Tests every pen, paper and design she recommends — most evenings around 10:30pm.
Published October 18, 2026 · 5 min read
In this article · 7 sections
In short. A one colour colouring book is filled with a single pen: the areas to colour are marked, you fill them all in one colour, and the picture appears. It suits anyone who finds choosing colours more tiring than relaxing. Look for bold designs, paper around 160gsm and a spiral binding, and use a dark, water-based brush pen.
I'm Caroline, and I make one colour colouring books. I'm writing this one for readers in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, because I get the same questions from you every week, in your own spelling: is it the same as a monochrome colouring book, which pens do I use here, and can I actually get one delivered?
Here are the answers, plus everything I'd want to know before buying one.
What a one colour colouring book is
A regular colouring book asks you to choose a colour for every area. A one colour colouring book asks you for nothing except a pen.
The areas to fill are marked on the page, usually with a small dot. You fill all of them in one colour, most often black. The shapes you leave white become the light in the picture, so the image appears through contrast, a bit like a woodcut or a paper cut-out.
You'll see the same idea under several names:
| Name | Where you'll mostly see it |
|---|---|
| One colour colouring book | UK, Australia, New Zealand |
| Single colour colouring book | UK, Australia |
| Monochrome colouring book | Everywhere |
| One color coloring book | US and Canada |
| Black and white colouring book | UK, often for the same style |
They all mean a book you finish with one pen. I've explained the idea in more depth in my piece on what monochrome colouring is, and there's a related guide to black and white colouring books.
Why one colour can be more relaxing than a full set
Most of us take up colouring to switch off. Then we open a book, tip out forty pens, and spend the evening deciding whether the leaf should be olive or sage.
The Cleveland Clinic describes decision fatigue as the way a long run of choices wears down the ones that follow. After a day full of them, a page that asks for three hundred more isn't much of a rest.
One colour takes the choosing away. What's left is the part that actually calms you: the steady movement of the pen, a shape filling in, a picture appearing. A well-known 2005 study by Curry and Kasser found that colouring a structured design reduced anxiety more than colouring a blank page. A marked one colour page is about as structured as colouring gets.
The NHS lists learning a new skill and paying attention to the present moment among its five steps to mental wellbeing. A twenty-minute page after dinner does a little of both. It's a pastime, not a treatment, and it doesn't need to be anything more.
What to check before you buy
Paper weight in gsm. One colour pages have large solid areas, which means a lot of ink in one place. On thin paper it shows through. Look for the weight in gsm: around 160gsm takes markers comfortably. If no weight is given, assume it's ordinary paper.
Binding. A spiral binding lets the book lie flat and fold back on itself, so you can colour on the sofa or at a small table without holding it open.
Line weight and shape size. Bold outlines and large shapes are quicker to fill and easier on the eyes. Look at a sample page, not just the cover.
Single or double-sided. Single-sided if you want to frame a finished page. Double-sided means more designs per book, as long as the paper is heavy.
Subjects you like. You'll look at these pages for hours. Pick a theme you'd be glad to see on your table.
Pens for one colour colouring
The pen matters more than in any other colouring book, because it's the only one you'll use.
Brush pens or markers, water-based. They give strong, even colour with a light touch. Alcohol markers blend beautifully but soak through most book paper.
Dual tip. A brush end for big shapes, a fine end for the edges. It saves switching pens mid-page.
Dark colours. Black gives the crispest result. Deep navy, forest green or burgundy also look lovely if you'd like a change.
In the UK and Australia you'll find brush pens from the big stationery brands in most art shops and supermarkets. Whatever you choose, test it first: fill a small square on a back page, wait a minute and turn the page over. For technique, see my guide on how to use brush pens. Our own coloring pens for adults are dual tip brush pens with water-based black ink, made for our 160gsm paper.
Our books, and delivery to the UK, Australia and beyond
Here's what we make, so you can weigh it fairly.
Our one colour colouring books come in five editions: the Original, New Chapter, Cats, Dogs and Woodland. Each is spiral bound on 160gsm paper, with bold designs you fill with a single pen. The areas to fill are marked, so there's no page you can get wrong.
They're spelled the American way on the cover, "One color coloring book," because that's where we started. The idea is exactly the same.
We ship to the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and shipping is free. Delivery times for your country are shown at checkout.
Their limits are worth saying. If you love blending and choosing colours, you'll miss it here. And our pages are printed on both sides, so you can't take one out to frame without losing the design on the back.
How to start your first page
- Choose the page before you sit down. The choosing is the only decision you'll make all evening.
- Find the dots. Every marked area gets filled. Unmarked areas stay white.
- Start with the biggest shape. It gets you into the rhythm.
- Use the brush end for areas, the fine end for edges.
- Stop after twenty minutes, even if the page isn't finished. It'll be there tomorrow.
If you'd like to try the style before buying anything, we have free printable colouring pages in the same one colour style.
In short
A one colour colouring book is the simplest kind of colouring there is: one pen, marked shapes, no decisions. Wherever you are, look for bold designs, paper around 160gsm and a binding that lies flat, and use a dark, water-based brush pen. Then make a cup of tea and fill one shape. That's the whole method.
The One Color Coloring Book
65+ bold designs, one single color, zero decisions — on 160 gsm paper with a lay-flat spiral, engineered for the wind-down ritual described above.
Pair it with the 3 Dual Tip Brush Pens — $5 instead of $9.95 in the Book + Pens bundle.Sources & further reading
Frequently asked questions
What is a one colour colouring book?
Is a one colour colouring book the same as a monochrome colouring book?
What pen should I use for a one colour colouring book?
Can I buy one colour colouring books in the UK and Australia?
Is single colour colouring relaxing?
Know someone who needs a quieter evening? Pin it · Share on Facebook ·
↑
