Great White Shark Coloring Page

This great white shark coloring page catches the moment a shark bursts out of the sea. Its whole front half is in the air, nose pointed at the sky, jaws open as wide as they will go. Water streams off its sides and curls of spray fly out around the waterline. Drawn at this angle, the shark runs up the page on a hard diagonal that feels like it is still moving.

The picture has no blood and no prey in it, only raw power. It fits kids from around eight through the teen years, and anyone who has a shark phase that never really ended. Give it forty five minutes to an hour.

Get to know the shark on the page

The most useful line on the drawing is the torn edge that runs along the body. Everything above it is the dark back. Everything below it is the white belly. Five curved gill slits sit just behind the mouth, and a tall fin pokes out from the back on the left side of the page.

Check the jaws up close. The top row and bottom row of teeth are drawn as separate shapes, and the upper ones carry a small line across them. Below the snout you will see a little cluster of dots. Those mark tiny sensing pits, and they are a real feature of the animal.

A small dark eye sits under a heavy ridge. Gulls wheel in the sky, green headlands lie far off and a band of foam runs along the water.

Great white shark coloring page shading tips

Go easy on the gray. Build the back with light layers of blue, gray and a touch of purple rather than one heavy coat of a single pencil. It gives the skin a wet, cool shine.

1. Lay a soft blue gray over the entire back.
2. Press harder near the top edge of the body, where the shape curves away from the light.
3. Leave a pale streak down the middle of the side. That reads as wet skin.
4. Keep the belly white, with a little pale blue along its lower edge.
5. Color the gills in your darkest tone so they look cut in.

The mouth can be a deep pink or dull red, with darker color toward the back of the throat. Leave the teeth mostly white, and put a hint of cream at their bases so they do not look pasted on.

Painting the water

Water can make or break this page. Pick a dark teal for the front wave and a lighter blue for the wave behind it. The sharp spray shapes should be very pale, nearly white, with just a touch of color near their roots. Leave the foam clumps as bare paper. Add a few dots with a white gel pen if you own one.

The sky should stay calm, since the shark already has all the action. A pale blue with thin streak clouds is plenty. For a darker mood, try a storm sky in gray and purple, then keep the shark bright against it.

Real great white facts

Great whites really do this. Off South Africa, sharks hunting Cape fur seals often leap clear of the water, and they can get about 10 feet up. Their camouflage is called countershading. Seen from above, the dark back blends in with deep water, and the white belly hides them from below.

Those teeth are triangular with serrated edges. There are roughly 300 of them, arranged in rows like a conveyor belt, and back teeth move forward to replace the front ones. Great whites are also partly warm blooded, keeping heat from their muscles so they can hunt in cool water. They may live past 70 years. The great white shark article on Wikipedia covers all of this and much more.

Put it to use

Try labeling your finished page like a field guide. Mark the gills, the fins, the countershading line and the sensing pits, then add one true fact beside each label. It makes a sharp cover for a science report.

Or do a quick math check. Measure the shark on your paper, then work out how many copies of it would match a 16 foot adult female.

For a calmer ocean scene, print the shark coloring page. If it is teeth you are after, the T rex coloring page has plenty.

Questions