Octopus Coloring Pages – 32 Eight-Armed Ocean Sheets

Few creatures pack as much personality into eight arms as the octopus. Soft-bodied, curious, and endlessly inventive, it squeezes through impossibly tight spaces, changes color in an instant, and seems to watch the world right back with those wide, alert eyes. This collection brings that character to the page, giving kids and adults alike a relaxed, screen-free way to spend time with one of the ocean’s strangest and smartest residents.

Browse the 32 Free Octopus Coloring Pages

All of the octopus coloring pages below are free and printable, ready whenever you want them. Simply click the picture you like to open the full PDF, sized to fit A4 paper without any extra setup. The 32 sheets range from very easy outlines with big, simple shapes to detailed designs packed with suckers, patterns, and underwater scenery, so every age and skill level has something to color.

Octopus Portraits

Octopus Floating Among Seaweed

A round-headed octopus drifts with eight curling arms, each lined with a row of oval suckers. Tall wavy seaweed fronds rise on both sides and two bubbles float above. The oval suckers are small, so this sheet suits steady hands.

Octopus with Eight Spread Arms

A symmetrical octopus with a big round head and two sleepy eyes spreads all eight arms wide, each lined with oval suckers. Tall wavy seaweed stands behind it, and a sandy seabed with three pebbles runs along the bottom. The arm tips curl in gentle spirals.

Octopus with Big Round Eyes

Front view of an octopus with a huge smooth head and two large round eyes with horizontal slit pupils. Eight curled arms with oval suckers reach out below, and a broad kelp leaf stands on each side above a wavy seabed line. The big empty head is easy to fill with one bold color or a pattern.

Octopus Resting on the Seabed

An octopus with drowsy half-closed eyes sits on a pebbly seabed, its eight spiral-tipped arms fanned out around it. A scallop shell lies in the lower right, with a big rock behind on the left and tall kelp on the right. The many small pebbles and the sucker rows add up to a fairly detailed sheet.

Jet-Propelled Octopus

Seen from the side, an octopus shoots through the water, its eight arms streaming out behind. A small puff of water leaves the funnel next to its head. Four sun rays fall from the wavy surface, and five bubbles float around. The dense rows of tiny suckers make this a fairly detailed sheet.

Clever Arms

Octopus Reaching Into a Jar With a Crab

One arm of an octopus curls down into a glass jar where a small crab waits with raised claws and stalked eyes. Wavy kelp rises behind the octopus, a rock sits at the left, and a tall window frame fills the top right corner. The glass jar is a good spot to try a pale, see-through blue.

Octopus Carrying Two Coconut Shells

A front-facing octopus with half-closed eyes holds a coconut half in each of its upper arms, while the other arms spread across the seabed with curled tips. A large rock stands behind on the right, and wavy lines mark the water above and the sand below. The large head and shells are open shapes that suit bold strokes.

Octopus Balancing a Beach Ball

A big beach ball with a panel pattern and a round button on top rests on the raised arms of a front-facing octopus. Wavy seaweed grows at the left, a glass pane with shine lines stands at the right, and pebbles and bubbles dot the sand.

Octopus Squeezing Between Two Rock Walls

An octopus with a tall rounded head and sleepy eyes pushes through a narrow gap between two large cracked rock walls, with arms curling out over the sand. Suckers line the two long front arms, and six smooth stones and pebbles sit along the bottom. The two big rock faces are open areas that suit layered gray and brown tones.

Octopus Guarding a Treasure Chest

An octopus with a big round head drapes its arms over an open wooden treasure chest heaped with coins and pearls. One raised arm holds a ring and another holds a pearl, and a keyhole lock, broken planks and seaweed fill the scene. Loose coins and beads lie scattered across the sand in front.

Octopus with Two Fish Visitors

Two fish face each other above a front-facing octopus with big round eyes and curling arms lined with oval suckers. One fish is a plain rounded swimmer, and the other is a tall angelfish with curved stripes. A single wavy line marks the seabed. The large smooth head is an open area.

Hiding And Camouflage

Spotted Octopus on the Coral Reef

A front-facing octopus covered in irregular blotches spreads eight suckered arms across a reef. Three small fish swim above its head, with branching corals, a fan-shaped sea plant and tube sponges around it. The fine spots and dense suckers make this a detailed sheet that suits patient colorers.

Octopus Emerging From a Clay Pot

A clay pot lies on its side on the sand, and an octopus slips out of its opening with arms fanned across the seabed. Tall wavy seaweed leaves rise behind the pot, and small pebbles are scattered in the sand. The clear, open shapes make this an easy sheet for younger colorers.

Octopus Fleeing a Tuna in an Ink Cloud

A side-view octopus with half-closed eyes darts away from a large tuna, leaving a big scalloped ink cloud behind it. Two rocky outcrops rise on the right, and bubbles and rounded pebbles fill the water and seabed. The puffy cloud outline is a big open area, and the suckered arms need a steady hand.

Octopus Against a Large Boulder

Seen from the front, an octopus with half-closed eyes spreads its eight arms in front of a big rounded boulder. Six oval spots mark its head, each arm has a row of round suckers, and two small pebbles lie on the wavy sand line below. The boulder’s large open surface is easy to fill with grays and browns.

Octopus Hiding Behind Kelp Blades

An octopus peeks out from behind tall, wavy kelp blades, with only its round head, two half-closed eyes and curled suckered arms in view. Two wavy water lines run across the top, and small rocks sit on the sandy floor. The overlapping kelp leaves make many small sections, so it suits a patient colorer.

Hunting For Food

Octopus and Smiling Crab on the Seabed

A front-facing octopus with half-closed eyes stands on a wavy sand line, its eight arms lined with round suckers and tall kelp blades behind it. On the right a smiling crab raises two cracked claws on stalk eyes. Three pebbles lie in the sand. The crab’s striped legs and the sucker rows are small, so this sheet asks for a fine touch.

Octopus Holding a Scallop Shell

An octopus with sleepy eyes cradles a large ribbed scallop shell in its curled arms while standing on sandy ground. Three broken shell fragments and a few pebbles lie in the foreground, and a tall kelp plant rises on each side. The shell’s radiating ribs are a good spot for shading from light to dark.

Octopus in a Rocky Tide Pool

Seen from the front, an octopus wades through shallow tide pool water with its arms curling on the surface. Three anemones sit on rocks in the foreground, a snail with a spiral shell rests on a rock at right, and a wave crashes under a cloud in the background.

Night Octopus Under a Crescent Moon

Under a crescent moon and a wavy water line, an octopus with narrowed eyes and sucker-lined arms sits on the seabed. Two smiling striped fish with bubble trails swim above it, and tall kelp blades frame both sides. The stripes on the fish are a nice place to try alternating colors.

Baby Octopuses

Octopus Tending Hanging Egg Strings

Four strings of small oval eggs hang from a rocky ceiling, and a smiling octopus with sleepy eyes reaches one arm up toward them. Its sucker-lined arms spread across a pebbly seabed, with wavy water lines at top left. The hundreds of tiny eggs make this a fine-detail sheet that suits patient colorers.

Three Baby Octopuses Above Rocky Seabed

Three small octopuses with round heads and sleepy eyes drift at different heights, each with eight arms lined with circular suckers. Trails of bubbles rise between them, and wavy seaweed stands on both sides above rocks and pebbles. The many small sucker circles make this a sheet for steady hands.

Octopus Between Scallop and Conch Shells

A front-facing octopus with a large round head and half-closed eyes sits between a ribbed scallop shell on the left and a spiral conch on the right. Its eight curled arms are lined with oval suckers, and a single wavy line marks the seabed. The smooth conch and wide scallop ribs are easy areas to fill with two or three shades each.

Unusual Species And Places

Giant Pacific Octopus in a Kelp Forest

A large octopus with a domed head and sleepy eyes stretches its eight curled arms over boulders. Tall kelp with oval bladders frames both sides, and slanting light rays fall from the water surface at the top. Dense sucker rows and many leaf shapes make this an advanced, detailed sheet.

Dumbo Octopus with Ear Fins

A dumbo octopus with a round head and two pointed ear-like fins floats above a wavy seabed with three rocks. Its eight arms curl outward with oval suckers, and three bubbles of different sizes rise at the upper right. The fins and smooth head are big, open areas that suit younger colorists.

Blue-Ringed Octopus on a Rock

The blue-ringed octopus sits on a large boulder with its round head and eight arms spread wide. Concentric rings dot the head and arms, and a coral branch and small stones lie on the seabed. The blue rings are the species’ warning pattern, so they suit a vivid blue on a sandy body.

Diver Photographing an Octopus

A young scuba diver with flippers, a mask and an air tank swims above an octopus and aims an underwater camera at it. The octopus has eight arms with rows of round suckers, and tall wavy seaweed stands behind it. Bubbles rise beside the diver, and a few pebbles lie on the seabed.

Octopus Before a Sunken Ship’s Wheel

An octopus with a large smooth head and eight curling arms sits on the seabed in front of a broken wooden ship. Behind it stand an eight-spoke steering wheel and two round porthole windows, with splintered planks along the hull. Seaweed and a few pebbles frame the bottom edge. The wood grain and the rows of suckers give this sheet a lot of small detail.

Octopus Arranging Shells Outside Its Den

A sleepy-eyed octopus sets scallop shells and smooth pebbles into a neat ring on the sand in front of its rocky den. Three bubbles drift up on the right, and two wavy lines mark the water surface. The big open head and wide shells are easy to color, while the sucker rows on the arms need a fine pencil.

Patterns And Textures

Four-Octopus Wreath with Scallop Shell

Four octopuses sit at the top, bottom, left and right of a symmetrical, mandala-like wreath. Their curling arms are lined with round suckers, and a ribbed scallop shell sits in the middle. The dense rows of suckers call for a fine pencil, while the big round heads are easy to fill.

Three Octopus Arms with Sucker Rows

Three curling octopus arms are stacked one above the other, each running in from the left edge and ending in a tight spiral tip. Two rows of round suckers line every arm and shrink toward the curl. The large circles at the base are easy to fill, while the tiny ones at the tips need a sharp pencil.

Octopus with Star-Patterned Head

A front-facing octopus with a round head, two small stars, two large empty circles and a wavy stripe down the middle. Eight arms fan out symmetrically, each edged with a row of oval suckers. The empty circles and the wide arm bases leave plenty of room for bold color.

Getting to Know Octopuses

The octopus is one of the ocean’s most fascinating animals, and learning a few real facts about it can make coloring time even more fun. Here are some details worth sharing while the crayons come out.

A Body Built for Squeezing Through

An octopus has no skeleton and no shell at all. The only hard part of its entire body is its beak-shaped mouth. Because the rest of the body is so soft and flexible, an octopus can squeeze through gaps and cracks that no fish of the same size could ever fit through. Its name comes from Greek, where okto means eight and pous means foot. The correct English plural is octopuses, not octopi.

Three Hearts and Blue Blood

Instead of one heart, an octopus has three. Two of them pump blood through the gills, while the third pumps it through the rest of the body. The blood itself is blue rather than red, because of the copper found in its blood pigment. A large share of its nerve cells sit in its arms rather than its head, which means each arm can react somewhat on its own, exploring and grabbing almost independently of the brain.

Masters of Color and Camouflage

Octopuses can change their color, pattern, and even the texture of their skin in a split second to blend into rocks, sand, or coral. When that is not enough to escape danger, they shoot out a cloud of dark ink and jet away using bursts of water for propulsion. They are also remarkably intelligent, known for solving puzzles, opening jars with screw lids, and even carrying coconut shells around as a portable hiding place. Most octopuses live only one to five years depending on the species, and females guard their eggs closely for months, cleaning them and fanning them with fresh water until they hatch. Sizes vary enormously too, from tiny species just a few centimeters long to the giant Pacific octopus, whose arms can span several meters.

Getting the Best Prints

For the cleanest results, print these octopus coloring pages on plain white printer paper if the design is detailed, or a slightly heavier cardstock if younger children will be using markers or paint that could soak through. Standard A4 or letter-size paper works well with every sheet, and printing in the default or “normal” quality setting is enough since these are line drawings rather than photographs.

For toddlers and younger children, choose the sheets with the simplest outlines, like a floating octopus or a close-up of its eyes, since these have fewer small details to stay inside. School-age children tend to enjoy the sheets showing an octopus sitting on the seabed or using jet propulsion, which mix a clear main subject with some background to fill in. Older kids and adults may prefer the more detailed patterned designs or scenes with a jar and hiding spots, which reward careful shading and color blending.

After Coloring: Craft Ideas

Once a page is finished, there are several fun ways to give it a second life beyond the paper.

Cut out the colored octopus and glue it onto a piece of blue construction paper along with cut paper seaweed and bubbles to build a simple ocean scene collage.

Punch a hole near the top of the page and thread some string through it to hang the finished octopus as a window decoration or a mobile piece.

Glue the colored page onto a folded piece of card stock to turn it into a handmade greeting card for a birthday or a beach-themed occasion.

Laminate a favorite sheet, or cover it with clear contact paper, so it can be used as a durable placemat or a reusable coloring page with dry-erase markers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these octopus coloring pages really free?

Yes. All 32 sheets in this collection are completely free to download and print as many times as you like.

What age group are these pages suitable for?

The collection covers a wide range of ages. Very simple, large-shaped designs suit toddlers and preschoolers, while the more detailed patterned sheets are better suited to older children and adults who enjoy intricate coloring.

What are the correct colors for an octopus?

There is no single correct color, since real octopuses can shift between reds, browns, oranges, and even blues and greens as they blend into their surroundings. This makes octopus pages a great chance to experiment freely with color rather than following strict rules.

Can these pages be used in a classroom?

Yes. Teachers often use them alongside an ocean or marine biology unit, pairing the coloring activity with the facts about arms, camouflage, and hearts to help the lesson stick.

Does an octopus really have eight arms or tentacles?

An octopus has eight arms, each lined with two rows of suckers along the underside. This is different from squid or cuttlefish, which have two additional long tentacles with suckers only near the tip.

What paper works best for printing?

Plain printer paper is fine for most sheets, while a heavier cardstock is a good choice for younger children using markers, paints, or heavier pressure with crayons.

Matthew Matthysen( Drawing and Painting Artist )

Matthew Matthysen is an educated multidisciplinary artist and illustrator. He successfully completed his art degree at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, majoring in art history and contemporary drawing. The focus of his thesis was to explore the philosophical implications of the macro and micro-universe on the human experience. Matthew uses diverse media, such as written and hands-on components, to explore various approaches that are on the border between philosophy and science.

Matthew organized various exhibitions before and during his years as a student and is still passionate about doing so today. He currently works as a freelance artist and writer in various fields. He also has a permanent position at a renowned online gallery (ArtGazette) where he produces various works on commission. As a freelance artist, he creates several series and successfully sells them to galleries and collectors. He loves to use his work and skills in various fields of interest.

Matthew has been creating drawing and painting tutorials since the relaunch in 2020. Through his involvement with artincontext.org, he has been able to deepen his knowledge of various painting mediums. For example, watercolor techniques, calligraphy and lately digital drawing, which is becoming more and more popular.

Learn more about Matthew Matthysen and the Art in Context Team.