For a long time I've been avoiding adult colouring books, mostly because they're pricey and partly because I feel like I should be working on my own drawings instead of colouring someone else's. But who am I kidding? I've always been a sucker for pretty things so it was only a matter of time before I got myself one.

I wanted to work with watercolours but I wasn't sure if any of the books were made for that medium. Most I saw used coloured pencils, and while I still have my old ones, I would rather not use them if I could help it. I'm just really terrible with those.

Lucky for me, the one I picked out wasn't too terrible at taking watercolours so it's all good! My brother recently gave me a set of colour pens he barely used so I tried them out too. Since they're fine tipped, they're not ideal for big areas, but I actually like the scribbly look I end up with.

I thought the pages where you're supposed to add your own drawings were interesting, although I decided it wasn't my thing after trying it once. So I might just leave the rest of those pages the way they are.

They say that adult colouring books help one relax. I think in a way that's true. It has certainly helped distract me from more destructive hobbies at times. Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to justify this purchase, but at the very least, I think it's allowing me to try out different things I normally can't try out when I'm working on my own drawing.

While books like these have its benefits, it's not for everyone. For one thing, not all people enjoy spending hours colouring flowers and animals. Some people get stressed about not getting the right shade of green or about colouring outside lines. With my shaky hands and medium of choice, I figured it's not possible to not go over the lines so I just stopped caring, but not everyone can do that.


In my case, I think the IDGAF attitude towards colouring this book is the thing that's helping me relax. With my art, I have to be careful with the colours and I have to have a certain amount of control on the paint and the water. On this book, it doesn't matter how much I mess up. I don't have to worry about mixing the right colours. I don't have to worry about using too much water and smearing colour where it shouldn't go. I don't have to think too much about what I'm doing with my pen or my brush.



Do I recommend adult colouring books? Not really. Like most things, whether you'll enjoy it or not highly depends on your personal interests and preferences. I've been told once that these books are seen as status symbols nowadays. I don't know how true that is, but if you're buying them only for that reason, you should probably spend your money on something else.