Middle band in chalk white, lettered with what the basket holdsWhite, black. A band four rows tall around the middle; one word on the front, such as TOYS. Paint pen.
Bow painted at each handle end, tails trailing down two rowsLilac, white. A bow where each handle end meets the rim; two tails hang over the rows below. Round brush.
Dipped feet: only the base and the bottom two rows in blackBlack. The underside and the two lowest rows; everything above stays bare. Flat brush.
Base dipped in two layers, a thin gold line where they meetCharcoal, white, gold. Charcoal lowest, white above it; one gold row between the two. Liner brush.
Bottom third dipped in white, one level line all aroundWhite. Base and lowest third solid white; the line follows one row of the weave. Flat brush.
Dip on a slant: color high on one side, low on the otherAny bright. The color line climbs from near the base on one side to mid-height opposite. Flat brush.
Dipped feet: only the base and the bottom two rows in blackBlack. The underside and the two lowest rows; everything above stays bare. Flat brush.
Handle in one bright color, both fixing points circled in the sameYellow. The handle from end to end; a painted circle on the rim around each end. Round brush.
Lid in a solid color, the basket under it left naturalSage green. Top and edge of the lid only; the knob or loop stays bare. Flat brush.
Middle band in chalk white, lettered with what the basket holdsWhite, black. A band four rows tall around the middle; one word on the front, such as TOYS. Paint pen.
Rim and handle in one color, the body left naturalNavy. Only the braided rim and the whole handle; stop where the handle meets the rim. Round brush.
Scalloped dip: the color line rising and falling in arcsTeal. Lower half solid; the top edge of the color is a row of even arcs all around. Round brush.
Set of three nesting baskets, each dipped a little higher than the lastOne color. Smallest dipped to a quarter, middle to a half, largest to three quarters. Flat brush.
Sideways dip: one end painted as far as the handle, the other end left naturalAny bright. Rim to base on one side of the handle only; the color stops in a straight line under it. Flat brush.
Three bands of one blue, dark at the base and pale at the topDark, mid and pale blue. Three equal bands stacked up the basket, each ending on a row. Flat brush.
Stripes on the weave 12
Braided rim with each strand in its own colorThree colors. Follow each strand of the braid around the rim, one color to a strand. Liner brush.
Checkerboard from the weave: every other square where the strands crossNavy. Each crossing is a square; fill one, skip one, and shift by one on the next row. Flat brush.
Diagonal stripe climbing the weave one step per rowRed. Three squares wide; move it one square sideways on each row so it stairs upward. Flat brush.
Diamond on each side, built from weave squaresWhite, mustard. One square at the top, two more on each row to the middle, then back in. Flat brush.
Every other row of the weave in whiteWhite. Paint one row, skip one, from the base to the rim; each row is its own guide. Flat brush.
One color per row, five colors repeating up the basketRed, orange, yellow, green, blue. One row each, in the same order, repeated to the rim. Flat brush.
Plaid: painted rows crossed by painted uprights in a second colorRed, dark green. Every fourth row red; every fourth upright green, crossing over the red. Liner brush.
Stepped heart built from weave squares on the frontRed. Count squares like stitches: two bumps at the top, narrowing to one square at the bottom. Flat brush.
Stripes that widen toward the base: one row, then two, then threeCharcoal. A single painted row near the rim, two together lower down, three at the base. Flat brush.
Uprights only: each upright painted, the weavers left naturalBlack. Touch only the upright strands where they show between the rows. Liner brush.
White dry-brushed over the whole weave so only the raised strands catch itWhite. A nearly dry brush dragged across the rows; the hollows stay dark. Wide flat brush.
Zigzag band three rows tall around the middleTeal. Points up and down across three rows, all the way around; rows above and below bare. Liner brush.
Easter and spring 12
Bare ovals left by egg-shaped stickers under one pastel coatAny pastel. Stick paper ovals on, paint over everything, peel them off when dry. Flat brush.
Basket banded like a decorated egg: a wavy row, a dotted row, a zigzag rowThree pastels, white. Three bands around the basket, each a few rows tall, a white pattern on each. Liner brush.
Bow painted at each handle end, tails trailing down two rowsLilac, white. A bow where each handle end meets the rim; two tails hang over the rows below. Round brush.
Bunny basket: face on the front, an ear running up each side of the handleWhite, pink, black. Eyes, nose and whiskers on the front; a long ear up each handle side. Round brush.
Bunny from behind: a white sponged tail on the back, two pink feet below itWhite, pink. A round sponged tail on the back of the basket; two oval feet near the base. Sponge.
Carrots in a row around the middle, tips down, green tops at the rimOrange, green. One carrot every few uprights; leafy tops brush the underside of the rim. Round brush.
Chick basket: yellow all over, a beak on the front, wings at the handle endsYellow, orange, black. Orange beak and two dot eyes in front; a small wing below each handle end. Round brush.
Child's name on a white band, so each hunter knows their basketWhite, one bright. A band three rows tall around the middle; the name on the front. Paint pen.
Daisy chain around the rim, a flower at each handle endWhite, yellow, green. Daisies petal to petal along the rim; a larger one at each handle end. Round brush.
Orange duckling footprints walking once around the middle of the basketOrange. Small three-toed prints in pairs along one row, all the way around and back to the start. Liner brush.
Painted grass spilling over the rim from the inside, all the way aroundTwo greens. Fine strokes start inside the basket and curl out over the rim, uneven in length. Liner brush.
Tulips standing around the base, each stem following an uprightRed, pink, yellow, green. A stem up every third upright; the flower sits at mid-height. Round brush.
Wooden baskets 12
Bands that circle the slats in red, the slats left bareRed. Only the bands around the top, middle and base; tape the slats beside them. Flat brush.
Crop name stenciled across the slats, the letters broken at each gapBlack. One word such as APPLES across the front; let the gaps split the letters. Stencil.
Every nail head dotted gold along the bandsGold. One dot on each nail or staple head; everything else stays bare wood. Dotting tool.
Garden trug with its boards in two alternating greens, the handle left bareSage, dark green. One green per board, alternating; handle and rim stay wood. Flat brush.
Line of ants marching across the lid of a picnic basket to its hingeBlack. Small three-dot ants in single file from one corner of the lid to the hinge. Paint pen.
Rim band as a tape measure: black ticks and numerals all the way around on yellowYellow, black. Top band yellow; short and long ticks along it, a numeral at each long one. Paint pen.
Slats in three shades of one color, repeating dark, mid, pale around the basketThree blues. One shade to a slat in the same order all the way around; bands left bare. Flat brush.
Small berry basket as a strawberry: red sides, yellow seed dots, a green rimRed, yellow, green. Sides red with dots in staggered rows; the rim band green. Dotting tool.
Three front slats in color, a single initial on the middle oneNavy, white. Three neighboring slats navy; a white capital on the middle one. Flat brush, paint pen.
Two colors alternating slat by slat, one odd slat in gold on the frontNavy, white, gold. Navy and white by turns around the basket; a single gold slat faces front. Flat brush.
Whitewash with the grain showing, the rim in navyThinned white, navy. A thin white coat wiped back while wet; the rim band solid navy. Rag, flat brush.
Worm peeking out of a painted apple on the inside base, seen when the basket is emptyRed, green, white. One apple fills the inside base; a small green worm looks out of its side. Round brush.
How it works
Wicker is a way of weaving, so a wicker basket comes with rows, uprights and a rim already drawn on it. Most of these 48 designs follow those lines: dips and bands, stripes counted in rows, Easter baskets and wooden ones.
Read the full guide
Easter basket painting ideas
An Easter basket is carried on an egg hunt, so these twelve are made to be told apart across a lawn. The handle does the work in Bunny basket: face on the front, an ear running up each side of the handle. For several children, try Child's name on a white band, so each hunter knows their basket.
Wooden basket painting ideas
A wooden basket has slats or boards where wicker has rows, and each takes a flat coat from edge to edge. The plainest: Slats in three shades of one color, repeating dark, mid, pale around the basket. The body of a Sussex trug is thin willow boards, hence Garden trug with its boards in two alternating greens, the handle left bare.
Questions and answers
What paint do you use on a wicker basket?
One whose label names what your basket is made of: wicker is traditionally willow, rattan, reed or bamboo. We do not test paints, so read the label for that, and again for a basket that will hold food or stand outdoors.
How do you paint stripes on a woven basket?
Count rows instead of measuring. In Every other row of the weave in white each row is its own guide, and Checkerboard from the weave: every other square where the strands cross needs no tape either.
Do I have to paint the whole basket?
No. Most of the dipped and banded designs leave bare wicker showing. Rim and handle in one color, the body left natural paints two parts, and Dipped feet: only the base and the bottom two rows in black stops low.