• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Chicken Painting Ideas

Three ideas, each a chicken with its colors and the step that makes it work.

Chicken Painting Ideas

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  1. One egg cracked across, two eyes in the dark gapWhite, black, pale blue. Paint the crack as a zigzag band of black and add two white dots inside it.
  2. Buff hen on a hay bale in late sunGold, buff, orange, brown. Paint the lit side of hen and bale in gold and the far side in brown.
  3. Row of nest boxes like windows, a different hen in eachBrown, white, black, buff. Rule a row of squares and paint one head and shoulders in every square.

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Hens 15

  • Black hen with a green and violet sheen across her back Black, emerald, violet. Paint her black, then drag a little green and violet over the top curves.
  • Broody hen fluffed wide on a straw nest Buff, cream, straw yellow, red. Paint the hen as a low wide dome and tuck short straw strokes around her.
  • Buff hen on a hay bale in late sun Gold, buff, orange, brown. Paint the lit side of hen and bale in gold and the far side in brown.
  • Hen as a teapot: round body, neck spout, tail handle Teal, cream, red. Paint a round pot body and bend the neck and tail up from either side.
  • Hen at a run, wings out and both feet off the ground White, yellow, red, green. Leave a strip of grass color showing under the feet.
  • Hen from two circles: a melon-size body, a plum-size head Orange, red, yellow, white. Paint the two circles, join them, and add a triangle beak and a zigzag comb.
  • Hen in a nest box, her face in a square of light Brown, straw yellow, cream, red. Paint the inside of the box dark and light only the head and the straw edge.
  • Hen in mid-peck, tail in the air, beak at the ground Brown, tan, red, olive. Tip the whole body forward so the tail is the highest point.
  • Hen looking through wire mesh, diamond shadows across her Buff, gray, brown. Finish the hen, let her dry, then cross her with two sets of slanted gray lines.
  • Hen stretching one wing and one leg out behind her Rust, cream, yellow, gray. Fan the wing feathers as a row of long strokes that all start at the shoulder.
  • Hen's face close up: orange eye, small comb, wattles Red, orange, cream, black, white. Paint the eye as an orange disc with a black center and a white dot of light.
  • Laced plumage: a black rim drawn around every tan feather Tan, black, cream. Fill the body tan, then draw a black U around every feather with a liner brush.
  • Plump white hen in profile on flat sky blue, red comb Sky blue, white, red, yellow. Paint the ground blue, the hen as one white shape, then comb, beak and legs.
  • Speckled feather study, a white tip on every dark feather Charcoal, white, gray. Lay the feathers in rows like fish scales and touch the end of each with white.
  • Three hens' heads above a feed trough, combs in a row Red, white, brown, gray. Paint the trough as one bar and line the three heads up along its top.

Roosters 15

  • Kitchen-sign rooster in folk shapes with dots and scrolls Cream, red, navy, mustard. Paint the bird as a flat shape and decorate it with dots and curls.
  • Large red comb and wattles lit from behind, glowing Red, orange, pale yellow, dark brown. Paint the comb orange in the middle and red at its edges.
  • Palette-knife rooster, each feather a thick slab of color Red, orange, blue, white. Press the paint on with the flat of the knife and leave every edge raised.
  • Rooster crowing, beak open and neck stretched tall Red, gold, black, pale blue. Run one line from the feet to the tip of the beak and build the bird along it.
  • Rooster face-on, his comb flopped to one side Red, white, yellow, black. Paint the head as an egg shape and lean the comb over one eye.
  • Rooster in bold flat shapes: red, gold, black and teal Red, gold, black, teal. Split the bird into six shapes and fill each with one flat color.
  • Rooster in ink line over splashes of watercolor Red, yellow, blue watercolor, black ink. Drop the color on wet paper, let it dry, and draw over it.
  • Rooster on a barn roof ridge at first light Peach, pink, dark red, black. Blend the sky, let it dry, and paint the roof line and bird dark on top.
  • Rooster shaking out his feathers, every one lifted Brown, rust, gold, cream. Paint the feathers as short strokes that point outward all around the body.
  • Rooster shape on a gate with the sun's disc behind him Yellow, orange, black. Paint a yellow disc on orange, let it dry, and add the gate and bird in black.
  • Rooster strutting, one foot lifted and chest pushed forward Rust, black, red, yellow. Paint the chest as the widest part and curl the lifted toes under.
  • Rooster's golden neck feathers pouring over a dark chest Gold, orange, black. Paint the chest black and pull narrow gold strokes down over it from the head.
  • Scaly yellow legs and toes close up on gravel Yellow, ochre, gray. Band the legs with short curved lines and spread three toes forward, one back.
  • Tail feathers as long green-black arcs, one per stroke Black, emerald, teal. Load a round brush and pull each feather in a single curve that tapers off.
  • White rooster in a green pasture, the comb the only red White, green, red, gray. Keep every color cool except the comb and wattles.

Chicks and eggs 15

  • Chick asleep in the orange circle of a heat lamp Orange, yellow, dark brown. Blend a warm circle on a dark ground and curl the chick in its middle.
  • Chick beside a dandelion seed head of the same size Yellow, white, green, gray. Paint the seed head as fine spokes around a dot and the chick as a matching ball.
  • Chick halfway out of the shell, wet down in spikes Cream, yellow, gray, white. Paint the down as short pointed strokes clumped together in threes.
  • Chick standing on a hen's back Rust, yellow, red, cream. Paint the hen large and steady and balance the chick between her shoulders.
  • Chick's first wing feathers showing through the fluff Yellow, cream, brown. Paint the fluff soft and add a few firm brown feather strokes at the wing.
  • Chicks following a hen in a line through tall grass Green, yellow, brown, red. Hide the lower half of every bird behind upright grass strokes.
  • Chicks' heads poking out through a hen's breast feathers Brown, yellow, cream, red. Paint the hen's feathers first and set three small yellow heads among them.
  • Egg carton with one chick sitting in an empty cup Gray, white, yellow. Paint the carton as two rows of round hollows and fill all but one with eggs.
  • First crack: a star-shaped chip and the tip of a beak White, cream, pale gray, orange. Shade the egg round, then paint the chip as a dark star with a beak in it.
  • Fluff study: a chick built from short curved strokes Yellow, pale orange, white. Work outward from the center with short strokes and leave the outline ragged.
  • One egg cracked across, two eyes in the dark gap White, black, pale blue. Paint the crack as a zigzag band of black and add two white dots inside it.
  • Row of chicks drinking, heads tipped back Yellow, orange, gray, blue. Paint a shallow dish and line five chicks along it, beaks pointing up.
  • Six eggs in a straw nest: brown, cream and white Brown, cream, white, straw yellow. Paint the eggs as plain ovals and cross short straw strokes around them.
  • Three eggs, three stages: whole, cracked, chick White, cream, yellow, orange. Rule the canvas into three panels and paint one stage in each.
  • Yellow chick from two sponge dabs, beak and legs in pen Yellow, orange, black pen. Dab a big round and a small one, let them dry, and add the pen lines.

Coops and yards 15

  • Blue coop with a round door and a flower box Blue, white, red, green. Paint the coop as a simple house shape and hang a box of red dots under its window.
  • Chickens crossing a dirt lane in single file Tan, white, rust, green. Paint the lane as a pale band and space five birds evenly across it.
  • Coop window at night, hens in a row on the perch Navy, yellow, brown. Paint the window as a warm rectangle in a dark wall with a row of round shapes inside.
  • Egg basket on a fence post, hens beyond out of focus Tan, cream, green, white. Paint the basket sharply and the hens behind as soft blobs with no detail.
  • Flock scratching under an apple tree among fallen fruit Green, red, brown, white. Dot the windfalls in the grass and bend each hen's head toward one.
  • Hen on the farmhouse step, the door open behind her Red, white, dark brown, buff. Paint the open doorway nearly black so the hen stands out against it.
  • Hen settled in a wheelbarrow of straw Red, straw yellow, buff, gray. Paint the barrow first and heap the straw over its rim around the hen.
  • Hen sunk in among the lettuces of a garden bed Green, lime, rust, brown. Ruffle the lettuce leaves in two greens and show only the hen's top half.
  • Hens filing down the coop ramp at sunrise Peach, red, white, brown. Slant the ramp from the door to the ground and space four hens along it.
  • Rooster and hens around a tipped feed bucket Gray, yellow, rust, white. Spill the grain as a fan of yellow dots from the mouth of the bucket.
  • Row of nest boxes like windows, a different hen in each Brown, white, black, buff. Rule a row of squares and paint one head and shoulders in every square.
  • Snowy yard, hen tracks leading to one patch of bare ground White, pale blue, brown, rust. Paint the tracks as small three-toed marks that wander and then converge.
  • Washing on a line above, hens below, long afternoon shadows White, blue, green, brown. Stretch every shadow the same way, three times as long as its hen.
  • Wire run with sunflowers growing up the outside Yellow, green, gray, brown. Paint the hens first, the wire over them, and the sunflowers in front of both.
  • Yard from above: hens as ovals around a circle of grain Tan, white, rust, yellow. Paint the grain as a yellow disc and point every oval's narrow end toward it.

How it works

A chicken is a round body on bare legs with short wings, and adults of both sexes wear a fleshy comb and wattles. That is most of the drawing. These canvases cover hens, roosters, chicks and the yard.

Read the full guide

Rooster painting ideas start with the tail

A rooster's comb and wattles stand out more than a hen's, so he gets more red, and his tail gives the brush something to do. Tail feathers as long green-black arcs, one per stroke pulls each feather in a single curve. Rooster crowing, beak open and neck stretched tall paints the call that marks his territory.

Hens, in flat color first

Paint the hen as one round shape, let it dry, then lay the feathers over it. Acrylic is fast-drying, so the second layer is not far behind. Laced plumage: a black rim drawn around every tan feather is one pattern to try.

Questions and answers

What are some easy chicken painting ideas?

Easy first chickens, under More filters, holds 21. Hen from two circles: a melon-size body, a plum-size head is two shapes, and Yellow chick from two sponge dabs, beak and legs in pen needs no brush for the body.

How do you paint a hen with her chicks?

Put the hen down first as one wide shape, then add the chicks small and bright. Chicks' heads poking out through a hen's breast feathers hides them in her; Chicks following a hen in a line through tall grass strings them out behind.

What colors do you need to paint chickens?

Red for combs and wattles and yellow or orange for legs and beaks. The coat is your choice of white, buff, rust, brown or black: size and coloring vary widely between breeds.

How long does a chick take to hatch?

About 21 days, and the chick breaks the shell with its egg tooth. First crack: a star-shaped chip and the tip of a beak paints that moment, and Three eggs, three stages: whole, cracked, chick paints the sequence.

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