How to Color a Ghost: Spooky-Cute Coloring Guide

by My Store Admin 20 Sep 2026

Table of Contents

How to Color a Ghost: Spooky-Cute Coloring Guide

As soon as spooky season hits, Halloween starts popping up everywhere, and somehow you want a little piece of it on your own page too. If ghosts are your thing, you’ll spot plenty of them throughout our spooky coloring books, just waiting for whatever colors you’re in the mood for.

That also means there’s more than one way to color them. A ghost can look soft, glowy, see-through, or a bit spookier depending on the colors you use. Here are 4 easy ideas for how to color a ghost and give each one a different look.

Classic Ghost

The classic ghost is the familiar white, floaty shape we see all over Halloween, with a simple face and soft, flowing edges.

How to Color It:

Step 1: Color the base with R080. Fill the whole ghost evenly, keeping the color smooth and light enough for the shadows to show later.
Step 2: Add shadows with RV23 and V330. Place the darker shades along the outer edges, under the arms, and around the lower folds to give the ghost more shape and depth.
Step 3: Add highlights with a white acrylic marker (600). Draw a few thin highlight lines along the brighter edges and curved areas to make the shape stand out.

Tips:

Place shadows around folds and outer edges instead of covering the whole body.
Use a darker background when you want the white ghost to stand out more clearly.

A nice fit for: Night scenes, haunted houses, graveyards, or busy Halloween pages where a bright white ghost can stand out.

Transparent Ghost

A transparent ghost is all about that barely-there look. The background still shows through its body, with just a soft wash of color to keep its spooky shape visible.

How to Color It:

Step 1: Match the background with lighter alcohol marker shades. Look at the colors behind each part of the ghost, then use lighter versions of those colors inside the body (R26, G44, R29, YR030). Keep the layers soft so the background still feels visible through the ghost.
Step 2: Add highlight lines with a white acrylic marker (600). Place a few thin highlights along the outer curves and brighter areas to separate the ghost from the background without covering the see-through effect.

Tips:

Keep the body color very light; too much pigment can make the ghost look solid instead of transparent.
Use softer, lighter versions of the background colors inside the ghost to make the see-through effect easier to read.
Keep the outline or edge a little clearer than the center so the ghost does not disappear into the background.

A nice fit for: Busy indoor scenes, nighttime backgrounds, windows, shelves, kitchens, or any Halloween page with enough detail behind the ghost to show through.

Water Ghost

Even ghosts get caught in the rain sometimes. So… water ghost?

This look is all about cool blues, splashy curves, bright highlights, and a few tiny bubbles for that water-like finish.

How to Color It:

Step 1: Draw the water line, then fill in the base color (B02). Sketch a soft wavy line across the ghost’s body to mark the water surface, then color the main body with B02.
Step 2: Add shadows with a darker shade marker (B06). Place B06 around the outer edges, near the bottom, and along a few curved areas to give the ghost more shape.
Step 3: Color the water surface with a lighter shade than the base (G320). Fill the water area above the wavy line with G320 so it looks separate from the main body color.
Step 4: Use a white acrylic marker to add bubbles and highlights (600). Add a few small bubbles, dots, and highlight marks on the body and around the water line. Focus on curved areas and the top edges to make the ghost look glossy, wet, and a little more playful.

Tips:

A simple way to color water is to layer light and dark blues, then leave a few bright highlights for that shiny, wet look.
Use bubbles and tiny white dots sparingly, so the watery effect stays clear.

A nice fit for: Rainy scenes, pools, beach pages, car washes, fountains, or any Halloween scene where a splashy ghost can sneak in.

Glitter Ghost

If you love adding a little bling to everything around you, this glitter ghost is a fun way to bring that vibe into your Halloween page.

What gives this ghost its glittery look is the mix of alcohol marker shading and tiny white gel pen highlights across the body.

How to Color It:

Step 1: Color the base layer with RV260. Fill the ghost evenly with a soft pink base, keeping the color smooth so the glitter texture has a clean background to sit on.
Step 2: Add random round dots with RV280 and R10. Scatter darker dots across the body, mixing different sizes and leaving small gaps between them.
Step 3: Add white acrylic dots, then softly smudge a few with your fingertip (600). Blend only some of the dots while they are still wet to create softer glowing spots, while leaving others crisp for contrast.
Step 4: Add sparkles with a white acrylic marker (600). Finish with a few small star shapes, dots, and bright highlight marks, focusing on the areas where you want the glitter effect to stand out most.

Tips:

Let the alcohol marker layers dry before adding white gel pen highlights or fine glitter on top.
Mix tiny dots with a few bigger sparkles so the glitter texture feels more natural.
Keep some areas less sparkly so the shading and body shape can still show through.

A nice fit for: Party scenes, nighttime Halloween pages, magical settings, or anywhere you want one ghost to steal a little more attention.

Spooky Coloring Book

Once your markers are warmed up with these cute ghost ideas, it’s time to bring them to life! You can easily find and color all of these ghost styles, along with so much more, across Coco Wyo’s Halloween collection. From friendly little ghosts and enchanting creatures to spooky chic girls and cute gothic characters, every book offers a unique cozy vibe to suit your autumn mood.

A few books to check out:

Spooky Girl: published through Amazon. Follow Spooky Girl and her wonderfully odd friends through everyday Spooky Town scenes, with ghostly friends showing up along the way.

Little Spooky: published through Amazon. This one follows the Little Boos through simple, peaceful spooky scenes, with 40 hand-drawn pages and plenty of friendly ghosts to color.

Spooky Cutie: available in Amazon and Penguin Random House editions. Expect ghosts, magical creatures, grim reapers, zombie cats, and lots of cute-meets-spooky scenes. The Amazon edition has 40 artworks, while the Penguin Random House edition has 45.

Spooky Cutie Vol. 2: published through Amazon, with a separate Spiral Edition available on the Coco Wyo TikTok Shop. The second volume brings in more odd little creatures and spooky-cute scenes across 40 artworks.

Grab your favorite coloring tools, cozy up with a warm drink, and enjoy this spooky season by giving these ghost characters your very own colorful style!

FAQs

How to draw spooky backgrounds for Halloween pages?

Start with a simple background, then sketch a few dark silhouettes like bare trees, a crooked fence, or a haunted house. These shapes can make the scene feel spooky without adding too much detail.

What are some easy details to add to a Halloween page?

Some fun Halloween things to draw are tiny ghosts, pumpkins, bats, candles, spiderwebs, candy, jack-o’-lanterns, candy corn, witch hats, and gravestones.

Can a ghost be colored something other than white?

Yes. Pale blue, lavender, pink, mint, or even brighter colors can all work depending on the look you want. Keeping some lighter areas or soft shading helps the ghost still feel light and ghostly.

How do you make a ghost look like it’s glowing?

For the glow, try a smudge-blending technique with an acrylic marker: apply a little white acrylic marker ink around the ghost, then gently blend it outward with your fingertip or a cotton swab while it’s still wet. Finish with a few white gel pen highlights to make the brightest spots pop.

Can I use a glitter pen for a glitter ghost?

Absolutely. A glitter pen works well for adding extra shine to small highlights or details. If you’re new to using a glitter pen, start with a few light touches so the color and shading underneath still show through.