Animal colouring books for adults range from lifelike wildlife illustrations to ducks having a surprisingly familiar Monday. Before you choose one, look at a few inside pages. Check the size of the spaces you’ll be colouring, read a caption if there is one, and see whether you can picture yourself reaching for your pencils.
Choose an artwork style you’ll enjoy colouring
- Realistic wildlife gives you feathers, fur and scales to shade. Look for it if you enjoy building up colour and bringing out texture.
- Decorative animals often use repeating patterns inside an animal’s outline. They’re a good fit if you like testing colour combinations across a page.
- Cute animals often have softer shapes and expressive faces. Look for open areas if you like bolder colours or want a design you can finish in a shorter sitting.
- Funny animal scenes give the animals something to do. A duck facing a deadline or opening an overflowing inbox can be as much fun to discover as it is to colour.
Match the level of detail to the time you have
Zoom in on a preview and look at the smallest spaces, especially in the background. A tightly patterned page can make a satisfying project to return to over several evenings. A scene with larger shapes gives you room to try a three-colour palette or colour one character in a short break. If the book is a gift, look for the kind of detail the recipient already enjoys.
Read the captions before buying a funny colouring book
‘Funny’ can mean gentle silliness, dry jokes about everyday life or strong language. Read a few actual captions and look at how they fit the pictures. If you’re buying for someone else, ask yourself which page they’d open first and whether the joke would make them smile.
Check the paper if you use pens or markers
Look at the details for the edition you’re buying, especially whether the designs are printed on one side of each sheet. If you use markers, test them in an inconspicuous spot and slide a spare sheet behind the page you’re working on to protect the next one. Results vary with the paper and the pen.
Try a Quack Therapy duck before you choose
Quack Therapy is a funny duck colouring book for adults with 50 designs. Its rubber ducks take on deadlines, overflowing inboxes and other small dramas of everyday life. If you like your colouring with a side of dry humour, try the free online sample and see which colours you reach for. Prefer pencils? The Duck Club offers exclusive printable pages.
