Patched cow drinking, mirrored in a still pondWhite, black, blue, green. Repeat the head and neck upside down below the waterline.
Dun Highland cow in evening light, coat edged in goldTan, gold, brown, violet. Run a broken gold line along the back and the top of each horn.
Oval cow face: two dot eyes, a wide muzzle, two hornsCream, pink, brown, black. Paint an upright oval, a pink oval across its base and two small horns.
Black Highland cow against a pale misty hillBlack, gray, pale green, cream. Paint the hill pale and soft, then the dark cow sharp in front of it.
Dun Highland cow in evening light, coat edged in goldTan, gold, brown, violet. Run a broken gold line along the back and the top of each horn.
Highland cow behind a stone wall, horns and ears showingGray, rust, cream, green. Paint the wall across the canvas and show only the horns, ears and shaggy crown above it.
Highland cow knee-deep in purple heatherRust, tan, purple, green. Stipple the heather across the cow's legs with an old stiff brush.
Highland cow shaking off rain, drops flying from its coatRust, brown, white, gray. Scatter short white dashes outward from the head and neck.
Highland cow with a crown of wildflowers between its hornsRust, tan, pink, yellow, green. Dot the flowers in a band from horn to horn after the hair is dry.
Highland cow with a small bird perched on one hornRust, cream, blue, brown. Paint the bird as two dabs and a beak near the tip of the horn.
Highland cow with frost whitening the tips of its coatRust, white, pale blue, brown. Dry-brush white along the ends of the hair once the coat is dry.
Shaggy Highland head on a flat teal groundTeal, rust, tan, pink. Paint the ground flat, let it dry, then drag the coat with a nearly dry brush.
Shaggy Highland rump with the horned head turned sidewaysRust, brown, green. Paint a wide shaggy rump and turn the horned head to one side.
Two long horns sweeping wide of the canvas edgesRust, cream, gray, teal. Start each horn at the head and run its tip off the side of the canvas.
Windblown Highland cow, all its long hair swept one wayTan, ochre, brown, gray. Pull every stroke of hair toward the same side of the canvas.
Faces close up 12
Brown cow with a white heart-shaped patch on its foreheadBrown, white, pink, black. Paint the heart patch first and work the brown coat in around it.
Cow chewing sideways, a stalk of grass in its mouthBrown, cream, pink, green. Slide the lower jaw to one side and let a green stalk stick out.
Cow face from below, chin up, ears out like handlesCream, brown, pink, pale blue. Paint the muzzle largest and the eyes small and high above it.
Cow face half in barn shadow, half in sunBrown, cream, pink, violet. Paint the whole face, then glaze thinned violet over the half in shadow.
Cow face in four squares, each in a different color pairPink, teal, yellow, purple, black. Divide the canvas in four and repeat one simple face in each.
Cow leaning into view from the left, one ear and one eyeWhite, black, pink, yellow. Paint one ear, one eye and half the muzzle against a flat yellow.
Cow looking over a wooden gate, chin on the top railBrown, white, gray, green. Paint the rail across the canvas and rest the muzzle on top of it.
Cow nose filling the lower half, two nostrils and a shinePink, gray, white, brown. Paint the wide pink muzzle first and add one white highlight between the nostrils.
Cow wearing a brass bell on a wide leather collarBrown, cream, gold, tan. Paint the bell as a rounded block with one light stripe down its side.
One big cow eye with long lashes, cropped closeBrown, black, white, cream. Paint the eye as a dark oval, a white glint and a row of lashes above it.
Sleepy cow with eyes closed and ears droopingTan, cream, pink, brown. Paint the closed eyes as two downward arcs with lashes.
Wet pink nose with grass seeds stuck to itPink, gray, green, white. Dot the seeds on last and add a white shine across the top of the nose.
Black and white cows in fields 12
Back view of a patched cow flicking its tail at a flyWhite, black, pink, green. Paint a broad rump, two hip bumps and a tail curving off to one side.
Black and white cow at sunrise, long shadow on the grassPeach, white, black, green, violet. Stretch a violet shadow away from the sun along the ground.
Black and white cow side-on in a field of flat greenWhite, black, green, pink. Paint the field flat green to the top edge and stand the cow on it with no sky at all.
Cow grazing under a wide cloud-filled skyBlue, white, black, green. Give the sky three quarters of the canvas and keep the cow small and low.
Cow in a buttercup meadow, yellow dots up to its kneesWhite, black, yellow, green. Dot the buttercups with a cotton swab, larger toward the front.
Cow lying in long grass, only its back and head showingWhite, black, green, yellow green. Flick the grass upward over the lower edge of the body.
Cow-patch pattern from corner to corner with one small noseWhite, black, pink. Paint rounded black islands on white and add one pink nose in a corner.
Cows walking home in single file along a laneWhite, black, tan, green. Shrink each cow along the lane and keep the tails swinging different ways.
Herd on a far hillside as black and white specksGreen, white, black, pale blue. Dab pairs of white and black marks along the slope with a small brush.
Patched cow drinking, mirrored in a still pondWhite, black, blue, green. Repeat the head and neck upside down below the waterline.
Three cows in a row at a fence, patches all differentWhite, black, brown, green. Paint three matching white shapes and give each its own map of patches.
Two cows nose to nose over a hedgeWhite, black, green, pink. Paint the hedge as a dark green band and meet the two noses above it.
Calves 12
Bottle-fed calf, eyes shut, milk on its chinTan, white, pink, blue. Paint the bottle tilted down from one corner and a white drip under the mouth.
Calf curled up asleep in straw, nose on its hoovesTan, yellow, cream, brown. Curl the body into a bean shape and scratch straw around it with a liner.
Calf face with oversized ears and a milk-white muzzleBrown, white, pink, black. Paint the ears nearly as long as the face and the muzzle pale.
Calf mid-leap with all four hooves off the grassWhite, black, green, blue. Arch the back, kick the back legs out and leave a gap under the hooves.
Calf peeking around a hay bale, one eye and one earYellow, tan, brown, pink. Paint the bale as a ribbed block and the calf's face beside it.
Calf trotting to catch up, its mother far ahead on the pathTan, cream, green, brown. Paint the mother small near the top of the path and the calf large near the bottom.
Calf tucked against its mother's side, half hiddenBrown, cream, pink, green. Paint the mother large and the calf's head and back showing below her.
Calf wearing a red knitted hat between its earsTan, red, white, cream. Paint the hat as a red dome with a white pom-pom on top.
Calf with knobby knees standing square onTan, cream, pink, green. Paint four straight legs with a small bump at each knee.
Cross-eyed calf with an orange butterfly parked on its noseTan, pink, orange, black. Paint the butterfly as two orange triangles and cross the calf's eyes a little.
Highland calf like a ball of fluff with two ear tuftsTan, cream, brown. Stipple the coat with a stiff brush so no edge is smooth.
Twin calves standing back to back, tails touchingBrown, cream, green. Mirror the second calf from the first so the pair make one shape.
Simple shapes and bright colors 12
Blue cow with yellow horns under an orange sunBlue, yellow, orange, white. Paint the cow one flat blue and the sun as a plain circle in a corner.
Checkerboard ground with one small cow in the middleRed, white, black, pink. Tape a grid, paint alternate squares red and stand the cow on the center.
Cow built from torn-edge sponge printsBlack, white, green. Stamp a white body, let it dry and stamp black patches over it.
Cow from a rectangle, four legs and a square headWhite, black, pink, yellow. Paint a white block on yellow, add a square head and scatter patches.
Cow in three flat colors on a pale pink canvasPale pink, brown, cream, black. Paint the body brown, the muzzle cream and the horns and hooves black.
Oval cow face: two dot eyes, a wide muzzle, two hornsCream, pink, brown, black. Paint an upright oval, a pink oval across its base and two small horns.
Pink cow with purple patches on a lime groundPink, purple, lime, white. Paint every part flat and outline nothing.
Row of five cow rumps, tails tied with bowsWhite, black, red, green. Paint five rounded rumps along a fence and a red bow on every tail.
Sunflower-yellow cow with green patches and a daisyYellow, green, white, orange. Paint the cow yellow, the patches green and a daisy by one ear.
Two-circle cow traced around a cup and a bowlWhite, black, pink. Trace a cup and a bowl, fill both white and add patches, ears and a pink nose.
Upside-down cow doing a handstand on its hornsTeal, white, black, pink. Paint the cow as usual, turn the canvas upside down and add grass under the horns.
White cow whose six patches run red through violetWhite, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. Paint the white cow and fill each patch with a new color.
How it works
A cow is easy to make friendly: a wide pink muzzle, ears out to the sides and eyes set far apart. The canvases here go from a shaggy Highland head to a cow built from two traced circles.
Read the full guide
Highland cow painting ideas: hair first
The Highland is a Scottish breed: wide horns, and a coat that hangs long and shaggy. Paint the coat with a nearly dry brush, pulling each stroke the way the hair falls, and add the horns last. Shaggy Highland head on a flat teal ground is the plainest of the 12.
Patches go on a white shape
Paint the whole cow white and let it dry. Acrylic is water-resistant once dry, so the black patches sit on top with clean edges. Cow-patch pattern from corner to corner with one small nose is the pattern alone.
Questions and answers
Which cow canvas painting ideas suit a beginner?
Easy first cows, under More filters, holds 23. Two-circle cow traced around a cup and a bowl needs no drawing, and Cow in three flat colors on a pale pink canvas uses no blending.
How do you make a cow painting look cute?
Make the head big and the muzzle wide, and tilt something: an ear, the tongue, the whole face. Cow leaning into view from the left, one ear and one eye does it with half a face.
What colors do I need to paint a cow?
White, black and pink cover the patched cows. A Highland takes rust, tan and cream, and the bright group swaps in whatever is on the table, as in Pink cow with purple patches on a lime ground.
Are there calves on the list?
Yes, 12 under Calves, from Calf with knobby knees standing square on to Calf mid-leap with all four hooves off the grass. A calf stays with its mother until it is weaned, so two show the pair.