Inspiration & Ideas

When nobody can think of anything

Prompts, themes and starting points for the afternoons when the pens are out and the ideas aren't. Useful in both directions: some spark a whole project, others just get the first mark on the page.

20 articles

A large, friendly green felt dragon sitting on a wooden table, facing a small wooden toy knight who holds a round blue shield.

Michaeli dragon coloring pages, in order from fierce to friendly

The 29 September festival puts a dragon in front of one small brave person. The same set of pages, laid out from the fiercest to the friendliest.

4 min read

A clean black and white line art coloring page drawing of a chameleon perched on a curling branch, its body and long spiral tail bursting into vivid shifting bands of color, green flowing into turquoi

Chameleon coloring pages you can't color wrong

The one animal where a wild color choice is accurate. See what each chameleon color really means, then print a few and try it.

4 min read

A partially colored dog coloring page resting on a warm wooden kitchen floor, a soft out-of-focus real puppy nosing the edge of the paper, scattered crayons nearby, cozy morning light, cinematic story

Dog coloring pages sorted by the one you already know

Dog coloring pages sorted by silhouette, so a kid can find the one that looks like a dog they actually know.

3 min read

A painterly storybook illustration of a great horned owl perched on an oak branch at dusk, warm autumn light with soft golden and deep blue tones, large expressive amber eyes, cozy and atmospheric woo

Owl coloring pages where the eyes do all the work

Get an owl's two big eyes right and the whole bird has a personality. Printable owl pages from cute faces to great horned owls and moonlit branches.

4 min read

Clean black and white line art drawing of the planet Saturn with detailed tilted rings, in the style of a coloring page, where only the rings burst into glowing golden and amber color while the planet

Color each planet the color it really is

Meet the eight planets one page at a time, and color each world the shade it really wears.

4 min read

A clean black and white line art coloring page of a Jolly Roger pirate flag, a grinning skull above crossed bones waving from a tall ship's mast, where only a single gold tooth in the skull and a brig

Pirate coloring pages for kids who design their own flag

Pirate ships, treasure maps, and flags your kid gets to design, with the real story behind the Jolly Roger.

3 min read

A child's bright crayon and marker style drawing of a single cheerful hot air balloon with rainbow striped panels floating over a green patchwork countryside, playful hand drawn look with bold happy c

Color your way through a hot air balloon flight

One balloon, one morning flight, and a page to print for every part of it, from the first burner roar to a sky full of color.

4 min read

A giraffe pushing a shopping trolley down a supermarket aisle, its neck bent right over under the ceiling, trolley piled high with groceries, painterly childrens book illustration, warm and completely

Funny coloring page ideas start with one broken rule

A breakdancing dinosaur is not a distraction, it is how kids think. Why the best silly ideas break one rule, plus twelve to steal.

5 min read

Tiger coloring pages for a stripe pattern that has never existed

No two tigers share a stripe pattern. Researchers count wild tigers by them. Six signatures, plus pages to print for Tiger Day.

4 min read

A clean black-and-white line-art coloring-page style drawing of a tall rocket lifting off among stars, with only the engine flame colored in bright orange, yellow and white, the rocket body and starry

Space coloring pages for kids who'd rather invent than copy

Space is the one subject with no wrong colors. Planets, rockets, astronauts, and galaxies to color and invent, all summer long.

4 min read

A clean black and white line art coloring page of a standing unicorn with a long flowing mane and a single spiraled horn, where only the horn and one sweep of the mane burst into vivid rainbow color w

Unicorn coloring pages for kids who know the difference

Classic unicorns, cute foals, rainbows and castles, and the real difference between a unicorn, a pegasus, and an alicorn.

3 min read

A peacock's fanned train shown as a bold near-symmetrical radial pattern like a mandala, the left half richly colored in teal, royal blue and gold, the right half left as clean black-and-white line ar

Peacock coloring pages, and where the blue actually comes from

The blue on a real peacock is a trick of light, not paint. On paper, your child gets to decide what color those famous feathers are.

3 min read