Daruma Doll Coloring Pages

A Lucky Traditional Decoration That Falls Down and Gets Right Back Up

The Daruma Doll is a popular traditional Japanese decoration for good luck that shows the spirit of "falling seven times and getting up eight." It has a special round shape that pops right back up no matter how many times it falls down.

What Meaning and History Does It Have?

The Daruma Doll stands for hard work and patience to make your wishes come true.

• History: People say it was modeled after a Buddhist monk named "Bodhidharma" sitting in meditation. A story says he sat in meditation for nine whole years! Because of this, the Daruma Doll shows patience and a spirit that never gives up.

• Fall Seven Times, Get Up Eight: The Daruma Doll has a weight inside its bottom, so it always stands up when it falls. This shows a strong mind to never give up and keep trying, even if you make a mistake.

• Making a Wish:

  • Most Daruma Dolls do not have any eyes drawn on their face. You make a wish by drawing ink into just one eye.

  • When your wish comes true, you draw the other eye to open both of its eyes!

The Colors and Patterns of the Daruma Doll

The colors and patterns on a Daruma Doll have special lucky meanings.

• Red: This is the most common color for a Daruma Doll. It keeps bad luck away and protects you from evil.

• Eyebrows and Beard: The eyebrows look like cranes, and the beard looks like a turtle. A Japanese saying says cranes live for 1,000 years and turtles live for 10,000 years, so they stand for a long life and good luck.

• Words: On its body, people write words with special wishes, like "Good Fortune," "Family Safety," or "Certain Victory."

How to Choose Colors: Use a Lucky Contrast of Red and Black!

To show the powerful feel and good luck of the Daruma Doll coloring page, use red and white as your main colors with black accents.

• Basic Colors: Choose mostly dark red, black (whiskers, eyes), gold (yellow), and white (face, base for patterns).

• Main body color: Color the whole body in a bright deep red to show protection from bad luck and passion.

• Face: If you color around the face with white or light skin color, the dignified expression will stand out!

• Patterns and letters: For patterns like the eyebrows, facial hair, and letters, use deep black and color them with strong, brush-like strokes. Adding gold outlines makes your Daruma Doll look even more festive!

How to make it look 3D: Show the round shape and big power!

Let's use "shadows" and "lights" to show the 3D feel of the round body and the strong, powerful face.

• Shadowy spots: Add shadows to places where the light doesn't reach, like under the Daruma Doll's body, under the mustache, and around the eyes. Use a darker color than your main color (like dark red or black) to show its round shape.

• Where the light hits: If you color the shiny parts like the very top of the Daruma Doll's head or the front of its belly with bright colors or white lines, you can make it look nice and shiny.

Let's create cool textures!

Colored Pencils: Try adding strong and light lines for the patterns and letters, thinking about fast brushstrokes. It will make your art look powerful! How to color: Add golden highlights (lines of light) over the red parts. It will look like a fancy good luck charm!

Tips to enjoy your coloring page!

• Wish for sure victory!

  • Put a strong wish into the Daruma Doll's eyes and color in its deep black pupils!

• Make your very own wish!

  • It would also be fun to write a wish you want to come true on the Daruma Doll's body, like "Pass" or "Health"!

• Cranes and Turtles!

  • Color the eyebrows like a crane and the beard like a turtle! They are symbols of long life, so take your time and color them carefully!

There is an amazing person who became the model!

The Daruma Doll actually has a real person who served as its model. It is a famous monk named "Bodhidharma" who traveled from India to China. He is an amazing person who did training where he kept sitting facing a wall, and he spread the teachings of Zen.

Why doesn't it have arms or legs?

The Daruma Doll is round, and you cannot see its arms or legs, right? That is because it shows Bodhidharma wearing red robes and sitting in Zen meditation with his arms and legs crossed. Legend says he kept sitting facing a wall for 9 years, so it has become a symbol of patience and strength.

Why is the whole body bright red?

The fiery red color is the most famous color for the Daruma Doll, right? Long ago, people believed that the color red had a special power to protect you from illness and bad things. People put their wishes into it so that everyone can stay healthy and well.

Are there rules for drawing the eyes?

When you make a wish, people usually draw a black pupil in the Daruma Doll's left eye (on your right side). Then, when that wish comes true, you draw the right eye (on your left side) to say thank you. This is called "Kaigan" (opening the eyes).