• 60 designs

Candle Painting Ideas That Spiral, Wrap and Stack

Three candle designs at a time, each with its colours, its brush size and whether it belongs on a taper or a pillar. Keep the one you like, drop the rest.

Candle Painting Ideas That Spiral, Wrap and Stack

Show all 60
  1. One word wrapped round a pillarOne dark colour. Pillar; a word such as CALM spaced evenly all the way round, so it reads as you turn it. Size 2 round.
  2. A line you wrote, spiralling up a taperOne dark colour. Taper; your own sentence in small capitals, winding up to a thumb below the top. Paint pen.
  3. Wavy stripes up the lower two-thirdsTwo or three sorbet colours. Taper; wobbly lines side by side up the lower two-thirds, touching nowhere. Size 2 round.

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All 60 designs

Easy 14

  • Barber-pole stripe wound with tape Red or navy on a white candle. Taper; spiral narrow tape up to a thumb below the top, paint the gap. Size 4 flat.
  • Colour-block thirds with two tape lines Two colours. Taper; tape two level lines, paint the bottom and middle thirds, leave the top third bare. Size 6 flat.
  • Dot confetti thinning out halfway up Four brights. Taper; dots crowd the bottom third and thin to nothing by halfway up. Dotting tool or cotton bud.
  • Five-dot flowers in clusters of three Pale blue, yellow, green. Taper; five dots round a yellow centre make a flower; a leaf under each cluster. Dotting tool.
  • Flat blobs with a squiggle over each Blush, mustard, sage, black. Pillar; rounded blobs first; when dry, one thin squiggle or leaf over each. Size 4 round.
  • Ladder of tiny hearts Red or pink. Taper; one heart above another from the base, all one size, the last a thumb below the top. Size 1 round.
  • Painted drips hanging from a level line One colour darker than the candle. Pillar; uneven drips hang from a line a thumb below the top. Size 2 round.
  • Plus signs in offset rows Black or one deep colour. Pillar; small plus signs, all one size, each row offset from the last. Size 0 liner.
  • Polka dots in offset rows round a pillar One colour. Pillar; level rows of dots round the drum, each row offset from the last. Cotton bud or dotting tool.
  • Rainbow rings stacked up a taper Six rainbow colours. Taper; six level rings from the base, red lowest. Turn the candle, not the brush. Size 2 round.
  • Sprinkle dashes in five colours Five brights. Pillar; short dashes at every angle over the whole drum, none touching. Size 1 round.
  • Taped level bands round a pillar Two colours. Pillar; tape level rings of different widths, paint the gaps, peel while the paint is soft. Size 8 flat.
  • Tiny stars scattered on a dark taper White or pale yellow on a navy or black candle. Taper; four-point stars of two sizes, dots between. Size 0 liner.
  • Wavy stripes up the lower two-thirds Two or three sorbet colours. Taper; wobbly lines side by side up the lower two-thirds, touching nowhere. Size 2 round.

Tapers 20

  • A line you wrote, spiralling up a taper One dark colour. Taper; your own sentence in small capitals, winding up to a thumb below the top. Paint pen.
  • Bees climbing a dotted flight path Yellow, black, white. Taper; five small bees on a wandering dotted line up the side. Size 0 liner.
  • Candy-cane stripe, one wide and two thin Red on a white candle. Taper; tape a wide spiral stripe to a thumb below the top, a thin line each side. Size 0 liner.
  • Cherries hanging in pairs Red, green, white. Taper; pairs on a V-shaped stalk, one white highlight dot on each cherry. Size 1 round.
  • Daisy chain spiralling up a taper White, yellow, green. Taper; five-petal daisies a thumb apart on a spiral, ending a thumb below the top. Size 1 round.
  • Date in Roman numerals round a taper's base One dark colour. Taper; the numerals circle the base in one ring, a dot between day, month and year. Size 0 liner.
  • Falling leaves spiralling down a taper Rust, mustard, brown. Taper; leaves tumble in a loose spiral from a thumb below the top to the base. Size 1 round.
  • First-name tapers as take-home favours One colour to match the napkins. One taper per guest, laid flat at each place; the first name up the side. Size 0 liner.
  • Ghosts floating up a black taper White, black. Taper; small sheet ghosts one above another, each leaning a different way, two dot eyes. Size 2 round.
  • Holly sprigs with berry dots Deep green, red. Taper; pairs of spiky leaves with three berries, spaced up the length. Size 0 liner, dotting tool.
  • Initials stacked down a taper One dark colour. Taper; two or three capitals one under another, a dot between each. Size 0 liner.
  • Lavender sprigs laid along a taper Purple, sage green. Taper; three thin stems up the length, stacked purple dabs at the tops. Size 0 liner.
  • Matching pair with mirrored spirals One colour. Two tapers; a vine winds clockwise on one, anticlockwise on the other, ending below the top. Size 0 liner.
  • Mushrooms stepping up one side Red, white, tan, green. Taper; four toadstools one above another, a grass tuft under each. Size 1 round.
  • Name lettered along a taper One dark colour. Taper; lay it flat, letter the name up from the base, end a thumb below the top. Size 0 liner.
  • Ribbon bows tied up the length One ribbon colour. Taper; three small bows up one side, tails trailing down toward the next. Size 0 liner.
  • Snake coiled up from the base Green, yellow, black, red. Taper; the body winds up in a spiral, head a thumb below the top, tongue out. Size 2 round.
  • Tiny strawberries tumbling up a taper Red, green, white. Taper; berries no bigger than a fingernail, each tilted, white seed dots last. Size 1 round.
  • Wildflower stems rising from a taper's base Green, red, blue, yellow. Taper; thin stems of different heights, one simple flower head each. Size 0 liner.
  • Wraparound vine with paired leaves Two greens. Taper; one stem winds up to a thumb below the top, a pair of leaves at every half turn. Size 0 liner.

Pillars 26

  • Bats circling toward a painted moon Black, pale yellow on an orange or purple candle. Pillar; a moon at the front, bats spiralling up to it. Size 1 round.
  • Birds on a wire that circles the drum Black or navy. Pillar; one sagging line all the way round, small birds sitting in twos and threes. Size 0 liner.
  • Birthday age in big numerals on a keepsake pillar Two brights, white. Keepsake pillar; the number fills the front, confetti dots scattered round it. Size 6 round.
  • Checkerboard band round a pillar's middle Two colours. Pillar; mark a light grid with a cocktail stick, three rows deep, fill alternate squares. Size 4 flat.
  • Citrus slices tumbling round a pillar Yellow, orange, green, white. Pillar; coin-sized slices at every tilt, white segment lines last. Size 2 round.
  • Fern fronds standing up from the base Two greens. Pillar; tall fronds rise from the bottom edge, leaning alternate ways, leaflets each side. Size 0 liner.
  • Fir branches with hanging baubles Deep green, red, gold. Pillar; branches droop from a line a thumb below the top, a bauble on each tip. Size 1 round.
  • Fireworks bursting on a navy pillar Gold, white, red on a navy candle. Pillar; thin lines burst from a centre dot, a dot at each line's end. Size 0 liner.
  • Meadow wrapping the whole drum Greens, red, blue, yellow. Pillar; grass rises from the base all the way round, flowers at mixed heights. Size 1 round.
  • Monogram in a diamond frame Navy or gold. Pillar; two overlapping capitals inside a thin diamond, a dot at each corner. Size 0 liner.
  • Mushroom ring standing on the base edge Red, white, tan, green. Pillar; a ring of toadstools stands on the bottom edge, tallest at the front. Size 2 round.
  • Night sky with a crescent on one side Pale yellow, white on a navy candle. Pillar; one crescent high up, dot stars thinning toward the base. Size 2 round.
  • One big bloom built from C strokes Pink, deep pink, green. Pillar; curved strokes circle a centre, growing outward; two leaves below. Size 6 round.
  • One letter per pillar across a mantel One colour on three or four pillars. A capital on each, spelling JOY or HOME when lined up. Size 6 round.
  • One word wrapped round a pillar One dark colour. Pillar; a word such as CALM spaced evenly all the way round, so it reads as you turn it. Size 2 round.
  • Pumpkins in a row round the base Orange, green, brown. Pillar; pumpkins of mixed heights stand on the bottom edge, curly vines between. Size 2 round.
  • Rolling hills that join up at the back Three greens, pale blue. Pillar; overlapping hill lines circle the drum and meet where they began. Size 6 flat.
  • Single initial inside a leaf wreath One dark colour, two greens. Pillar; a capital at the front, a ring of paired leaves round it. Size 0 liner.
  • Six-armed snowflakes in three sizes White on a red, green or navy candle. Pillar; large flakes first, small ones in the gaps, dots between. Size 0 liner.
  • Strawberry rows under a ring of leaves Red, green, white. Pillar; berries in offset rows round the drum, a ring of leaves a thumb below the top. Size 2 round.
  • Table number on a display pillar Black or gold. Display pillar; a large numeral inside a thin oval, a sprig either side. Size 2 round, size 0 liner.
  • Tulips standing in a row Red, yellow, pink, green. Pillar; straight stems from the bottom edge all round, a cup-shaped head each. Size 2 round.
  • Two goldfish circling the drum Orange, white, green. Pillar; the fish chase each other round; weed rises from the bottom edge. Size 2 round.
  • Waves round the base with one small boat Navy, teal, white, red. Pillar; scalloped waves fill the bottom third; one boat at the front. Size 2 round.
  • Wedding date round the base of a keepsake pillar One colour to match the flowers. Keepsake pillar; the date circles the bottom edge, a sprig at the start. Size 0 liner.
  • Winter village round the base in white White on a dark candle. Pillar; rooftops and fir trees all round the bottom edge, snow dots above. Size 1 round.

How it works

A candle is a curved surface you only ever see half of, made of wax that is soft and sheds water. These 60 candle painting ideas are written round both facts: 28 for a long thin taper, 32 for a wide pillar, each with its colours and brush size, all meant as ornaments.

Read the full guide

You never see the whole candle

A taper is a long thin candle, traditionally made by dipping a wick into wax again and again. So taper designs repeat or climb, such as Daisy chain spiralling up a taper; stop any of them a thumb's width below the top. A pillar is a drum wide enough to stand on a plate, with room for a scene that wraps; Rolling hills that join up at the back must meet where it began.

Wax sheds water

Most candles today are paraffin wax, which is insoluble in water, so thinned paint beads up on it. Use paint thick, in small dabs. Paraffin is also a soft solid that begins to melt a little above body heat: hold a taper by its base, mark guide lines with a cocktail stick, and keep the finished candle off a sunny sill.

  • Brush numbers have no exact standard between makers: read size 0 liner as your finest brush, size 2 round as small and size 6 as broad.
  • Turn the candle, not the brush: for Rainbow rings stacked up a taper, rest your brush hand on the table and roll the candle.
  • Lettered designs are keepsakes: Wedding date round the base of a keepsake pillar is made for a shelf. Lay a taper in a folded towel so it cannot roll while you letter it.

Questions and answers

Can I burn a candle after painting it?

Treat a painted candle as an unlit decoration unless the instructions on both the candle and the paint say it may be lit. We make no claim that any paint is safe to burn. Keep paint off the top and away from the wick: the spiral designs here say to stop a thumb's width short for that reason.

What paint do I use on a candle?

Craft acrylics are made for surfaces beyond canvas, but wax is an awkward one, so check that your paint's label names wax or candles and whether it asks for a medium. Then test on the candle's base before starting the design.

Which designs suit a taper and which a pillar?

Every detail line says which. Tapers take small repeated motifs: Tiny strawberries tumbling up a taper are no bigger than a fingernail. Pillars take bands and scenes, such as Checkerboard band round a pillar's middle or Two goldfish circling the drum.

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