Download your free colouring sheet of Walter Crane’s ‘Study of a donkey’ in time for the festive season!

One of my favourite aspects of any good Nativity scene on display at this time of year is the inclusion of the donkey which is said to have carried Mary on its back all the way to Bethlehem. I’m of the opinion that Dominick the Donkey is one of the best Christmas songs. The donkey is probably my favourite cast member of any Nativity scene because, in case you haven’t guessed, I have a soft spot for these hard-working animals.

Our collections contain several depictions of donkeys by Walter Crane, so perhaps he had a soft spot for them too. Of course, we know from Walter Crane’s many drawings of animals that it was not just donkeys he took the time to study. He appears to have been fascinated by animals in general.

However, since the donkey is one of the most adorable members of the Nativity scenes we see during the festive period, I thought it only fitting that one of our winter colouring sheets should be one of Crane’s drawings of a donkey. I tried to preserve as much detail as possible during the tracing process whilst trying to figure out what should be omitted. I hope you enjoy it!

–Steph

Don’t forget to check out the other colouring sheets created by the Whitworth’s Visitor Team so you can Colour Our Collections. We aim to have something for every season!

You can download your free copy of our colouring sheet of Walter Crane’s ‘Study of a donkey’ as a Pdf file below: