Ornate Hanging Diwali Lantern Coloring Page

A kandil hangs from a long straight cord that runs all the way to the top edge of the sheet. Its body flares out wide at the shoulders and then tapers down to a narrow base, the shape a folded paper lantern makes when it is opened out, and short creases radiate from the collar at the top to show the folds. Across the front sits one large flower with six rounded petals and a plain circle at its heart, drawn big enough to fill most of the available surface. Below the body a ribbed collar of close vertical lines leads down to a single long tassel. Those ribs are the one fine detail on the page and they are best left alone or covered in a single flat color. Everything else is generous and open. Kandils go up in the last week before Diwali and stay lit through the festival, which is why the shape is so familiar across India even to people who have never made one. The flower is the natural focal point, so pick its color first and work outward from there.