Cottage across a meadow of buttercups, fence posts leading inYellow, green, cream, gray. Space the posts closer together as they near the cottage.
Gate seen from the doorstep, the lane beyond it a pale stripGreen, tan, white, sky blue. Reverse the usual view: garden in front, gate small, lane behind.
Shoveled trench through deep snow leading to the cottage doorWhite, blue, brown, green. Paint the trench walls in blue shadow and the door green at the far end.
Corner of a stone cottage, every stone a different grayGray, ocher, white, umber. Block the stones in three grays, then draw dark lines only where two stones meet.
Eyebrow of thatch curving over one upstairs windowOcher, brown, white, gray. Curve the roof strokes up and over the window like a raised brow.
Gable end of a thatched roof, the cut straw showing as a thick dark bandOcher, umber, cream. Paint the roof's edge as a thick dark band and keep the wall under it pale.
Gable wall with firewood stacked up to the eavesCream, umber, tan, gray. Paint the log ends as small circles in rows, darker in the middle.
Moss and a tuft of grass growing on an old thatched roofOlive, straw, umber, lime. Dab the moss with the corner of a sponge over the dry straw color.
Plank door set so low that the thatch nearly touches its topBrown, straw, cream, black. Paint the door in upright strokes with one dark gap at the hinge side.
Slate roof in the rain, each slate a different wet grayBlue gray, charcoal, white. Paint rows of slates and add one pale streak to each for the shine.
Stable door with its top half open and a cat on the lower halfSage green, cream, black, ginger. Paint the dark inside first, then the cat over it once dry.
Stone chimney above a mossy roof, a curl of smoke leaving itGray, moss green, white. Drag thinned white upward with a dry brush for the smoke.
Thatched roof filling the top half of the canvas above two small windowsStraw yellow, umber, cream, black. Drag a nearly dry brush down the roof so the strokes read as straw.
Whitewashed wall with one deep-set window and a blue shutterWhite, gray blue, cobalt, ocher. Shade the window's inner edge so the wall looks thick.
Whole cottage in three shapes: a box, a roof like a loaf and a chimneyCream, straw, brick red, sky blue. Round the roof's corners so it reads as thatch.
A garden gate 12
Beehive by the fence, the gate just behind itWhite, straw, green, yellow. Paint the hive as stacked white boxes and dot the bees with a brush tip.
Bicycle leaning on the fence beside an open gateSage, black, cream, pink. Paint both wheels as thin rings before you add the frame.
Garden gate in autumn with leaves drifted against its bottom railRust, ocher, brown, gray. Pile the leaf dabs deepest in the corner where gate meets post.
Gate at the end of a tunnel of apple blossomPink, white, brown, green. Dab blossom with a cotton swab in two pinks over the dark branches.
Gate in spring rain, puddles on the path holding the white picketsGray, white, green. Drag short white strokes downward in each puddle for the reflection.
Gate latch close up, a tall flower spike leaning through the barsBrown, purple, green, cream. Build the flower spike from dabs, largest at the bottom.
Gate seen from the doorstep, the lane beyond it a pale stripGreen, tan, white, sky blue. Reverse the usual view: garden in front, gate small, lane behind.
Gateway under an arch of roses with the front door framed inside itGreen, pink, cream, brown. Dab the roses with the tip of a round brush along a penciled arch.
Looking over a low gate at cabbages and beans growing among the flowersGreen, blue green, orange, white. Paint the vegetables in rows and let the flowers break the rows.
Small iron gate in a tall hedge, a slice of bright garden through itDark green, black, pink, cream. Paint the bright garden first, then close it in with the hedge.
Sunflowers looking over the fence, taller than the gateYellow, brown, green, white. Paint the fence, let it dry and stand the flower heads above the top rail.
White picket gate with one picket missing, a hen stepping through the gapWhite, brick red, green, brown. Paint the gate in white over the dry garden and leave one dark gap.
A cottage in snow 12
Cottage seen through bare black branches loaded with snowWhite, black, cream, brown. Paint the cottage first, then cross it with branches, a white line on each.
Footprints from the gate to the door across a white gardenWhite, blue gray, brown. Paint each print as a small blue-gray dab, closer together near the door.
Garden wall and gate drawn only by the snow lying on top of themWhite, pale gray. On a gray ground, paint only the caps of snow; the wall is the bare gap below.
Gray snow sky, gray walls, and the only color a red doorGray, white, red. Mix every other color toward gray and leave the door pure red.
Long blue evening shadow of the cottage across the snowWhite, ultramarine, violet, cream. Paint the shadow blue violet and keep the sunlit snow a warm white.
Shoveled trench through deep snow leading to the cottage doorWhite, blue, brown, green. Paint the trench walls in blue shadow and the door green at the far end.
Sled leaning on the cottage wall beside a pair of bootsRed, white, brown, gray. Paint the runners as two thin curved lines and a blue shadow under each boot.
Snow falling past a dark open doorwayCharcoal, white, cream. Dot the flakes with a cotton swab, larger near the bottom edge.
Snow lying on the thatch like a second, whiter roofWhite, pale blue, straw, gray. Shade the snow's underside pale blue and leave an edge of straw below it.
Snow-capped chimney pots in a row, one of them smokingBrick red, white, gray, pale blue. Cap each pot with a white dab and drag thin gray up from only one.
Snowman in the front garden wearing the gardener's straw hatWhite, straw, orange, black. Shade one side of each snowball pale blue so it turns.
Summer's bean poles standing empty in a white gardenWhite, brown, pale blue. Lean thin brown poles into a tepee and cap each crossing with white.
A lit window at dusk 12
Checked curtains drawn halfway across a lit windowAmber, red, cream, navy. Paint the amber pane first, then the curtain folds in stripes of red and cream.
Cottage as a black shape against a violet sky, two windows litViolet, orange, black, yellow. Blend the sky, block the cottage in black and add two yellow squares.
Four-pane window with a lamp and a teapot in silhouetteAmber, black, navy. Fill the panes with amber, let them dry and paint the lamp and pot in black.
Kettle steam fogging the lower panes of a lit kitchen windowAmber, cream, navy. Scumble thin cream over the lower panes for the steam.
Last sunlight on the chimney, the windows just lit belowPeach, violet, amber, gray. Paint the chimney top peach and everything under it in violet shade.
Lit window in fog with a soft halo around itGray, amber, white. Sponge a pale ring around the window while the gray is still damp.
Lit window repeated upside down in a puddle by the doorNavy, amber, gray. Paint the reflection in short broken strokes, dimmer than the window.
Lit window seen through the dark seed heads of the gardenBlack, amber, navy. Paint the window, then cross it with black stems and seed heads.
One lit window, shutters open, and the first star above the roofNavy, amber, sage, white. One white dot for the star; keep the rest of the sky plain.
Open door at dusk spilling light down three stone stepsIndigo, amber, gray. Light the top of each step and leave its face dark.
Upstairs window lit and downstairs dark, someone reading by the lampNavy, amber, black. Paint the reader as a small black shape inside the amber square.
Window light falling as a yellow shape across the garden pathIndigo, amber, deep green. Paint the light on the ground as the window's own shape, stretched.
Country cottage scenes 12
Clifftop cottage with the sea behind and yellow wildflowers in frontTeal, yellow, green, white. Dot the flowers with a cotton swab, bigger toward the bottom edge.
Cottage across a meadow of buttercups, fence posts leading inYellow, green, cream, gray. Space the posts closer together as they near the cottage.
Cottage among autumn trees, chimney smoke drifting sidewaysRust, orange, cream, gray. Sponge the leaves in two oranges and pull the smoke sideways with a dry brush.
Cottage at the edge of a wheat field under a wide skyGold, sky blue, white, cream. Give the sky two thirds of the canvas and the cottage a corner.
Cottage at the foot of a green hill, a lane curling down to itGreens, cream, tan, sky blue. Paint the lane wide at the bottom edge and thin as a thread at the door.
Cottage beside a stone bridge over a streamGray, green, cream, blue. Paint the arch's dark underside first; it sets the tone for the water.
Cottage in a hollow seen from above, its garden a patchworkGreens, straw, brown, pink. Paint the garden as small squares, each a different green.
Cottage on a moor under heavy cloud, one patch of sun on its wallGray, olive, cream, purple. Keep everything dull except the one sunlit wall.
Lakeside cottage with a rowing boat pulled up on the grassBlue, green, cream, red. Mirror the cottage in the water with broken sideways strokes.
Orchard in blossom with a cottage roof just showing above itPink, white, green, straw. Dab the blossom with a sponge; the roof is one straw-colored shape.
Sheep grazing right up to the cottage wallGreen, white, gray, cream. Paint each sheep as a white oval with a dark face.
Two cottages facing each other across a village green with a duck pondGreen, cream, straw, blue. Keep both small and give the green the middle of the canvas.
How it works
A cottage is a small house, traditionally with a garden, and a thatched one is roofed in layers of straw or reed. On canvas that comes to a low roof, a door, a window and a great deal of garden.
Read the full guide
Country cottage painting ideas: the house small, the land large
The group Country cottage scenes gives the canvas to a hill, a field or a moor and tucks the house into it. Cottage at the edge of a wheat field under a wide sky leaves two thirds to the sky. Sheep grazing right up to the cottage wall is the one to start on.
One cottage through the year
The garden gate group runs from spring blossom through summer beans to autumn leaves, and the snow group is winter. A cottage garden mixes flowers with vegetables, so Looking over a low gate at cabbages and beans growing among the flowers is true to the type.
A cottage garden is densely planted: dab flowers until no bare ground shows.
Questions and answers
What are some easy cottage painting ideas?
Sixteen are marked easy under More filters, Level. The plainest is Whole cottage in three shapes: a box, a roof like a loaf and a chimney. For no detail at all, paint Cottage as a black shape against a violet sky, two windows lit.
How do you paint a thatched roof?
Lay a flat straw color and let it dry. Then drag a nearly dry brush down the slope in a darker tone, so the scratchy strokes read as straw, and shade the underside of the eaves.
What colors do you need for a cottage painting?
Cream or white for the walls, straw yellow and umber for thatch, gray for stone, and two or three greens for the garden. The dusk scenes trade these for indigo and amber.
How do you paint snow on a cottage roof?
Paint the snow as a thick white shape lying on the roof and shade its underside pale blue. Snow lying on the thatch like a second, whiter roof leaves an edge of straw showing below it.