Big round spinnaker in three stripes towing a tiny hullRed, white, blue, navy. Paint the sail as a full round shape with curved stripes and the hull small beneath it.
Catamaran on two slim hulls skimming flat waterWhite, turquoise, yellow, navy. Paint two narrow hulls side by side under one tall sail.
Dinghy hauled half ashore, its sail drooping looseWhite, yellow, sand, blue. Rest the hull at a tilt on the sand and let the sail fall in loose folds.
Ketch at anchor, sails furled, two bare mastsNavy, white, gray, tan. Paint a tall mast and a shorter one behind it, with the sails rolled along the booms.
Regatta fleet leaning as one past an orange marker buoyWhite, orange, blue, gray. Lean every sail the same way and shrink the boats behind the leader.
Sail and its mirror image, two triangles joined at the hullWhite, blue, pale blue. Repeat the sail upside down under the hull and break it with level dashes.
Sailboat seen from the masthead, the deck a pointed ovalCream, tan, blue, white. Paint the deck as a pointed oval and the wake as a pale V behind it.
Sloop heeling in a breeze, mainsail and jib both fullWhite, navy, teal, red. Tilt the mast off upright and curve both sails the same way.
Sunny-day sailboat with a round sun and three wave linesYellow, white, blue, red. Paint the sun as a circle, the waves as three curved lines and the boat between them.
Three sailboats abreast, sails red, yellow and blueRed, yellow, blue, white, teal. Paint three hulls on one waterline and give each sail its own flat color.
Toy sailboat on a park pond, two ripple ringsRed, white, green, blue. Paint the little boat first and ring it with two pale ripples.
White sail as one triangle on a two-band sea and skyWhite, blue, navy. Paint sky and sea as two flat bands and stand one white triangle on the line between.
Rowing boats and canoes 12
Canoe carried overhead between birch trunksRed, white, black, green. Paint the canoe as a red arc above a walker and stripe the birches white and black.
Canoe from directly above, two paddlers and a wakeGreen, tan, blue, white. Paint the canoe as a slim pointed oval and the wake as a pale V.
Moored rowboat half full of rainwater, its rope gone slackBlue, brown, gray, white. Paint a level pale shape inside the hull for the water.
Orange canoe doubled on a navy lake, paddle drips in ringsOrange, navy, white. Repeat the canoe upside down below itself and add two small white rings beside it.
Punt and its pole sliding under willow branchesGreen, olive, brown, cream. Pull willow strands straight down over the boat with a liner brush.
Racing shell with eight rowers, oars like teeth of a combWhite, navy, yellow, teal. Paint the hull as one long line and eight oars slanted the same way.
Red rowboat on green water, oars resting levelRed, green, white, brown. Paint the hull as a long shallow bowl and lay the oars out flat on either side.
Rental rowboats in six colors, bows against a dockRed, yellow, green, blue, white, brown. Paint the hulls side by side as matching wedges.
Rowboat from three shapes: a curve, a bench and two oarsBrown, tan, blue. Paint one curved hull, a plank across it and two crossed oars.
Rowboat nosing through lily pads, seen from the bankGreen, pink, white, brown. Flatten the pads as they get farther off and tuck the bow between them.
Upturned rowboat on two trestles, half freshly paintedBlue, white, tan, red. Paint the hull as a long hump and stripe one half in fresh blue.
Yellow kayak tipping over the lip of a small rapidYellow, white, teal, gray. Scumble white foam around the bow with a dry brush.
Fishing boats and harbors 12
Blue fishing boat resting on its side on wet sandBlue, white, sand, gray. Lean the hull to one side and paint a shallow pool under its keel.
Boats iced in at a winter harbor, snow on every deckWhite, gray, pale blue, red. Cap every flat surface in white and leave one red hull showing.
Crab boat unloading at a quay, crates stacked highYellow, gray, blue, white. Stack the crates as small squares and keep the boat low beside the quay.
Fisher in a small skiff, one line down into the waterOlive, gray, white, tan. Paint the figure as a simple seated shape and the line as one fine stroke.
Harbor at night, every boat carrying one lampNavy, yellow, white, black. Paint the hulls nearly black and give each a yellow dot and its streak on the water.
Harbor wall with five boats moored bow to sternGray, red, green, white, blue. Paint the wall as one gray band and string the boats along it on one waterline.
Line of buoys and one small boat, seen from a pierRed, white, blue, yellow. Dot the buoys in a loose line and paint the boat no bigger than three of them.
Nets heaped on a deck, floats like orange beadsOrange, green, gray, white. Dab the net as a tangle of green and dot the floats with a cotton swab.
Three sterns side by side, each a different paint jobGreen, cream, red, navy. Paint each stern as a flat panel and band it in its own two colors.
Trawler heading out past a breakwater at dawnPeach, navy, white, gray. Paint the boat dark against the pale water with a short wake behind.
Trio of hulls at their moorings, each over its own zigzagRed, white, blue, teal. Paint each reflection as a zigzag in the color of its hull.
Wooden boat on a slipway, half scraped and half paintedBrown, white, teal, gray. Paint one half of the hull bare brown and the other half teal.
Tall ships and steamers 12
Bow of a wooden ship from below, anchor at the railBrown, tan, navy, gray. Curve the planks up to the bow and paint the anchor as a dark hooked shape.
Ferry crossing with a row of swab-dot portholesWhite, blue, yellow, navy. Stamp the portholes in a level row with a cotton swab.
Fleet of tall ships as tiny sail stacks along the horizonGray, cream, pale blue, white. Dab each ship as three small pale upright strokes on the line.
Paddle steamer churning upriver, its wheel at the sternWhite, red, brown, green. Paint the paddle wheel as a red drum with spokes and white foam behind it.
Red tugboat nudging a wall of gray hullRed, black, gray, white. Paint the tug small and bright against one flat wall of gray.
Rigging close up: ropes, pulleys and one furled sailTan, cream, brown, blue. Cross the ropes in straight lines with a liner brush over the dry sky.
Schooner with two masts, the taller one behindWhite, navy, tan, teal. Make the rear mast the taller of the two and give each a slanted four-sided sail.
Steamboat from three blocks: hull, cabin and one red funnelNavy, white, red, blue. Paint a long navy hull, a white cabin block on it and one red funnel on top.
Steamer's wake fanning across a calm bay, seen from a hillBlue, white, gray, green. Paint the wake as a long pale V widening behind a small dark ship.
Steamship with two red funnels and long gray plumesBlack, red, white, gray. Drag each plume backward with a dry brush so it breaks up.
Tall ship as a black cutout crossing a huge pale moonBlack, pale yellow, navy. Paint the moon disc first and the ship across it in flat black.
Tall ship under full sail, three masts of square canvasCream, brown, navy, white. Stack the sails as rounded rectangles, smaller toward the top of each mast.
Boats at sunset and in fog 12
Backlit sails, each edged in a gold rim of sunGold, orange, brown, navy. Paint the sails lighter than the sky around them and edge them in gold.
Black sloop crossing a ladder of orange lightOrange, yellow, red, black. Lay the sun path as level dashes and paint the boat black across it.
Canoe as a black sliver on a red-orange lakeRed, orange, yellow, black. Blend water and sky as one and add the canoe and its paddler in black.
Ferry in morning fog, bow sharp and stern faded outGray, white, pale yellow. Paint only the bow sharply and let the rest fade into the gray.
Fishing boats coming home under a pink and violet skyPink, violet, peach, black. Blend the sky, then add three dark boats in a line, largest first.
Harbor at dusk, boats as dark wedges on violet waterViolet, pink, black, white. Paint the water in level violet bands and the boats as flat dark wedges.
Mast lamp as a soft yellow blur in thick fogGray, yellow, white, charcoal. Sponge a soft yellow round and add the dark outline of a hull beneath it.
Masts poking out of a low fog bank at dawnPeach, gray, white, brown. Paint the masts as fine upright lines and scrub fog across their feet.
Moon path of white dashes leading to an anchored sailboatNavy, white, silver gray, black. Paint a column of short white dashes from the horizon to the hull.
Rowboat alone in white fog, only its near end sharpWhite, gray, blue gray. Paint the boat, then scrub watery white over its far end.
Thumbnail-size boat under a towering sunset skyYellow, orange, magenta, navy. Give the sky most of the canvas and the boat a thumbnail's width.
Two-color sunset boat: orange canvas, one black boat shapeOrange, black. Paint the whole canvas orange, let it dry and add boat, mast and reflection in black.
How it works
The most common sailboat today is the sloop: one mast, two sails. On canvas that is two triangles over a hull, and the sailing group starts there before the rowboats, harbors and tall ships.
Read the full guide
Painting a hull that sits in the water
A boat looks afloat when its reflection touches it. Repeat the hull's color straight below it as a zigzag or a few level dashes. Trio of hulls at their moorings, each over its own zigzag does it three times. Keep the waterline level, even where a mast tilts.
Telling the rigs apart
A ketch carries a second, shorter mast behind the main one. A schooner's rear mast is the taller of its two. Tall ships are large sailing vessels in traditional rig, often with square sails. Ketch at anchor, sails furled, two bare masts shows the first of these.
The easy boat painting ideas sit under More filters, Level: 22 boats in flat shapes and silhouettes.
Questions and answers
What are simple sailboat painting ideas for beginners on canvas?
White sail as one triangle on a two-band sea and sky takes three colors and no drawing. Two-color sunset boat: orange canvas, one black boat shape takes two. Both are written for acrylic, which dries fast enough to add the boat in the same sitting.
How do you paint a boat in fog?
Paint the boat first and let it dry. Then scrub watery white across the parts that should fade, as in Rowboat alone in white fog, only its near end sharp. The nearest edge stays crisp.
What is the difference between a boat and a ship?
Size, mostly. A boat is generally the smaller of the two, and navies call a craft a boat when a ship could carry it on board. The tall ships and steamers here are ships; the rowboats, canoes and dinghies are boats.
Which colors do I need to paint a boat on water?
White, blue and navy cover most of the sailing boats; add red or yellow for a hull. The sunset and fog group swaps the blues for orange, pink, violet and gray. Each idea lists its own colors.