Adult coloring is one of the easiest ways to destress. It’s very simple and doesn’t require any special skill. As long as you have a coloring tool plus a nice coloring book, you are good to go.
Coloring books for adults vary when it comes to themes and complexity. Since the goal is to enjoy and relax, it’s important to have illustrations and content that are engaging, motivating, and appealing.
Take, for instance, a fantasy coloring book. Since fantasy can include mythical creatures, there are many options available that artists of all ages can relate to. From unicorns, fairies, dragons, mermaids, science fiction, tales, and so on, they are presented in varying degrees of detail, and color choices can be very flexible. It’s up to the artist’s perspective to see these line art or grayscale images brought to life.
While it may not look too obvious, there are several good physical and mental benefits related to adult coloring. Coloring books are not only young or old adults; there are professional artists in this kind of genre, too.
We have listed our favorite choices for great adult coloring books that most grown-ups, including artists, love. They include a wide range of choices from mandalas, landscapes, quotes, animals, and more. If you want an easier approach, try color by number books.
Contents
The Coloring Tools
There’s more to crayons when it comes to coloring. Generally speaking, adults prefer other coloring tools to express their creativity because crayons are usually for kids. Since every medium has its own uniqueness, you can mix and match different types to enhance your artwork better. If you are new to adult coloring, you have the flexibility to try any coloring material to see what works for you.
Colored Pencils
This is one of the most common coloring tools available, and they come in a lot of brilliant colors. You can create different strokes, varying tones, and beautiful effects. You can even use this with other art supplies. They are easy to use and are low maintenance. Take a look at our best colored pencils list and see what is best for beginners and even for professionals.
Art Markers
The use of art markers produces saturated, bold, and beautiful shades in adult coloring books. The inks can be alcohol-based or water-based. They can be used to blend colors and can also work well with other materials. Since they have a liquid ink formulation, they tend to bleed through paper. The good thing is that many coloring book publishers have this consideration in mind so you can continue to enjoy using the best art markers on your book. They may come in refillable pens or disposable types.
Gel Pens
When filling small areas or if you want to add some texture to your coloring pages, gel pens can be your best bet. They have thicker ink consistency than regular pens, and they come in a wide range of colors. They are easy to apply and control. Some brands even come with refills for each pen along with your purchase, removing worries in case any of your favorite pens run out of ink. Check out the best gel pens we have and see which you think will fit your needs.
Glitter Gel Pens
Add a little extra to your coloring work by considering some sparkle. Glitter gel pens are the key to give a nice accent or highlight the images you wanted to stand out. These are great for drawings featuring fantasy creatures like mermaids, angels, or unicorns because they are simply magical. Glitters can make a good final touch for that dreamy effect. Let the best glitter gel pens make your artwork shimmer and shine.
Top 10 Fantasy Adult Coloring Books
The existence of creatures that are only created by wild imaginations has become part of life since childhood. When our mind takes us away from reality, we see a world of mythical beings that can be dreamy or scary, massive or tiny, weird or ordinary, and it all depends on how we playfully picture them in our thoughts.
Fantasy themes are very popular in adult coloring. Working on the beautiful illustrations in these adult coloring books takes the user to a world of enchantment. We have searched for different adult coloring books and see which made it on our top list for fantasy coloring.
Before we go to the first one, we’d like to share our very own fantasy coloring book.
Kawaii Fantasy Girls: An Adult Coloring Book
It features empowered women made with kawaii art. From queens, mermaids, witches, vampires, fairies, and many more, they are conveyed as powerful and mythical beings while showing their cute, playful, and fun nature. It has a combination of simple to complex drawings that your coloring heart will love.
Expect full-page illustrations printed on the front page only. If you are into art markers, the back page is black to help absorb any ink that may bleed through but as a general practice, especially when using alcohol markers, use extra sheets under your work for extra protection. The book offers double images. It means that each image is printed twice on the book so that you can color your favorite character again.
Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.23 x 11 inches
Total Pages: 102
Total Images for Coloring: 25 x 2
1. Unicorns and Dragons – Enchanting Fantasy Coloring Book by Selina Fenech
Pros
- Beautiful fantasy drawings with varying complexity
- Single-sided coloring page making it ideal for dry or wet medium
- Each image is printed twice for re-coloring
Cons
- Coloring pages are not perforated, which may be difficult to detach if you wish to display work
First on our list is one of the coloring books from Selina Fenech. She is an illustrator of different fantasy coloring books. From goddesses, fairy tales, gothic, mermaids, fairies, myths, and more, she has made a wide array of choices for adults who are into the magical world. If you like more of these, you may check the entire collection of Fantasy Coloring by Selina.
The Unicorns and Dragons Enchanting Fantasy Coloring Book features 25 drawings with moderate to complex details of these mythical animals together with fairies and other elements. This is great for beginners and advanced coloring enthusiasts. The illustrations are printed on the front part of the coloring page; thus, making it ideal for art markers aside from colored pencils and pens.
With duplicate images of each drawing, you will be able to re-color your work in case you felt you messed up. You can also share it with a loved one to color together. Or, gift a similar piece while you keep one for yourself, too.
The pages are not perforated, so be extra careful should you need to detach your work. The paper may easily rip if not handled properly.
Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.26 x 11 inches
Total Pages: 115
Total Images for Coloring: 25 x 2
2. Mythomorphia: An Extreme Coloring and Search Challenge by Kerby Rosanes
Pros
- Beautiful fantasy drawings with intricate details
- The extra challenge provided to find hidden objects in each illustration
- Ideal for colored pencils and pens
Cons
- Back-to-back printed pages and may not work well with alcohol markers
- Book is not designed to detach pages if you wish to display work
Professional illustrator Kerby Rosanes is the man behind this extremely detailed adult coloring book using black fineliner pens. This is part of other similar titles, including Fantomorphia, Animorphia, Geomorphia, Imagimorphia, and others.
The book Mythomorphia: An Extreme Coloring and Search Challenge is more than dragons, unicorns, or mermaids. It levels up these mythological creatures and is joined by merlions, goblins, yetis, Hydra, Pegasus, Medusa, and more. Enjoy 53 images of marvelous work with intricate details that are beautifully drawn in sceneries full of elements. There are hidden objects that you can discover as you color along with the pieces. It may take a while to complete the pages, and patience is the key here as you color away.
The coloring pages are sewn to bind; thus, it’s not ideal to have the pages removed from the book. Another factor is that some illustrations spread on two pages. The drawings are printed on both sides of the paper, too. This is great to preserve your coloring masterpiece.
This book is ideal for dry media like colored pencils. Gel pens are also great. Alcohol markers will bleed through the back pages, and this is something you will want to avoid. Water-based markers should be tried on small sections first if the book’s coloring page can hold it.
This book may overwhelm beginners, but serious enthusiasts will love the details. If you need inspiration on how other colorists did theirs, you can Google #mythomorphia for ideas.
Dimensions: 10.1 x 0.5 x 10 inches
Total Pages: 96
Total Images for Coloring: 53
3. Creative Haven Magical Fairies Coloring Book by Marjorie Sarnat
Pros
- Beautiful fantasy drawings with varying complexity
- Single-sided coloring pages
- Perforated pages allow to easily detach pages as needed
Cons
- Alcohol markers may bleed through the pages
Marjorie Sarnat is a coloring book artist and has illustrated several coloring books that have clicked not only for adults but also for kids. With different genres such as animals, holidays, fashion, and more, the style of her drawings revolves around patterns and fanciful settings.
The Magical Fairies Coloring Book welcomes you to the fancy world of fairies. With 31 charming fairies, immerse into this whimsical book incorporated with unicorns, animals, castles, gardens, and more. With varying details and complexity, even beginners will enjoy this book designed for experienced colorists in mind.
The illustrations of these beautiful fairies are printed on just one side of the coloring page. That feature makes this coloring book work well with most coloring mediums aside from colored pencils. If you are into art markers, especially alcohol markers, remember to place a blotter page under your page as added protection for ink that may bleed through.
All pages are also perforated, which is a good detail if you prefer removing the page before coloring or perhaps to frame your work afterward. Enjoy fairy coloring with this Creative Haven book.
Dimensions: 8.1 x 0.2 x 10.8 inches
Total Pages: 64
Total Images for Coloring: 31
4. Disney Dreams Collection: Thomas Kinkade Studios Coloring Book
Pros
- Beautiful Disney character drawings with varying complexity
- Ideal for colored pencils and pens
- Full-color version of drawings is printed across the colorless version for reference
Cons
- Back-to-back printed pages and may not work well with alcohol markers
- Book is not designed to detach pages if you wish to display work
Talking about fantasies, next on our list is from the home of fairy tales. Professional painter Thomas Kinkade has a painting collection of Disney princesses and characters placed in beautiful settings. This book allows anyone to appreciate and color the same artwork he made.
The Disney Dreams Collection: Thomas Kinkade Studios Coloring Book boasts 63 stunning designs featuring the popular Disney characters and favorite princesses in their own iconic settings. Get to color Mickey and Minnie, Snow White, Cinderella, Pooh and Friends, and much more.
The unique part of this book is that a colored illustration is printed across its black line art version. This gives the user a glimpse of how a particular drawing may end up. Of course, color choices are still up to the artist but having a guided image in full color is a good idea.
Given how images are arranged in this book, they are not ideal for alcohol markers. Drawings are printed on both sides of the page, and using markers may bleed through the back portion. Other materials such as colored pencils, gel pens, or glitter gel pens will work well.
The Disney Dreams Collection can also make a perfect gift to anyone because who doesn’t love Disney, anyway?
Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.5 x 9.5 inches
Total Pages: 128
Total Images for Coloring: 63
5. Big Fantasy Coloring Book in Grayscale – 100 Illustrations to Color by Molly Harrison
Pros
- Beautiful fantasy drawings with varying complexity
- Single-sided coloring pages
- Get 100 unique illustrations
- Download coloring pages from the author’s website
Cons
- Thin paper may saturate easily with markers
- Coloring pages are not perforated, which may be difficult to detach if you wish to display work
Molly Harrison is another professional artist for coloring books. Her works revolve mostly with fairies in the fantasy world setting around Halloween, bohemian, autumn feels, and more. She also has mermaids, witches, magical animals, and more whimsical characters. Her works are a combination of books with line art and others in grayscale.
This Big Fantasy Coloring Book in Grayscale features 100 beautiful images to color in grayscale format. This means that the images are drawn in black line art and have many different shades of gray, giving a shadowy effect. Coloring in grayscale adds some dimension depending on how light or dark is the gray application on the area.
The coloring pages can handle art markers, colored pencils, or gel pens. Reminder when using art markers, always add extra sheets of paper underneath your work to prevent any ink that may bleed through the next pages. Test on smaller areas as the paper is a bit thin.
Getting this book means having assorted images from Molly’s other four adult coloring books. This makes it more affordable than purchasing each of those four separately. Enjoy 100 pages of fantasy art from Molly Harrison.
Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.46 x 11 inches
Total Pages: 202
Total Images for Coloring: 100
6. Mermaids: An Adult Coloring Book by Jade Summer
Pros
- Beautiful fantasy drawings with varying complexity
- Single-sided coloring page making it ideal for dry or wet medium
- Each image is printed twice for re-coloring
- Download coloring pages from the author’s website
Cons
- Coloring pages are not perforated, which may be difficult to detach if you wish to display work
Jade Summer is a coloring book brand that offers a wide range of choices for enthusiasts. Aside from fantasy and enchanting themes, they also have animals, mandalas, flowers, patterns, etc. Each book has varying complexity that makes it great for beginners and even experienced artists will like.
The Mermaids Adult Coloring Book features 30 mermaid drawings in a charming sea life setting. These underwater goddesses are in full-page illustrations printed twice, so you get around 60 pages to color in total. You may play around with different shades with the same design. The smooth paper is good quality, making it perfect for colored pencils, gel pens, or even art markers.
Each coloring page has a black back page. A black back page helps absorb any ink that may bleed through so it doesn’t mess up your next drawing. Nevertheless, adding an extra blotter page is always a good idea to ensure that you have another layer of protection as you color away.
While each mermaid drawing has a border on each page that will look great when framed, the coloring pages for this book are not perforated. Detach them carefully to avoid accidentally ripping your precious artwork.
Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.3 x 11 inches
Total Pages: 129
Total Images for Coloring: 30 x 2
7. Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest and Coloring Book by Johanna Basford
Pros
- Beautiful enchantment drawings with intricate details
- Good paper quality for colored pencils or pens
- Very nice front cover with dust jacket
Cons
- Back-to-back printed pages and may not work well with alcohol markers
- Book is not designed to detach pages if you wish to display work
Johanna Basford is a well-known coloring book illustrator who started the famous Secret Garden coloring book. The intricate details with hidden elements to be discovered are the key features of her beautiful illustrations having flora and fauna as her main inspiration.
The Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest and Coloring Book features 20 gorgeous illustrations of dazzling forestry with castles, tree houses, animals, and fantasy creatures. There is a balance of elements on each page as you flip through. Some may appear ornate, while some are more relaxing to the eyes. Regardless, the book maintains the enchanting mood as you complete your artwork while discovering various items along the way.
Images are double-sided in this book. This means that users of art markers need to be extra careful because of the high chances that ink will bleed through and ruin the back pages. Each coloring page is ideal for colored pencils or pens. Blend your shades and see each drawing brought to life.
Pages from this fantasy book are not intended to be detached, but a Special Artist’s Edition of this same theme is available for purchase separately. This Special Artist Edition uses cardstock and is intended for display or framing your art piece.
Dimensions: 9.88 x 0.5 x 10 inches
Total Pages: 84
Total Images for Coloring: 50+
8. Jasmine Becket-Griffith Coloring Book: A Fantasy Art Adventure
Pros
- Beautiful fantasy drawings with varying complexity
- Single-sided coloring pages
- Good paper quality for markers, pencils, or pens
Cons
- Coloring pages are not perforated, which may be difficult to detach if you wish to display work
Jasmine Becket-Griffith is a fantasy artist and has produced coloring books for her paintings with gothic, fairies, and lowbrow art genres. While these books are intended for grown-ups, the wholesome images are great for young ones, too.
This Fantasy Art Adventure Coloring Book is a high-quality coloring book that contains 55 images to color. These select images from the author’s original paintings are wonderfully created in line art with a mix of intricate details and large sections to color. All girl subjects have big, expressive eyes and bold eyelashes portrayed as whimsical characters like fairies or angels in random settings, including fairy tales.
The book has a beautiful dust cover, and the images are printed on good quality paper. All images have a border and are printed on one side only. While the back has no illustration to color, it contains some tidbits of information about the next drawing across the page, which can be interesting.
Each coloring page can work well with markers, colored pens, pencils, and gel pens. For alcohol marker users, make it a habit to put extra cardstock or blotter page under your page to ensure that any ink that may seep through doesn’t go to the next page.
A quick note that this book doesn’t feature perforated pages, so handle your paper well should you need to remove any portion.
Dimensions: 9 x 0.5 x 11 inches
Total Pages: 96
Total Images for Coloring: 55
9. Pop Manga Coloring Book: A Surreal Journey Through a Cute, Curious, Bizarre, and Beautiful World by Camilla d’Errico
Pros
- Beautiful pop manga drawings with varying complexity
- Good paper quality for colored pencils or pens
- Great for beginners or experienced colorists
Cons
- Back-to-back printed pages and may not work well with alcohol markers
- Book is not designed to detach pages if you wish to display work
Camilla d’Errico is a comic illustrator known for her pop manga illustrations that some are put into adult coloring book form. Other Pop Manga coloring books feature mermaids, sea creatures, and cute and creepy characters. With the fusion of pop surrealism art and manga, explore this kind of fantasy art world.
The Pop Manga Coloring Book is a book filled with more than 70 cute manga illustrations presented in a bizarre but magical way. There are boys, but most are cute girls portrayed whimsically with nature, animals, robots, food, angels, fairies, mermaids, and more. It has a sketchy and hand-drawn feel in each illustration.
The book is not designed to have its pages detached. It’s not perforated. They are printed back-to-back, and some drawings are in full-page print or extend across two pages; there are no borders or frames on each illustration. It’s good to note that this cute book includes a beautiful dust cover.
Since the coloring pages are double-sided, be mindful when using alcohol markers, as they will bleed on the back page. Colored pens, pencils, gel pens, and other dry media will work well on the paper.
If you’re a manga lover, this can be a good addition to your coloring book collection.
Dimensions: 10 x 0.39 x 9.87 inches
Total Pages: 80
Total Images for Coloring: 70+
10. Floating Island Coloring Book by Coco Wyo
Pros
- Beautiful fantasy drawings with varying complexity
- Single-sided coloring pages
- The unique black background around the images
Cons
- Includes very small details that may be difficult to color
Coco Wyo offers a huge variety of coloring books with the goal to let the user immerse in a magical fantasy world as they express their creativity. Each coloring book they have is full of patterns and details that many enthusiasts will love. Some books are catered for kids, too.
The Floating Island Coloring Book has a different approach to fantasy art but still enchanting in its own way. Each floating mystical isle houses random creations from castles, aliens, nature, animals, and more. The details and elements present on each coloring page are unique and gives that surreal vibe as your imagination floats you away while you color.
A nice feature of this adult coloring book is that each illustration has a black background. When you apply color, the contrast is amazing in that it makes your artwork pop, especially using neon or bright colors. This works well with art markers, colored pens or pencils, and gel pens as they are single-sided print only. As a word of caution when using art markers, always consider the use of extra paper under your work to absorb the ink that may bleed through.
This can be a good addition to your coloring book set and will make a perfect gift, too.
Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.15 x 11 inches
Total Pages: 66
Total Images for Coloring: 30
Conclusion
Fantasy is all around us. We see it, watch it, think of it. Whatever tickles your imagination in a nice way can be good for your overall well-being.
With the existence of coloring books for all ages, it has been made easy to express creativity without borders. Use the coloring tools that will give you joy as you use them and the results as you imagine them. These fantasy coloring books are flexible, open, and do not have fixed rules for shading. Bring these images to life with color that will delight your heart.
The bridge between fantasy and reality can be one coloring book away. Find what enchants you. Enjoy!