Sea animal coloring pages: sharks, dolphins and how to color the ocean behind them

Ocean pages are where the blue crayons finally earn their keep. Our ocean section has seven sea animals — shark, dolphin, whale, octopus, turtle, seahorse and the honorary penguin — and they share one secret: the animal is only half the page. The water behind it is the other half, and it's easier than it looks.

The 3-band ocean background

Real ocean photos get darker with depth, and copying that takes three blues: light blue in a band across the top of the page, medium blue through the middle, navy or deep teal at the bottom. Don't blend carefully — even rough bands read as 'underwater' the moment they're behind an animal. Add five or six small white circles drifting upward (bubbles) and the page is suddenly a scene, not a sticker.

Animal-by-animal quick guides

• Shark — gray-blue on top, white belly, and keep the line between them sharp. That two-tone 'countershading' is what makes a shark look fast.
• Dolphin — same countershading in lighter gray. Leave a white curve along the back for a wet-skin shine.
• Whale — deep blue-gray with a pale throat. Color around a white spout splash if the outline has one; it's the page's exclamation point.
• Octopus — the free space of the set: real octopuses change color, so red, purple, orange or pink are all 'correct.' Suckers in a lighter shade make the arms pop.
• Turtle — two greens minimum: olive body, brighter shell. Each shell plate slightly different makes it look hand-tiled.
• Seahorse — yellow, coral or mint; seahorses are the ocean's most colorful subject. Color segment by segment like armor.

• Shark coloring pagesCountershading 101
• Dolphin coloring pagesGray gradients, friendly face
• Octopus coloring pagesAny color is correct
• Turtle coloring pagesTile the shell, plate by plate
• Whale coloring pagesThe biggest canvas in the catalog
• Seahorse coloring pagesSmall page, loud palette

Make it a unit: ocean week

Teachers and homeschoolers: the seven ocean pages make a tidy five-day unit. One animal a day, with each page's built-in habitat facts and fun facts as the mini-lesson (kids reliably lose their minds at 'an octopus has three hearts'). Finish the week by taping all the colored pages to one wall as a class 'aquarium' — and if the theme sticks, penguins and flamingos extend it into a water-birds bonus day.

All seven sea animals are free printable PNGs — start at the ocean section of the animal hub and work your way down the food chain.