Are you ready to get started coloring? Don’t know what you should buy? Want to have an idea of how much this hobby is going to cost you? Want to add some products to your wish list?
The following guide should provide you with options in various price ranges, quality, and techniques. If you already know what you want, great! These lists can help give you other ideas. I have used the “recommended” tag for items that I can recommend for you. You will find the supplies broken down into the following categories:
FREE DOWNLOAD PAGES | COLORING BOOKS | COLORED PENCILS |MARKERS | WATERCOLORS | PENS | OTHER
Please note that although I do not know at present whether to receive any kind of monetary kickback for these recommendations, I am looking into receiving commissions.
Designs
| Just Color | This website has 1,500 free adult coloring pages to download to PDF. Various themes, artists, difficulty levels, and styles. (I particularly like the Middle Ages theme!) Includes movie posters and TV series. | |
| Super Coloring | This website has hundreds (or thousands) of downloadable illustrations for coloring. I like some of the cultural themes like Mayan and Inca art, Celtic Art, giant city posters, swear words, and even philosophy! | |
| Crayola | Crayola has some 50-ish free images to download from their company website. | |
| Loner Wolf | This illustrator has some 18 free coloring pages that are explicitly designed for stress-relieving purposes. | |
| Faber-Castell | This colored pencil manufacturer has several downloadable pages available from their website, and they encourage you to share your final product on their Facebook page or Instagram. |
Paper
You will get the best experience downloading free images and printing them at home if you use good paper. If you are going to use super-thick paper (like watercolor paper), then make sure your printer feeds the paper perfectly flat; otherwise, it might be an issue and cause a jam. Laser printers work better than inkjets.
| 65-pound cardstock | Best all-around choice. $15.99 USD. |
| 110-pound cardstock | Best paper for colored pencils, gel pens, and some markers. Thicker than the 65-pound paper—the kind you see useful brochures printed on. $16.00 USD |
| Classic Crest 110-pound cardstock | Best paper to use for alcohol-based markers. This paper is thick, very smooth, and non-coated. $27.47 USD |
| Kraft Paper | Try something different and try printing on brown Kraft stationery. $13.99 USD |
Coloring Books
Coloring books are illustrated books that allow you to add color or designs to customize them. You can find coloring books in thousands of subjects, so try searching for topics that interest you! These are some of the most popular adult coloring books and some of my personal favorites.
| RECOMMENDED | Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book | By Johanna Basford. The book that got the (current) craze started! $9.99 |
| Color Me Stress-Free | By Angela Porter. A Zen coloring book. $17.50 USD | |
| 50 Shades of Bullsh*t: Dark Edition: Swear Word Coloring Book | By Alex Fleming. For those ballsy enough to pin it to your cubicle at work. $5.99 USD | |
| RECOMMENDED | Sloth Coloring Book for Adults | I love sloths—$ 6.99 USD. |
| Disney Dreams Collection Thomas Kinkade Studios | For lovers of both Disney. (Thomas Kinkade is NOT “Thomas Kincaid.”) $7.79 USD. Has a spiral-bound option ($15.10 USD). | |
| 100 Flowers: An Adult Coloring Book with Bouquets, Wreaths, Swirls, Patterns, Decorations, Inspirational Designs, and more. | By Jade Summer. Good paper for using alcohol markers. | |
| A Fantasy Art Adventure | By Jasmine Becket-Griffith. Big-faced, big-eyed female characters. $23.08 USD | |
| Adult Coloring Book: Stress-Relieving Animal Designs | By MantraCraft. Fifty animal patterns in a mandala-like design. $5.54 USD. | |
| RECOMMENDED | Calm the F*ck Down An Irreverent Adult Coloring Book | By Sasha O’Hara. Twenty-one pages with sassy quips like “Home is where the vodka is.” $4.99 USD |
| Cats Coloring Book: Realistic Adult Coloring Book | By Amanda Davenport. For those who aren’t thrilled with illustrations, this might be for you. $7.99 USD | |
| Splendid Cities: Color Your Way to Calm | By Rosie Goodwin. Real and imagined cities. If you love to travel, you might love this too. $7.45 USD | |
| RECOMMENDED | Stress Less Coloring: Mandalas: 100 Coloring Pages for Peace and Relaxation | By Jim Gogarty. $14.99 USD |
| Golden Girls: 100 Images to Inspire Creativity. | By Disney Book Group. You can find all kinds of TV and movie-themed books. But the Golden Girls never go out of style. $9.48 USD | |
| Justice League: An Adult Coloring Book | By Various Authors. For lovers of DC superheroes. $12.78 USD |
Colored Pencils
Colored pencils are a popular choice because of their relatively affordable cost, durability, the skill needed, and the variety found in the sets.
| Faber-Castell, 48 set | 48 pencils. $24.02 USD | |
| RECOMMENDED | Prismacolor Premier, 48 set | 48 pencils. $42.56 USD |
| Castle Art, 120 set | 120 pencils. $47.99USD | |
| Prismacolor Premier, 150-pack | 150 pencils. $89.46 USD | |
| Derwent Lightfast Colored Pencils, 72-pack | 72 pencils, $172.00 USD |
Blender Pencils
Blender pencils are soft, colorless pencils that allow you to mix two or more colors on the page. Blender pencils provide a different look than merely overlapping colors.
| Prismacolor Colorless Blender Pencils | Two pencils, $5.25 USD |
| Finesse, Artist Colored Pencil Blender | Three pencils, $10.95 USD |
| Norocme Blending Stumps and Tortilions Paper Art Blenders | Thirteen pieces: 6 blending stumps, six tortillions, and one sandpaper pencil pointer. $5.99 USD |
Pencil Sharpeners
As you use your colored pencils, they will become dull and difficult to use in complex coloring objects. Use a pencil sharpener to make the tip extra sharp! Make sure you find a pencil sharpener that is sized to fit your pencil width.
| Faber-Castell Grip Trip Sharpener | 3-in-1 sharpener. $4.99 USD |
| Prismacolor Premier Sharpener | 2-in-1 sharpener. $6.19 USD |
| Prismacolor Scholar Pencil Sharpener | One size. $2.89 USD |
Erasers
Did you know that there are many different types of erasers on the market? Check out these different types!
| Tombow Mono Eraser | This is a pen-style, precision tip eraser. With refill. $6.70 USD |
| Faber-Castell Kneaded Erasers | Kneaded erasers allow you to work the putty-like clay to whatever size and shape you want. Super-absorbent. $6.09 USD |
| Prismacolor Premier Kneaded Erasers | Pack includes three erasers: a kneaded rubber, an ArtGum, and a Latex-free plastic eraser. Suitable for any task! $8.00 USD |
| Mont Marte Electric Eraser | Pinpoint precision. Electric allows you to erase and refine with light pressure. 30 refills. $9.99 USD |
| Ohuhu Electric Eraser Kit | Twenty eraser refills plus a brush. $11.99 USD |
Markers
ALCOHOL-BASED MARKERS
Alcohol-based markers have ink that works best for blending. Plus, alcohol-based markers have ink that sits on the page and doesn’t soak in as quickly as, say, water-based markers do.
| Ohuhu | 40 markers, dual tips, plus one blender marker; $19.99 USD |
| Artify | 40 markers, dual tips, $19.99 USD |
| Artsy Magic | 80 markers, dual tips, $29.99 USD |
| Croma Markers | 240 markers; $338.00 USD |
| Art-n-Fly Blender Pens | Three markers; dual tips, $9.97 USD |
SOLVENT-BASED MARKERS
Solvent-based markers typically come in two types: oil-based and acrylic-based. Solvents combine colored ink with a chemical, and each chemical has a different function. Usually, solvent-based markers have a pretty strong smell and often have permanent ink, so be aware if you want to use this kind of marker in your artist portfolio!
| Morphone Metallic Marker Pens | Ten oil-based markers, $9.99 USD |
| Overseas Paint Markers | 12 oil-based markers, medium tip, $14.98 USD |
| Castle Arts Paint Markers | 12 oil-based markers, medium tip, $15.99 USD |
| Artiqo Paint Markers | 15 oil-based markers, fine tip, $15.99 USD |
| Artistro Paint Pens | 30 acrylic extra fine tip markers, 30 acrylic medium tip markers, 15 oil-based fine tip markers, $84.99 USD |
Watercolors
WATERCOLOR PENS/MARKERS
Watercolor markers combine ink with water. Watercolor markers are a little easier to use than watercolor pencils but still require that you have a small glass of water with you to dilute the ink. Using paper appropriate for water is essential if you are going to opt for this coloring method, so choose your coloring book accordingly.
| Ohuhu Watercolor Brush Marker Pens | 36 colors + 12 pages of watercolor paper + blending brush, $16.99 USD |
| Benicci Watercolor Brush Pens | 25 colors + watercolor paper + pending brush, $17.97 USD |
| Arteza Real Brush Pens for Watercolor Painting | 48 colors, $35.99 USD |
| Lanrenweng Dual Tip Brush Pens for Watercolor Painting | 120 colors, dual tips + watercolor paper, $45.99 USD |
| Faber-Castell Dual Brush Watercolor Markers | 30 colors, dual tips, $96.49 USD |
BLENDING TOOL
Watercolor pens are easy to blend just by overlapping colors and adding water, but if you want to blend in a more precision-kind way, using a blending pen helps you control the blending process.
| Arteza Water Brush Blending Pens | Blending Pens, assorted tips, four-pack, $9.99 USD |
Pens
GEL PENS
Gel pens consist of a particular pigment combined with a water-based gel. Gel pens typically write very smoothly, have vibrant colors, and often come in fun styles like glitter, metallic, and neon hues. They are a very popular choice for beginner artists. The ink dries relatively slowly, so be careful of smudging or running your wrist through wet ink!
| ZSCM Glitter Gel Pens | 24 GLITTER gel pens + 24 replacement inks, $5.99 USD | |
| RECOMMENDED | Arteza Gel Pens | 60 gel pens (includes 12 glitter pens), 0.8-1.0 mm tips, $16.99 USD |
| Shuttle Art Gel Pens | One hundred twenty gel pens, some are metallic and glitter. $18.99 USD | |
| SouColor Gel Pens | 60 gel pens + 60 replacement inks, including 21 neon and 39 glitter pens, $19.99 USD | |
| Tanmit Gel Pens | One hundred twenty gel pens + 120 replacement inks, including glitter, metallic, neon, pastel, fluorescent, dye colors, rainbow, and standard colors. $21.99 USD | |
| Castle Art Supplies Gel Pens | 100 gel pens + tutorial book, pen colors include neon, glitter, swirl, pastel, and metallics, fine tips, $27.99 USD |
REGULAR PENS
By “regular pen,” we mean pens that are easily found around the house or out and about. Regular pens typically come in ballpoint style, roller-ball style, and fountain pens. Although regular pens do come in various colors, the colors tend to be more limited than other types of writing tools. Mono-color coloring can be stunning with practice—like architectural drawings.
| Pilot Dr. Grip Rolling Ball Pen | Fine point, metallic grey. $7.44 USD for a single pen. | |
| Parker Rollerball Pen | A smooth and consistent flow of ink. $29.80 USD for a single pen. | |
| Pilot Acroball Ball Point Pen | Smooth and smear-resistant. Fine point. $8.48 USD for a single pen. | |
| Pilot Acro Ink Extra Fine Ball Point Pen | $9.99 for a single pen. Oil-based ink. | |
| Pilot Varsity Fountain Pen | Visible ink supply allows you to see how much is left—$ 13.99 USD for a 6-pack. | |
| RECOMMENDED | Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen | Fine point. $17.99 USD for a single pen. |
| Wordsworth & Black Fountain Pen Set | Includes pen, six replacement inks, leather case, and instructions. $24.99 USD |
Other
These are additional tools that you might find helpful to take your art to the next level. These include fixative sprays, organizational tools, sandpaper, and more.
| Fixatives | SpectraFix SFX-31270 | 12 oz. Fixative Spray. Best for fixing pastel and charcoal drawings that smear. Pump bottle spray. $18.99 USD |
| Grumbacher Final Fixative Gloss Spray | 11.75 oz Fixative Spray. Glossy. Suitable for use on pastels, charcoal, and graphite. Aerosol Spray. $15.95 USD. | |
| Conda Artist Apron | Neutral white with neck and waist straps. Pockets for holding your supplies. Useful if you get messy with your art. $7.43 USD | |
| Sandpaper | Sandpaper Sharpener | Sandpaper for giving your drawing tools a perfect, sharp point. 2 pieces. $3.99 USD |
| Organization | Mont Mart 96-hole organizational holder | Plastic, desktop. Suitable for pencils, pens, and brushes. $7.49 USD |
| ArtBin Marker Tray Organizer | Plastic storage bin with holes for holding your pens correctly. Good for shelf storage. $19.59 USD | |
| Quinshan Portable Bag | Portable bag with zipper, with several layers of pages that hold your pencils, markers, and artist tools. Great for taking your art on the go! | |
| Paint Thinners | Mona Lisa Odorless Paint Thinner | 8 oz bottle, mineral spirits. $7.49 USD |
| Gamblin Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits | 4.2 oz bottle, mineral spirits. $9.63 USD | |
| Gamblin Safflower Oil | 16.9 oz bottle, Safflower Oil. $23.41 USD | |
| US Art Supply Refined Linseed Oil | 4.2 oz bottle, Linseed Oil. $10.96 USD |
Let’s put these supplies to use! Click here to download my free adult coloring eBook and sign up for my email newsletter!
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