Rose Coloring Pages

A rose is the flower people learn to draw with a spiral, and it is the flower they reach for when they want to say something with a picture. These rose coloring pages go from a single rose, drawn large enough to color every petal, to whole gardens where roses climb fences, trellises and brick walls.

The single roses come first: a big open rose covered in dewdrops, a rosebud in front of the rising sun, a rose in a glass vase, two roses on crossed thorny stems, a rose floating in a bowl of water and a giant rose that fills the whole page with its swirl of petals. Then the gifts and keepsakes: a bouquet tied with a ribbon bow, a basket overflowing with roses, a rose in a patterned teacup, a rose on a lace doily, on a patchwork quilt and on a tufted cushion, a corsage tied around a wrist, a rose tucked into a straw hat, a rose inside a heart made of a thorny stem and a teddy bear with a rose behind its ear.

The garden pages grow outward from there. Roses climb a wooden trellis, spill over a picket fence, cover a brick wall with ivy, frame a winding path under an arch and hang in a wreath on a wooden door. A rose bush grows beside a birdbath, a potted rose sits on a windowsill, another rides in a wheelbarrow, and a watering can sprinkles a whole bed of roses. Garden visitors are everywhere: a bee lands in the middle of a rose, a butterfly rests on a wild rose, a hummingbird hovers beside one, a robin perches on a nearby branch, a dove carries a rose in its beak, a kitten naps under a rose arch and a girl leans in to smell a rose. A kite with a rose tied to its tail finishes the set.

How to draw and color a rose

The trick to a rose is working from the center out. The middle is a tight spiral, the next petals wrap around it like cupped hands, and the outer petals open and curl back at the edges. When coloring:

• Use the darkest shade in the center, where the petals are tightly packed and shadowed.
• Go lighter toward the outer petals, which catch the light.
• Leave a little white at the curled edges of the outer petals for a soft shine.
• Color the leaves in two greens, darker near the stem, and give the thorns a reddish brown.

What rose colors mean

Rose colors have traditional meanings, which is useful when a colored page is going to be a gift:

• Red for love, the classic Valentine's rose.
• Pink for thanks and admiration, a good choice for a teacher or for Mother's Day.
• Yellow for friendship and cheer.
• White for new beginnings, often used at weddings.
• Orange and coral for energy and enthusiasm.

There are no blue roses in nature, so a blue or purple rose is a lovely touch of fantasy.

One rose or a whole garden

A single rose drawn large, like the giant rose or the rose in the vase, suits a beginner or a quick card. Quick to color, above the grid, begins with:

• Giant rose
• Rosebud
• Thorny heart

The garden scenes, with dozens of flowers, leaves and trellis slats, are longer projects for patient colorists and adults. Lots of detail begins with:

• Trellis
• Rose arch nap
• Rose basket

Roses for gifts and cards

Rose pages make simple, heartfelt cards. Color a single rose in the gift's meaning, fold the page in half, and write a message inside. The bouquet, the basket and the thorny heart suit Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, birthdays and anniversaries, and the teacup and doily pages make a sweet thank-you.

Printing

Every page is a free A4 PDF drawn at 300 dpi. A4 prints at full size, and on US Letter "fit to page" shrinks the drawing by about six percent so nothing is cut off. The printing guide shows the setting. Add to pack prints a whole bouquet at once. More blooms are in the flower coloring pages, more hearts in the Valentine's coloring pages, more gifts in the Mother's Day coloring pages and more garden visitors in the butterfly coloring pages.