Turkey and a Scarecrow in a Corn Field Coloring Page

Two characters face off across this page, though only one of them knows it. On the left a scarecrow stands on its post in a wide straw hat, arms out, a stitched smile on its round face and a button front on its shirt. On the right a turkey walks past in profile with its tail fanned, thoroughly unconcerned. Corn stalks grow in the gap between them and a simple ground line runs behind.

Two figures of similar size and importance need to be told apart by color. Scarecrows are traditionally patchwork, so the hat, shirt and trousers can each be a different pattern or plaid, while the turkey stays in one natural range of browns. That contrast between something made from scraps and something alive is the point of the picture.

The joke in the drawing is true to life. Birds work out within days that a stationary scarecrow poses no threat, which is why real growers move theirs regularly or use ones that flap. A scarecrow left in the same pose all season becomes a convenient perch rather than a deterrent.