Here you’ll find colouring sheets for the little ones and those who are still young at heart- all created from pieces in our collections! The project was created by Hannah and Steph from the Visitor Team. Each colouring sheet has been produced by a member of the Visitor Team carefully hand tracing an image of a piece from our collections. We try to bring out as many details included by the artists or makers (and any details of marks resulting from the journey these objects have been on) as we can. We aim to make our colouring sheets as faithful to the real thing as possible whilst still giving you plenty to keep you busy and help you unwind.
This project is a labour of love and can be slow going at times but, if you keep checking this page, you’ll notice that new colouring sheets will be uploaded periodically. You can download a pdf. version of our colouring sheets for free and find out about the process of turning a work into a colouring sheet, as well as read about the history behind the original artwork or the artist, by following the links below. Physical copies of some of our colouring sheets will be available for free at the Whitworth. The colouring sheets we have available at the gallery will vary, so check if we have new colouring sheets up for grabs on your next visit!
Tag @WhitworthArt on Twitter and use the hashtag #ColourOurCollections to share your work with us!
Studies of Hens by William Mulready (1786-1863), drawn 14/09/1824. This piece was hand traced by Hannah. Read about the process of creating this colouring sheet, find out more about the artist and the project and download a pdf version of the colouring sheet for free.
Study of a sheep by Walter Crane (1845-1915). This piece was hand traced by Steph. Read about the process of creating this colouring sheet, find out more about Walter Crane’s love of drawing animals and download a pdf version of the colouring sheet for free.
St George by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), c. 1504-1506. Hannah and Steph discuss the creation our colouring sheet of Dürer’s St George and the popular image of the saint as a dragon slayer. Don’t forget to download your free pdf version of our colouring sheet!
Nemesis by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), c.1501. The goddess of retribution, hand traced and transformed into a colouring sheet by Hannah. Download your free copy here.
The Monstrous Pig by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). Find out about the unusual pig which inspired Dürer’s engraving in 1496 and download your free colouring sheet of his depiction of the sow here.
The Old Woman (The Dance of Death), credited to Hans Lützelberger (1495-1526)
Get into the groove with these skeletons, perfect for fans of all things spooky!
Design for dress with a sailor collar and bows by Walter Crane (1845-1915)
A rather fashionable nautical-themed ensemble designed by Walter Crane and transformed into a colouring sheet by Hannah.
Snow View of Shiba Zojo-ji Temple by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858)
A beautiful winter landscape featuring Tokyo’s famous Shiba Zojo-ji Temple, the ancestral temple of the Tokugawa clan, transformed into a colouring sheet by Hannah.
Study of a donkey by Walter Crane (1845-1915)
A lovely drawing of an adorable donkey by Walter Crane, made into a colouring sheet by Steph.
Ruby has created a beautiful colouring sheet from this design of the Archangel Gabriel for a stained glass window.
Cuff, fragment of a eunuch’s robe, c.1909-1911.
Created to celebrate the Year of the Dragon 2024, this colouring sheet was produced by Steph from an image of a fragment of a robe from China which dates back to the last years of the Qing dynasty.
Design for dress with puffed sleeves by Walter Crane (1845-1915)
A colouring sheet featuring one of Walter Crane’s many costume designs. This design for a dress was hand traced by Hannah.
Tracing of illustration from ‘The Fairy Ship’ by Walter Crane (1845-1915)
Ahoy there! Sue has hand traced these adorable little sailors from ‘The Fairy Ship’ to create a colouring sheet for your enjoyment.
Proof from ‘Sleeping Beauty’ by Walter Crane (1845-1915)
Here is Sleeping Beauty’s prince cutting a path through a wood comprised of thorns. This piece was hand traced by Ruby and turned into a colouring sheet so you can have fun colouring in this fairy tale landscape.
Study of a tortoise by Walter Crane (1845-1915)
We have many study drawings by Walter Crane, who frequently sketched animals throughout his career. Anthropomorphic animals featured heavily in his illustration work, both for books written by other authors and those he wrote himself. This piece was hand traced by Steph.
Drawing of a woman in medieval dress by Walter Crane (1845-1915)
We’re kicking off our colouring sheets for autumn 2024 with this lovely ‘drawing of a woman in medieval dress’ by Walter Crane, in case you need some inspiration for your Halloween costume!
Detail from Ye Frog Would a Wooing Go by Walter Crane (1845-1915)
Have you ever heard the song ‘Ye Frog Would a Wooing Go?’ Walter Crane used it as inspiration for this wallpaper design. Sue has hand traced some of her favourite details from this piece to create a free colouring sheet just for you.
We thought Crane’s comical depiction of the big bad wolf would be a fun addition to the Colour Our Collections project in the run up to Halloween, so Steph hand traced an image of Crane’s proof and turned it into a colouring sheet for your enjoyment.
Whitworth Advent x Colour Our Collections: Italian, Pair of liturgical knitted gloves, c.1600-1699
Oliver has created a colouring sheet featuring a pair of liturgical knitted gloves in the Whitworth’s collections, which date back to the seventeenth century. Read all about the origins of such gloves, the history of knitting and don’t forget to download your free colouring sheet!
Rosie has created a beautiful snowdrop colouring sheet using a fabric design from a sample book created by Thomas Wardle and Co. Discover some fun facts about snowdrops and download your free colouring sheet!
Whitworth Advent x Colour Our Collections: ‘Study of wrens and robins’ by Walter Crane (1845-1915)
Steph discusses the folk customs and stories surrounding the robin and the wren. Learn about the inspiration for Crane’s ‘Study of wrens and robins’ and don’t forget to download your free colouring sheet featuring these charismatic little birds.
Rosie has created a new colouring sheet to celebrate the start of the Lunar Year of the Snake, which falls on January 29th 2025.
Love is in the air as Oliver provides us with a short history of Valentine’s Day. He has chosen to recreate a design by Walter Crane as a colouring sheet to celebrate the occasion. Don’t forget to download your free Valentine’s Day colouring sheet. Who will be your valentine?
Liber Studiorum, No 50 : Mer de Glace by J.M.W Turner (1775-1851)
Explore the glaciers of the Alps as depicted by Turner and find out how they changed over the course of the 19th century with Steph. Don’t forget to download your free colouring sheet of Turner’s ‘Mer de Glace’!
Calendar for 1874: ‘The Year and its Festivals’ by Walter Crane (1845-1915)
Oliver takes a detailed look at another seasonal artwork, which was designed by Walter Crane. Why not celebrate the Autumn Equinox by getting stuck in with the free colouring sheet he has created from this piece?
A Place Between The Trees 