Smiling Cloud Rainbow Colouring

Four friendly clouds smile around a giant rainbow in this simple sky scene. A few raindrops fall from one cloud, reminding us that rain and sunshine can share the sky at the same time. Real clouds are made from enormous groups of tiny water droplets or ice crystals floating in the air. Warm, moist air rises and cools, allowing water vapour to gather into droplets. Some clouds remain light and puffy, while others grow deeper and release rain. The faces in this picture are playful make-believe, but the round cloud shapes resemble fair-weather cumulus clouds that often have bright tops and flatter bottoms. A rainbow appears when sunlight shines through raindrops at a useful angle. The light bends as it enters each droplet, bounces inside and bends again as it comes out. White sunlight contains many colours, and this journey separates them. We often name seven bands: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. A rainbow is really part of a circle of light, although the ground usually hides the lower portion. It has no reachable end and does not stay in one fixed place. Each observer sees light from a slightly different group of raindrops, so two friends standing apart do not see exactly the same rainbow. A warm spring shower followed by sunlight is a perfect time to look for one safely from a window, porch or garden. Start colouring the broad curved bands with slow strokes that follow each arc. Use the familiar seven-colour order or create a fantasy rainbow with pink, turquoise, gold and other favourites. Try not to colour over the separating lines so every band stays clear. Leave the smiling clouds white, adding only a whisper of pale blue, silver or lavender near their lower edges. Raindrops can be sky blue, aqua or a mixture. Give the round cheeks a gentle pink if you would like the clouds to look extra cheerful. The open background may be very pale blue or left white for a bright, airy result. Use a sharper crayon or pencil around eyes and smiles, then a broader crayon on the rainbow. When the page is finished, count all seven bands and talk about which weather ingredients—sunlight, water droplets and the right viewing direction—helped this colourful sky surprise appear.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

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Make it an activity

Choose a favourite colour palette
Add a simple background
Display the finished artwork

Grown-up note: Please supervise printing and choose age-appropriate art materials.