• 48 designs
  • Checked October 2026

Burlap Painting Ideas

Press for three burlap designs, each with its colors, what it is painted on and the brush or tool.

Burlap Painting Ideas

Show all 48
  1. Alphabet sampler in rows with a border of small crossesNatural burlap, red. Five rows of capitals like needlework; x marks all around. Paint pen.
  2. Made-up mill name arched over a single starNatural burlap, black, red. Capitals in an arch on a sack front; one red star under them. Stencil.
  3. Snowman-head hanger with a carrot nose in side viewWhite, orange, black. The round shape white all over; coal dots for eyes and smile. Sponge.

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All 48 designs

Stenciled words 12

  • Alphabet sampler in rows with a border of small crosses Natural burlap, red. Five rows of capitals like needlework; x marks all around. Paint pen.
  • Bare-weave initial inside a painted cream oval Cream. The oval is painted and the capital is masked, so the letter is raw burlap. Stencil.
  • Gift sack with TO and FROM lines Natural burlap, green, black. Two ruled lines on the sack front; a green sprig in one corner. Paint pen.
  • Grain-sack runner: three stripes with a word between them Natural burlap, navy. One wide stripe and two narrow down a runner; your word at one end. Tape.
  • House numeral filling a square burlap canvas Natural burlap, white. One or two numerals as tall as the canvas, centered. Stencil.
  • Made-up mill name arched over a single star Natural burlap, black, red. Capitals in an arch on a sack front; one red star under them. Stencil.
  • One word of your own in black capitals, frayed edges kept Natural burlap, black. Capitals a hand tall across a burlap canvas; the loose threads stay. Stencil.
  • Pantry sacks lettered FLOUR, SUGAR and OATS Natural burlap, black. One word in capitals on each of three small sacks, a line above and below. Stencil.
  • Party table numerals on burlap squares Natural burlap, white, gold. One large white numeral per square; a gold dot in each corner. Stencil.
  • Ruled sack stamp set on a slant, two lines of your own Natural burlap, dark blue. A box outline with two lines of small capitals, like a freight mark. Stencil.
  • Runner lettered at both ends, each word facing its own end Natural burlap, black. The same word twice, so both sides of the table can read it. Stencil.
  • Three initials in a row, the middle one a size larger Natural burlap, charcoal. Capitals across a wide canvas, the tall one in the middle. Stencil.

Florals 12

  • Black-eyed Susans in a row of five heights Gold, brown, green. Dabbed petals around dark middles; stems side by side to the bottom. Cotton swab.
  • Cotton stems: white bolls on brown twigs White, brown, tan. Three twigs slant across; four dabbed white bolls on each. Sponge.
  • Hydrangea heads dabbed from a round sponge in three blues Three blues, green. Overlapping round dabs build each head; two large leaves below. Sponge.
  • Lavender stems gathered under a painted twine bow Purple, green, tan. A dozen stems fan from the bow; dabs up the top third of each. Cotton swab.
  • Leafy vine running around the edge of a table runner Two greens. One stem a hand in from the edge all the way around; leaves in pairs. Liner brush.
  • Peony in pinks, its outer petals running off the canvas Pale pink, pink, deep pink. The middle sits off-center; petals are cropped by two edges. Flat brush.
  • Poppies as red blots with black middles on a tall canvas Red, black, green. Five loose blots at mixed heights; single-stroke stems to the bottom. Round brush.
  • Rose in three reds, built from curved dry strokes Three reds, green. Short arcs circle out from the middle; two leaves at the base. Dry brush.
  • Single white frond on the slant, leaflets both sides White. One long fern frond, corner to corner; a short stroke for each leaflet. Flat brush.
  • Sunflower with its center left as bare weave Yellow, orange, green. Petals dabbed around an unpainted circle; the burlap is the seed head. Sponge.
  • Tulips in a jar drawn only as an outline Red, yellow, green, white. The jar is a white line over bare burlap; stems cross inside it. Liner brush.
  • Wild daisies whose stems follow the upright threads White, yellow, green. Dabbed petals around yellow dots; every stem runs straight down one thread line. Cotton swab.

Farm animals and wreaths 12

  • Berry wreath: red dots along a brown twig ring Brown, red, dark red. A loose ring of crossed twig strokes; berries in threes around it. Cotton swab.
  • Cow face nose-on with a daisy tucked behind one ear White, black, pink, yellow. A pink muzzle low in the square; a black patch over one eye. Flat brush.
  • Feather wreath in brown and cream, quills pointing inward Brown, cream, tan. Feathers overlap around a ring, all leaning the same way. Flat brush.
  • Goat looking in from the right, slot pupils, a chin tuft White, tan, black. Only the head and one ear show, cut off by the side of the canvas. Round brush.
  • Green tractor in side view with one big rear wheel Green, black, yellow. Flat shapes; a yellow hub in each wheel; no outline. Stencil.
  • Hen and three chicks walking a table runner's end Brown, yellow, orange. The hen leads; chicks follow in a line a hand from the edge. Round brush.
  • Horse head in dark brown, mane streaming to the left Dark brown, black. A side-on head and neck filled flat; mane in long dry strokes. Dry brush.
  • Pink pig in side view standing on one brushed ground line Pink, deep pink, brown. A rounded body, a curled tail and a brown stroke under the feet. Flat brush.
  • Rooster in solid black, tail feathers arching high Black, red. A side-on shape filled flat; only the comb and wattle are red. Stencil.
  • Sheep with its wool left as bare weave, the field painted around it Green, black, white. Green dabbed around a masked cloud shape; black face and legs; white eye dots. Sponge.
  • Wheat wreath: stalks bent in a ring, heads meeting on top Gold, tan. Two bundles curve up from the bottom; grain dashes along the upper half. Liner brush.
  • Wire egg basket holding eggs in three browns Black, cream, tan, brown. Fine crossed lines for the wire; nine eggs heaped above its rim. Liner brush.

Door hangers and banners by season 12

  • Bunny hanger seen from behind, one white tail dab Tan, white, pink. The back of the head and two ears; pink inside the ears. Sponge.
  • Carrot-shaped hanger with dark crease lines Orange, burnt orange. Short curved creases down its length; green raffia is tied on, not painted. Liner brush.
  • Fall banner with one leaf to a flag in rust and gold Rust, gold, red, brown. A different leaf shape centered on each pennant. Stencil.
  • Heart-shaped hanger dabbed in three pinks from the edge in Deep pink, pink, pale pink. Darkest at the outline, palest in the middle, no hard lines. Sponge.
  • July pennants: striped flags and starred flags in turn Red, white, blue. Red stripes on white for one kind; white stars on blue for the other. Tape.
  • Pair of flip-flop hangers for a beach house door Aqua, coral, white. One color per sole; a white Y strap painted on each. Flat brush.
  • Pumpkin-shaped hanger with darker rib lines Orange, burnt orange, brown. Curved ribs from top to base; the stalk painted brown. Flat brush.
  • Shamrock hanger in two greens with a white dot border Green, dark green, white. Darker veins down each leaf; dots just inside the edge. Cotton swab.
  • Snowman-head hanger with a carrot nose in side view White, orange, black. The round shape white all over; coal dots for eyes and smile. Sponge.
  • Swallowtail flags, a letter each, a star between words Natural burlap, black, red. One capital per flag; a red star on the spare flag. Stencil.
  • Tree-shaped hanger with dabbed ornaments Green, red, gold. The triangle green; dots in two colors in loose rows. Cotton swab.
  • Witch-boot hanger with a striped stocking top Black, purple, green. The boot black; purple and green bands above its cuff. Tape.

How it works

Burlap is a coarse woven fabric, usually of jute. These 48 designs are bold shapes, stencil letters and dabbed color for a burlap canvas, a runner, a banner or a door hanger.

Read the full guide

Burlap canvas painting ideas that use the weave

The brown weave is a color in its own right. Sunflower with its center left as bare weave leaves the middle unpainted, and Bare-weave initial inside a painted cream oval paints everything but the letter. Fine lines break up on the threads, so many rows are dabbed or stenciled.

Words, runners and hangers

The stenciled group is lettering, most of it your own, on canvases, sacks and runners, such as Grain-sack runner: three stripes with a word between them. Twelve more are shaped door hangers and banners, one for most months, from Carrot-shaped hanger with dark crease lines to Witch-boot hanger with a striped stocking top.

Questions and answers

What paint do you use on burlap?

We do not test paints. Burlap is a coarse woven fabric, and whether a paint needs a primer coat, soaks along the threads or stays flexible is on its label.

Are these burlap canvas art ideas hard to paint?

No. Most are flat shapes with no shading: Rooster in solid black, tail feathers arching high is one stencil and two colors, and Cotton stems: white bolls on brown twigs is three strokes and a sponge.

Can I paint letters on burlap?

Yes: twelve designs are letters and numerals, and most of the words are your own. One word of your own in black capitals, frayed edges kept is the plain one; Alphabet sampler in rows with a border of small crosses copies the look of needlework.

What can I make from a burlap banner?

A row of flags with one picture or letter each. Fall banner with one leaf to a flag in rust and gold is for one season, and Swallowtail flags, a letter each, a star between words spells whatever you like.

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