Pattern Coloring Pages

• Geometric: hexagon honeycomb, chevrons, zigzags and tumbling blocks that look 3D
• Tessellations: interlocking fish and birds that fit together with no gaps
• Floral and leaf repeats: daisies in a grid, trailing vines and a field of ginkgo leaves
• Paisley: teardrop shapes filled with dots, petals and curls
• Waves and feathers: overlapping scallops, ocean swells and feather rows
• Quilt blocks: log cabin and pinwheel blocks set in a grid
• Tile and mosaic: star-and-cross tiles and a circular mosaic medallion
• Tangle-style sections: a page divided into areas, each filled with a different hand-drawn texture

With no sky or skin to guide you, color choice is the whole game. These approaches work on any pattern.

Two colors. Alternate them like a checkerboard. It's the fastest way to see how a pattern is built, and it's a good first pass for kids.

One color, many shades. Take four pencils from the same family, light to dark, and repeat them in order. The page looks calm and deliberate.

Opposites. Colors across the color wheel from each other, such as blue and orange or purple and yellow, make each other look brighter. Use one for most shapes and the other as an accent.

Follow the repeat. Find the smallest unit that repeats, color one, and copy that scheme in every other unit. Or break the rule on purpose in one spot to create a focal point.

Leave some white. Uncolored shapes act as a color of their own and keep a busy pattern from feeling heavy.

Fine-tip markers give crisp edges on geometric designs. Colored pencils are better for paisley and florals, where you may want to shade. For the intricate designs, print on smooth paper so thin lines stay sharp.

Patterns teach math too. Tessellations show how shapes can cover a surface without gaps, and quilt blocks are an exercise in symmetry.