• 60 designs

Birdhouse Painting Ideas for Wooden Boxes and Gourds

Three birdhouse designs at a time, each with its base colour, its detail colours and where it sits: round the entrance hole, on the roof or down a gourd neck.

Birdhouse Painting Ideas for Wooden Boxes and Gourds

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  1. Sunflower front with the hole as its centreSky blue base, yellow, orange, brown. Petals radiate from the hole to the wall edges; brown ring round the rim.
  2. Camera front with the hole as the lensBlack base, silver, red. Silver rings round the hole, a viewfinder square top left, a red shutter dot on the roof.
  3. Owl gourd with the hole in its bellyBrown belly, cream, orange, black. Big ringed eyes on the shoulders, a small beak between, feather Us round the hole.

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All 60 designs

Simple 23

  • Acorn gourd with a cross-hatched cap Tan belly, dark brown. Paint the top third brown down to a scalloped edge and cross-hatch it in a darker line.
  • Bare gourd with a painted ivy collar Unpainted tan shell, two greens. Ivy leaves in a ring round the neck, a few trailing toward the hole. Round brush.
  • Barn red with white trim Barn red base, white. White roof edges and corner boards, a white X under the hole. Tape the X. Flat brush.
  • Beehive bands with the hole as the hive door Honey yellow base, tan, black. Level bands round all four walls, a tan line between each; two bees by the hole.
  • Birch bark walls with black dashes White base, pale grey, black. Short level dashes and a few eye-shaped knots, so the box reads as a birch log.
  • Blueberry gourd with a star crown underneath Dusty blue all over, navy. A five-point crown painted on the base, where a blueberry's sits. Sponge for the bloom.
  • Bunting strung under the eaves Any base, five bright colours, black. One sagging line across the front under the roof; a triangle flag every inch.
  • Deckchair stripes down all four walls White base, one seaside colour. Tape even vertical stripes, paint the gaps, peel while soft. Plain roof to match.
  • Dipped base in one bright colour White base, one bright colour. Tape a level line a third of the way up the walls and paint below it. Flat brush.
  • Dot rings round a gourd's belly One deep base colour, white, gold. Rings of dots circle the hole and spread over the belly. Dotting tool.
  • Dotted roof over plain walls Pale walls, a bold roof colour, white. Rows of white dots on both roof slopes, offset row by row. Dotting tool.
  • Dry-brushed driftwood grey Grey base, white. Drag a nearly dry flat brush along the grain so streaks of wood show. Roof a shade darker.
  • Four walls in four colours Four colours that sit well together, white roof. One flat colour per wall so the house changes as you walk round.
  • Gingham check walls in one colour White base, one thinned colour. Flat-brush stripes down, let dry, then across; the crossings turn a shade darker.
  • Lavender stems rising from the base Cream base, purple, sage green. Thin stems of different heights up every wall; stacked purple dabs for the flowers.
  • Lighthouse bands on a tall box White base, red, yellow. Tape three red bands round all four walls; yellow lamp panes painted just under the roof.
  • Pear gourd fading green to yellow Green, yellow, brown. Sponge green over the neck and shoulders into yellow on the belly; brown freckles last.
  • Rainbow arching over the entrance hole Pale blue base, six rainbow colours, white. The arch sits over the hole, a cloud at each foot. Round brush.
  • Rainbow bands across the roof White walls, six rainbow colours. Level bands across each roof slope, red at the ridge, violet at the eaves.
  • Surprised face with the hole as its mouth Any pastel base, black, white, pink. Two wide eyes above the hole, raised brows, a pink cheek each side. Round brush.
  • Target rings round the entrance hole White base, two bright colours. Three rings round the hole, each one brush-width wide. Draw round jar lids first.
  • Toadstool house with a spotted roof Cream walls, red roof, white. Large and small white spots on both slopes; a little arched door under the hole.
  • Whitewashed island house with a blue roof White walls, deep blue. Blue roof, blue arched door under the hole, blue shutters; a terracotta pot by the door.

Cute 19

  • Alpine chalet with snow on the roof Warm brown walls, white, red. Thick white snow dripping over the roof edges; red shutters with a heart on each.
  • Apple gourd with the hole as a wormhole Red belly, green, brown. Brown neck as the stalk with one leaf; a small green worm peeping beside the hole.
  • Bumblebee gourd striped round the belly Yellow belly, black, white. Three black bands round the widest part, white wings on the shoulders, black neck.
  • Camera front with the hole as the lens Black base, silver, red. Silver rings round the hole, a viewfinder square top left, a red shutter dot on the roof.
  • Camper van with the hole as its spare wheel Two-tone: white above, one colour below. V-shaped split on the front, grey tyre ring round the hole, round lamps.
  • Cat face with ears in the roof peak Grey or ginger base, pink, black, white. Ears fill the gable triangle; the hole is the mouth, whiskers either side.
  • Doughnut round the entrance hole Tan base ring, pink, sprinkle colours. A fat ring round the hole, wavy pink icing on top, short sprinkle dashes.
  • Frog gourd with the hole as its open mouth Bright green belly, white, black, pink. Eyes high on the shoulders, a pink tongue curling out below the hole.
  • Gingerbread house with icing on the eaves Ginger brown base, white, sweet-shop brights. Scalloped white icing along every roof edge; gumdrop dots in a row.
  • Ladybird gourd with the hole between the wings Red belly, black. Black neck as the head, a black line from neck to hole, three spots each side. Dotting tool.
  • Night sky roof with a moon in the gable Navy roof, pale yellow, white, grey walls. Stars flicked on both slopes; a crescent in the gable above the hole.
  • Owl gourd with the hole in its belly Brown belly, cream, orange, black. Big ringed eyes on the shoulders, a small beak between, feather Us round the hole.
  • Patchwork quilt squares Six fabric colours, white. Pencil a square grid on every wall; fill each with its own dots, checks or sprigs.
  • Robot face with the hole as its speaker Silver grey base, red, yellow, black. Square eyes above the hole, rivets down the corners, a dial on each side wall.
  • Rocket on a tall box with the hole as its porthole White base, red, grey, orange. Red roof as the nose cone, grey ring round the hole, flames up from the base.
  • Songbird on a painted branch beside the hole Soft green base, brown, the bird's own colours. The branch crosses under the hole; the bird faces it. Liner.
  • Strawberry gourd with a leaf cap at the neck Red belly, green, pale yellow. Pointed leaves hang down from the neck; teardrop seeds in offset rows. Round brush.
  • Sunflower front with the hole as its centre Sky blue base, yellow, orange, brown. Petals radiate from the hole to the wall edges; brown ring round the rim.
  • Washing machine with the hole as its door White base, grey, pale blue. Grey ring round the hole, a row of dials under the eaves, a blue swirl of suds.

Little buildings 8

  • Brick townhouse printed with a sponge Mortar grey base, brick red, white. Cut a sponge to brick size and print offset rows; white sash windows on top.
  • Chapel with the hole as its round window Stone grey base, jewel colours, black. Petal-shaped panes radiate from the hole like a rose window; arched door below.
  • Cottage with painted roof shingles Cream walls, slate grey roof, darker grey. Rows of U-shaped shingles from eaves to ridge, each row offset. Liner.
  • Cuckoo clock with the hole as the cuckoo's door Dark brown base, cream, gold, green. Clock face under the hole, carved leaves up the gable, pine cone weights.
  • Half-timbered cottage in cream and black Cream base, black. Black beams frame the hole, cross the gable and run down each corner. Tape and a flat brush.
  • Log cabin with ringed log ends Mid brown base, dark brown, tan. Level log lines round the walls; tan circles with growth rings at each corner.
  • Red schoolhouse with a bell in the peak Red walls, white, black, gold. White window frames each side, a gold bell in the gable above the hole. Liner.
  • Windmill with sails crossing at the hole White base, brown, grey. Four lattice sails run corner to corner across the front, meeting at the hole as the hub.

Hand painted 8

  • Blossom branch that turns the corner Pale sky base, brown, pink, white. The branch starts on the side wall and carries on across the front. Round brush.
  • Climbing roses round the entrance hole Soft green base, pinks, deep green. A stem climbs from one corner and circles the hole; roses as loose spirals.
  • Family name lettered along the roof edge Any base, one dark colour. Pencil the letters along the front roof board, centre first, then paint. Liner brush.
  • Folk-art tulips mirrored either side of the hole Deep blue base, red, mustard, white. One tulip spray each side, exact mirror images; dot borders on the edges.
  • Four seasons, one on each wall Four base colours. Blossom on the front, summer sun on one side, falling leaves on the back, snow on the last.
  • Full moon gourd with the hole as a crater Pale grey belly, darker grey, white. Sponge soft grey patches; ring three or four painted craters to match the hole.
  • Honeycomb dripping from the eaves Golden yellow base, amber, brown. Hexagon cells packed under the roof line, thinning downward, with a few honey drips.
  • Ivy trailing down from the roof peak Brick or stone base, two greens. Vines start at the ridge, part round the hole and thin out by the base. Liner.

Gourds 2

  • Radish gourd with leaves up the neck Pink belly fading to white at the base, green. Sponge the fade; leaf stalks run up the neck. Fine root line below.
  • Santa gourd with the neck as his hat Red neck, white, skin tone, black. White fur band where the neck meets the belly; the beard flows round the hole.

How it works

A craft birdhouse is a front wall with a round hole, two roof slopes and four corners, and the hole is the part no other object has. These 60 birdhouse painting ideas are for a wooden box or a dried gourd, many built round the hole, each with its base colour, its detail colours and the brush or tool.

Read the full guide

The hole is the design

The hole is named in 22 of the 60 titles: it becomes a sunflower's centre, a camera lens, the hub of a windmill's sails, the cuckoo's door above a painted clock. For simple birdhouse painting ideas, start at the roof instead: Dotted roof over plain walls needs three colours and a dotting tool.

Ornament or nest box

NestWatch, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, asks for untreated, unpainted wood and no outside perch on a box meant for nesting, because a perch helps predators. So treat a painted birdhouse as a garden ornament, or keep one plain box for the birds and paint a second for yourself. Which paint suits weather or wildlife is a question for its label, not for us.

  • Gourds came first: the birdhouse gourd is the bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, and Cherokee growers hung hollowed ones for purple martins before colonial times. The Gourds group holds 14 birdhouse gourd painting ideas.
  • Lay flat colour first, walls then roof, which is all the easy bird house painting ideas ask of you. One or two coats of acrylic usually dry in 10 to 20 minutes; details go on after that.
  • Make the front a face, as several cute birdhouse painting ideas do: Cat face with ears in the roof peak fills the gable triangle, and Surprised face with the hole as its mouth is mostly two eyes.

Questions and answers

Will birds use a painted birdhouse?

We cannot promise it; the nest-box guidance named under the list prefers bare wood. The box decides the tenant more than the picture does: the diameter of the entrance hole strongly influences which species move in. If nesting matters most, follow a bird organisation's plans and keep these designs for a decorative box.

Do these designs fit any shape of box?

Most fit the standard pitched-roof box. Lighthouse bands on a tall box wants height, Camper van with the hole as its spare wheel wants width, and the 14 gourd designs wrap a round belly and a narrow neck.

Which ones are the hand painted designs?

The Hand painted group holds 16 that want a liner brush and a steady hour, such as Climbing roses round the entrance hole. Four seasons, one on each wall uses every side, so the house changes as you walk round it.

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