• 56 designs

Coaster Painting Ideas for Square and Round Blanks, Singly or in Sets

Three coaster designs at a time, each with its colours and how it sits on a square or a round blank. Keep the one you like and add two that go with it.

Coaster Painting Ideas for Square and Round Blanks, Singly or in Sets

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  1. Mountain range in taped trianglesGreys, teal, white. Tape overlapping triangles up from the bottom edge, fill each flat, peel; white caps last.
  2. Bare cork with a painted rim bandOne colour on bare cork. Paint a 1 cm band at the rim and one small motif; the cork's own grain is the background.
  3. Running-stitch diamonds on indigoIndigo, white. Dashed white paint-pen lines as crossed diagonals, every dash the same length, like hand stitching.

Next step Scale the pattern up on a canvasPlan the grid on graph paper first

All 56 designs

Sets of four 16

  • Blue and white tile with quarter flowers Cobalt, white. Quarter flower in each corner, star in the centre; squares laid side by side make whole flowers.
  • Card suits: heart, diamond, club, spade Red, black, white. One suit centred on each white square, a small matching pip in two opposite corners. Paint pen.
  • Citrus slices: lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit Yellow, green, orange, pink, white. One fruit per round: rind rim, white pith ring, about ten segment wedges.
  • Compass points N, E, S and W Cream, navy, red. The same eight-point star on each round; a different letter picked out in red at its point.
  • Dice faces one to four White, black. Pips printed with a pencil eraser dipped in paint, the same spacing on all four squares.
  • Four leaves: oak, maple, ginkgo, birch Greens, ochre, rust, cream. One leaf per coaster laid corner to corner; centre vein first, side veins in paint pen.
  • Four seasons of one tree Brown, pink, green, orange, white. Same bare trunk on all four; blossom, leaf, autumn and snow in cotton-bud dabs.
  • Four weather signs: sun, cloud, rain, snow Sky blue, yellow, white, grey. One sign per coaster on the same sky-blue base, each drawn from circles and dots.
  • Household initials One base colour per person, white. One big serif capital each, centred; thin border line 5 mm from the edge. Paint pen.
  • Ombre set from pale to full strength One colour, white. Mix four steps from pale to full strength; one flat step per coaster, edges included.
  • One landscape across a two-by-two block Blues, greens, ochre. Tape four squares together underneath, paint one hill line and sun across the joins, separate.
  • Phases of the moon Navy, white, grey. Crescent, half, gibbous and full on four rounds; sponge grey craters, leave a navy rim.
  • Quartered mandala that joins in the middle Teal, gold, white. A quarter mandala in one corner of each square; push the four corners together to complete it.
  • Rainbow arc in one corner Five muted colours, cream. Arcs centred on one corner, widest first; four squares turned inward make a full circle.
  • Truchet diagonal halves Two colours. Split each square corner to corner, one half per colour; turn the four tiles to make new patterns.
  • Truchet quarter-circle arcs White, one dark colour. Two arcs join the midpoints of adjacent sides; side by side the four link into wandering paths.

Square 23

  • Bubble-wrap honeycomb print Yellow, ochre. Brush paint onto bubble wrap, press once, lift; outline a few cells in ochre when dry.
  • Checkerboard, four by four Black, cream. Tape a 4 by 4 grid; on a 10 cm square each check is 2.5 cm. Paint alternate squares, then peel.
  • Confetti dashes on white White, five brights. Short dashes at every angle, none crossing, thinning out toward one corner or one side.
  • Cotton-bud dot border One base colour, white. Base coat, then a line of white dots 5 mm in from the edge, spaced by eye. Cotton bud.
  • Envelope back with a wax seal Kraft tan, white, red. Two lines from the top corners meet in the middle as the flap; red seal dot where they meet.
  • Fingerprint cherries Red, green, brown. Pairs of red fingerprints, each pair joined by two thin stems and one leaf. Paint pen for stems.
  • Gilt picture frame round one pear Gold, cream, green, brown. Frame band 1 cm wide with mitre lines at the corners; one pear inside, off-centre.
  • Gingham check in one colour White, one colour. Three taped stripes down, dry, then three across; each crossing gets a second coat and goes darker.
  • Half-dipped corner to corner White, one bold colour, gold. Tape the diagonal, paint one triangle, peel; a gold paint-pen line along the join.
  • Honeycomb with one bee Honey yellow, ochre, black, white. Hexagons in rows running off every edge; one cell left clear for a small striped bee.
  • Map square of your own street Cream, grey, green, red. Roads as grey lines running off the edges, the park in green, one red dot for home.
  • Masking-tape diagonal stripes Two colours, white. Tape diagonal stripes of uneven width, paint between them, peel while the paint is still soft.
  • Mountain range in taped triangles Greys, teal, white. Tape overlapping triangles up from the bottom edge, fill each flat, peel; white caps last.
  • Pixel heart on a pencilled grid White, two reds. Rule a 10 by 10 grid in pencil; fill squares flat, the darker red down one side as shadow.
  • Polka dots that run off the edge One base colour, one contrast. Rows of pencil-eraser dots; half-dots at the edge make it read as cut cloth.
  • Primary colour blocks with black bars Red, yellow, blue, white, black. Tape uneven rectangles, fill three with colour, leave the rest white, bars last.
  • Real leaf print Green, cream. Brush paint on the veined back of a real leaf, press it centred on the coaster, lift straight up.
  • Rows of brush-width plus signs Cream, black. Small plus signs one flat-brush wide, each row offset by half a step from the row above.
  • Running-stitch diamonds on indigo Indigo, white. Dashed white paint-pen lines as crossed diagonals, every dash the same length, like hand stitching.
  • Stained-glass web with black leading Black, four jewel colours. Rule a loose web of black lines edge to edge; fill each cell flat, no two neighbours alike.
  • Terrazzo speckle Cream, terracotta, sage, mustard, charcoal. Angular chips of mixed size, none touching, a few cut off by the edge.
  • Toothbrush splatter over a taped initial White, navy, gold. Tape the letter shape down, flick navy then gold from a toothbrush, peel the tape when dry.
  • Two-colour sponge fade Coral, yellow. Coral from the top, yellow from the bottom; dab the overlap with a damp sponge until the join goes.

Round 17

  • Agate slice in wobbly bands Purple, lilac, white, gold. Bands follow the rim inward, palest at the centre; a thin gold line rides one band.
  • Archery target in five bands Gold, red, blue, black, white. Gold at the centre, white at the rim, five equal bands; a compass keeps them even.
  • Bare cork with a painted rim band One colour on bare cork. Paint a 1 cm band at the rim and one small motif; the cork's own grain is the background.
  • Clock face set to your tea break Cream, black, red. Twelve ticks at the rim, numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9 only, red hands at the time you stop for tea.
  • Colour wheel in twelve wedges Red, yellow, blue. Mark twelve wedges like a clock face; three primaries first, then mix every step between them.
  • Dot mandala from the centre out Navy, teal, white, gold. One centre dot, then rings of dots growing outward. Dotting tool or the end of a brush.
  • Field poppy from above Red, black, green. Four overlapping petals fill the circle to the rim; black blotch at each petal base, dotted centre.
  • Kiwi slice with a seed ring Brown, green, cream, black. Brown rim, green face, cream oval core, tiny black seeds in a ring round the core.
  • Leaf wreath round the rim Sage, dark green, white. Pairs of leaves round the rim only; a mug covers the middle, so nothing is lost there.
  • Marbled swirl with a cocktail stick White, two colours. Blobs of each on wet white, one cocktail stick dragged through in figure eights. Stop early.
  • Porthole with a sea horizon Brass, navy, turquoise, white. Brass ring at the rim with eight rivet dots; horizon a third of the way up, one sail.
  • Snail shell spiral Ochre, brown, cream. One brown spiral from the centre to the rim on ochre, short cream ticks along the outer turn.
  • Sun with taped rays Yellow, orange, white. Tape thin rays from the centre to the rim, paint yellow into orange, peel, add a centre disc.
  • Tree rings with one crack Tan, brown, cream. Wobbly rings from the centre out, one crack line running to the rim, bark brown round the edge.
  • Two koi circling under lily pads Teal, orange, white, green. Two koi circling head to tail, three lily pads overlapping the rim, white ripple arcs.
  • Vinyl record with a bright label Black, grey, one bright colour. Bright label circle in the centre, fine grey groove rings, a wedge of shine each side.
  • Watermelon round with a rind rim Red, white, green, black. Green rim, thin white ring, red centre; teardrop seeds all pointing at the middle.

How it works

A coaster is about 10 cm across and is seen from above, from every side of the table, usually with a cup on it. These 56 coaster painting ideas are for blank squares and rounds, singly or in sets of four, each with its colours and layout.

Read the full guide

A mug hides the middle

A coaster works under a cup, so whatever sits dead centre is covered. Leaf wreath round the rim and Cotton-bud dot border still show with a mug on top; Field poppy from above waits for the mug to lift. Squares can also tile. Truchet diagonal halves splits each square corner to corner in two colours, a pattern Sébastien Truchet described in 1704. One tile sits four ways, so four coasters pushed together make a new pattern each time the table is tidied.

Blank, paint and sealer

Coasters come in cork, ceramic, sandstone and wood, and craft acrylics can be used on wood and ceramics. Dry acrylic is water-resistant, a smaller promise than surviving a sweating glass. Bare wood is porous, and the usual advice is to seal it before painting. Then seal as the sealer's label says, curing time included.

  • For a set, mix each colour once and paint all four at one sitting; a second batch rarely matches.
  • A coaster is seen side-on too, so carry the base coat over the edge. Leave the underside bare for felt or cork feet.
  • Tape does the ruling on a square: Checkerboard, four by four gives 2.5 cm checks on a 10 cm blank.

Questions and answers

What paint and sealer should I use on coasters?

These designs assume craft acrylic and a paint pen for fine lines. We do not test paints or sealers, so we make no heat-proof or water-proof claim. Choose a sealer whose label names your blank's material, and if it does not mention hot cups, keep the coaster for cold drinks.

Will a square design fit a round coaster?

Some will: 13 of the 35 square coaster painting ideas also carry the Round group, such as Terrazzo speckle. Corner designs such as Envelope back with a wax seal stay square. Going the other way, Tree rings with one crack on a square leaves four empty corners; paint those one flat colour.

Which designs make a good gift set?

Household initials is the quickest personal set. Quartered mandala that joins in the middle only finishes when all four squares meet. The word coaster comes from decanter stands that were slid, or coasted, round the dinner table, so a set that gets pushed about is in keeping.

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