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Cute Painting Ideas With a Pastel Palette for Each One

Pick another idea: one small, round, cheerful canvas and the pastel colours to mix for it.

Cute Painting Ideas With a Pastel Palette for Each One

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  1. Sleepy sunflower with one drooping leafButter yellow, caramel, sage green, baby blue, cocoa brown. Put closed eyes and a smile on the seed head.

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Easy, simple shapes 64

  • Balloon dog in three pastels Blush pink, lilac, white. Join sausage shapes with pinched knots and add one long white shine to each.
  • Bao bun with a bear face White, cream, blush pink, cocoa brown. Add two small round ears to a white dome and keep eyes and nose close together.
  • Birthday cake slice with one candle Blush pink, cream, butter yellow, coral, white. Stripe sponge and cream, then dot sprinkles with a cocktail stick.
  • Bubble tea with a sleepy face Peach, cocoa brown, cream, blush pink, black. Dot the pearls with a cotton bud and close the eyes as two curves.
  • Bunny peeking over a hill Lilac, white, blush pink, mint green, cocoa brown. Show only ears, eyes and two paws above the hill line.
  • Cactus in a pot with a flower hat Mint green, sage green, blush pink, terracotta, white. Dash the spines in white with a liner and sit one bloom on top.
  • Cassette tape with a smile Baby blue, cream, blush pink, black. Turn the two reels into eyes and curve the label window into a mouth.
  • Cat constellation on a dusky sky Navy, white, lilac. Dot the stars with a brush handle, then join them with a liner into a sitting cat.
  • Cat loaf on a windowsill Peach, cream, baby blue, cocoa brown. Tuck the paws away so the body is one loaf, then add closed curved eyes.
  • Caterpillar on a bitten leaf Mint green, butter yellow, sage green, white, black. Overlap a row of circles for the body and scallop the bite.
  • Chick hatching from a cracked egg Butter yellow, white, peach, baby blue. Zigzag the shell edge and sit the top half on the chick's head as a hat.
  • Cinnamon roll with an icing swirl Caramel, cream, white, blush pink, cocoa brown. Spiral out from the centre with a round brush and drip icing on top.
  • Clover patch with one four-leaf clover Mint green, sage green, white, butter yellow. Paint three-heart clovers all over and hide a single four-heart one.
  • Cookie with a bite out and a surprised face Caramel, cocoa brown, cream, blush pink. Scallop the bite, dot the chips and make the mouth a small O.
  • Crab holding up a heart Coral, sand, baby blue, white, black. Put the eyes on stalks and meet both claws round a paler coral heart.
  • Crescent moon in a nightcap Periwinkle, butter yellow, white, blush pink. Put the face on the inner curve and hang a pompom off the cap's tip.
  • Croissant with rosy cheeks Caramel, cream, butter yellow, blush pink, cocoa brown. Build it from five overlapping segments, biggest in the middle.
  • Daisy chain border round a bare centre White, butter yellow, sage green, baby blue. Ring the canvas with daisies and leave the middle free for a name.
  • Dandelion clock blowing away on a blue sky Baby blue, white, sage green, warm grey. Flick the seeds off one side with a liner, each a tiny white Y on a stalk.
  • Duckling in a rain hat Butter yellow, baby blue, peach, white, black. Two circles make the duckling, and the hat brim hides the join.
  • Fairy lights across a lilac wall Lilac, butter yellow, white, cocoa brown. Swag the wire with a liner and halo each bulb in drybrushed yellow.
  • Fried egg friends in a pan White, butter yellow, warm grey, blush pink, black. Wobble the edges of the whites and put each face on a yolk.
  • Ghost holding a bunch of flowers White, lilac, blush pink, sage green, black. Paint the ghost as a white bell on flat lilac with two tall oval eyes.
  • Gummy bears in a row Coral, butter yellow, mint green, lilac, white. Paint each bear one flat colour and add a white shine on the tummy.
  • Hamster with stuffed cheeks Peach, cream, blush pink, cocoa brown. Make the cheeks wider than the head and put one seed in the paws.
  • Happy envelope with a heart seal Cream, blush pink, coral, cocoa brown. Draw the flap as a wide V, press the seal at its point and add a face below.
  • Kite with bows on its tail Baby blue, coral, butter yellow, white, mint green. Quarter the kite in two pastels and tie three bows down the string.
  • Lavender sprigs tied with a bow Lilac, lavender, sage green, cream. Dab each floret with the tip of a round brush, darker at the base of the spike.
  • Lemon in sunglasses Butter yellow, white, mint green, black. Give the lemon a nub at each end and a white glint on each lens.
  • Little lighthouse in a striped jumper Coral, white, baby blue, butter yellow. Tape the stripes for clean edges and add a sleepy face under the lamp.
  • Macaron tower in five pastels Blush pink, mint green, lilac, butter yellow, cream. Stack five, one pastel each, with a cream stripe of filling.
  • Melting ice lolly with a worried face Coral, butter yellow, baby blue, cream, cocoa brown. Drip one corner into a puddle and tilt the eyebrows inward.
  • Narwhal among bubbles Baby blue, lilac, white, blush pink. Spiral a stripe up the tusk and dot bubbles in three sizes with brush handles.
  • Paper plane looping through clouds Baby blue, white, blush pink, warm grey. Dash the flight path in a loop with a liner and sponge clouds round it.
  • Peach with a blush Peach, blush pink, sage green, cream, cocoa brown. Blend pink into wet peach on one side, then add crease and leaf.
  • Peas in a pod, each with a different face Mint green, sage green, white, blush pink, black. Four circles in an open pod: asleep, grinning, surprised, shy.
  • Penguin chick in a pink scarf Warm grey, white, blush pink, baby blue, black. Drybrush the grey down so it looks fluffy, then wrap the scarf.
  • Piggy bank with a flower pattern Blush pink, white, coral, sage green, black. One oval body, a coin slot on top, and daisies dotted with a cotton bud.
  • Rain cloud watering one flower Baby blue, white, periwinkle, butter yellow, sage green. Fall the rain in short dashes and turn the flower's face up.
  • Raindrops in rows, each with a face Baby blue, periwinkle, white, blush pink, black. Set the drops in a loose grid and vary every expression.
  • Retro camera with a heart on the lens Mint green, cream, warm grey, coral, white. A rounded box, a circle for the lens and one white glint.
  • Rice ball with a seaweed belt White, black, blush pink, mint green. Round the triangle's corners and sit the face just above the black band.
  • Row of succulents in pastel pots Sage green, mint green, blush pink, lilac, butter yellow. Build each rosette from the centre out in rounded petals.
  • Row of tiny houses in ice cream colours Blush pink, mint green, butter yellow, lilac, white. Vary only the roof shapes and keep every door the same white.
  • Seal pup on an ice floe White, baby blue, warm grey, black. Keep the pup one white teardrop and give it three dots: two eyes and a nose.
  • Shooting star with a pastel tail Periwinkle, butter yellow, blush pink, mint green, white. Drag three tail stripes with a nearly dry brush so they fade.
  • Small rocket trailing hearts Baby blue, coral, white, butter yellow, blush pink. Shrink the hearts as they fall away from the rocket.
  • Smiling five-band pastel rainbow Blush pink, peach, butter yellow, mint green, baby blue. Pull each arc in one stroke of a flat brush, outer band first.
  • Snail with a rainbow shell Peach, lilac, mint green, butter yellow, cocoa brown. Spiral the shell from the centre out, one pastel per turn.
  • Star and moon holding hands Periwinkle, butter yellow, white, blush pink. Give both stubby arms and the same dot eyes, set low on their faces.
  • Strawberry in a leaf hat Coral, sage green, cream, blush pink, black. Dot the seeds in offset rows and keep the face in the lower half.
  • Sun peeking over a cloud Butter yellow, peach, white, baby blue, blush pink. Show only the top half of the sun and two eyes above the cloud.
  • Sunrise behind a smiling hill Peach, butter yellow, blush pink, mint green, white. Blend the sky wet, yellow low and pink high, then add the hill.
  • Teddy bear with a patched ear Caramel, cream, blush pink, cocoa brown. Build it from circles, stitch one ear patch with a liner and blush the cheeks.
  • Three clouds with sleepy faces Baby blue, white, blush pink, lilac. Sponge the clouds, then give each closed curved eyes and pink cheeks.
  • Toast with a melting butter smile Caramel, cream, butter yellow, blush pink, cocoa brown. Round the crust corners and slide the butter pat off centre.
  • Tulips in a row in three pinks Blush pink, coral, mauve, sage green, cream. Make each petal one stroke: press a loaded round brush, pull and lift.
  • Turtle with a daisy on its shell Mint green, sage green, white, butter yellow. Tile the shell in rounded patches and leave pale gaps between them.
  • Two toadstools leaning together Coral, cream, sage green, white, cocoa brown. Dot the caps with a cotton bud and put small faces on the stalks.
  • Umbrella in a shower of hearts Lilac, blush pink, coral, white. Scallop the umbrella's edge and bounce the hearts off it to each side.
  • Whale with a heart-shaped spout Baby blue, periwinkle, white, blush pink. One teardrop body, a pale belly and a spray that splits into a heart.
  • White goose in a neck ribbon White, butter yellow, coral, sage green. Paint the goose as one white S shape on flat sage and tie the bow last.
  • Wildflower meadow in cotton-bud dots Mint green, blush pink, lilac, butter yellow, white. Flick stems up with a liner, then dot on every flower head.
  • Yawning alarm clock Butter yellow, cream, coral, warm grey, black. Set the hands as eyebrows and open the mouth under the centre pin.

Animals 30

  • Astronaut cat floating on a tether Lilac, white, baby blue, peach, black. Make the helmet a big circle, the body small, and loop the tether off the edge.
  • Axolotl with feathery gills Blush pink, coral, baby blue, white, black. Feather three gill fronds each side with a small round brush.
  • Baby dinosaur in a party hat Mint green, blush pink, butter yellow, white, black. Round every spike into a bump and stripe the hat in two pastels.
  • Baby dragon puffing a smoke ring Mint green, lilac, cream, blush pink, black. Give it nub horns and a round belly, and puff one pink ring of smoke.
  • Baby elephant holding a balloon Warm grey, blush pink, baby blue, white. Curl the trunk round the string and make each ear as big as the head.
  • Bear cub hugging a honey pot Caramel, cream, butter yellow, blush pink, cocoa brown. Wrap both arms round the pot and let one honey drip run.
  • Bear fishing for a star from the moon Navy, butter yellow, white, caramel. Sit the bear on the crescent's lower horn and hang the star on its line.
  • Bumblebee asleep inside a flower Butter yellow, black, blush pink, white, sage green. Cup the petals round the bee and float a small Z above it.
  • Corgi seen from behind on a hill Caramel, cream, mint green, baby blue, white. Show two ears, a fluffy cream rump and short back legs, no face.
  • Fawn among daisies Caramel, cream, white, sage green, blush pink. Spot the fawn's back in white and scatter the same white as daisies.
  • Frog sitting on a mushroom Mint green, coral, cream, white, black. Make the frog one rounded blob and perch its eyes on top, wide apart.
  • Giraffe in a flower crown Butter yellow, caramel, blush pink, sage green, white. Crop at the neck so the face and crown fill the canvas.
  • Grey kitten wound up in pink wool Warm grey, blush pink, cream, lilac. Loop one strand round the kitten with a liner, over a paw and under the chin.
  • Hedgehog carrying a strawberry Sand, cocoa brown, coral, cream, sage green. Flick the spines with a liner in short strokes that all lean one way.
  • Hot air balloon carrying a bear Blush pink, butter yellow, baby blue, white, caramel. Curve the balloon's stripes so they all meet at the basket.
  • Kitten sitting in a teacup Lilac, cream, blush pink, warm grey, white. Hook two paws over the rim and dot the cup with tiny pink flowers.
  • Koala hugging a tree trunk Warm grey, white, blush pink, sage green, black. Fluff the ears with a dry brush and make the nose one big oval.
  • Llama in a pompom blanket Cream, coral, mint green, butter yellow, cocoa brown. Stipple the wool with an old brush and dot a row of pompoms.
  • Mouse tucked up in a matchbox bed Warm grey, blush pink, cream, baby blue. Pull a patchwork blanket up to the chin and hang the tail over the edge.
  • Octopus holding a heart in each arm Lilac, blush pink, white, periwinkle. Curl all eight arms outward and dot the suckers with a cotton bud.
  • Panda rolling with a bamboo stalk White, black, mint green, blush pink. Roll the panda onto its back so all four paws hold the stalk.
  • Paper boat with a mouse captain Baby blue, white, warm grey, blush pink, coral. Fold the boat from three flat triangles and ripple the puddle below.
  • Piglet splashing in a mud puddle Blush pink, cocoa brown, baby blue, white. Splash the mud up in fat drops and curl the tail with one liner stroke.
  • Puppy with one ear up Caramel, cream, blush pink, baby blue, black. Tilt the head, flop one ear and leave a white shine dot in each eye.
  • Red panda curled up in its own tail Coral, cream, cocoa brown, mint green. Wrap the striped tail round the body so the whole animal reads as a circle.
  • Round bird on a cherry blossom branch Blush pink, white, cocoa brown, baby blue, peach. Dot the blossom in clusters of five with a cotton bud.
  • Sloth hanging from a branch Sand, cocoa brown, sage green, cream, blush pink. Hang the body as a long bean and mask the eyes in brown patches.
  • Stack of books with a sleeping cat on top Lilac, peach, mint green, cream, warm grey. Offset each book a little and drape the cat's tail down the spines.
  • Strawberry cow in a meadow Blush pink, coral, cream, mint green, white. Paint the cow's patches pink and dot them with tiny cream seeds.
  • Two otters floating hand in hand Cocoa brown, cream, baby blue, white. Float both on their backs, paws joined, with two ripple lines under each.

Food with faces 19

  • Carrot pulled from a row, smiling Coral, sage green, cocoa brown, cream, black. Leave three carrots in the soil as leafy tops and lift one clear.
  • Cloud raining sprinkles on a cupcake Baby blue, white, blush pink, lilac, butter yellow. Dash the sprinkles in short strokes of every pastel you mixed.
  • Flying saucer beaming up an ice cream Lilac, mint green, butter yellow, white, navy. Glaze the beam in thin yellow so the night sky shows through it.
  • Gumball machine full of pastel gumballs Coral, baby blue, butter yellow, lilac, white. Stamp the gumballs with a pencil eraser and glint the globe in white.
  • Ice cream van on a sunny street Blush pink, cream, baby blue, coral, white. Tape the awning stripes and sit one giant cone on the roof.
  • Jam jar with a gingham lid Coral, cream, white, sage green. Cross two sets of thin stripes for the gingham and leave a white shine on the glass.
  • Milk carton and cookie, best friends Baby blue, white, caramel, cocoa brown, blush pink. Lean the two together and give them matching dot eyes.
  • Pancake stack with a syrup fringe Caramel, cream, butter yellow, blush pink, cocoa brown. Hang the syrup over the top pancake like a fringe of hair.
  • Pineapple in heart sunglasses Butter yellow, sage green, blush pink, white, cocoa brown. Cross-hatch the skin with a liner and fan the leaves.
  • Pink milkshake with a cherry and two straws Blush pink, cream, coral, baby blue, white. Stripe the straws with a liner and pile the cream in three soft humps.
  • Popcorn box with kernels jumping out Coral, white, cream, butter yellow, black. Tape the box stripes, then dab the kernels as lumpy cream clouds.
  • Ramen bowl with a smiling egg Cream, butter yellow, coral, sage green, cocoa brown. Wave the noodles with a liner and put the face on the halved egg.
  • Strawberry plant in flower and fruit Coral, white, sage green, butter yellow, cream. Hang the berries below the leaves and the white flowers above.
  • Sushi roll family White, black, coral, mint green, blush pink. Line up three rolls by size and give each a different filling.
  • Teapot and cup, parent and child Baby blue, white, blush pink, butter yellow, black. Match the two faces and join them with one curl of steam.
  • Three dumplings peeking out of a steamer Cream, caramel, blush pink, sage green, black. Pinch each top with three short liner pleats and vary the faces.
  • Toaster popping two happy slices Mint green, cream, caramel, blush pink, black. Round every corner of the toaster and launch the slices at two heights.
  • Waffle in a strawberry beret Caramel, cream, coral, sage green, cocoa brown. Grid the waffle with the edge of a card dipped in darker caramel.
  • Winking cupcake with a cherry on top Blush pink, cream, coral, mint green, cocoa brown. Swirl the icing as three stacked ovals and pleat the case.

Sky, weather and space 5

  • Cot mobile of moon, star and cloud Cream, butter yellow, baby blue, blush pink, warm grey. Hang each shape on a liner thread at a different length.
  • Ringed planet with rosy cheeks Lilac, peach, cream, navy, white. Splatter white stars on dry navy first, then paint the planet and ring over them.
  • Sleeping sun and waking moon sharing a sky Peach, butter yellow, periwinkle, white, lilac. Split the canvas on the diagonal, warm and cool, and blend the seam.
  • Tiny tent under a big moon Periwinkle, butter yellow, coral, white, sage green. Light the tent from inside in yellow and fly a heart flag.
  • Unicorn asleep on a cloud White, lilac, blush pink, butter yellow, baby blue. Drape the mane over the cloud's edge in three pastel strands.

Plants and garden 14

  • Bicycle with a basket of flowers Mint green, blush pink, cream, cocoa brown, butter yellow. Trace two jar lids for the wheels before anything else.
  • Birdhouse with a heart-shaped door Baby blue, white, coral, sage green, cocoa brown. Plank the front in thin liner lines and wind a vine up the post.
  • Bouquet wrapped in brown paper Blush pink, lilac, butter yellow, sage green, sand. Fold the paper as two overlapping triangles and tie it with string.
  • Fairy door at the foot of a tree Lilac, cocoa brown, sage green, butter yellow, cream. Arch the door between two roots and light one tiny window.
  • Garden gnome asleep under a toadstool Coral, cream, sage green, white, peach. Pull the hat down over the eyes so only a round nose and beard show.
  • Sleepy sunflower with one drooping leaf Butter yellow, caramel, sage green, baby blue, cocoa brown. Put closed eyes and a smile on the seed head.
  • Terrarium jar with a tiny house inside Mint green, sage green, cream, coral, white. Curve one white shine line down the glass once the inside is dry.
  • Tiny greenhouse full of pots Mint green, white, terracotta, blush pink, baby blue. Rule the glazing bars with a liner against the edge of a card.
  • Toadstool cottage with a lit window Coral, cream, sage green, butter yellow, cocoa brown. Dot the cap, light the window and curl smoke from the chimney.
  • Trailing houseplant in a smiling pot Sage green, mint green, terracotta, cream, black. Trail the stems over the rim with a liner and press on the leaves.
  • Watering can full of flowers Baby blue, blush pink, butter yellow, sage green, white. Paint the can flat first, then crowd the blooms over its rim.
  • Wellington boots planted with daisies Butter yellow, white, sage green, baby blue. Shine each boot with one white stripe down the toe.
  • Window box of pansies Lilac, butter yellow, mauve, sage green, cream. Darken the three lower petals at the centre so each bloom has a face.
  • Wishing well with a bucket of flowers Warm grey, coral, sage green, blush pink, cream. Block the stones in two greys and hang the bucket off centre.

Little characters and objects 6

  • Bubble bath with a rubber duck Baby blue, white, butter yellow, blush pink, lilac. Dot bubbles in three sizes with brush handles and shine each one.
  • Little robot holding a flower Baby blue, warm grey, coral, butter yellow, white. Build it from rounded boxes and make the head bigger than the body.
  • Mermaid tail diving into pastel waves Lilac, mint green, baby blue, white, blush pink. Scallop the scales in rows from the fin up with a round brush tip.
  • Pastel caravan with bunting Mint green, cream, coral, butter yellow, baby blue. Tape the body stripe for a clean edge and hang triangle flags above.
  • Roller skate with a rainbow stripe Blush pink, white, mint green, butter yellow, lilac. Paint the boot flat, stripe it in three pastels and dot the laces.
  • Stack of pastel teacups about to topple Blush pink, mint green, butter yellow, baby blue, white. Tilt each cup a different way and keep the handles alternating.

How it works

Cute painting ideas come down to round shapes and pale colours. Each of these 138 acrylic canvases names a pastel palette and the one step that carries it: a cotton-bud dot, a sponged cloud, eyes set low and wide apart.

Read the full guide

What makes cute canvas painting ideas look cute

Konrad Lorenz called it the baby schema: the features, chubby cheeks and large eyes among them, that make people want to look after something. On canvas that means one round body, a face kept in its lower half and dot eyes set wide. As cartoon painting ideas they follow the chibi rule: a head one third to one half of the figure's height.

Mixing the pastel palette

A tint is a colour mixed with white, so start each pastel from a pool of white and add tube colour a touch at a time. White is in 92 of the 138 palettes and blush pink in 83. Black is in only 32, mostly for dot eyes; cocoa brown, in 36, makes a softer outline.

  • Under More filters, Level holds the cute simple painting ideas: 64 canvases built from circles, teardrops and domes.
  • Dot eyes with the handle end of a brush, and add a white shine dot once they are dry.
  • Blush the cheeks last, with a nearly dry brush and a trace of pink rubbed in small circles.

Questions and answers

Which cute and easy painting ideas suit beginners?

Try Three clouds with sleepy faces, Macaron tower in five pastels or Cat loaf on a windowsill. Each is a flat pastel ground, a few rounded shapes and a simple face. Let the ground dry first, so the dot eyes keep a clean edge.

I wanted cute things to draw on a canvas. How much drawing is there?

Very little. Pencil in the big circle and the eye line lightly, then paint. Bicycle with a basket of flowers starts with two traced jar lids for wheels. For pencil only, see cute things to draw.

What cute things can I paint on a small canvas?

Subject, beside the button, sorts them: 45 Animals, 39 Little characters and objects, 35 Food with faces, 32 Plants and garden and 24 Sky, weather and space. Kitten sitting in a teacup sits under both Animals and objects.

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