A colloidal lithography method has been developed for patterning nonplanar surfaces. Hexagonal noncontiguously packed (HNCP) colloidal particles 127 nm−2.7 μm in diameter were first formed at the air−water interface and then adsorbed onto a substrate coated with a layer of polymer adhesive 17 nm thick. The adhesive layer plays the critical role of securing the order of the particles against the destructive lateral capillary force generated by a thin film of water after the initial transfer of the particles from the air−water interface. The soft lithography method is robust and very simple to carry out. It is applicable to a variety of surface curvatures and for both inorganic and organic colloidal particles.