• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Daily Painting Ideas

Three small studies, each sized for one sitting, with its colors and one step.

Daily Painting Ideas

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  1. Ceiling light seen from the bed, with the ring of shadow around itWhite, cream, gray. One pale circle, one darker ring and a flat ceiling; nothing else.
  2. The same red square on a green ground and on a gray groundRed, green, gray. Cut the squares from one painted sheet so the red cannot differ.
  3. Clementine half peeled, the peel in one curlOrange, pale yellow, white, green. Paint the inside of the peel almost white.

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One object 15

  • Ball of rubber bands with the colors crossing Red, blue, yellow, tan. Paint a tan ball first, then wrap it in short curved strokes that overlap.
  • Butter knife resting across the rim of a plate Silver gray, white, black, pale blue. Paint the blade as two stripes, a dark and a light.
  • Cherry tomato on a stub of vine, highlight left as bare canvas Red, orange, green, brown. Paint round the highlight from the start; do not add it later.
  • Chili pepper curved like a comma Red, deep red, green, white. One stroke for the body, one highlight along the outer bend.
  • Clementine half peeled, the peel in one curl Orange, pale yellow, white, green. Paint the inside of the peel almost white.
  • Folded white napkin painted as shadow and no outline White, blue-gray, warm gray, cream. Put paint only where a fold turns from the light.
  • Ginger root, knobs and all, on a plain ground Tan, cream, ocher, gray. Mix three tans before you start and use each one once.
  • Handleless cup with its rim as a clean ellipse Pale blue, white, gray, cream. Make the ellipse first and match the curve of the base to it.
  • Lime wedge with the light coming through it Green, yellow-green, white, cream. Paint the flesh paler than the rind and streak it toward the center.
  • Old paintbrush lying on its side, bristles splayed Tan, silver gray, brown, any one bright. Tip the bristles with whatever color is on your palette.
  • One brown egg standing in its carton cup Tan, cream, gray, brown. Find the darkest tone on the egg and keep that patch small.
  • Single pear leaning to one side, its shadow falling behind it Yellow-green, ocher, brown, violet gray. Paint the shadow first so the pear stands in front.
  • Single spring onion laid on a slant, roots and all White, green, pale yellow, cream. Blend the white into the green while both are wet.
  • Small glass bottle with the window as one white bar on its shoulder Teal, white, navy, pale gray. Place the bar of window first and paint the glass around it.
  • Three peanuts in their shells, one split open Tan, umber, cream, gray. Net the shells with short dark dashes and keep the nut inside smooth.

One sky 15

  • Band of orange squeezed under a lid of dark cloud at last light Slate, orange, peach, violet. Keep the band thin and level, and darken the cloud right above it.
  • High thin cloud brushed out into wisps by wind Blue, white. Drag nearly dry white across the blue in long curved strokes.
  • Jet trail crossing clear blue, already spreading Blue, white, pale blue. Rule a thin white line, then feather one end with a dry brush.
  • Lemon strip under violet, the minute before the sun comes up Violet, lemon yellow, peach, navy. Keep the yellow strip narrow and clean; wash the brush first.
  • Noon sky graded from deep blue overhead to pale at the skyline Ultramarine, white, pale blue. Add white a little at a time as you work down the canvas.
  • One cloud crossing the top pane of a window, the frame a dark edge Blue, white, gray, black. Crop the cloud with the frame so it reads as passing.
  • One heaped cloud with a flat gray base and a lit top White, warm gray, blue, cream. Keep the base level and put every bulge above it.
  • Overcast with one bright tear in it Gray, slate, white, pale yellow. Leave the tear unpainted and warm its edge with yellow.
  • Pink undersides of clouds just after sundown, tops already gray Pink, gray, violet, peach. Put the pink along the bottom edge of each cloud only.
  • Rain hanging under a tall cloud as gray streaks that never reach the ground Slate, white, gray, pale blue. Drag the streaks down with a dry brush and fade them out.
  • Rows of small clouds like ripples on sand Pale blue, white, pink gray. Dab the clouds in rows that shrink toward the horizon.
  • Sky after rain: washed pale blue with one ragged gray cloud leaving Pale blue, white, gray. Paint the blue flat and tear the cloud's edge with a dry brush.
  • Sky an hour before rain, yellow-gray low and slate above Slate, ocher, gray, white. Blend upward from the horizon while both colors are wet.
  • The strip of sky between two rooftops Blue, white, brick red, slate. Paint the roofs as flat dark shapes and spend the time on the strip.
  • This morning's sky as three bands and nothing else Whatever three colors it is. Look out, mix the bands, blend each join once and stop.

One color study 15

  • A gray mixed from two opposites beside a gray from black and white Blue, orange, black, white. Paint the two grays touching and see which one has color in it.
  • A leaf from outside matched in three mixes: lit side, dark side, vein Yellow, blue, red, white. Hold each mix against the leaf on the brush before you paint it.
  • A shadow on a white wall, matched as a single swatch White, blue, a touch of orange. Hold the swatch at arm's length against the wall to check it.
  • Ball in one color and white, five steps from light to dark Any one color, white. Paint the steps as bands that wrap round the ball.
  • The darkest dark you can mix without black, beside black Ultramarine, burnt umber, black. Add a touch of white to the edge of each to see its color.
  • Lemon in one blue and white, lights and darks only One blue, white. Squint at the lemon until you see three values, and paint only those.
  • Nine squares of one blue, each with a little more white One blue, white. Start pure in the first square and add the same amount of white each time.
  • One apple painted twice, once in warm colors and once in cool Red, orange, blue, violet. Use the same three strokes for both apples.
  • One color at three thicknesses: straight, thinned and scrubbed dry Any one tube. Give each a square and write the method under it.
  • One orange pushed toward red on the left and toward yellow on the right Red, yellow. Mix the middle orange first, then split the pile in two.
  • The same red square on a green ground and on a gray ground Red, green, gray. Cut the squares from one painted sheet so the red cannot differ.
  • Swatch card for one tube: pure, tinted, grayed, darkened One tube, white, gray, black. Four squares in a row; this card goes in the paint box.
  • Three browns, each from two primaries and a little of the third Red, yellow, blue. Make orange, green and violet, then dull each one with what is missing.
  • Three greens from the same blue and three different yellows One blue, up to three yellows. Label each swatch with the pair that made it.
  • Two colors and every mix between them as a strip of seven Any two tubes. Paint the two ends first, then the middle, then fill the gaps.

One corner of a room 15

  • Bathroom shelf with three bottles as plain shapes, no labels White, pale green, amber, gray. Stand the bottles at different heights and overlap two.
  • Ceiling light seen from the bed, with the ring of shadow around it White, cream, gray. One pale circle, one darker ring and a flat ceiling; nothing else.
  • Chair by a window with a bar of light across its seat Brown, cream, pale yellow, gray. Paint the bar of light as one shape that bends at the seat edge.
  • Curtain with daylight glowing through its folds Cream, pale yellow, ocher, gray. Darken the fold lines and leave the cloth between them light.
  • Desk at night lit by a screen, blue thrown on the wall Navy, pale blue, black, white. Paint the screen as the only pure white on the canvas.
  • Doorway into a brighter room, seen from a darker one Slate, cream, pale yellow. The doorway is one bright upright rectangle; add a strip of floor light.
  • Light switch on a plain wall, painted with the same care as a face White, cream, gray. Put a thin gray line under the plate and to one side of it.
  • Open closet with the clothes as upright bands of color Any five colors, gray, cream. Vary the band widths and let one sleeve hang lower than the rest.
  • Rug corner on a wood floor, fringe against the boards Red, cream, brown, tan. Run the floorboards one way and the fringe the other.
  • Sink corner: tap, sponge and one glass Silver gray, yellow, white, pale blue. Give the tap one white highlight and the glass two.
  • Staircase turning out of sight with three steps showing Cream, gray, brown, white. Make each tread light and each riser dark.
  • Top of a bookshelf, spines as stripes of color Any five colors, cream. Vary the widths and lean one book against its neighbor.
  • Towel hung over a door, folds running straight down White, blue-gray, cream, brown. Paint three long folds and leave the towel's lit side bare.
  • Umbrella leaning by the door with a small puddle under its tip Black, gray, cream, pale blue. Angle the umbrella into the corner and keep the puddle tiny.
  • Unmade bed corner: one pillow and a folded-back sheet White, blue-gray, cream, pale pink. Follow three big folds and ignore every small crease.

How it works

A study is a painting done as practice or as visual notes, not as a finished piece. That is the right size for a painting a day: one object, one sky, one color question, or one corner of a room.

Read the full guide

Finish in one sitting

Alla prima is Italian for at first attempt: wet paint goes onto wet paint, and such a work is commonly finished in a single sitting. Work that way here. Cherry tomato on a stub of vine, highlight left as bare canvas is four colors and no second layer.

The same subject again tomorrow

One sky is the group to repeat. Paint This morning's sky as three bands and nothing else today and again in a week from the same window, and the two will not match. One color study works the same way for mixing: each card answers one question.

  • Work small, on a card or a page of a pad, so the painting is over before it becomes a chore.
  • Date the back of each one and keep them in order.

Questions and answers

What should I paint every day?

Something small that is already in front of you. One object holds fifteen, such as Chili pepper curved like a comma. One corner of a room holds fifteen more, such as Top of a bookshelf, spines as stripes of color.

What are daily painting ideas kids can finish?

The eighteen marked easiest, under More filters, Level. Nine squares of one blue, each with a little more white needs two paints, and Jet trail crossing clear blue, already spreading is a ruled line and a smudge.

How long should a daily painting take?

One sitting. These are studies, so stop when the question is answered: the color matches, the shadow sits, the sky is down. A study that runs into a second day has turned into a painting.

Do I need a canvas for a daily painting?

No. A card, a page of a pad or the back of an old study is enough for work this size. The color studies are meant to end up as cards in the paint box.

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