Coloring used to be reserved for children, but in recent years, the endeavor has found a different demographic. What started as a niche hobby has slowly turned into an international trend, as adult coloring books are flying off the shelves all over the world.
According to experts, adult coloring can help with a number of emotional and mental issues. For many, boredom, lack of structure, and stress are the greatest triggers. But the time and concentration that adult coloring takes help the individual abandon the focus on negative issues and habits, and re-focus them in a safe and productive way.
Now, if you’re not the type to always carry around a large book and a set of crayons, then you should know that adult coloring book apps are also an option.
Having a coloring app installed on your device is great when you have a few spare moments at work and you want to relax by doing a bit of coloring without attracting unwanted attention.
In this article we’ve put together a list of seven adult coloring apps which are available for download on the Google Play Store. Most of them are free to download and will provide you with a pretty great artistic experience.
Mandala Coloring Pages
What it is:
Developed by Coloring Games, Mandala Coloring Pages lets you color beautiful Mandalas and create your own designs too.
Why we like it:
- Allows you to pick from up to 100 different Mandalas. There are several categories to choose from including Simple, Complex, Animals, Floral, Straight and more.
- The app is not just for coloring, it can also be used for freehand drawing.
- You can create your own mandalas by using the Design tool.
Install Mandala Coloring Pages
Recolor
What it is:
Don’t like coloring Mandalas? Recolor is an app filled with diverse artworks that are just waiting for you to bring it to life.
Why we like it:
- If you’re not really a fan of Mandalas, Recolor might be the app for you. It includes over 2000 uniquepictures organized in themed chapter including birds, fantasy, fashion, 3D or patterns.
- Once you are satisfied with your coloring efforts, you can further enhance your picture by adding effects, filters and outline.
- The app also has a social component. It lets you view other people’s work. You can like and comment on their drawings. Just like on Instagram you can also follow your favorite “artists”.
Install Recolor
Colorfit
What it is:
A coloring and drawing app which aims to provide anxiety and stress release.
Why we like it:
- The app includes a large variety of drawings. Some are free to use, but some require diamonds to be unlocked. Fortunately, you can get (enough) diamonds daily simply by check-in. You can also watch short ads to get more.
- Unlike other competing apps, Colorfit also offers a choice in coloring tools including spray paint, pencil or watercolour brush.
- You can create your color palette from scratch or choose from the rich palettes the app already provide.
Install Colorfit
ColorTherapy
What it is:
A coloring app for adults that puts an emphasis on experimenting with different color palettes.
Why we like it:
- The app’s gallery contains numerous image categories including Animals, Canvas, Exotic or Flowers.
- You can try out a number of color palettes including Basic, Vintage or Shades. Once you’re done coloring you can also add filters to your drawing.
- The app gives you access to a customizable brush (size, opacity), on top of the standard color fill option.
- Check out the creations of other users in the Inspiration tab.
Install ColorTherapy
Coloring Book for Adults
What it is:
Offered by App Labs Games, this coloring book app offers a nifty collection of themes for those seeking stress relief through app therapy.
Why we like it:
- It’s super straightforward. Chose a category, then picture and get to work.
- Publish your work so others can view and like your masterpiece. You don’t even have to sign-up with an account.
- Ran out of pictures to color? Try App Labs’ other coloring apps including Mandalas Coloring Book for Adults.
Install Coloring Book for Adults
Colorfly
What it is:
One of the most popular coloring book apps out there. It comes packed with tons of pictures to choose from.
Why we like it:
- While the app’s main purpose is to let you color, it also has a Creative corner where you can design your own creations. Draw your own mandala or take a picture and turn it into a drawing. Alternatively, you can write and color your own message.
- The app also shows the images colored by other people for inspiration.
- Colorfly includes a sub-category of famous paintings you can color, which is really cool. Unfortunately, some require a subscription to be unlocked. And so do additional tools like gradients and brushes.
Install Colorfly
Sidenote: The subscriptions costs $19.99/month.
Colorify
What it is:
Not to be confused with Colorfly, Colorify is an app developed by Vivasouk that allows you to engage yourself in hours of peaceful color therapy.
Why we like it:
- The rich library includes unique categories such as Zodiac Signs or Oriental.
- For each image you select, you can access the Inspiration tab to get an idea of how to color the drawing you’ve selected.
- The app has a gradient tool which is free to use.
Install Colorify