My middle wild animal has been absolutely obsessed with horses lately. We watch that movie about a certain untamable mustang basically on a loop in this house.
So naturally we had to sketch out these free Spirit coloring pages for the site. I wanted to capture that feeling of wide open spaces and pure rebellion. Honestly nothing beats the classic animation style.
Setting up the right scenes took some trial and error. You really need to get the expressions just right when the animals don’t talk.
I think we nailed the movement in these though. Let the kids go crazy with the earth tones and see what happens.
Your kids will also love: Cartoon, Bluey, Paw Patrol, My Little Pony, SpongeBob, Land Before Time, Scooby Doo, Curious George, Miraculous Ladybug.
Spirit Coloring Page Highlights
Rain Looking Cute
You can instantly recognize Rain by the feather braided into her mane here. She has this incredibly soft expression that our artists captured perfectly. It almost makes you forget how stubborn she can be.
My youngest usually grabs the brightest pink for the feather. I let it happen. It’s a great printable Spirit horse coloring pages option for focusing on facial details.
Spirit and Little Creek Looking At Each Other
There is so much quiet respect in this scene. Little Creek is just standing there with his hand outstretched. Spirit looks hesitant but curious.
This dynamic is probably the best part of the whole story. If you need a solid Spirit coloring sheet to talk about trust, this is the one. The lack of background clutter really makes them pop.
Spirit and Rain Looking At Each Other
They are literally nose to nose in this one. You can see the ropes hanging off them from the camp. It’s a sweet little moment between the two horses.
Finding good Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron coloring pages that show their bond isn’t always easy. The lines on the mane give kids a lot of space to experiment with shading.
Spirit Hugging Rain
Spirit has his head resting heavy right over Rain’s neck here. They look so peaceful and tired. I think it perfectly captures that exhausted relief.
I always print this specific free Spirit coloring pages file when we need some quiet down time. Just pull out the soft crayons and let them color quietly for ten minutes. The closed eyes just make everything feel calmer.
Spirit Getting Gently Patted By a Kid
A kid is reaching up to gently pat Spirit on the nose while they stand near some pine trees. It is such a gentle interaction. The fluffy clouds in the background frame them nicely.
These types of Spirit coloring pages for kids are usually the most popular. Something about the human connection just clicks with my wild animals. It is a very sweet, uncomplicated scene.
Spirit Grazing Peacefully Near a Quiet Lake
Here he is just eating grass by a completely still lake. The rolling hills and little flowers in the foreground give it a very serene vibe. It is honestly incredibly calming to look at.
You can really practice blending greens and blues on this printable Spirit horse coloring pages download. My oldest tried water color pencils on it and it turned out amazing. The landscape is wide open.
Spirit Leaping Gracefully Across a Deep Canyon
This is pure action. Spirit is mid-jump right over a massive rocky canyon with a river far below. Our team made sure the perspective makes the drop look really steep.
It totally embodies the whole theme of the movie. Grab this Spirit coloring sheet if you want something with high energy. The jagged rocks take forever to color which buys me time to drink my coffee.
Spirit Peeking Cautiously From a Forest Thicket
Just his head and neck are sticking out from behind some really dense ferns and leaves. He looks incredibly cautious about whatever is outside the frame. The forest detail is pretty dense on this one.
Definitely one of the more detailed Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron coloring pages we have. You will need sharp colored pencils for all those little leaves. It’s a fun one for hiding little bugs in the foliage.
Tips for Spirit Coloring Sheets
1. Nailing the Buckskin Coat
Spirit isn’t just brown or yellow. He is a very specific buckskin color that is actually pretty hard to nail down with standard crayons. You usually get a weird mustard color if you aren’t careful. And what follows from this? A very frustrated kindergartener.
I always tell my kids to start with a light tan base and then lightly shade over it with a warmer brown. Honestly mixing a tiny bit of orange helps too. Just don’t press too hard.
2. Mixing the Mane Colors
The mustang’s mane is iconic because of that dark stripe down the middle. Don’t just color the whole thing black. It looks totally flat and wrong.
Use a really dark brown for the outer edges and jet black for the center. The contrast makes it look way more dynamic. These Spirit coloring pages for kids look ten times better with layered hair.
3. Getting Rain’s Spots Right
Rain is a beautiful paint horse with those big splashy brown and white patches. The trick is to not leave the white parts completely blank. Stark white paper looks unfinished.
Lightly shade the edges of her white patches with a tiny bit of pale blue or gray. It creates shadows so she actually looks round. It is a tiny detail that makes a massive difference.
4. Embracing the Earth Tones
The wild west isn’t just neon green grass. It is dusty and muted. The dirt should be red and ochre and brown.
Put away the bright primary colors for the backgrounds. Mixing browns and yellows gives that sun-baked canyon feel perfectly. It makes the horses stand out way more anyway. Everyone says you need expensive markers for blending. You really don’t.
5. Making the River Look Real
In the canyon and lake scenes, the water needs to look deep. Flat blue crayon is fine for toddlers, but older kids can push it further. Water reflects the sky.
Layer some deep indigo in the center of the river and leave streaks of pale white near the ragged outer edges to simulate the rushing current. It adds movement. It takes patience. But it works.
6. Coloring the Halters and Ropes
When they get captured, there are suddenly ropes and halters in the pictures. Leather shouldn’t look like plastic. It should look worn. Kind of like how your favorite boots look after a week in the mud.
Use a medium brown but press harder on the edges to create a shadow. Leave a little lighter streak in the middle for a highlight. This trick is, let’s say, not the most obvious to a seven-year-old.
7. Creating Dusty Action
When horses are running or jumping, they kick up dirt. The leap across the canyon is a great place to try this. You want it to look messy.
Lightly rub the side of a tan crayon around the hooves. Then smudge it with a tissue or your finger. My wild animals love doing this because they get their hands dirty.
8. Layering the Forest Greens
The picture where he is peeking through the thicket has so many leaves. If you use one green for all of them, it turns into a boring blob. Nature has hundreds of greens.
Pick three different green pencils before you even start. Use the dark one for the ferns in the back and the lightest one for the leaves catching the sun. It forces the kids to slow down a little bit. Gives you maybe 12 or 13 minutes of peace.