Free Downloadable Adult Coloring Pages
Several sites offering genuinely free pages, so you can test new supplies and techniques without touching a page in your favorite book.
IN SUMMARY
- Several sites offer genuinely free adult coloring pages for personal use — no coloring book purchase required.
- Regular printer paper is fine for pencils, but markers and wet watercolor pencils need heavier paper or a backing sheet, or the color bleeds through to whatever’s underneath.
- These free pages are the cheapest way to test a new pencil, marker, or technique before you risk a page in an actual book.
- Saving a page works a little differently depending on your device — the steps below cover Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android.
- A few of these sites rotate their free selection over time, so it’s worth bookmarking and checking back.
Jump to a section:
Free Pages, By Artist and Site
A handful of artists and coloring sites give away a free page or two from their collections, no book purchase required. Below is a list of the ones I trust, all offering pages you’re free to print and color for personal use with the artist’s blessing.
Download one of these so you can try a new marker, test a blending technique, or just see whether a style suits you, before you commit to buying a full book.
| Site | What you’ll find |
|---|---|
| Johanna Basford — Downloads Archive | Johanna posts a new free coloring download or card design every few months, usually tied to a book launch or seasonal giveaway. Worth bookmarking and checking back. |
| Faber-Castell — Colouring Templates | A small set of free coloring templates you can download straight from the tutorials page, alongside a colored example of each. |
| Thaneeya McArdle — Art is Fun | Whimsical, detailed designs from a published coloring book artist. A newsletter sign-up unlocks a free printable book plus a new page every month. |
| Coloring Hub — Mandala Pages | Hundreds of free mandala designs on this page alone, part of a much larger free adult coloring library across other styles too. |
| Made by Joel | Simple, charming designs — good for a quick, low-pressure test page rather than a detailed challenge. |
| Crayola — Adult Coloring | A regularly updated set of adult-focused designs across mandalas, grayscale, and intricate patterns. |
| Crafting a Green World | A mixed library that leans toward kids’ themes but includes genuinely detailed pages, like zebra stripes and abstract designs. Also permits printing for small non-commercial groups. |
A Note on Paper (Before You Print)
⚠ Check Your Paper First
Most of these pages print on regular printer paper by default, and regular printer paper isn’t built for anything wetter than a colored pencil. If you’re testing markers, alcohol-based pens, or watercolor pencils used wet, that ink or moisture will bleed straight through to whatever’s underneath, your desk, the next sheet in the tray, or the table itself.
Slide a spare sheet of card or a plastic placemat under the page before you start. If you’re printing your own copies, look for a “heavyweight” or “100gsm+” setting in your printer options, or buy a small pack of heavier paper just for testing. For a longer look at matching paper to your media, see the paper section of the Coloring Supplies Guide.
When These Free Pages Are Most Useful
I keep a stack of these printed and ready for one reason: they’re disposable. When I want to try a brand-new pencil, check whether an alcohol marker bleeds through my usual paper, or practice a blending technique I just picked up, I reach for one of these instead of risking a page in a book I paid for.
💡 Treat Them as Test Pages, Not Just Freebies
If it goes wrong, you’ve lost a free printout, not $20 of coloring book. They’re also handy for testing paper itself — print a couple of copies on different weights and see which one holds up best before you commit to buying a ream. Beginners can use them the same way to get comfortable with a new medium before starting an actual book.
How to Download and Save These Pages
Saving a picture works a little differently depending on what you’re using. Here’s how on the four setups most people are printing from.
Windows (Chrome or Edge)
- Right-click the image and choose “Save image as.”
- Pick a folder — most browsers default to Downloads — and click Save.
- Find it later in File Explorer, or press Ctrl+J in your browser to jump straight to your downloads.
Mac (Safari or Chrome)
- Control-click (or right-click) the image and choose “Save Image to Downloads” or “Save Image As.”
- Files usually land in your Downloads folder unless you pick a different one.
- Open Finder and click Downloads in the sidebar to find it.
iPhone / iPad (Safari)
- Touch and hold the image, then tap “Add to Photos” for your camera roll, or use the Share icon if the site offers a PDF instead.
- For a PDF, tap Share, then “Save to Files,” and choose a folder like On My iPhone.
- Open the Files app to find it, or Photos if that’s where you saved it.
Android (Chrome)
- Touch and hold the image and tap “Download image.”
- It saves to your Downloads folder automatically, and often shows up in Google Photos too if backup is turned on.
- Open your Files app and look under Downloads.
One thing that catches people out on any device: when you print, choose Actual size rather than “Fit to page.” Scaling to fit can shrink or stretch fine detail on mandala and geometric designs just enough to throw off the proportions.
More Coloring Supplies and Resources
A few pages on the site pair naturally with this one:
- The Coloring Supplies Guide covers pencils, markers, gel pens, and watercolor pencils in one place, including exactly which paper each one needs.
- Print a couple of these free pages and swatch a new set of markers or pencils on them, then compare the results against the Color Charts to see how true the shades run.
- If markers are what you’re testing, the Markers & Fineliners reviews are a good next stop.
- Same goes for Colored Pencils if that’s more your speed.
- And if a longer test session leaves your hand or eyes tired, Color Pain Free and Safely has practical comfort tips worth a read.
Frequently Asked Questions
A few questions that come up often about these free pages:
Yes. Every site listed here has given explicit permission for the pages to be downloaded, printed, and colored for personal use. Just don’t sell the colored version or use it in anything you’re selling — that goes beyond what any of these sites allow.
Some sites, like Crafting a Green World, allow printing for small non-commercial groups such as a classroom or therapy group. Others only cover personal, single-copy use. Check the individual site’s use policy before printing multiple copies for other people.
For colored pencils, yes — regular printer paper works fine. If you’re using markers, alcohol-based pens, or wet watercolor pencils, you’ll want heavier paper (100gsm or more) or a backing sheet underneath to stop the ink or moisture bleeding through. See the Coloring Supplies Guide for how to match paper to your specific media.
Your printer is likely set to “Fit to page” rather than “Actual size.” Switch to Actual Size in your print settings before printing to keep proportions accurate on detailed designs like mandalas.
Yes — print a few extra copies while you’re at it. That’s part of what makes these useful for testing: you can try the same design in different media or color combinations without spending anything extra.