• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Anime Painting Ideas

Three ideas, each an anime-style canvas, its palette and the flat-shadow step that gives the look.

Anime Painting Ideas

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  1. White origami crane perched on a sunlit sillWhite, pale blue, gray. Paint the crane white and shade two of its faces in flat gray.
  2. Towering summer cloud over a flat blue seaCobalt, white, pale blue, lilac. Paint the cloud white, then one flat lilac shadow on its lower side.
  3. Kite flyer on a windy ridge, the kite the only redSky blue, white, black, red. Keep the figure black and the kite the one red shape on the canvas.

Next step More skies to paintMore silhouettes against a sky

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Skies and clouds 12

  • Dawn over rooftops in flat bands of teal and peach Teal, peach, cream, charcoal. Lay flat bands, then a row of dark roofs along the bottom.
  • Deep navy night with one long shooting star Navy, indigo, white, pale blue. Dot stars with a cotton swab and pull one thin trail with a liner.
  • Evening sky sliced by crossing power lines Peach, violet, navy, black. Blend the sky, let it dry, then rule the black wires across it.
  • Galaxy seen from a hilltop, two tiny onlookers below Black, violet, magenta, white. Sponge the band thinly, then add the hill and figures in flat black.
  • Huge cream moon behind flat bands of drifting cloud Navy, cream, gray violet. Paint the moon, then flat gray cloud bands across its lower half.
  • Low green hill, one tree and a sky three clouds tall Grass green, cobalt, white. Keep the hill low and stack three hard-edged clouds above it.
  • Pink and orange sunset clouds with hard cut edges Orange, pink, violet, cream. Keep every cloud edge crisp and shade each with one darker mix.
  • Pink petals drifting across a pale blue spring sky Pale blue, pink, white. Dot the petals with a cotton swab, larger toward the front.
  • Rain clearing, sun breaking through one hard-edged gap Gray blue, white, yellow, teal. Leave one sharp gap of pale yellow in the gray.
  • Storm cloud with a single graphic zigzag bolt Indigo, violet, white, yellow. Paint the bolt as one hard zigzag, then a thin pale outline around it.
  • Towering summer cloud over a flat blue sea Cobalt, white, pale blue, lilac. Paint the cloud white, then one flat lilac shadow on its lower side.
  • Vapor trail crossing a perfectly blue afternoon Cerulean, white. Paint the sky flat, then one straight white line that thickens toward one end.

Streets, stations and storefronts 12

  • Bicycle parked in a cone of streetlight during rain Indigo, yellow, gray, white. Dry-brush thin white rain only inside the cone of light.
  • Bus stop bench under a tree in high summer Green, yellow green, cream, blue. Dab leaf shadows on the ground in one flat darker green.
  • Corner store at night, its light spilling on a wet road Navy, yellow, white, teal. Repeat the store's lights below it as broken vertical strokes.
  • Empty train platform at golden hour, long post shadows Orange, cream, gray, teal. Paint long flat shadows stretching from every post.
  • Narrow alley strung with glowing paper lanterns Navy, red, orange, cream. Glaze orange around each dry lantern for the glow.
  • Railroad crossing with its gate lowered at dusk Violet, orange, black, yellow. Paint the sky, then the gate and signal as flat black shapes.
  • Row of vending machines glowing against a dark wall Black, white, red, blue, yellow. Paint each machine as a flat bright block with small dots for buttons.
  • School rooftop, chain-link fence and a huge sky Sky blue, white, gray. Rule the fence as a grid of thin gray lines over the dry sky.
  • Stairway climbing a hillside between crowded houses Gray, green, cream, sky blue. Shade one side of every step with the same flat darker gray.
  • Storefront with a striped awning and a sleeping cat Red, white, tan, charcoal. Tape the awning stripes and fill them flat.
  • Train window, farmland blurred into sideways streaks Green, sky blue, cream, gray. Blur the fields with sideways strokes and keep the window frame crisp.
  • Utility poles shrinking down a ruler-straight road Peach, violet, black. Blend the sky, then paint each pole smaller as the road narrows.

Eyes and close-ups 12

  • Amber iris holding a tiny orange-and-pink evening sky Orange, pink, brown, black, white. Paint a small sunset inside the iris before the highlight goes on.
  • Back of a head in headphones, blurred city lights beyond Navy, black, pink, yellow. Dot blurred lights with a cotton swab behind the flat dark head.
  • Brown iris, darker upper band, a pair of hard white dots Brown, amber, black, white. Fill the iris, add one darker band across its top, then two hard white dots.
  • Closed eyes and a small smile, lit from one side Peach, rose, brown, white. Paint the lashes as two simple arcs and add one flat cheek shadow.
  • Figure from behind, red scarf streaming sideways Red, navy, pale blue, white. Pull the scarf out in one wavy flat shape.
  • Fingers stretched up to catch one drifting pink petal Peach, pink, sky blue, white. Shade the fingers with one darker mix on the side away from the light.
  • Hair as flat chestnut shapes with one zigzag of shine Chestnut, tan, cream. Paint the hair as one mass, then one zigzag band of lighter color across it.
  • Hooded figure, one hard edge dividing lit cheek from dark Peach, gray violet, navy, white. Split the face with one hard edge: light side, shadow side.
  • Profile looking up, hair lifted by wind Peach, navy, pale blue, white. Shade the face with one flat darker peach under the bangs and chin.
  • Round glasses flashing white, the eyes hidden Peach, white, pale blue, brown. Fill both lenses flat white with one diagonal pale blue band.
  • Two-tone teal iris finished with a small white star Teal, navy, black, white. Paint the iris in two flat teals, then a small white star.
  • Violet eyes and bangs cropped to fill the canvas Violet, lilac, black, peach, white. Crop tight so the eyes and bangs are the whole picture.

Silhouettes against light 12

  • Cat on a garden wall against a pink evening Pink, peach, black. Blend the sky and paint the wall and cat in flat black.
  • Child and dog at the end of a pier at dawn Peach, teal, black. Paint the pier as one dark bar and the two small shapes on it.
  • Figure leaping, frozen in mid-air above a rooftop Cerulean, white, black. Keep the pose one clean flat shape against the sky.
  • Figure standing in a doorway of white light Black, white, pale yellow. Paint the doorway as a white rectangle and the figure dark inside it.
  • Figure with an umbrella standing in a cone of lamplight Indigo, yellow, black. Scumble the cone of light, then paint the figure black inside it.
  • Kite flyer on a windy ridge, the kite the only red Sky blue, white, black, red. Keep the figure black and the kite the one red shape on the canvas.
  • Lone tree and a rope swing against a giant sun Yellow, orange, red, black. Trace a plate for the sun and paint tree and swing over it.
  • Onlooker gazing up at a sky of thin-lined fireworks Navy, pink, gold, black. Paint the bursts as thin lines from a dot, then the dark figure below.
  • Person carrying a paper lantern along a riverbank Navy, orange, black. Glaze orange around the lantern and leave the figure black.
  • Runner at the top of a long flight of steps, sun behind Yellow, orange, black. Put the sun right behind the figure so rays break around it.
  • Small figure on a hill beneath an enormous moon Navy, cream, black. Trace a plate for the moon and paint the figure small and flat black.
  • Two friends cycling over a bridge at sunset Orange, pink, black. Blend the sky, then paint bridge and riders as one black shape.

Food and small objects 12

  • Bowl of noodle soup with a halved egg and curls of steam Tan, yellow, white, red, brown. Paint the steam as flat white curls with hard edges.
  • Cat-shaped steamed bun on a small plate White, pink, tan, gray. Paint the bun white and its shadow side one flat pale gray.
  • Chilled teal can dotted with beads of condensation Teal, white, silver gray. Dot the drops white with a tiny gray shadow under each.
  • Fluffy hotcakes, three high, each edge a darker flat band Golden tan, brown, yellow, white. Paint each pancake edge in a darker flat band.
  • Melting sky-blue ice pop on a wooden stick Sky blue, white, tan. Paint the bar flat blue, add a darker stripe down one side and one white highlight.
  • Navy satchel with a tiny pink mascot dangling off it Navy, tan, pink, white. Paint the bag flat and add one hard highlight along the strap.
  • Packed lunch tray, each section one flat bright color Red, white, green, yellow, black. Fill each compartment with one flat color and a darker edge.
  • Red paper lantern as one flat oval with an orange glow Red, orange, black, cream. Paint the lantern as a flat oval and glaze orange around it.
  • Rice ball wrapped in a strip of dark seaweed White, black, pale gray, pink. Paint the triangle white, then one flat gray shadow down one side.
  • Slice of strawberry shortcake with lilac-shadowed cream Cream, red, pink, tan, lilac. Shade the cream with one flat pale lilac and dot a white highlight on each berry.
  • Summer wind bell, a red slip fluttering beneath the glass Pale blue, white, red, teal. Paint the glass as a circle with one curved white highlight.
  • White origami crane perched on a sunlit sill White, pale blue, gray. Paint the crane white and shade two of its faces in flat gray.

How it works

Cel shading is named after cels, the clear sheets animators painted on, and it aims at that flat, hand-drawn look. These canvases get it with flat color and one hard-edged shadow: skies, streets, close-ups, silhouettes and food.

Read the full guide

The cel look in acrylic

Mix each color twice: the base and one darker version. Fill a shape flat with the base, let it dry, then paint the shadow as a single hard-edged shape in the darker mix, with no blending. The white highlight goes on last, as in Brown iris, darker upper band, a pair of hard white dots.

Scenes with nobody in them

More than half of the list has no figure at all: Towering summer cloud over a flat blue sea, Railroad crossing with its gate lowered at dusk, Rice ball wrapped in a strip of dark seaweed. Backgrounds and small objects carry the style too.

  • The easy ones are under More filters, Level: flat shapes.

Questions and answers

Can I paint a character from a show?

This list names no character, show, film or studio. Every figure is described by pose and light only, such as Profile looking up, hair lifted by wind, so the face is yours to design.

What are some easy anime painting ideas?

Vapor trail crossing a perfectly blue afternoon is one flat sky and one white line. Cat on a garden wall against a pink evening is a blended sky and one black shape.

How do I paint anime eyes on canvas?

Fill the iris with one flat color, add a darker band across its top and finish with hard white highlights. Brown iris, darker upper band, a pair of hard white dots and Two-tone teal iris finished with a small white star both work this way.

What colors do I need for an anime-style sky?

A strong blue, white and one pale lilac for the cloud shadows cover the daytime skies. The evening ones swap in orange, pink and violet.

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