• 91 abstracts

Easy Abstract Painting Ideas Sorted by Method, With Palettes

Three abstracts, each with its colours, the tool it needs and the step that makes it work.

Easy Abstract Painting Ideas Sorted by Method, With Palettes

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  1. White-on-white ridges in texture pasteWhite, warm white. Spread paste with a knife and comb it level; leave it flat until it is hard right through.
  2. Toothbrush mist in two coloursMagenta, cyan, white. Flick a toothbrush from the left in one colour and the right in the other to meet mid-canvas.
  3. Wet-in-wet blooms in two coloursUltramarine, rose. Wet the paper with clean water and touch loaded colour in so that it spreads softly.

Next step More easy canvases with palettes

All 91 abstracts

Easy first abstracts 33

  • Black, grey and white pour Black, mid grey, white. Pour the three straight on the canvas and tilt; with no colour, the flow is the picture.
  • Cling film pressed into a wet wash Emerald, ultramarine, lemon. Lay cling film on the wet wash, pinch it into creases and leave it on until dry.
  • Crumpled tissue under a copper glaze White, copper, burnt umber. Glue down creased tissue, let it dry and wipe a thin glaze into the creases.
  • Disc cut in two by a horizon line Burnt orange, navy, sand. Draw round a bowl, tape a level line through it and swap the colours below.
  • Flip cup in navy, teal and white White, navy, teal, gold. Layer a cup from white up, flip it on the canvas, lift and tilt; leave flat until hard.
  • Fork-dragged furrows in thick paint Mustard, cream. Knife on a thick coat and pull a fork through it in rows; leave it flat until it is hard.
  • Grid of circles with one out of line Navy, white, red. Print white circles with a cork on a navy ground and place a single red one off the grid.
  • Hard-edge diagonal in two colours Mustard, charcoal. Tape one diagonal and brush away from the tape; paint the second half once the first is dry.
  • Knife-pulled horizon in three bands Slate blue, sand, white. Lay thick heavy body paint and pull a painting knife level across each band once.
  • One wide stroke across the canvas Cream, black. Load a wide flat brush fully and cross the canvas once without reloading, then leave it alone.
  • Plus signs in a tight repeat Cream, black. Rule a grid of small squares and fill five at a time with a flat brush the width of one square.
  • Poured ribbons run one way Violet, pink, white. Pour lines along the top edge and tilt one way only; stand the canvas on cups to catch drips.
  • Rings dropped into rings Turquoise, rose, lemon. Paint a wet ring of water, touch colour to it, then start another ring that overlaps it.
  • Rings printed with cup rims Coral, mustard, navy, cream. Dip cup rims of three sizes in paint and overlap the rings; thin prints dry in minutes.
  • Rows of single flat-brush dabs Lime, sap green, emerald, bottle green. One press of a flat brush per mark, row on row, changing green each row.
  • Scribble in three brush sizes Red, pink, cream. Scribble big with a wide brush, medium over it when dry, then small with a liner.
  • Seven bars from one puddle Ultramarine. Paint a bar, add a brushful of water to the puddle, paint the next, and go on to seven.
  • Spidery runs dragged from three puddles Black, red, yellow. Drop thinned puddles on paper and drag thin runs outwards with a cocktail stick, turning the sheet.
  • Splatter over a masked circle Navy, turquoise, white. Lay a paper circle down, tap a loaded brush over a second brush, then lift the paper.
  • Sponge-stippled field in three greens Dark green, sap green, lime, white. Dab a natural sponge in layers, darkest first, drying each in minutes.
  • Squeeze-and-fold blot Magenta, turquoise, yellow, black. Drop paint near a paper's fold, press the halves together and open it flat.
  • Stacked half circles in a column Plum, coral, ochre, cream. Draw round a plate, tape the straight edges and fill each half flat.
  • String loops under a coat of white White, pale grey. Glue string in loose loops, paint everything white and drybrush grey across the tops.
  • Stripes touching while wet Lemon, rose, turquoise. Paint stripes that just touch so neighbours bleed together, and keep the board level.
  • Taped chevrons in four blues Navy, cobalt, sky blue, white. Tape zigzag bands and fill each flat with a wide brush; thin coats dry in minutes.
  • Three puddles tilted until they meet Coral, cream, slate. Pour three separate puddles and tilt the canvas so that they touch but do not swamp.
  • Toothbrush mist in two colours Magenta, cyan, white. Flick a toothbrush from the left in one colour and the right in the other to meet mid-canvas.
  • Two-colour pour split down the middle Emerald, white. Pour one colour on each half, tilt them together and stop while the join is still clear.
  • Unequal stripes like a barcode Coral, plum, cream, navy. Tape stripes of different widths and never put two wide ones side by side.
  • Wax crayon scribble under a wash White wax crayon, turquoise, indigo. Scribble hard in white crayon, then wash over it and watch the lines resist.
  • Wet-in-wet blooms in two colours Ultramarine, rose. Wet the paper with clean water and touch loaded colour in so that it spreads softly.
  • White-on-white ridges in texture paste White, warm white. Spread paste with a knife and comb it level; leave it flat until it is hard right through.
  • Window grid with one orange pane Slate, grey-blue, pale blue, orange. Tape a grid, fill the panes in blues and make just one orange.

Geometric and tape 13

  • Harlequin diamonds in a repeat Black, cream, gold. Rule two sets of diagonals, fill every other diamond and dot the crossings in gold.
  • Log cabin strips spiralling from a centre Brick red, ochre, cream, charcoal. Tape strips round a small square, each as long as the block so far.
  • Nine grey squares in nine surrounds Mid grey, red, yellow, blue, green. Paint nine colour tiles, then put the same grey square in the middle of each.
  • Off-centre squares inside squares Rust, ochre, cream, teal. Work from the biggest square inwards with a flat brush, drying each before the next.
  • Op-art stripes bulging over a hidden sphere Black, white. Pencil stripes that swell in the middle, then fill every other one with a small flat brush.
  • Patchwork of half-square triangles Indigo, denim blue, cream, rust. Rule a grid of squares, split each corner to corner and turn the darks.
  • Pinwheel of eight wedges in two colours Emerald, cream. Rule lines through the centre, tape every other wedge and paint in two dry rounds.
  • Primary blocks between black lines Red, yellow, blue, white, black. Tape unequal blocks, fill a few in primaries and rule the black lines last.
  • Quarter circles tiled in a grid Terracotta, blush, sage, cream. Rule a grid, draw every arc round one jar lid and turn the tile each time.
  • Staircase of offset blocks Olive, mustard, cream, black. Step equal rectangles up the canvas with a flat brush and shadow one side of each.
  • Three glazed bars crossing at the centre Magenta, cyan, yellow. Thin each colour to a glaze and cross the bars so overlaps mix; dry between layers.
  • Tumbling cubes in three tones of teal Dark teal, mid teal, pale teal. Rule a triangle grid and keep each tone on the same face of every cube.
  • Two fans of ruled lines that cross Black, white. Fan thin lines from two corners with a liner and a ruler and let the crossings shimmer.

Texture and palette knife 12

  • Arcs combed with a notched card Sand, cream, white. Spread tinted paste and swing a notched card in overlapping arcs; leave it flat until hard.
  • Bands of paste from smooth to rough Warm grey, white. Knife five bands of paste, the first level and each one rougher, then glaze grey over all.
  • Breaking crest in thick white over teal Teal, navy, white. Blend a thin teal ground, dry it in minutes, then knife one heavy white curl across it.
  • Bronze dragged over black ridges Black, bronze. Knife black paint into rough ridges, let them harden, then drybrush bronze on the peaks.
  • Colours mixed on the canvas with a knife Crimson, ochre, white. Put blobs straight on the canvas and fold them together with a knife, stopping early.
  • Dune surface with sand in the paint Ochre, raw sienna, cream. Stir clean sand into the paint, knife it on in slopes and drybrush cream on the crests.
  • Knife dabs overlapping like fish scales Teal, turquoise, white, gold. Press and lift a rounded painting knife in rows from the bottom up.
  • Layers scraped back with a knife Rust, teal, cream, charcoal. Dry three thin layers in minutes each, knife on a thick top coat and scrape windows in it.
  • One blue in five textures Ultramarine, white. Split the canvas in five: flat, knifed, combed, sponged and drybrushed, all in one mixed blue.
  • Paste dots pushed through a stencil Texture paste, sage, cream. Knife paste through a punched card grid, lift it straight up and paint when skinned.
  • Raised ring in paste under one colour Texture paste, terracotta. Knife a thick ring round a bowl, let it harden right through, then paint it all one colour.
  • Sgraffito spirals through a dark coat Lemon, magenta, turquoise, black. Dry the brights, coat in black and scratch spirals with the knife tip.

Pour and drip 10

  • Drips crossed into a loose plaid Red, navy, cream. Run thinned drips down, dry them in minutes, turn the canvas a quarter and run a second set.
  • Gold vein through a grey pour White, pale grey, charcoal, gold. Pour the greys and tilt, then trail one thin gold line and tilt once more.
  • Layered cup poured in one slow ring Black, white, copper, turquoise. Layer the cup, pour in a tight circle without stopping, then tilt gently.
  • Lines dripped from a stick Black, white, ochre. Lay the canvas flat, dip a stick in thinned paint and let lines fall from a hand's width up.
  • Pendulum loops from a swinging cup Navy, white. Hang a cup with a small hole on a string over a flat canvas, fill it with thinned paint and let go.
  • Pour across four mini canvases Teal, white, gold, plum. Push four small canvases together, pour over all and pull them apart when it stops moving.
  • Poured river across a painted ground Charcoal, white, turquoise, gold. Dry a charcoal ground, pour one diagonal stream and tilt it corner to corner.
  • Poured stripes swiped with a damp card White, magenta, orange, navy. Pour stripes side by side and drag a damp card lightly across them once.
  • Sea, foam and sand in three pours Turquoise, white, sand, navy. Pour three bands, tilt them together and leave the foam line where it falls.
  • Thinned colour soaked into raw canvas Rose, violet, ochre. Thin acrylic until it runs and pour it on unprimed canvas laid flat so the stains sink in.

Splatter and brush marks 10

  • Alcohol drops on a wet glaze Gold, teal. Glaze teal over dry gold and drip in rubbing alcohol to bare the gold. No flames nearby; open a window.
  • Blots pressed under a second sheet Black, ochre. Spread thin paint on one sheet, press a second on top and keep whichever print is better.
  • Corrugated card stamp lines Rust, cream, charcoal. Ink the ridged edge of torn corrugated card and stamp short runs in changing directions.
  • Drybrush sweep over a warm ground Ochre, burnt sienna, black. Dry the warm ground, then drag a nearly dry wide brush across in one scratchy pass.
  • Feathers pulled with string Black, teal, white. Coil paint-soaked string on paper, cover it with a second sheet, press and pull the string out.
  • Flicked arcs from a loaded round brush Black, orange, white. Stand back and whip the brush in one direction only; cover the floor and walls first.
  • Looping line with three fills Black, blush, sage, mustard. Draw one loop that never lifts with a liner, then fill just three of the shapes.
  • Nine tools in nine squares Payne's grey, white. Tape nine squares, one tool in each: fork, comb, sponge, card, cork, rag, twig, string, foil.
  • Rain of drops from a high brush Indigo, white, silver. Lay the canvas flat and let thinned paint fall from a loaded brush held at head height.
  • Splatter over crossed paper strips Black, red, ochre. Lay loose strips of paper in a cross, splatter three colours and lift the strips when dry.

Watercolour abstracts 13

  • Clean water dropped into a drying wash Prussian blue. Lay one flat wash, wait until the shine starts to go, then drop in clean water from a brush.
  • Drybrush drag over rough paper Burnt sienna, ultramarine. Wipe the brush nearly dry and skim it sideways so the paint catches the paper's bumps.
  • Ink line round dried blots Rose, turquoise, ochre, black fineliner. Drop loose blots, dry them, then outline the shapes you find in pen.
  • Masking-fluid lines under three washes Rose, orange, violet. Draw loops in masking fluid, let it dry, wash colour over and rub the fluid off at the end.
  • One dark stroke fed with water Payne's grey. Paint a loaded stroke, then run a clean wet brush along one side only so that the edge feathers.
  • Pale circles lifted from a dark wash Indigo, burnt umber. Dry a dark wash, then wet circles through a stencil and blot the colour up with a tissue.
  • Rainbow puddle tipped corner to corner Lemon, rose, ultramarine. Flood three puddles on wet paper and tip the board until they cross the sheet.
  • Runs tilted down wet paper Payne's grey, burnt sienna. Wet the sheet, load colour along the top edge and tip the board so that it runs.
  • Salt-star field in indigo and violet Indigo, violet. Lay a juicy wash and sprinkle coarse salt while it still shines; brush the salt off when dry.
  • Soft-edged rectangles stacked in a column Burnt orange, maroon, plum. Paint three blocks on damp paper so that every edge goes fuzzy.
  • Spatter on a wet half and a dry half Violet, gold ochre. Wet only half the sheet, spatter across all of it and compare soft dots with sharp ones.
  • Taped grid with a wet bloom in every pane Turquoise, violet, gold ochre. Tape a grid of panes, wet each and drop two colours into it.
  • Wash painted round torn-paper masks Sap green, indigo. Hold torn paper shapes down, wash over their edges and lift them to leave white islands.

How it works

None of these 91 canvases needs drawing, which is what makes them easy abstract painting ideas. They are sorted by method: tape, palette knife, pour, splatter and watercolour. Each names its colours, its tool and its one step.

Read the full guide

Tape gives the clean edge

The 21 geometric painting ideas are hard-edge work: flat areas of one colour that meet at a sharp line, and masking tape makes the line. Paint bleeds under a loose edge, so press the tape down. Window grid with one orange pane is the plainest to start on.

Knife work and pours are the slow ones

Heavy body acrylic holds a knife stroke, and gel or moulding paste builds relief: those are the 18 texture painting ideas. For the 16 pours, thin the paint with pouring medium, let the air bubbles rise and cover the table. Both want a level shelf to dry on. Splatter painting ideas need a dust sheet as well.

  • Under More filters, Easy first abstracts holds 33 abstract painting ideas for beginners: try One wide stroke across the canvas.
  • Easy modern art painting ideas start with two colours: Hard-edge diagonal in two colours takes only mustard and charcoal.
  • Op-art stripes bulging over a hidden sphere needs only black and white; the pattern alone suggests the swelling.

Questions and answers

Which colours do abstract acrylic painting ideas need?

White is in 34 of the 91 palettes, cream in 21 and black in 20, so start with those three, then navy, turquoise and ochre. 28 ideas use one or two colours only.

Are there abstract watercolor painting ideas here?

Yes, 19 under Watercolour abstracts. Watercolour is transparent and the classic technique uses no white paint, so the paper does that job. Wet-in-wet blooms in two colours wets the sheet first so that colour spreads softly.

How long do acrylic pour painting ideas take to dry?

Longer than a flat coat, and no source named under the list gives a number. The 10 to 20 minutes quoted for acrylic covers one or two thin layers; a pour is a puddle. Leave Flip cup in navy, teal and white level until it is hard.

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