Crow on a streetlight arm above an empty roadSlate, orange, black. Paint the lamp arm as one curve and glow a small orange dot at its end.
Crow on a rooftop antenna, its top rod bent under the birdPale blue, black. Paint the antenna as one upright line with four crossbars and tip the top one down.
Crow on a branch, sun setting between its beak and its tailYellow, orange, magenta, black. Put the brightest yellow just under the bird's body.
Crow calling from a chimney pot, beak wide openRust, black, pale blue. Stretch the neck forward and open the beak in a narrow V.
Crow on a garden spade handle beside turned soilBrown, green, black, gray. Stand the spade upright and perch the bird on the top of its handle.
Crow on a rooftop antenna, its top rod bent under the birdPale blue, black. Paint the antenna as one upright line with four crossbars and tip the top one down.
Crow on a round hay bale in a mown yellow fieldYellow, tan, black, blue. Paint the bale as a ribbed drum and the bird as a single dark shape on top.
Crow on a snowy branch, a ridge of white along every twigPale blue, white, black, brown. Lay a line of white on the top of the branch after the bird is dry.
Crow on a streetlight arm above an empty roadSlate, orange, black. Paint the lamp arm as one curve and glow a small orange dot at its end.
Crow on a weathervane arrow, turned into the windTeal, black, gold. Paint the arrow in gold and the bird leaning forward along it.
Crow on a wire with a red berry in its beakCream, black, red. Paint the bird in profile and add one red dot at the tip of the beak.
Crow on the nearest post, the rest of the fence lost in fogGray, white, black. Paint the far fence posts in pale gray and only the nearest bird in full black.
Crow swaying on the highest shoot of a fir treeDark green, black, pale gray. Curve the top shoot of the tree to one side under the bird.
One crow on a bare branch against flat mustard yellowMustard yellow, black. Paint the ground flat, let it dry and add the branch and the bird in black.
Rain on a wire: one hunched crow, drops strung beside itGray, black, white. Hunch the bird's shoulders and hang white drops along the wire.
Roof ridge with three crows, the middle bird back to frontOrange, gray, black. Paint the ridge as a slanted line and turn the middle bird around.
Two crows on one branch, heads tilted toward each otherPeach, black, brown. Paint both birds as teardrop shapes and tip each head a different way.
Winter tree full of roosting crows, each one a black budLilac, black, gray. Paint the bare tree, then dab a small bird on the end of nearly every twig.
Against a moon or a sunset 15
Crow on a bare hilltop tree in front of a lemon dawnLemon yellow, peach, black. Blend two pale colors and paint the hill, tree and bird in flat black.
Crow on a branch, sun setting between its beak and its tailYellow, orange, magenta, black. Put the brightest yellow just under the bird's body.
Crow on a chimney inside a ring of pale moonlightNavy, pale blue, black. Blend a pale ring into the dark sky and paint the roof and bird in black.
Crow on a signpost, long shadow thrown toward the viewerOrange, violet, black. Stretch the shadow of the post and bird down to the bottom edge.
Crow on a wire at dusk, the sky fading pink to plumPink, plum, black. Blend the sky from top to bottom and rule one black wire across it.
Crows flying home across three bands of evening colorYellow, coral, violet, black. Blend the bands wet and scatter small black birds once they dry.
Crows over a harvested field at sunset, stubble in rowsGold, orange, brown, black. Run the stubble rows to one point on the horizon.
Leafless treetop holding one crow, a sponged moon behindNavy, white, black. Sponge the moon, let it dry and paint the tree and bird across its face.
Moonlit field with one crow walking, its shadow beside itNavy, silver gray, black. Paint the ground in silver gray and the bird mid-stride with a short shadow.
Raven calling at moonrise, its breath a pale cloudNavy, pale yellow, black, white. Dab a small white puff in front of the open beak.
Raven in profile inside a huge orange sun discOrange, yellow, black. Paint the disc nearly as wide as the canvas and the raven's heavy beak inside it.
Raven standing on a boulder, a sliver of moon behind itIndigo, cream, black, gray. Paint the crescent small and high and the rock as a rough gray wedge.
Single crow crossing a red sun low on the horizonRed, orange, black. Paint the sun as a half circle on the horizon and one bird across it.
Treeline of roosting crows under a green and gold duskGreen, gold, black. Blend the sky and paint the treetops and birds as one ragged black edge.
Two ravens circling in front of a violet evening cloudViolet, pink, black. Dab the cloud with a sponge and place the birds on opposite sides of a circle.
In flight 15
Crow and its shadow crossing a sunlit wallOchre, cream, black, gray. Paint the shadow as a gray copy of the bird, lower and to one side.
Crow carrying a twig across a windy gray skyGray, white, black, brown. Streak the sky sideways with a nearly dry brush and angle the twig in the beak.
Crow flying through falling snow, flakes blurred past itSlate, white, black. Dot the snow with a cotton swab and smear a few flakes sideways.
Crow from below against white cloud, a plain black crossWhite, pale gray, black. Paint the cloud soft and the bird as a simple cross shape with a fan tail.
Crow gliding low over wheat, wingtips brushing the earsGold, ochre, black. Paint the wheat with upward flicks and the bird just above the tips.
Crow landing, wings up and legs reaching for a postTan, black, brown. Raise both wings in a V and stretch the feet toward the top of the post.
Crow overhead with wings spread, feathers like fingersPale gray, black. Paint the body, then pull five separate feather tips at the end of each wing.
Crow taking off from snow, wing marks left behindWhite, pale blue, black. Brush two fans of pale blue feather prints into the white beside the bird.
Flock leaving a tree at dawn, the tree half emptyPeach, black. Paint the tree at one side and trail the birds off toward the far corner.
Flock wheeling over a town as one loose spiralGray, black, cream. Dot the nearest birds largest and shrink them toward the middle of the spiral.
One crow painted three times: wings up, level and downSky blue, black. Paint the same bird three times and change only the angle of the wings.
Raven diving with wings half shutViolet, black, gray. Fold the wings back into a narrow W and point the beak downward.
Raven soaring on flat wings, wedge-shaped tail spreadPale blue, black, gray. Paint the tail as a long diamond point, the mark that tells a raven in the air.
Raven tilted on its side in midair, one wing foldedSlate, black, white. Tilt the body on its side and tuck one wing in against it.
Ring of eight crows around a patch of empty skyPale yellow, black. Place eight birds in a rough circle, all facing the middle.
Feather and eye studies 15
Crow footprint in snow, three toes in front, one behindWhite, pale blue, gray. Paint four fine toe marks meeting at a point and shade one side blue.
Crow holding a bottle cap, light catching the metalBlack, silver, gray, red. Paint the cap as a small silver oval with one pale gray shine.
Crow silhouette filled with a pattern of small feathersWhite, black, gray. Paint the outline in black and fill it with rows of gray U shapes.
Crow using a twig as a tool to reach into a logBrown, black, tan. Angle the twig from the beak into a dark hole in the wood.
Feather drifting down past three pale bands of colorPink, peach, cream, black. Blend the bands and paint one curled black feather across them.
Folded wing as overlapping rows of black scallopsBlack, slate, pale blue. Paint each row of feathers a little lighter than the one above it.
Head tilted sideways, one eye looking straight outBlack, brown, white, teal. Tip the whole head on a slant and put a white glint in the eye.
Raven face head-on, beak pointing at the viewerBlack, slate, brown. Shorten the beak into a diamond and set an eye on each side of it.
Raven head in profile with shaggy throat feathersBlack, slate, blue. Pull the throat feathers down in long pointed strokes with a liner brush.
Raven's beak and bristles, cropped so the eye is at the edgeBlack, gray, brown. Paint the short bristles lying forward over the base of the beak.
Raven's eye filling the canvas, ringed by tiny feathersBlack, brown, white, gray. Paint the eye as a dark circle and lay small gray feathers in rings around it.
Sheen study: a crow's back in black, green and purpleBlack, green, purple. Lay fine strokes of green and purple over dry black, following the feathers.
Single crow feather with a violet streak down one sideWhite, black, violet. Paint the feather black on white and glaze a streak of violet along one side.
Three feathers side by side: wing, tail and bodyCream, black, gray. Paint one long narrow feather, one broad one and one small fluffy one.
Wet crow after rain, feathers clumped into pointsBlack, gray, white. Break the outline of the head and chest into small dark spikes.
How it works
A crow needs one tube of paint: black, on any sky that is not. Up close the black is not flat, and some feathers carry a metallic sheen.
Read the full guide
Raven painting ideas: what tells it from a crow
A raven is larger, with a thick beak and shaggy feathers at the throat. In the air its tail ends in a wedge and it soars with less flapping. Raven soaring on flat wings, wedge-shaped tail spread paints the tail; Raven head in profile with shaggy throat feathers paints the throat.
Sky first, bird last
Blend the sky and let it dry. Acrylic is water-resistant once dry, so the black bird and its branch go on top with a clean edge. One crow on a bare branch against flat mustard yellow uses one flat color and black.
Questions and answers
What is an easy crow painting for a beginner?
Easy first crows, under More filters, holds 20. One crow painted three times: wings up, level and down repeats one flat shape, and Crow from below against white cloud, a plain black cross is a cross with a fan tail.
How do you paint black feathers so they do not look flat?
Let the black dry, then lay fine strokes of blue, green or purple along the feathers and a gray edge where light falls. Sheen study: a crow's back in black, green and purple is only that.
What colors go behind a crow?
Anything pale or bright. The lists here use mustard, peach, pale blue and lilac by day, and yellow, coral, orange and violet blends for evening. Navy with a white moon works at night, as the bird stays darker than the sky.
Why do crows gather in one tree?
Outside the breeding season crows sleep in large shared roosts, most of all in winter. Winter tree full of roosting crows, each one a black bud paints the tree with a bird on nearly every twig.