The best colouring books for adults - for a relaxing Christmas and a bright new year
- Posted by
- Anna Pollitt
- Published

We've rounded up our favourite adult colouring books to help make Christmas less stressful - and to ease you through January.
The colouring phenomenon is showing no signs of slowing down - here's a reminder why.
- Immersing our brains in an engrossing activity that requires concentration (if you're keen to keep inside the lines) forces us to slow down and relax
- It's a great way to kickstart creativity but isn't as daunting as tackling a piece of artwork from scratch
- The process improves brain function, much like crosswords do
- Between Twitter, Insta, Facebook and a relentless 24-hour news cycle, our lives are increasingly dominated by digital impermanence - colouring gives a sense of accomplishment and results in a real thing of beauty
From Johanna Basford's mega-hit Enchanted Forest to Liberty's classic prints, these are the beautiful colouring books to gift or keep.
Fantastic Cities
Make your mark on beautifully detailed aerial view illustrations of real cities from around the world.
£10.99, Southbank Centre
Fantastic Cities
Presented in a large square format, artist Steve McDonald offers almost 60 architectural illustrations.
Tattoo Colouring Book
Unleash your inner rebel - and perhaps get inspired for some permanent ink - with a book full of vibrant tattoo designs.
£7.96, Amazon
Tattoo Colouring Book
Ninety-six pages that look good enough to frame.
Flowers of Liberty
Make Liberty's famous paisley and floral prints all your own with this stunning collection of patterns.
£9.99, Liberty
Flowers of Liberty
It features 43 prints set over 86 pages.
Stop For A Moment
Hand-drawn designs encased in a beautiful teal and copper foil cover.
£12, Kikki K
Stop For A Moment
There are 50 pages of attractive designs.
100 Colouring Book
A sweet collection of arty illustrations in groups of 100 - 100 quirky characters; 100 buildings; 100 things to eat and so on.
£8.99, 100 Colouring Book
100 Colouring Book
Every single object is different and provides hours of therapeutic fun.
Colour Me Good Arrggghhh
When it's been one of those days, channel your rage into bringing colour to a classic horror scene.
£7.50, Maiden
Colour Me Good Arrggghhh
It includes 18 classic scary scenes from the likes of Carrie, The Shining, Psycho and Jaws.
The Classic Comic Colouring Book
Embrace big green men and blonder-than-blondes in the brash world of 1950s classic comics.
£9.99, Asos
The Classic Comic Colouring Book
There are 128 pages of cartoonish scenes - perfect for a novice colourer.
Parisian Street Style
The Fashion Week phenomenon of snapping the most stylish people on the most picturesque streets has come to the world of colouring.
£6.99, Amazon
Parisian Street Style
Choose the shades of stylish outfits and the tone of scenery in these fashionable illustrations.
Sherlock: The Mind Palace
If you couldn't get enough of Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock on screen, become part of his world with hours' worth of portraits of the crime-solving genius.
£6.99, Amazon
Sherlock: The Mind Palace
There are more than 50 intricate drawings by artist Mike Collins, with a clue from each episode hidden within the illustrations that can only be unlocked by completing the scene.
Enchanted Forest
These delicate, inky drawings by Scottish artist Johanna Basford take the reader on a journey through an enchanted forest to reach an imposing castle - but they must find nine symbols within the illustrations in order to unlock the castle door.
£9.95, Amazon
Enchanted Forest
Beautiful, high quality paper and lovingly-drawn designs make this a colouring adventure worth taking.
The Corbyn Colouring Book
Sharpen your red pencil for this one - the hilarious and totally necessary Corbyn Colouring book.
£6.29, Amazon
The Corbyn Colouring Book
Sixty-four pages of socialist fun, with Corbyn depicted as Moses parting the Red Sea, Corbyn as Mona Lisa, Corbyn as Superman etc.
Escape to Wonderland
Take your wildest coloured pencils and fall into the enticing fantasy world of of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
£5.25, Amazon
Escape to Wonderland
There are 96 pages filled with beautiful mandalas, iconic scenes and famous characters, with spaces for individual design and embellishment.
Harry Potter Colouring Book
Mesmerising artwork for Harry Potter fans, this is a chance to wind down with your favourite wizards and the vivid scenery from some of the most famous scenes in the franchise.
£4.99, Amazon
Harry Potter Colouring Book
There are 96 pages of HP magic, including the unforgettable final battle between Harry and Lord Voldemort.
A Game of Thrones
The blockbuster fantasy drama lends itself beautifully to the creative colouring process and this exclusive edition features more than 45 intricate imaginings of the GoT kingdom.
£4.99, Harper Collins
Travel Inspired
Luxury holiday firm Oliver's Travels have compiled sketches of picturesque destinations and boutique accommodation and made the book available to download online.
Free, download here
Animal Kingdom
Immerse yourself in a world of nature and wildlife with Millie Marotta's beautiful bestseller.
Animal Kingdom
The book has sold hundreds of thousands of copies in 19 countries.