Children In Halloween Costumes Among Fall Leaves Coloring Page

Four children in costume are wading through drifts of leaves, and the artist has clearly enjoyed the outfits. There is a ghost with a trailing sheet, a witch with a pointed hat and buckle, a skeleton with the ribs drawn individually, and a small pumpkin costume with a stalk on top. Each one carries a bucket. The leaves around their feet are drawn in overlapping layers with visible veins, so the page is detailed and works best for children of about eight and up, or for an adult joining in.

Costumes are the fun part because nothing has to be realistic. The one piece of advice worth giving is to keep the leaf drifts in muted rusts and browns, so the costumes stay the brightest things on the page. If everything competes, nothing stands out. Fine-tipped pens help with the skeleton's ribs and the witch's hat buckle.

A piece of history for anyone reading along: the carved jack-o'-lantern started in Ireland and was originally cut from a turnip. Pumpkins only took over when the tradition reached North America and people found a vegetable that was far easier to hollow out.