Geometric stag head built from trianglesTeal, mustard, coral, gray. Pencil the head as triangles and fill each with one flat color.
Leaping stag silhouette above a line of tall grassPeach, gold, black. Pull the grass upward with a fan brush along the bottom.
Pair of antlers as a frame around a monogramBrown, tan, cream, green. Paint the two antlers as mirrored curves that meet at the base.
Roaring stag with his breath as a pale cloudGray blue, white, black. Sponge the breath in thin white once the black is dry.
Stag between two black pine trunks, sky fading green to goldTeal, gold, black. Blend the sky, then frame the stag with a trunk at each edge.
Stag drinking at a stream at dusk, head downDusk blue, peach, black. Keep the antlers clear of the body so their shape reads.
Stag head and shoulders in black against a yellow full sunYellow, orange, black. Trace a plate for the sun and paint the stag overlapping its lower edge.
Stag looking back, two tines crossing a crescent moonNavy, cream, black. Paint the crescent first and let the antler overlap it.
Stag shape filled with a night sky, on a plain cream groundCream, navy, violet, white. Mask around a paper stag, sponge the sky inside and dot the stars.
Stag silhouette doubled in a still lakeViolet, pink, black. Paint the reflection upside down and drag a damp brush across it.
Stag silhouette with a forest painted inside its outlineBlack, dark green, pale gray, white. Fill the shape with trees, darkest at the feet and misty at the back.
Stag's shadow stretched long across a golden fieldGold, ochre, brown, violet. Paint the shadow in violet, far longer than the stag is tall.
Three silhouettes at a forest edge: one antlered, two withoutOrange, yellow, black. Paint the trees and deer as one black layer over a dry sky.
Two stags facing each other across a gap, antlers nearly touchingBurnt orange, cream, black. Paint one, then flip your paper template for the other.
White stag shape on a black ground with gold dots for starsBlack, white, metallic gold. Paint the stag in two coats of white and dot stars with a cotton swab.
Doe and fawn 15
Doe and fawn as two flat shapes inside a ring of leavesTan, cream, sage, rust. Paint the leaf ring first and fit the pair inside it.
Doe and fawn in dappled forest lightTan, olive, pale yellow, brown. Dab spots of pale yellow over deer and ground alike.
Doe and fawn in loose watercolor, edges left to bleedRaw sienna, burnt umber, sap green. Wet the paper inside each shape first and drop the color in.
Doe and fawn touching nosesTan, cream, dark brown, olive. Leave the noses for last: two dark dabs with a white glint.
Doe and fawn walking away down a forest path, seen from behindTan, brown, cream, green. Narrow the path toward the top and keep the fawn small beside her.
Doe and twin fawns crossing a shallow streamTan, brown, blue gray, white. Add white rings where each leg meets the water.
Doe licking the top of a fawn's headTan, cream, brown, sage green. Paint both in one tan, then darken the doe's back.
Doe looking straight at you from a bank of fernsTan, brown, cream, fern green. Paint ferns over her legs so she stands in them.
Doe's head above tall wheat, the fawn's ears just showingGold, tan, brown, cream. Pull wheat stalks over the lower third after the deer are dry.
Fawn folded up under a fallen logTan, white, brown, moss green. Paint the log across the top and tuck the fawn below it.
Fawn peeking out between the doe's legsTan, cream, brown, green. Paint the doe's legs as four posts and fit the fawn's face between.
Fawn sniffing a butterflyTan, white, yellow, green. Paint the butterfly as two small triangles a nose away.
Fawn standing in a patch of clover, one ear turnedTan, white, green, pink. Dab the clover heads in pink and white with the brush tip.
Fawn's face close up, huge ears and dark eyesTan, cream, black, pink. Paint the ears as two leaf shapes, pale inside.
Spotted fawn standing on legs too long for itTan, white, brown, green. Dot two rows of white spots along the back with a cotton swab.
In snow 15
Deer at a frozen pond, its reflection blurredPale blue, white, tan, gray. Drag the reflection down with a dry flat brush.
Deer bedded down in a hollow of snow under a hedgeBrown, tan, white, blue gray. Paint a blue-gray bowl of shadow and curl the deer into it.
Deer crossing a snowy lane between two fencesWhite, gray, brown, peach. Run both fences toward one point and place the deer where they pinch.
Deer in a snowy birch grove, trunks striped black and whiteWhite, black, tan, pale blue. Paint the birches with the edge of a card dragged sideways.
Deer nibbling a twig that pokes out of the snowWhite, tan, brown, pale violet. Shade the snow with violet under her belly.
Deer seen through a window with frost in the cornersTan, white, gray blue, brown. Sponge frost into the four corners over the finished scene.
Deer sheltering under a snow-loaded pineDark green, white, tan, pale blue. Load white on the top side of each bough.
Deer under a starry sky, the snow painted blueNavy, pale blue, white, brown. Paint the snow pale blue, not white, and save white for the stars.
Doe in falling snow, flakes in front of her and behindTan, brown, white, slate blue. Dot some flakes before painting her and more after.
Fawn's first snow, one flake on its noseTan, white, pale blue, black. Keep the background plain so the single flake shows.
Stag in a blizzard, mostly hiddenWhite, gray, brown. Paint the stag, then dry-brush white streaks slanting across him.
Stag in three browns on a white canvas, the snow left bareBurnt umber, tan, cream. Paint only the stag and a few grass tips; the canvas is the snow.
Stag with snow settled on his back and antlersBrown, tan, white, gray blue. Dab white along the top edges only, thicker where it would settle.
Three deer in a line through deep snow, legs hiddenWhite, tan, brown, blue gray. Cut the legs off at the snow line and shade a trough behind them.
Tracks leading across a snowfield to one small distant deerWhite, pale blue, gray, brown. Paint the tracks as pairs of blue dabs shrinking with distance.
Reindeer for December 15
Herd of reindeer on snowy tundra under northern lightsNavy, green, white, brown. Sweep the lights in thin green with a damp flat brush before the herd.
Reindeer asleep in straw, one star through the stable doorBrown, straw yellow, navy, white. Paint the doorway as a dark blue rectangle with one white star.
Reindeer calf beside its antlered motherBrown, cream, white, pale blue. Give the mother small antlers; female reindeer can grow them.
Reindeer face front-on with a wreath around its neckBrown, tan, green, red. Paint the wreath as dabs of two greens with red dots.
Reindeer face on a tan ground with chalky white detailsBrown, white, black, red. Paint on a tan ground and add white fur strokes around the muzzle.
Reindeer head built from a triangle and two twig antlers, for a card frontBrown, tan, red, cream. Paint a point-down triangle and branch the antlers from its top corners.
Reindeer head with ornaments hanging from its antlersBrown, tan, red, gold, green. Hang each ball on a short line and add one white shine.
Reindeer in a red blanket with a white zigzag borderBrown, red, white, cream. Paint the blanket flat over the back, then the zigzag with a liner brush.
Reindeer in harness with a row of bellsBrown, cream, red, metallic gold. Paint the strap red and dot the bells along it in gold.
Reindeer peeking around a decorated treeBrown, dark green, red, yellow. Paint the tree first and let half the face show beside it.
Reindeer standing at a signpost in deep snowBrown, white, red, tan. Letter your own town on the sign's arrow.
Reindeer taking a carrot from a mittenBrown, orange, red, white. Crop in close so only the muzzle, the carrot and the mitten show.
Reindeer under a string of colored lights along a barn roofBrown, red, navy, yellow, green. Dot the bulbs along a drooping line and glaze a glow under each.
Reindeer waiting beside a sleigh loaded with parcelsBrown, red, green, white. Paint the parcels as stacked squares with crossed ribbons.
Two reindeer nuzzling under falling snow, both with antlersBrown, cream, white, slate blue. Dot the snow with a cotton swab over the dry picture.
How it works
Most fawns are born with white spots, and in many species lose them by the end of their first winter. A stag sheds his antlers and grows new ones each year. Spots mark a fawn in paint, antlers a stag.
Read the full guide
Reindeer painting ideas for December
Reindeer, called caribou in North America, are the one deer in which females may carry antlers too, smaller than the males'. So Reindeer calf beside its antlered mother is true to life. The 15 under Reindeer for December add what December needs: a wreath, bells, parcels, a string of lights.
A stag in silhouette
The male red deer is a stag; for many other deer he is called a buck and she a doe. In silhouette the antlers do the work, so keep them clear of the body and the trees. Paint the sky first, let it dry, then lay the stag over it as one flat black shape.
Fawn spots go on with a cotton swab, in two loose rows along the back.
Shade snow with pale blue or violet and keep pure white for its top edges.
Questions and answers
Are these reindeer painting ideas on canvas or for cards?
On canvas, in acrylic. Reindeer head built from a triangle and two twig antlers, for a card front is the one sized for a card, and it scales up to a small canvas.
What colors do I need to paint a deer?
Brown is in 36 of the 60 palettes, white in 32, tan in 30 and cream in 18. Most of the 15 silhouettes need little more than black and two sky colors.
What is an easy deer painting for beginners?
A silhouette, which needs no fur and no face: Stag head and shoulders in black against a yellow full sun. Easy first deer, under More filters, holds 18.