Giraffe Coloring Page (3 of 4)

The classic look is a warm orange-brown for the patches with cream between them, but you can deepen the patches toward their centers to give the coat some life. Keep a steady edge where one color meets the next - good practice for the hand - and let the legs fade a little lighter. Color it whatever way you like.

About the Giraffe

Giraffes live on the savannas of Africa and are the tallest of all land animals, with necks so long they can browse leaves well out of reach of other grazers. Despite that great height the neck holds the same number of bones as our own - just very large ones - and the netted pattern of the coat is unique to each animal, a little like a fingerprint.

The giraffe has an easy, gentle appeal that crosses every border, a familiar favorite at zoos and a frequent sight in picture books for the young. It carries no difficult history, only a warm and universal charm, which is part of what makes it such an approachable and pleasant subject to color.

Benefits as a Coloring & Brain Training Activity

For coloring, the patchwork coat is the real pleasure. Filling each panel of the pattern and keeping a clean edge where the colors meet is good, gentle practice for the hand and eye working together, and the repetition has a quietly calming rhythm. The tall, bold shape makes the finished sheet striking enough to be worth displaying.