Medieval & Celtic Coloring Books

Coloring books have been used by parents and kids, and by home schoolers, as enrichment and entertainment for a very long time. More recently, adults have been enjoying coloring books for grownups as a way of relaxing after a day of work. Coloring is creative and fun, for many it’s almost meditational, and yet you can color for just a few minutes at a time without requiring a lot of preparation or expensive tools (though to be honest, many coloring book pages become works of art worth framing). You can spend as little or as much as you care to on supplies; you don’t have to be fancy or expensive, but you can be artistic.

I’ve added some supplies for coloring.

Celtic Designs Adult Coloring Book. Peter Pauper Press, 2014. ISBN-13: 978-1441317438.
This book features 31 full-page designs printed on single-sides of heavyweight paper designed to resist bleed through. The pages are on heavyweight acid-free paper, and micro perforated so you can tear them out for easier coloring, or to frame them when you’re finished. The designs are original Celtic-inspired patterns, animal motifs, a mermaid, and heroic figures. The binding is made to lie fairly flat (you’ll want to gently prep the book by opening and spreading each page before coloring). The book is 9-1/2 inches wide by 9 inches high.
Purchase From:
Alibris | Amazon.com | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | iBooks | Kindle | Kobo | Powells

Celtic Designs Coloring Book for Adults: 200 Celtic Knots, Crosses and Patterns to Color for Stress Relief and Meditation. Art Therapy Coloring Book Series, Volume Three. The Mindful Word, 2015. ISBN-13: 978-1987869415.
200 original Celtic inspired designs, including Celtic Knots, Celtic Crosses and other beautiful Celtic art patterns with a mix of intricate and basic designs. The frontmatter includes introductions to Celtic art and art therapy, written by an art therapist. The designs are printed on individual sheets of bright white paper to reduce bleed through. The book includes both pages with one large design on a page, and pages with multiple smaller designs on a single page.
Purchase From:
Alibris | Amazon.com | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | iBooks | Kindle | Kobo | Powells

Celtic Design Adult Coloring Book. Individuality Books, 2016. ISBN-13: 978-1523401826.

This is a large page size; 8.5″ by 11″); letter size pages. The book includes 20 original hand drawn Celtic inspired designs to color. The pages are single-sided, and the back cover features 4 example Celtic designs.

Celtic Designs Coloring Book: Celtic Tattoos, Celtic Knots, Tree of Life, Celtic Crosses, Celtic Animals. Creative Coloring, 2016. ISBN-13: 978-1942268406.
This book features original Celtic inspired designs of Celtic tattoos, Celtic crosses, Celtic knots, Celtic animals, sun, moon, and Tree of life. There are 38 full-page designs, printed single-sided on heavyweight acid-free paper (8-1/2 inches wide by 8-1/2 inches high). The book also includes a link to download designs to print and color again.
Purchase From:
Alibris | Amazon.com | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | iBooks | Kindle | Kobo | Powells

The Celtic Adult Coloring Book: Relieve Stress and Anxiety While You Color Classic Celtic Designs (Coloring Books for Adults) (Volume 3). 2017. ISBN-13: 978-1548239107.

Forty original and complex Celtic inspired designs. All the pages are printed single-side only. There’s a blank test page at the front for testing various coloring tools and media on the paper. These designs are described by the publisher as complex, and not appropriate in terms of their complexity for children.

Brandy R. Sinclair. Celtic Spirals to Color: A Modern Take on Ancient Irish Designs for Adults. (History Inspires Adult Coloring Books) (Volume 2).

35 original Celtic inspired spiral and knotwork designs including large, page-filling spirals, mandalas, bands, borders, and more. Pages are printed on one side only. The final page in the book is intentionally left blank for testing media and coloring tools. The final page is blank so you can test your supplies.Purchase From:
Alibris | Amazon.com | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | iBooks | Kindle | Kobo | Powells

Brandy R. Sinclair. Celtic Knots to Color: A Modern Take on Ancient Irish Designs for Adults. (History Inspires Adult Coloring Books) (Volume 1). 2016. ISBN-12: 978-1534622128.
35 original Celtic inspired Knotwork designs. Pages are printed on one side. The designs include large, page-filling interlace designs, circular mandala style patterns, interlace bands, and borders.

MindWare. Celtic Mosaic Coloring Book. Mindware.

The book features 23 original Celtic inspired designs in the form of mosaics. The publisher suggests ages 5–10; I’ve had adults recommend this book to other adults coloring fans.

Co Spinhoven. Celtic Stencil Designs. Series: Dover Pictorial Archive. Dover Publications, 1990. ISBN-13: 978-0486264271.

This is a collection of 130 stencil designs. The designs, all copyright-free, are derived from the Book of Kells and other early medieval Celtic sources. Their themes range from birds and beasts of myth and scripture to elegantly wrought abstract motifs.
The designs vary widely in size, shape, and complexity. They range from large and elaborate squares, circles, and rectangles to elongated border motifs to minimal design accents. Co Spinhoven has adapted each of them admirably to the technical requirements of stencil painting. Graphic artists, textile designers, and many others in the arts and crafts will find these sturdy, reusable stencils indispensable for adding ― quickly and easily ― authentic touches of Celtic imagery to their projects.

Medieval Life and Art Inspired Coloring Books

Marty Noble. Illuminated Manuscripts Coloring Book. Series: Dover Art Coloring Book. Dover Publications, 2013. ISBN-13: 978-0486488752.

The book contains 30 reproductions of sacred and secular scenes from illuminated manuscripts. The images include saints, mythical animals, and knights on horseback. Historic scenes derived from medieval manuscripts range from the Garden of Eden to the Hundred Years’ War. Sources include breviaries and books of hours as well as Persian documents and Passover Haggadahs.

Marty Noble. Medieval Tapestries Coloring Book. Series: Dover Fashion Coloring Book. Dover Publications, 2004. ISBN-13: 978-0486436869.

This collection of fine line drawings inspired by medieval tapestries invites coloring book fans of all ages to appreciate the exquisite beauty of these hand-woven and beautiful medieval tapestries. Thirty handsome drawings of flora and fauna, unicorns, delicate damsels, knights in armor, and other details from such priceless treasures as the Unicorn and Bayeux tapestries can be enhanced with a rainbow of colors. Captions identify each work, giving its title, year of completion, and origin.

John Green. Life in a Medieval Castle and Village Coloring Book. Series: Dover History Coloring Book. Dover Publications, 1990. ISBN-13: 978-0486265421.

This book combines art and history. Forty-two authentically detailed drawings depict daily activities in in the European Middle ages, including images of life in “castle, village, monastery, field, and forest, evoking the excitement and pageantry of tournaments, sieges, banquets, battles, and fairs. Whether the illustrations depict a lord playing chess with his son or a peddler selling his wares, the true look and feel of medieval life comes through, from architectural details to the particulars of dress at all levels of society.”

Supplies for Coloring

Kids might be better off using colored pencils or crayons, but increasigly, adults are turning to gel pens and fineliners, though you do want to make sure the paper will handle the gel ink well.

Colore Gel Pens Set of 100 Drawing Art Markers for Adult Coloring Books

100 gel pen coloring set includes 28 Glitter, 14 Neon, 6 Swirl, 15 Pastel, 16 Neon, 4 Classic & 17 Metallic pens, in a compact storage case.

Prismacolor Scholar Colored Pencils, 24-Count

This is a basic quality set that’s particularly suited to kids or adults just trying coloring to see if it’s for them.

Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils, Soft Core, 72-Count.

Soft, thick cores are perfect for shading and shadows

72 premium colored pencils with ultra-smooth, even color laydown and lightfast, richly saturated pigments. The 72 color pencil set includes one each of: One each of: Cream, Ginger Root, Lemon Yellow, Canary Yellow, Yellowed Orange, Yellow Ochre, Spanish Orange, Goldenrod, Sunburst Yellow, Sand, Orange, Pale Vermilion, Poppy Red, Carmine Red, Crimson Red, Crimson Lake, Magenta, Process Red, Mulberry, Pink, Blush Pink, Light Peach, Beige, Peach, Dark Purple, Lilac, Parma Violet, Violet, Imperial Violet, Violet Blue, Ultramarine, Copenhagen Blue, True Blue, Lt. Cerulean Blue, Peacock Blue, Cloud Blue, Indigo Blue, Light Aqua, Aquamarine, Parrot Green, Yellow Chartreuse, Chartreuse, Lime Peel, Spring Green, Apple Green, True Green, Grass Green, Olive Green, Dark Green, Sepia, Jade Green, Putty Beige, Light Umber, Burnt Ochre, Sienna Brown, Terra Cotta, Tuscan Red, Dark Umber, Dark Brown, Warm Grey 20%, Warm Grey 50%, Warm Grey 70%, Cool Grey 20%, Cool Grey 50%, Cool Grey 70%, Black, French Grey 20%, French Grey 50%, French Grey 70%, White, Metallic Silver & Metallic Gold coloring pencils.

I can’t link to it, but there’s a really good price on the set of 48 Prismacolor pencils and on the set of 24.

Kum Magnesium Alloy 2-Hole Steel Blade Barrel Pencil Sharpener

Works on most standard pencils and color pencils (the really large pencils won’t fit the holes). No batteries required, and you can easily replace the blades.