Coloring as an Adult!
Behind the Coloring:
Last year, on a whim, I ordered a pack of markers and a coloring book before a long road trip. I kept seeing people coloring with alcohol markers as adults on my social media feeds and thought it would be the perfect adult hobby to add in to my life….you know, in all of my free time :) But, I justified it by thinking it would be better for my kids to see me coloring than scrolling on a phone….and as it turns out, our whole house is more creative when mama has her markers out (and my brain can actually turn off)! And yes, my kids even understand that Mommy’s markers are NOT for their personal use ;) Here’s a little outline of what I ordered as I progressed through my coloring journey - I hope it helps to read the reviews and what I like (or don’t like)! At the bottom of this blog post, you can see a few photos (with links) to the exact marker packs I used on them! Let me know if you try any out & let’s be coloring friends!! :)
Small Note: if you click my links included in this post, I might receive a (small) percentage of commission from your purchases. I truly appreciate you clicking my links & supporting and promise to give you good, honest reviews on all links I share! <3
Reviews of Markers & Coloring Books (in order of when I started collecting)
I started with a very small, basic set of alcohol markers from Walmart that come with a carrying case. They work great (for starter markers, kids, etc) and STILL work even over a year later (though, they don’t get colored with daily like other sets I have)! But, a great price point and starting pack if you just want to test the waters or have a small travel pack on hand!
INSERT WOULD NOT SUGGEST: The next set I ordered was from Tiktok Shop tbh and they worked great for a few weeks but DRIED OUT really fast. They were also a bit streaky and you could just tell the quality wasn’t there with them. So, I finally had tons of colors…..but still just kept using my Walmart pack above since I liked how they colored more :) I let my kids use the remaining ones with ink LOL
My first “real” set of markers was a 120 pack that came with a color swatch card (first time ever!!) and a sheet to use in between pages in your coloring book. I purchased these in February of this year (2026) and only have a few of my well-loved colors that are starting to dry out on me. I haven’t tried any hacks to revive them just yet because I invested in another pack of my markers to offset these and extend their life a bit :) This brand is INSANELY GOOD for the price point & tbh….I can’t tell much difference in them and Ohuhu (kind of the name brand in alcohol markers you see shared all the time on social media). I would HIGHLY recommend this brand & pack and will definitely reorder their larger packs in the future!
But….after over a year of coloring and committing to the hobby, I couldn’t resist the temptation and wanted to try out the Ohuhu’s for myself. So, I saved up my points on Upside (go sign up for the EASIEST way to get cash back using my link & we both get extra cash back - you can use code 9TVKVK to get .15 cents off per gallon at participating gas stations) and cashed in for an Amazon gift card to treat myself for my birthday finally!!
I ended up going with this pack of 168 colors! I prefer the brush & chisel tip for alcohol markers - I just haven’t used a fine tip end and loved the results but maybe I will want some of those one day! You can get this same pack (and brand) at Walmart or Michaels, too!
When I got my “holy grail” pack, it took me over an hour to swatch all of them and organize them! BEST. DAY. EVER. The markers are GREAT, don’t get me wrong, but comparing them to my previous 120-pack, I wasn’t sure I could tell a difference right away. The ONLY thing I will add here is that their marker ‘nib’ does seem a bit more solid so far (over time, the brush tip of my other pack wasn’t as precise for coloring like it had been worn down a bit maybe?)
#5: I also ordered a VERY budget friendly pack of alcohol markers in pastel shades to complement my other two packs. For the price, they’re great!! I typically use them for ‘base’ colors and then add highlights / shadows / textures with my more professional grade markers! This pack is under $20 and has 61 colors in it! I do highly recommend having a set of markers like this to use for items you don’t want to use your “good” markers on!!
Last thing - I have an entire collection you can browse through of items I use for coloring ‘extras’ if you will from gel pens (these are my fave!) to acrylic markers and coloring books I’ve loved!! I absolutely love these coloring books and just use a fresh piece of card stock behind to catch the bleed-through on pages :) Comment or message me with any other reviews or questions - I am a ‘new’ coloring girlie & just love trying new techniques and figuring it out on the way. There’s so many great tutorials out there for inspiration & several FB groups I’m in that I’ve enjoyed using for help on pages I’m stuck on, learning where to shadow and highlight, etc!
