Books stacked in rainbow order, one flat color per spineRed, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, cream. Paint each spine one flat color and tilt one or two books.
Chameleon running red at the nose to violet at the tailRed through violet, black. Blend each color into the next along the body while both are wet.
Crayon tips lined up in rainbow orderRed through violet, white. Paint each crayon as a rectangle with a cone tip, all the same height.
Hot-air balloons drifting red to violet over a pale fieldSeven rainbow colors, cream, pale green. Paint the nearest balloon red and biggest, the farthest violet and small.
Jars of colored water on a windowsill, red to violetSeven rainbow colors, white, pale gray. Paint seven jar shapes and fill each to a different height.
Kite with seven tails against a pale skySeven rainbow colors, pale blue, white. Paint each tail as one wavy stroke of a loaded round brush.
Mountain ridges stepping back from red to violetRed through violet, white. Paint the nearest ridge red and step back through the rainbow to a violet sky.
Paint tubes squeezing out squiggles, red to violetRed through violet, white, gray. Paint each tube white and its squiggle of color twice as long as the tube.
Picket fence with every board the next rainbow colorRed through violet, pale blue, green. Paint seven tall boards with pointed tops, one color each, on a pale sky.
Row of seven houses painted in rainbow orderRed through violet, white. Paint seven flat house fronts side by side and add white window frames when dry.
Seven umbrellas in rainbow order on a gray streetSeven rainbow colors, gray. Paint the street gray first so the seven colors carry it.
Six koi circling a pale pond, one in each rainbow colorSix rainbow colors, cream, pale green. Keep the pond pale and flat so each fish reads as one clean color.
Tree whose branches run red to violet, one color eachRed through violet, dark brown. Dab one color per branch with a round brush, working left to right.
Winding road in rainbow bands over black hillsSeven rainbow colors, black. Paint the road as seven thin lanes that narrow together into the distance.
Two opposites 14
Blue butterfly on orange marigoldsCobalt, orange, yellow, black. Paint the flowers as loose dabs and the butterfly with crisp edges.
Blue teapot on an orange tableclothCobalt, orange, white. Paint the cloth with a wide brush and give the teapot one white shine.
Bluebird perched among orange berriesCobalt, pale blue, orange, brown. Paint the bird in two blues and print each berry with a cotton swab.
One yellow lemon on a purple clothLemon yellow, purple, white. Shade the lemon with a little purple, not black.
Orange canyon walls under a strip of blue skyOrange, burnt orange, blue, white. Use four oranges for the rock walls and one flat blue above them.
Orange lily with freckled petals on plain blueOrange, blue, brown. Paint six curled petals and dot the freckles with a cotton swab.
Pair of red rain boots in tall green grassRed, two greens, white. Paint the grass in upward strokes and the boots as two flat red shapes with one white shine.
Purple grapes on a yellow platePurple, violet, yellow, white. Paint the plate as one flat yellow oval and each grape with a small white dot.
Purple irises in front of a flat yellow wallViolet, purple, yellow, green. Fill the wall flat first and paint the petals over it once dry.
Red park bench against a clipped green hedgeRed, two greens, white. Fill the hedge in two flat greens and paint the bench over it in one red.
Red tractor on stripes of light and dark greenRed, green, dark green. Paint the field as stripes of two greens only and the tractor in one red.
Round green cactus in a red pot on red groundGreen, red, white. Paint the pot and the ground the same red so the cactus stands alone.
Small orange fish alone in a canvas of blueOrange, blue, white. Use only the two colors and white, and keep the fish small in a lot of blue.
Yellow moon over purple hillsYellow, purple, lilac. Paint the hills in three purples that darken toward the front.
Warm against cool 14
Campfire glowing orange in a blue night forestOrange, yellow, navy, teal. Paint everything blue first, then add the fire and an orange edge on the nearest trunks.
Mountain split down the middle, sunrise side and shadow sidePeach, orange, violet, navy. Paint one face of every peak warm and the other cool, with a hard edge between.
One canvas split in two: desert at noon, desert at nightOcher, orange, navy, violet. Paint the same dunes on both halves and change only the colors.
One gold tree on a slope of blue-green pinesGold, yellow, blue green, dark teal. Tap the pines in cool greens with a fan brush and dab the one warm tree last.
One sunflower against a slate-blue storm skyYellow, orange, brown, slate blue. Paint the whole sky in cool slate first and the warm petals over it once dry.
One yellow leaf floating on dark blue waterYellow, ocher, navy, teal. Paint the water in dark level strokes and add two pale rings around the leaf.
Orange and red balloons floating on plain turquoiseOrange, red, turquoise, white. Paint each balloon as one oval with a small white highlight.
Orange cat asleep on a blue quiltOrange, cream, three blues. Paint the quilt as a grid of blues and curl the cat across four squares.
Red crab on cool blue-gray pebblesRed, orange, blue gray, white. Paint the pebbles as cool ovals and the crab as the one warm shape, off center.
Red fall tree beside a lake in bluesRed, orange, cobalt, pale blue. Mirror the tree in the water with shorter, broken strokes.
Red village roofs in a blue-violet mountain valleyRed, orange, violet, slate blue. Paint the slopes in three cool layers and dot the roofs in last.
River of lava through cold blue rockRed, orange, yellow, slate blue. Paint the rock dark and cool, then lay a bright winding line through it.
Steaming mug on the sill of a frosty blue windowRed, cream, ice blue, white. Paint the frost with a dry brush and the mug in one flat warm color.
Sun in warm rings sinking into a cool striped seaYellow, orange, red, teal, navy. Paint rings around a half disc and flat bands for the water.
Every color on white or black 14
Balls of yarn in eight colors on a white groundEight bright colors, white. Paint each ball as a disc and wrap it in curved lines of a darker mix.
Butterflies of every color in rows on blackEight bright colors, black. Paint each one as two pairs of rounded wings, four to a row.
Fruit slices on white: lime, orange, watermelon, kiwiGreen, orange, red, pink, white. Paint each slice as a circle or wedge with a paler center.
Hummingbird in emerald, ruby and violet on blackEmerald, ruby, violet, black. Stroke the throat feathers on as short overlapping dabs.
Jelly beans spilled across a white tableEight bright colors, white, pale gray. Paint each bean as a small curved oval with a gray shadow under it.
Marbles of every color rolling across blackSix bright colors, white, black. Paint each marble as a disc with a swirl and one white dot.
Paint splash on white, a ring of six colored dropsSix bright colors, white. Paint a ring of teardrop shapes rising from one puddle.
Parrots on a white ground, colors straight from the tubeRed, yellow, blue, green, white. Leave the background bare white so each bird reads as a shape of color.
Row of mugs on a white shelf, no two the same colorSix bright colors, white, pale gray. Paint each mug as a flat block with a handle and the shelf as one gray line.
School of neon fish on blackHot pink, lime, cyan, orange, black. Paint every fish the same simple shape and change only the color.
Sewing buttons scattered on white, each a different colorTen colors, white. Paint discs, add a paler rim and dot two or four holes in each.
Sliced bell peppers in four colors on blackRed, orange, yellow, green, black. Paint each slice as a lumpy ring and leave the black showing inside.
Ten fresh blobs of paint around a white paletteTen colors, white, pale gray. Paint the palette pale gray on white and one round blob of each color along its rim.
Wildflowers scattered on black, each a pure tube colorRed, yellow, blue, white, black. Use each color unmixed and keep the stems thin.
Color blocks and stripes 14
Doors in a row, each door and wall a clashing pairPink, green, orange, blue, yellow, violet. Paint each wall panel first, then the door in its opposite.
Farm fields from the air in bright squaresLime, gold, orange, pink, brown. Rule a loose grid and fill each field with one color and one direction of stroke.
Fish built from colored trianglesOrange, pink, turquoise, navy. Draw a fish outline, divide it with straight lines and fill each piece flat.
Five balanced stones, each one a flat bright colorCoral, mustard, teal, plum, cream. Paint five rounded slabs, the biggest at the bottom.
Five taped stripes: sky, hills, field, shore, seaSky blue, violet, lime, sand, teal. Tape each edge and let a stripe dry before the next.
Fruit in nine squares, each painted its neighbor's colorNine bright colors. Fill each square flat and paint the fruit in the color of the square next to it.
Quilt of triangles in six colorsRed, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. Rule squares, cut each with a diagonal and never let equal colors touch.
Regatta of small boats, every sail two triangles of colorRed, yellow, blue, white, teal. Split every sail into two triangles of different colors.
Rooster with every tail feather a different flat colorRed, orange, teal, navy, yellow. Give each tail feather its own flat color and outline nothing.
Row of surfboards, each with its own stripesYellow, coral, teal, navy, white. Paint long ovals standing in sand and stripe each one differently.
Stacked shipping containers in six flat colorsRed, yellow, turquoise, orange, green, blue. Paint each container as one long rectangle and stack them like bricks.
Striped beach towel filling the canvas edge to edgeCoral, turquoise, yellow, white. Tape the stripes at uneven widths and fill each one flat.
Three striped deck chairs on pale sandRed, yellow, turquoise, white, sand. Tape the stripes on each chair and fill them flat, one color to a chair.
Tiger in the wrong colors: pink with turquoise stripesHot pink, turquoise, black. Paint the body pink, let it dry and lay the stripes over it.
How it works
A painting looks colorful when its colors are planned, not when there are many of them. These canvases are sorted by the plan: rainbow order, two opposites, warm against cool, every color on white or black, and blocks and stripes.
Read the full guide
Colorful canvas painting ideas from two colors
In the red, yellow and blue model the opposite pairs are red with green, yellow with purple, blue with orange, and each pair makes a strong contrast side by side. Blue teapot on an orange tablecloth uses one pair and white. One yellow lemon on a purple cloth shades the lemon with purple, not black.
Warm against cool
Reds, oranges and yellows are called warm; blue-greens through blue-violets are called cool. Campfire glowing orange in a blue night forest paints everything cool first, so one small warm shape carries the picture.
The easy ones sit under More filters, Level.
Questions and answers
How do I make a painting look more colorful?
Limit the plan, not the paint. Put two opposites side by side, set one warm shape in a cool scene, or use pure colors on plain white or black. Each group here is one such plan.
What are easy colorful painting ideas for beginners?
Crayon tips lined up in rainbow order, Stacked shipping containers in six flat colors and Orange and red balloons floating on plain turquoise are flat shapes with no blending. 25 ideas carry the easy mark.
Which colors are opposites?
Red with green, yellow with purple, blue with orange, in the traditional painter's model. The Two opposites group has 14 canvases built on one of those pairs, such as Round green cactus in a red pot on red ground.
What does rainbow order mean in a painting?
The colors follow red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet across the picture. Jars of colored water on a windowsill, red to violet lines seven jars up in that order.