Mermaid with Shell Lantern Coloring Page

About this page

Moving lightly on her tail, a mermaid swims diagonally across the page and holds a ribbed shell lantern up in her right hand. A round, smiling fish with a patterned tail swims below the lantern at the right, while four bubbles of varying sizes frame the corners. Her hair is long and wavy with a small flower and leaves above one ear. She wears a fitted top decorated with a shell emblem and curling swirls, and below the waist her tail is covered in rows of overlapping scales before it splits into a two-lobed fin at the lower left. The lantern shell has vertical ribs and a little cap, making a sturdy shape in the upper right. With very little background, all attention goes to the character, so this medium page lets kids spend time on scales, swirls and hair. It works well for children who like to add their own glow around the lantern.

In this picture

• mermaid
• shell lantern
• round fish
• flower
• scaled tail
• bubbles
• swirl pattern
• tail fin

Coloring ideas

• Use warm yellow and orange on the lantern shell so it looks like it gives off light
• Color the scales in a gradient from green near the waist to blue at the fin
• Give the fish stripes in the same color as the lantern
• Add a tint to the top bubbles to look like soap bubbles

Suggested palette

• lantern gold
• teal
• violet
• peach
• ocean blue
• rose

Good for

• Night-time or glow theme craft table
• Mermaid birthday party activity
• Calm-down coloring before bed

Coloring tips

• Start with the largest areas, then add detail.
• Test markers on spare paper to prevent bleed-through.
• Use lighter layers first when working with colored pencils.

Print guide

1. Choose the PDF that matches your paper size.
2. Print at 100% scale or “actual size”.
3. Use portrait orientation and normal print quality.