Chinese New Year Coloring Page: The Year of the Dragon
Here’s a fun Chinese New Year Coloring Page to help students celebrate the 2024 Year of the Dragon. Save it for your older students as it’s got quite a bit of detail to it!
This Chinese New Year coloring page is designed to imitate the look of paper cutting, which originated in China during the Northern Dynasties (386-581). The art was frequently made from red paper as it is a color associated with festivities and happiness in the Chinese culture.
Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival begins on Saturday, February 10th, and will be the Year of the Dragon. Teachers can use the PDF template to print on white paper, and have students color as they choose, or follow the steps below to get the red and metallic look shown below.
Thanks to one of my readers, Pamela W., who came up with this idea and shared her sample art with me. I’m a long-time fan of metallic markers, especially the kid friendly ones like Crayola makes, but I never tried filling a a coloring page with them before. She started with red paper, and then used metallic markers to fill in all those small shapes, which is a smart way to get this amazing rich look. Thanks so much for sharing your idea Pamela!
artwithpamela2015 wrote:
“Thank you Kathy Barbro of Art Projects for Kids for the pdf of the paper mural.
We printed it out on 9 sheets of red paper. Assembled it. Cut out all the large shapes. Assembled a 9-sheet poster of gold glitter paper. Glued delicate cut red paper to glitter back. Cut each small detail piece and glue in place. That’s a lot of cutting, gluing, and meticulous attention to detail. This shiny paper mural will be on display @nvrc at the John Braithwaite Community Centre.”
Thank you Pamela, it’s truly stunning!
Use the button below to get this instant download!
Materials for a New Year Coloring Page
- Drawing Paper. Do print this art on good drawing paper.
- Colored Pencils. Try some brands out and look for one with a bright red.
- Handheld Pencil Sharpener. They really help keep those tips sharp, AND keep students at their desk.
- Note: All of the above are Amazon affiliate links.
A collaborative art project for your classroom
Directions for a Metallic Marker Coloring Project
Time needed: 1 hour
How to make the metallic Chinese New Year coloring page
- Print the PDF template on red paper.
- Trace all the lines with a thick black marker.
- Color in the shapes with a gold metallic marker. Leave the “holes” the red paper color.
