Smiling Gingerbread Man

A big smiling gingerbread man with round cheeks, three icing buttons, a bow tie and wavy icing on his arms and feet fills the middle of the page. Around him float peppermint candies, mini candy canes, holly sprigs, stars, snowflakes and two little fir trees. The large body is easy, while the small candies give children from age 6 a bit more practice.

Level

Medium

Areas to color

127

Ages

Ages 6+

Time to color (estimate)

40–60 minutes

Paper

A4 or US Letter, standard printer paper

Chunky markers suit the big cookie body: a caramel brown, pink cheeks and a red or green bow tie. Turn each peppermint into a pinwheel by coloring every other wedge red, and give the three buttons three different candy colors.

Use a light gray or pale blue for snow shadows: it makes white areas look three-dimensional.

Red and green side by side can look flat; add gold or a warm yellow to lights and stars to make the page glow.