At one point in the distantish past, adult coloring books arrived on the self-care scene seemingly overnight. One day, I was writing about mental health, minding my own business, and the next, my desk was suddenly full of adult coloring books as far as the eye could see (perks of my job—sometimes free products just show up). I was immediately on board—the idea of throwing it back to one of my favorite childhood activities in the name of stress relief was revelatory.
It didn’t take long for my excitement to die out, though. Despite how hyped I got, it never quite worked for me. To this day, I think I have at least a dozen adult coloring books on my shelf, most with exactly one half-finished page I tackled in a fit of optimism before giving up again.
Try as I might, I couldn’t unlock the childlike mindset that let me color with gleeful abandon. As an adult, I cared too much. I wanted to make it pretty, I wanted to stay in the lines, I wanted to pick all the right colors, and keep a smooth, even technique. So it kind of goes without saying that I didn’t find adult coloring books soothing. Which, huge disappointment.
But then I discovered COLORING BOOK APPS.
Digital coloring books, which you can use on your smartphone or tablet, have everything I wanted to love about the adult coloring book craze with none of the roadblocks: They’re mindless, they’re meditative, they’re pretty, they’re nostalgic. Some are paint-by-numbers, so you don’t have to make artistic choices on your own, while others offer more freedom (but with the beautiful safety net of an undo button—I’d like to see a real colored pencil do that). And if you’re like me and use an Apple Pen ($99, apple.com) or other stylus instead of your finger, it’s also audibly pleasing (love me some gentle tap-tap-tap).
I won’t pretend digital coloring books will change your life, but distraction is an incredibly useful coping mechanism. Whether you enjoy them while listening to podcasts or music, or pour all your concentration into creating a masterpiece, downloading a digital coloring book is one nice small thing you can do for yourself. And we all need nice small things right now.
Here are just a few coloring book apps to check out:
Happy Color
My personal favorite, Happy Color is technically more of a paint-by-numbers app than a coloring book—it requires nothing but selecting each color and tapping where it tells you to tap, which is exactly what I’m here for. It has a diverse set of free options, including Disney and Marvel coloring pages, and classic paintings (my favorite to do so far was Flaming June). Plus, every picture you finish rewards you with a time-lapse video of your progress beginning to end, which is oh-so-satisfying. While there are purchases in-app, I haven’t spent a penny and feel like I’m getting a full experience for free. (Available on iOS and Google Play)
Color Therapy
For more of a traditional coloring book experience, Color Therapy allows you to choose a coloring mode, whether that’s repainting by number or freestyle. Color Therapy’s most unique feature is its social capabilities—it kind of doubles as an Instagram for coloring, and its community is actually pretty tight. You can follow and interact with other users, share your artwork, and talk self-care with other enthusiasts. It has some free offerings, but with premium, you get access to more coloring pages, tools, color palettes, and effects. (Available on iOS)
Coloring Book for Adults
This is perhaps the only truly free coloring book app I’ve found. And while I got plenty of free use out of the others, I have to admit it’s nice not to be bombarded with paid options. The pages in Coloring Book for Adults are very simple—lots of mandalas, flowers, and other basic line art. Perfect for anyone who wants something mindless and no-frills. (Available on iOS and Google Play)
Colorfly
One of Colorfly’s coolest features is that you can import your own photos to convert into line art to then color within the app. Beyond that, it’s got a wide variety of pages, as well as some fancier tools and effects like blending and splattering for anyone who wants to get really artistic. My favorite use of Colorfly involves incorrectly coloring its large selection of pages based on famous art. Like, you haven’t enjoyed Van Gogh’s Starry Night until you see my neon pink rendition. Like others on this list, Colorfly is a mix of free and paid offerings, and you can watch ads in exchange for access to certain tools. (Available on iOS and Google Play)
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