Coloring Pages Dark Forest with Towering Trees and Mysterious Shadows

There’s something hauntingly beautiful about a dark forest with towering trees and mysterious shadows. The kind of forest that feels almost alive, as if it’s holding secrets in every shadow. When I started working with dark forest coloring pages, I thought it might be too intense, but instead, it became one of my favorite ways to unwind. Coloring in these types of pages feels almost like storytelling; you get to bring that eerie, mystical atmosphere to life with each stroke.

When it comes to dark forests, creating depth with shadows is everything. The trick I’ve found is to start with a base of dark greens, grays, and earthy browns. A deep green can serve as the main “body” color for the trees, but you want to layer it with touches of charcoal or even navy blue to give that “in the shadows” effect. I’ll often start by adding the darkest colors in the background and work my way forward with lighter shades, which makes the foreground trees look more prominent. You get this incredible sense of distance, like you could wander through the trees forever.

Speaking of the trees, towering trees are all about capturing that vertical scale—getting the feeling that these giants are stretching far beyond your view. I like to add darker colors toward the bottom of the trunks and go lighter as I move up, giving the illusion that they’re disappearing into the shadows above. If you add just a few thin streaks of lighter color toward the top of the trees (think olive green or even hints of gray), it creates that misty, towering look. For trees that are farther back, keep them more in shadow; it gives the scene a layered, more mysterious feel.

One thing I love doing with these pages is adding in little hints of “movement” or mystery in the shadows—like subtle shapes or textures that look like something could be hiding there. A simple smudge or shading around the base of a tree, a faint outline of something that could be a pathway or another creature in the dark—it all adds to that eerie atmosphere. You don’t have to make these details clear or specific; part of the magic is letting your mind fill in the blanks.

And then there are the shadows themselves. I think shadows in a dark forest scene are where you can get really creative. Instead of just filling them in with flat black, try layering different shades of dark blue, brown, or even purple. I found that using navy blue with a soft touch of dark violet can give shadows a richer, deeper look. It’s almost like a foggy layer on the forest floor, suggesting a bit of moonlight breaking through somewhere above. And if you’re using colored pencils, blending these colors with a paper stump or a blending pencil really smooths it out, making the shadows look soft and realistic.

Another neat touch? Adding a single source of faint light, like a flicker of moonlight or the glow of an unseen lantern. If you draw just a small spot in the background with soft yellows or pale gray, it adds contrast and makes the rest of the forest look even darker and more mysterious. I’ll sometimes leave a little bit of the page white around the edges of the light, like it’s glowing, and then shade in darker colors around it for a “spotlight in the shadows” effect.

I’ll be honest—coloring in dark forest scenes can be a little challenging at first because it’s not all bright colors and easy lines. But the more I’ve practiced, the more I’ve grown to love it. It’s become a form of creative escape. There’s a real satisfaction in seeing that deep, shadowy forest scene come together, like I’ve captured just a little bit of magic on the page. And as eerie as these forests can feel, they also bring a sense of calm, like they’re a world all their own where you can lose yourself for a while.

If you haven’t tried coloring a dark forest scene with towering trees and shadows yet, I’d definitely recommend it. It might take some patience, but in the end, you get a piece of art that feels almost like a portal to another world—one filled with secrets and mystery. And the best part? You can make it as dark or light, as mysterious or as magical as you want. It’s your forest, your story to tell.