Unicorn by a Lake Coloring Page

She has stepped into the shallows and stopped to look down at herself. This unicorn by a lake coloring page shows a unicorn standing in still water, with her wavy reflection stretched out below her. Three snowy mountains rise behind a row of pines, and a big sun with sixteen rays hangs over the far shore.

Kids from about 6 to 12 will get the most from it. The top half is simple and open. The bottom half has ripples, lily pads and cattails, so give it 35 to 45 minutes.

The fun part is the water

A reflection is a great puzzle for a young artist. Everything in the water is upside down, so her hooves touch the surface and her head points toward the bottom of the page. We bent the lines a little, the way ripples bend a real reflection, and placed small lens shapes across the lake.

Ask your child to find the reflected horn. Then ask how far it is from the real one. It is a good moment to talk about why the picture in the water looks shorter and more wobbly than the unicorn above it.

Unicorn by a lake coloring page color ideas

Start with a pale blue green for the lake, and keep your pressure light. Color the ripples a shade lighter or leave them white. They will read as sparkles on the water.

For the unicorn, pick two mane colors you love. Pink and purple look lovely here. Now use the same two colors on the reflected mane, but press softly so that it fades. That one step makes the whole page look grown up.

• Lilac and pale blue mountains with white caps
• Deep green pines over a lighter green hill
• Brown cattails and pink lilies with yellow centers

For a sunset version, swap the blue sky for orange and pink, then let the same colors show up faintly in the water.

Tips that really help

Work from the top of the page to the bottom. Your hand will not smear the finished parts, which matters most with crayons and soft pencils. Color the mountains next, then the trees, and leave the lake until last.

Colored pencils are the best tool for this picture because you can control how dark they go. If you only have markers, leave the reflection as a pale outline and color the lake around it. It will still look like water. Sharpen your green pencil before you start the pines, because each tree has a narrow tip.

Unicorns and clean water

Water is a big part of the old legends. People once believed that a unicorn's horn could make poisoned water safe to drink and could heal sickness. A horn was thought to be made of a substance called alicorn, and old encyclopedias repeated the claim. Our page takes a gentler view, but you can read more in this overview of unicorn legends. In medieval and Renaissance times, narwhal tusks were sometimes sold as unicorn horns.

Try this after coloring

Here is a quick experiment. Fill a shallow dish with water and set it by a window. Hold a small toy at the edge and look at its reflection. Now tap the water with a finger and watch the picture wobble. Your child will see just why the lines on this page bend.

Teachers can use the page for a short lesson on symmetry. Fold a sheet in half and draw on one side with a soft crayon, then rub the back so that the drawing prints across the fold. It is a simple way to make a reflection by hand.

More scenes to enjoy

For a sky view, try the unicorn on a cloud coloring page. If your child wants another outdoor scene, the unicorn in a forest coloring page has a shady path to fill in.

Questions