Criteria of Adult Coloring Books: How to Choose

Criteria of Adult Coloring Books

In a prior post, I talked about the types of publishers in regards to adult coloring books. This time I want to help you by telling you what to look for. Now, I'm not talking so much about designs. After all, you know best what you like. I'm talking about the differences in layout, style, composition etc.

Single page designs

Since markers will bleed through pages and even simple wooden coloring pencils can leave dents on the backside of the page, look for books with one design per page. How can you tell? If the description doesn't state whether the book has one or two designs per page, simply look at the number of pages in a book. For example, a book with 30 designs should have at least 60 pages. Of course it's usually a few more because of text that goes with a book.

Perforated pages

Coloring in a book with the other pages folded over isn't exactly comfortable. That's why perforated pages are a great help. Even if coloring in a book (as opposed to coloring on a single page that has been removed) doesn't bother you, perforated pages allow for removal of your completed work so you can scan it, put it in a binder, or show it off otherwise.

Speaking of showing off projects: My friend Conny has a blog on which she features adult colorings, you should check it out.

Design details

When I first discovered adult coloring books, I was so excited about a cat themed book someone suggested that I bought it without researching it. Alas, when I got it I found out that the designs were created for advanced colorists. While I found enough designs I feel I can complete, I need to be in the right frame of mind to attempt them. So, research the difficulty level. Many books will state that in their description. If they don't, browse the reviews.

How do you know what you get?

We all know not to judge a book by its cover and this especially applies to coloring books. How can you commit to buying something when you don't know if you will like all (or at least most) of the designs? Here are some tricks: People will often post completed pages online. Simply check reviews for attached pictures or do a Google Image search by typing in the name of the coloring book.

If you are buying on Amazon, use the preview feature. Here is how you get the most of it: Bring up the listing page for the book and click on the image to the left. Don't worry if it only says "2 images" or whatever. A pop-up window will load once you click on the image of the book.

On the left side, you will see a "look inside" function with the following sub categories: Front Cover, First Pages, Back Cover, Surprise Me. Click on all the options, but especially the "surprise me" link. Keep doing this repeatedly and you will get different pages. Of course not all will display, but I found out that by going into this function repeatedly you will get lots of different pages. Also, don't forget to use the arrows that allow you to flip to other pages.