Tiger Swimming Across a River Coloring Page

The waterline cuts straight across the middle of this sheet, and the tiger crosses it. Above the line you get the head and shoulders, drawn with the ears back and the chin just clear of the surface. Below it the whole body carries on, forelegs stretched forward and the tail trailing behind, softened the way a submerged shape looks from above. A bank of reeds runs along the top edge, and rings of ripple spread out from the swimming animal toward the bottom corners.

The two halves want different treatment. Keep the underwater section pale, using one light tone over everything including the stripes, and put your full strength into the head. That contrast is what sells the water, and it costs nothing extra.

Ages seven and up will get the most from it. Younger children can color the animal happily enough, but the trick with the submerged half is the part that makes this page worth printing.

Tigers genuinely do this. They will swim several miles at a stretch, cross rivers that block other big cats, and spend the hottest part of an Indian afternoon lying in a pool with only the head showing, which is close to the pose drawn here.