• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Camping Painting Ideas

Three ideas, each a camp scene with its colors and the one step it needs.

Camping Painting Ideas

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  1. Small tent under the Milky Way, a pale band dotted with starsNavy, violet, white, orange. Sponge a thin violet band, then dot the stars with a cotton swab.
  2. Tent on a cliff edge above a sea of cloud, stars overheadNavy, gray, white, orange. Drag the cloud tops on in white with a nearly dry brush.
  3. Guitar leaning on a log beside the flamesTan, brown, orange, navy. Paint the guitar tan and glaze orange down the side nearest the fire.

Next step Start a night scene on blackSketch the fire and the gear

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Tent at night 15

  • A-frame tent at blue dusk, one lantern hung at its peak Slate blue, navy, pale yellow. Paint everything in blues and add the single yellow light last.
  • Bell tent with a string of lights along its guy ropes Cream, yellow, navy, brown. Dot each bulb yellow, then ring it once in paler yellow.
  • From inside a dark tent: a triangle of moonlit lake Black, navy, silver gray, white. Paint the canvas black and keep the open door as the only light.
  • Glowing tent among birch trunks, the bark catching its light Orange, white, gray, navy. Edge each trunk in orange on the side that faces the tent.
  • Hammock under a tarp at night, a headlamp glow beneath it Olive, navy, pale yellow, black. Paint the glow as a soft yellow oval and the tarp dark above it.
  • Lit orange tent under a navy sky, black pines on both sides Yellow, orange, navy, black. Paint the tent yellow first, then glaze orange toward its edges.
  • Rain on a lit tent, pale streaks sliding down the fly Yellow, orange, navy, white. Pull thin white streaks downward with a liner brush once all is dry.
  • Reader's shadow on the wall of a lit tent, book in hand Amber, yellow, dark brown, navy. Let the glowing wall dry, then lay the shadow in one flat brown.
  • Row of four small tents, each glowing a different color Yellow, pink, turquoise, lime, navy. Paint all four white first so the colors stay bright.
  • Small tent under the Milky Way, a pale band dotted with stars Navy, violet, white, orange. Sponge a thin violet band, then dot the stars with a cotton swab.
  • Tent beside a still pond, its glow doubled in the water Orange, yellow, navy, black. Paint the tent, repeat it upside down and drag one stroke across.
  • Tent on a cliff edge above a sea of cloud, stars overhead Navy, gray, white, orange. Drag the cloud tops on in white with a nearly dry brush.
  • Tent pitched in snow, its glow spilling over blue drifts Orange, yellow, pale blue, navy. Dry-brush a little orange across the snow beside the door.
  • Tiny tent at the foot of a huge mountain, the moon behind the peak Navy, gray, white, orange. Paint the mountain as one dark shape and the tent as a single orange dab.
  • Two glowing tents on a ridge, one large and one small Yellow, orange, indigo, black. Keep each tent palest at its base, where the lamp would sit.

Campfire 15

  • Blue enamel pot on a grate over low coals, steam in cold air Blue, white, orange, charcoal. Scrub the steam on thinly in white with a dry brush.
  • Campfire filling the canvas, tongues of yellow, orange and red Yellow, orange, red, black. Work from the yellow core outward on a dry black ground.
  • Circle of log seats around a new fire, nobody there yet Brown, orange, yellow, dark green. Light only the side of each log that faces the fire.
  • Column of sparks climbing from a small fire into the dark Navy, orange, yellow, black. Dot the sparks with a cotton swab, large near the fire and small above.
  • Dog asleep by the fire, fur lit along its back Brown, orange, yellow, black. Dry-brush orange along the dog's back and leave the rest dark.
  • Driftwood fire on a beach with a line of surf behind Orange, yellow, navy, white. Paint the surf as one broken white line that catches no orange.
  • Evening fire with smoke drifting across an orange sky Orange, pink, gray, black. Drag gray smoke sideways over the dry sky with a nearly dry brush.
  • Fire at the water's edge, its light a broken path on the lake Orange, yellow, navy, black. Pull short orange dashes across the water, wider toward you.
  • Guitar leaning on a log beside the flames Tan, brown, orange, navy. Paint the guitar tan and glaze orange down the side nearest the fire.
  • Last embers at dawn, a thread of smoke in a pale sky Peach, pale blue, gray, red. Blend the sky wet, then pull one thin gray line up with a liner brush.
  • Marshmallow on a stick held to the flames, one side browned White, tan, orange, navy. Blend tan into the white on the side nearest the fire.
  • Mittened hands held out to a fire, flames beyond the fingers Red, orange, yellow, navy. Paint the fire first and the mittens over it as dark red shapes.
  • Pine trunks lit orange on one side around a clearing fire Orange, dark brown, black, navy. Paint every trunk dark, then stripe its fire side with orange.
  • Ring of gray stones around glowing coals, no flame at all Gray, black, red, orange. Paint the coals black, then dab red and orange into the cracks.
  • Two empty camp chairs facing a fire, seen from behind Black, orange, yellow, navy. Paint the chairs as flat black shapes with an orange edge on each.

Lake and canoe 15

  • Canoe bow pointing into morning mist, seen from the back seat Red, gray, white, pale blue. Paint the far shore, then veil it with thin white while it is damp.
  • Canoe tied to a dock under a full moon, a moon path on the water Navy, white, silver gray, black. Dash the moon path in white, widest at the bottom edge.
  • Dock at dusk with a towel on the rail and a lantern at the end Slate blue, navy, yellow, brown. Reflect the lantern as a broken yellow line under the dock.
  • Fishing rod propped on a forked stick at sunrise Orange, yellow, black, navy. Paint the rod and stick as thin black lines over the dry sky.
  • Green canoe upturned on the shore beside a small tent Green, orange, sand, blue. Paint the hull as one long green shape with a paler stripe on top.
  • Heron standing in the reeds by the canoe landing Gray, white, dark green, blue. Paint the heron as one gray S and the reeds in upward strokes.
  • Lake at dawn in pink and gray, camp smoke on the far shore Pink, gray, white, dark green. Blend the sky and lake as one wash and add the shore line after.
  • Mirror lake with a line of pines and one orange tent on the bank Dark green, blue, orange, white. Paint the top half, then repeat it below the bank in softer strokes.
  • Paddler in silhouette crossing the sun's path at sunset Orange, yellow, red, black. Blend the sky and water, let them dry, then add the canoe in black.
  • Rain rings on a gray lake, seen from under a tarp edge Gray, white, olive, black. Paint a dark tarp band across the top and thin white rings below.
  • Rope swing hanging over a swimming hole, rings on the water Brown, green, blue, white. Paint the ripples as thin white ovals, each wider than the last.
  • Stepping stones across a creek to a tent on the far bank Gray, blue, green, orange. Paint the water first and set each stone on it as a flat gray oval.
  • Three kayaks stacked on a beach, one red, one yellow, one blue Red, yellow, blue, sand, white. Paint each hull as one flat color with a white highlight line.
  • Two paddles leaning on a pine with the lake behind Tan, red, dark green, blue. Paint the lake and sky first; add the paddles when both are dry.
  • Wet footprints along a dock toward the open lake Tan, brown, blue, white. Paint the planks, then print each footprint in a darker brown.

Camper van and lanterns 15

  • Awning, two chairs and a striped rug beside a camper White, teal, red, tan. Tape the awning stripes and fill every other one.
  • Camper van with its back doors open onto a starry field Cream, teal, navy, yellow. Paint the lit inside yellow and dot the stars with a cotton swab.
  • Camper window at night, a warm glow behind checked curtains Yellow, orange, red, navy. Paint the window yellow, then cross it with thin red curtain lines.
  • Campground at blue hour, a row of campers with every window lit Slate blue, navy, yellow, black. Paint the whole scene blue, then add each window as a yellow block.
  • Car with a rooftop tent open beside a lake at dusk Gray, orange, slate blue, navy. Paint the tent glowing orange and the car as a darker blue shape.
  • Enamel mug and a lantern on a tailgate at dawn Blue, white, peach, gray. Paint the mug in two blues with a white rim line.
  • Lantern light falling on a map spread over a camp table Yellow, tan, brown, navy. Fade the yellow from the lantern outward until the table goes brown.
  • Lantern on a tree stump, fireflies rising around it Yellow, lime, navy, brown. Dot each firefly in lime with a smaller pale dot on top.
  • Red lantern on a picnic table with moths around the glass Red, yellow, navy, white. Dot the moths in white with a cotton swab, thickest near the light.
  • Rounded two-tone trailer under a pink evening sky Pink, cream, turquoise, gray. Tape a line along the trailer's middle to part the two colors.
  • Small trailer under string lights between two trees White, red, navy, yellow. Paint the wire as one sagging line and dot the bulbs along it.
  • Three lanterns hanging from one branch at different heights Yellow, orange, black, navy. Paint a pale yellow halo round each lantern before the frame goes on.
  • Van headlights on a forest road at dusk, two cones of light Pale yellow, navy, dark green, black. Scrub each beam on thinly so the trees show through it.
  • Van on a hilltop in silhouette against a huge rising moon Pale yellow, navy, black. Trace a plate for the moon and paint the van and hill black over it.
  • Van parked at a desert overlook at sunset Orange, pink, violet, black. Blend the sky in three bands and paint the van as a black shape.

How it works

After sunset comes the blue hour, when the sun is well below the horizon and the light left in the sky turns mostly blue. A lit tent or a fire against that blue carries most camping pictures.

Read the full guide

Paint the glow before the dark

A lit tent is the palest shape in a night picture. Paint it white, then yellow, glaze orange toward its edges and bring the navy sky up to it last. A campfire runs the same way: a yellow core, orange around it, red only at the tips. Whatever faces the fire takes an orange edge; everything behind it stays dark.

Camping painting ideas for kids

The 21 easy first camps use big flat shapes and five colors at most: Row of four small tents, each glowing a different color, or Ring of gray stones around glowing coals, no flame at all. Campgrounds often supply a fire ring of stone or steel, so a circle of gray stones sets any painted fire in a real campsite.

  • Dot stars, sparks and fireflies with a cotton swab, a few large and many small.

Questions and answers

What colors do I need for a camping painting?

Navy is in 36 of the 60 palettes, orange in 32, yellow in 28, and black and white in 22 each. Those five cover most night scenes; add gray for stones, smoke and mist.

How do you paint a tent glowing at night?

Lit orange tent under a navy sky, black pines on both sides is the plainest of the 15 tents. Keep the tent palest at its base and edge whatever stands near it in orange: a birch trunk, a snowdrift, a guy rope.

What can I paint for a camping theme?

Four kinds of scene, 15 of each: a tent at night, a campfire, a lake with a canoe, and a camper van or a lantern. Most are set at dusk or after dark, when one warm light does the work.

How do you paint a tent reflected in a lake?

Paint the scene, repeat it upside down below and pull one stroke across. Tent beside a still pond, its glow doubled in the water is the short version; Mirror lake with a line of pines and one orange tent on the bank the long one.

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