Start with the skin. Trolls and goblins almost always have large, unbroken areas of skin, so that’s where your color choice matters most. For classic goblins, a mossy green or a sickly yellow-green works best, while trolls look great in earthy tones like sage, slate blue, or warm clay. If you’re coloring a page from the Viva Trolls set, notice how the characters have bright, saturated skin—go bold with teal or magenta there. For the Goblin pages, keep the skin darker and muddier to match their sneaky vibe. Use the lightest color you pick as the base, then add shadows later.

Pick tools that match the detail level

Before you start, look at the line weight on your page. Thick, simple outlines—like those in Trollstopia or Trolls World Tour—are forgiving, so crayons or markers work fine. But if the page has fine details like fur tufts, scales, or tiny teeth, switch to colored pencils. They give you control for small spaces and let you layer. Markers are great for big expanses of color, but they bleed through thin paper, so put a sheet underneath. For the Trolls 3 pages, which have lots of hair and fabric folds, pencils are the safer choice.

Choose colors that tell the character’s story

Trolls and goblins each have a personality baked into their design. Cheeky trolls from King Trollex look best in cool, watery blues and purples, while the rock-and-roll trolls in Trolls Band Together Floyd want hot pink, electric blue, and neon green. Goblins, on the other hand, suit earthy browns, rust, and olive—save the bright colors for their eyes or pouches. If you’re unsure, check the Fantasy coloring pages category for inspiration on magical palettes. For a darker creature like the Black Fairy, use deep charcoal and plum instead of pure black—it reads as richer and more mysterious.

Get the details right: Eyes, teeth, and hair

Three details make or break a troll or goblin page: eyes, teeth, and hair texture.

  • Eyes: Leave a tiny white dot for the highlight, even if the eye is just a dot. That single speck makes the character look alive. For goblins, make the iris a bright yellow or red to look sinister; for trolls, use a warm brown or blue.
  • Teeth: Trolls and goblins often have one big tooth or a jagged grin. Color the tooth with a light cream, not white, and add a faint gray shadow at the gum line. Skip the outline—let the paper’s white do the work.
  • Hair: Troll hair is usually wild and textured. Instead of coloring it flat, use short strokes that follow the hair’s flow. Layer two or three shades of the same color—dark at the roots, light at the tips—for instant depth. For the Trollhunters pages, which have more realistic proportions, blend with a colorless blender pencil to smooth out the strokes.

Step-by-step: Coloring a typical goblin page

Take a standard Goblin page—one with a crouching goblin holding a lantern. Here’s how to finish it in a way that pops.

1. Base coat the skin

Use a light green pencil (or a mid-tone if you prefer) to fill the entire skin area. Press lightly and use circular motions to avoid streaks. Leave the area around the eyes and mouth blank for now.

2. Add shadows and highlights

Choose a darker green or a warm brown and shade under the chin, inside the ears, and along the sides of the nose. Then take a white or light yellow pencil and add a highlight on the forehead, the tip of the nose, and the tops of the shoulders. Blend the edges with a tissue or a blending stump.

3. Color the clothes and props

For the goblin’s tunic, use a muted rust or leather brown. The lantern can be gold or orange with a bright yellow flame—leave the center of the flame white. If you want the lantern to glow, color the area around it with a light yellow and blend outward.

4. Finish with the background

Leave the background white for a clean look, or add a soft blue or purple wash to suggest night. If you use markers, do the background first so you don’t smear the character. For a spooky feel, shade the ground under the goblin with dark green.

Which pages to start with

If you’re new to coloring trolls and goblins, begin with a page that has fewer, larger sections. The Annabelle pages have simple shapes and big hair, perfect for practicing skin and hair shading. The Cthulhu pages are more detailed—save those for when you’re comfortable with blending and fine lines. For a quick win, try the Trolls World Tour pages; they have bold outlines and bright colors that forgive small mistakes. Avoid starting with the Black Fairy or Trollhunters pages—they have lots of small details that can frustrate a beginner.

Use shading to add depth

Flat colors can look dull, but a little shading changes everything. Pick a light source—usually the top left or top right—and add shadows on the opposite side. For trolls, shade under the hair and chin with a darker version of the skin color. For goblins, add a purple or blue shadow under the jaw and inside the ears to suggest sickly skin. If you’re new to this, read how to shade coloring pages for more depth before you start. And if you want to blend two colors together smoothly, the blending colored pencils guide shows you the exact strokes to use.

Match your technique to the page’s mood

Think about what story the page is telling. A cheerful troll from Trollstopia wants bright, saturated colors and a sunny background. A lurking goblin from the Goblin set wants darker, muted tones and a shadowy atmosphere. If you’re coloring a page from Trolls Band Together Floyd, which is all about music, use bold, contrasting colors like purple and yellow to create energy. For a calmer feel, stick to analogous colors—blues and greens, or reds and oranges. The color choice guide explains this in more detail, but the short rule is: pick one dominant color and let the others support it.

Don’t forget the ground and background

Most troll and goblin pages have a simple ground line or a few background elements. Don’t leave them white unless you want a clean sticker look. A quick horizontal stroke under the character’s feet grounds them. For a forest feel, add a few vertical lines for tree trunks in the background—use a light green or brown so they don’t compete with the character. If the page has a moon or a cave, color the sky a dark blue or purple and leave the moon white. For the Cthulhu pages, which are often dark and tentacled, use deep teals and greens for the background to keep the mood eerie.

Your next step: Pick a page and practice one skill

Pick one page from the Trolls & Goblins category and focus on a single skill—maybe shading the skin or blending the hair. Print two copies of the same page. On the first, practice your color palette. On the second, apply what you learned. For a guided start, try the Viva Trolls pages—they have large areas and clear lines, perfect for testing your shading. If you prefer something with more edge, the Trollhunters pages give you practice with realistic shadows and textures. Once you finish, compare your two versions and note what worked. Then move to a new page and try a different technique, like layering or background washes. Each page you finish builds your confidence for the next one. For more ideas on which fantasy creatures to try next, the fantasy coloring pages guide breaks down the options by difficulty and style.