
- Check the Complexity – Match the book to your coloring interest.
- Look for Quality – Ensure the paper is suitable for your supplies.
- Read Reviews – Get insights from other users.
- Get supplied
- Get organized
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Consider Your Interests
Obviously, this is the most important aspect to consider. If you aren’t connected to the subject of the coloring book, the enjoyment and relaxation just won’t be there for you. Luckily, there is a vast array of coloring books to choose from! There are coloring books featuring mandalas, plants, animals, swear words, bible verses, ocean scenes, motorcycles, vintage cars and more! However, keep in mind that just because you love trees, a coloring book full of trees may not spark joy for you.
It’s really a lovely time we live in as you can go to Amazon and type in “coloring books fishing” or “coloring books vintage houses” and choices will just pop up for you!
While the subject of the coloring book is vastly important, you will also want to consider the complexity of the book as well.
Check the Complexity
Interest in a coloring book doesn’t stop at the pictures within the book itself, but also with the complexity of the designs. This is where you really need to assess what your coloring needs and wants are. For example, you want to use coloring as a quick undwind before bed. In this case, choosing books that feature easy designs that are quick to finish, may just be exactly what you need. If this sounds like you, a coloring book with complex designs and minute details may feel overwhelming – which does not bring about a feeling of relaxation.
However, perhaps you are a very detail oriented person and enjoy all the nooks and crannies complex designs offer. Perhaps you don’t mind coloring a little and putting it away and coming back a different day to color a little more. In this case, choosing an easy coloring book may feel boring to you.
There are coloring books that feature the words: beginner, easy, complex, advanced, variety and so much more! Your search will be much quicker if you consider the complexity first. After all, this part of the coloring process should be easy and relaxing too!
Whatever your needs and wants are, it’s best to give it a little thought before going coloring book shopping.
Look for Quality
Another element to consider when shopping for the perfect coloring book, is to consider the quality of the paper used. Making sure the paper is suitable for your supplies is going to ensure a much more pleasing outcome.
As a child using the cheap coloring books of “back in the day”, frustration always arose from markers leaking through multiple pages or even worse, tearing the page being colored!
Consider the medium that makes you most happy. If you want to stick with crayons or pencils, paper quality isn’t as important. Pens and markers will require heavier paper and if painting is your forte, getting coloring books with special, no bleed paper, will yeild better results.
Another indicator of quality is images are on single-sided pages. With single-sided pages, there is no bleeding through of the printed outlines from front of the page nor will the coloring you completed on the front side effect the back side of the paper.
Price of the coloring book can speak to its quality, but is not a guarantee. Perhaps the coloring book has a higher price point because it has a large number of pages. It may be cheaper because while it has nice paper, there are few images in the coloring book.
Read Reviews
Looking at the reviews can also clue you into a coloring book’s quality. Happy Colors for Me only recommends coloring books we have personally colored in or books that have a 4+ star rating. Reading the reviews on Amazon and it’s star rating method is not fool proof, but makes for a much easier starting point.
Get Supplied
Woohoo! You are making progress! You have determined which coloring book theme you’d like to go with. You’ve thought about which medium you’d like to use and what quality paper you feel would be the best fit for that medium.
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