• 60 designs
  • Checked October 2026

Clipboard Painting Ideas

Press for three clipboard designs, each with its colors, where it sits on the board and the brush or tool.

Clipboard Painting Ideas

Show all 60
  1. Square letter blocks in brights spelling your name low downBrights, white. A row of painted toy blocks along the bottom edge, a white capital on each. Flat brush.
  2. Name lettered along a painted pencil across the bottomYellow, pink, silver, black. A pencil lies along the bottom edge, the name on its barrel. Liner brush.
  3. Ruled-paper look: blue lines and a red marginWhite, pale blue, red. Level lines a finger apart; one red line down the left side. Paint pen.

Next step Try a pattern on paperWork out the lettering on paper

All 60 designs

Around the clip 12

  • Alligator along the top edge, the clip as its jaw Greens, white, yellow. The body runs behind the clip; white teeth painted along its lower edge. Liner brush.
  • Band of color behind the clip only, the rest left bare Any bright. One level band from edge to edge, as tall as the clip. Tape.
  • Belt painted across the top, the clip as its buckle Brown, gold. A band as tall as the clip runs edge to edge behind it; stitch dashes along it. Liner brush.
  • Board as a suitcase: the clip is its handle Tan, brown, brights. Two straps down the board; corner caps; three round travel stickers. Flat brush.
  • Clip as a faucet: a single drip under it, a puddle at the bottom Any base, pale blue, white. The drop sits a hand under the clip; the rings are near the bottom. Round brush.
  • Crab below the clip, both pincers raised to frame it Red, white, black. The body sits below the clip; two raised claws frame it. Round brush.
  • Diving board under the clip over a pool at the bottom White, aqua, navy. A short plank shape below the clip; water and a splash near the bottom edge. Flat brush.
  • Mountain whose summit sits under the clip Blue-gray, white, green. Slopes run down to both bottom corners; snow under the clip. Flat brush.
  • Smiling freckled face below the clip, which is its hair bow Peach or brown, black, pink. Eyes and a smile just under the clip; hair to both corners. Round brush.
  • Stage curtains tied back either side of the clip Deep red, gold. A valance behind the clip; two swags down the side edges with gold ties. Flat brush.
  • T-shirt painted below the clip, as if on a hanger White, red, navy. Shoulders start at the clip's ends; a striped shirt fills the top half. Flat brush.
  • Waterfall pouring from under the clip down the middle Blues, white, gray. A white fall widens toward the bottom edge; gray rocks at both sides. Dry brush.

Patterns 12

  • Back split in quarters, each a lighter tint than the last One color, white. The back divided in four; each quarter mixed a step lighter. Tape.
  • Bright border two fingers wide, the middle left bare Any bright. A frame of color around the edge, just where a sheet of paper stops. Tape.
  • Combed waves dragged through wet paint on the back Navy, pale blue. Pale paint over dry navy, combed in rows of waves before it sets. Comb.
  • Dots that crowd the four edges and leave the middle empty White, three brights. Dense at the edge, sparse a hand in, none where the paper lies. Cotton swab.
  • Graph-paper grid ruled in white on blue Blue, white. Fine squares over the whole back; every fifth line a little heavier. Paint pen.
  • Notebook-cover speckle with a label box Black, white. White flecks all over black; a white rounded box near the top for a name. Sponge.
  • One masked triangle in each corner, a color apiece Bare board, four colors. One masked triangle in each corner, all the same size. Tape.
  • Pencil shavings: curled ribbons with colored edges Cream, tan, six brights. Fan-shaped curls scattered over the back, each edged in one bright. Liner brush.
  • Ruled-paper look: blue lines and a red margin White, pale blue, red. Level lines a finger apart; one red line down the left side. Paint pen.
  • Slanted stripes on the back, plain front Two colors. Equal stripes corner to corner over the whole back. Tape.
  • Squiggle lines in three colors running off every edge White, three colors. Loose wavy lines cross the back in all directions. Round brush.
  • Three rows of zigzag points, two fingers tall, at the foot of the board Bare board, teal, yellow. The rows alternate color and run edge to edge under the paper. Tape.

Names and words of your own 12

  • Checklist on the back: three boxes, tasks of your own White, black, green. Three ruled boxes with a line beside each; one green tick. Paint pen.
  • Club name of your own curved over a small gold star Any base, white, gold. Capitals follow an arc on the back of the board. Stencil.
  • Days of the week down the left margin White, gray. Seven short words in small capitals, evenly spaced from clip to bottom. Paint pen.
  • Initials on a painted tag tied to the clip by a string Cream, brown, black. A luggage-tag shape below one end of the clip; a looped string line. Liner brush.
  • Job title of your own in small capitals beside the clip Any base, white. A short line to the right of the clip, level with its middle. Paint pen.
  • Motto of your own in two lines over one brush stroke Any base, white, one bright. Two lines of capitals on the back; a single wide stroke under them. Flat brush.
  • Name along the bottom edge, below where the paper ends Any base, black. One line of capitals from corner to corner. Paint pen.
  • Name lettered along a painted pencil across the bottom Yellow, pink, silver, black. A pencil lies along the bottom edge, the name on its barrel. Liner brush.
  • Name stacked down the left edge, one letter to a line Any base, white. Capitals a thumb tall in a column, outside where the paper lies. Stencil.
  • One word of your own written end to end as the border White, one color. The same word end to end along all four edges. Paint pen.
  • PROPERTY OF and a name on the back, like a stamp Bare board, navy. Two lines inside a ruled box, set at a slight slant. Stencil.
  • Square letter blocks in brights spelling your name low down Brights, white. A row of painted toy blocks along the bottom edge, a white capital on each. Flat brush.

For a teacher or a coach 12

  • Alphabet running around the border, A beside the clip White, four colors. Capitals a thumb tall along all four edges, colors in turn. Stencil.
  • Apple below the clip, the clip standing in for its leaf Red, green, white. The apple sits at top center; a white glint on its left shoulder. Round brush.
  • Chalkboard-green back inside a painted wooden frame Dark green, tan, white. A tan border a finger wide; a white chalk stick on its lower ledge. Tape.
  • Coach's whistle bottom right, its cord tracing every edge Any base, silver, red. The cord wanders along all four edges; the whistle rests bottom right. Liner brush.
  • Eight crayon tips standing up from the bottom edge Brights, black. A row of pointed tips two fingers tall; a black wrapper line on each. Flat brush.
  • Half-court lines on the back for sketching plays Tan, white. A key, a free-throw circle and a three-point arc, hoop toward the clip. Paint pen.
  • Lineup card on the back: nine ruled lines, numbered White, black, red. A red heading box; nine numbered lines with room for names. Paint pen.
  • Number line from zero to ten along the bottom edge White, black, red. A ruled line with eleven ticks; numerals under them; a red dot on five. Paint pen.
  • Seating grid of empty desks on the back White, gray. Five rows of six small rectangles, with room in each for a name. Paint pen.
  • Slanted sash in your two colors with a numeral of your own Any two colors, white. A wide band corner to corner on the back; a white numeral on it. Tape.
  • Stopwatch in a bottom corner, lap ticks along the edge Silver, black, red. A round face with one red hand; short ticks run along the bottom. Liner brush.
  • Ten gold stars in a level line under the paper Any base, gold. Stars of one size from corner to corner along the bottom. Stencil.

Seasonal 12

  • Board painted as an ice pop, a tan stick at the bottom Red, orange, tan. Two colors split level across the board; a bite shape at one top corner. Flat brush.
  • Cat's tail showing from under the right edge of the sheet Any base, black. A black tail curls up from where the paper ends; nothing else of the cat. Round brush.
  • Countdown numerals from ten to one down the right edge Any base, white. One numeral per line in a column, for the last days of a term. Stencil.
  • Evergreen sprigs in the two bottom corners, red berries Bare board, dark green, red. Short needle strokes fan from each corner; three berries each. Liner brush.
  • Feather fan in rust, gold and brown from the bottom edge Rust, gold, brown. Seven long feathers rise from the bottom middle and spread. Flat brush.
  • Paper chain in two colors looping along the top edge Red, green. Linked ovals swag from corner to corner, passing behind the clip. Round brush.
  • Slanted pink and red stripes with one white heart Pink, red, white. Stripes over the whole back; a single heart in the lower right corner. Tape.
  • Snowdrift across the top of the board, heaped against the clip Navy, white. A soft white drift across the top; a few flakes below it. Sponge.
  • Sun peeking over the bottom edge, rays up both sides Yellow, orange. A half circle on the bottom edge; rays reach the side edges. Tape.
  • Sunglasses under the clip with a beach in the lenses Black, aqua, sand, yellow. Two large lenses side by side; a tiny shoreline in each. Round brush.
  • Umbrella top under the clip, its handle at the bottom edge Yellow, gray, blue. The canopy spreads below the clip; a hooked handle near the bottom. Flat brush.
  • Whole board as a pencil, its point at the bottom edge Yellow, pink, silver, tan. A pink band under the clip; a tan cone and dark tip at the bottom. Tape.

How it works

A clipboard is a stiff board with a top clip, and a sheet of paper covers the middle of its front. These 60 designs use the clip, the border that still shows and the whole of the back.

Read the full guide

Start at the clip

The clip is the one part no other board has. Alligator along the top edge, the clip as its jaw uses the way it opens; Board as a suitcase: the clip is its handle uses its shape. With paper on, only the edges show, which is why Bright border two fingers wide, the middle left bare works.

Painted clipboard ideas for teachers and coaches

A working board gets its design on the back. Seating grid of empty desks on the back and Half-court lines on the back for sketching plays are both meant to be written on. Every name, numeral and motto in the list is your own.

Questions and answers

What paint do you use on a clipboard?

We do not test paints. Clipboards are made of hardboard and other materials, so whether a paint grips yours without a primer, and which sealer lasts in a bag, is on the label.

Will the paper cover the design?

It covers the middle of the front. The designs for the front keep to the top, the edges and the bottom, such as Name along the bottom edge, below where the paper ends, and many others go on the back.

Can I put a name on a clipboard?

Yes: twelve designs carry a name or words of your own. Name stacked down the left edge, one letter to a line stays clear of the paper, and Name lettered along a painted pencil across the bottom makes the name part of a picture.

Which clipboard designs make a gift for a teacher?

Apple below the clip, the clip standing in for its leaf and Whole board as a pencil, its point at the bottom edge are the classroom ones, and Ten gold stars in a level line under the paper takes one stencil.

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