Finished world map with a veil of night glazed over one halfCream, green, blue, navy. Let the map dry, then glaze thin navy over half of it.
Sun on the left, Earth in the middle, its far side in shadowYellow, black, blue, navy. Paint the half that faces the Sun bright and the other half navy.
Whole Earth with Africa in the middle and the white of Antarctica belowUltramarine, tan, green, white, black. Paint Africa in tan and green, then swirl cloud across the lower half.
Curved edge of the Earth with a thin bright line of air above the cloudsBlack, cobalt, pale blue, white. Paint one thin bright band where the planet meets the black.
Earth among stars of three sizesBlack, blue, green, white. Dot the stars with a cotton swab, a brush handle and a toothpick.
Earth as the third dot out from a big yellow SunBlack, yellow, gray, blue. Paint three small dots in a row; only the third is blue.
Earth in three flat colors with no shading, like cut paperBlue, green, white. Fill each shape flat and leave hard edges between them.
Earth inside a ring of satellites drawn as tiny white dashesBlack, blue, green, white. Paint a circle of short white dashes around the planet, each tilted along its path.
Earth leaning on its axis, a dotted line through both polesBlack, blue, green, white. Tip the pole line a little off upright and dot it with a cotton swab.
Earth painted as a glass marble with one curved highlightBlue, green, white. One curved white stroke at the upper left turns the ball to glass.
Earth seen from over a pole, white ice in the middleWhite, blue, green. Center a white cap and let land and sea ring it.
Earth seen through a round spacecraft windowGray, black, blue, white. Paint the gray window ring first, then the planet inside it.
Earth small in one corner of a black canvas, the rest left emptyBlack, blue, white. Paint the planet no bigger than a coin and stop.
Earth so large that its edge runs off all four sidesUltramarine, green, tan, white. Fill the canvas with sea and coast; the cloud goes on last.
Earth with its one Moon, a small gray disc off to the sideBlack, blue, white, gray. Keep the Moon small and plain gray so Earth holds all the color.
Solar panel in the foreground and a slice of Earth beyond itNavy, gold, blue, white. Rule the panel's grid with a liner brush over dry navy.
Spiral of storm cloud over open ocean, seen from straight aboveBlue, white, gray. Drybrush white in a spiral and leave a clear eye at the center.
Whole Earth with Africa in the middle and the white of Antarctica belowUltramarine, tan, green, white, black. Paint Africa in tan and green, then swirl cloud across the lower half.
Land and sea 15
Beach from directly above in three bands: sand, foam and seaTan, white, turquoise. Paint three bands and dab the foam edge with a sponge.
Chain of small islands across open oceanBlue, green, white. Ring each island with a pale line of surf.
Coastline from above, turquoise shallows fading to deep blueTan, turquoise, ultramarine, white. Blend from sand through turquoise to deep blue while all are wet.
Continents as flat green shapes on a blue oval mapBlue, green, white. Copy the shapes loosely from a map and keep each one a single flat green.
Coral reef from above, rings of turquoise in deep blueTurquoise, blue, cream. Paint each ring pale at its rim and blend it into the deep blue outside.
Desk globe turned to its ocean side, nearly all blueBlue, brass yellow, brown, green. Paint the stand and arc first, then a ball that is almost all sea.
Earth as a circle of ten wedges, seven blue and three greenBlue, green, white. Rule ten wedges in pencil and fill seven with sea, the rest with land.
Hillside cut away to show grass, soil and bands of rockGreen, umber, ocher, gray. Give each layer its own earth color and a wavy edge.
Mountain range from above with snow along its spineBrown, green, white. Dab white along the ridge with a nearly dry brush.
One continent of your choice alone on a sea-blue canvasBlue, green, tan. Paint the coast as one outline first, then fill inland with green and tan.
Orange dunes meeting blue water along one straight shoreOrange, tan, blue, white. Paint the dunes in curved bands of orange and stop them dead at the water.
Polar ice breaking into floes on dark waterWhite, navy, pale blue. Paint white angular pieces with thin dark gaps between them.
Rainforest canopy from above with one river looping throughThree greens, tan. Dab the canopy with a sponge and leave the river as a bare tan loop.
River looping across a green plain, one cut-off bend left as a lakeGreen, tan, blue. Paint one long S of river and a curved lake beside its tightest bend.
World map on blue with a compass rose in one cornerBlue, green, cream, red. Paint the rose as a four-point star and tip its north point red.
Earth in hands 15
Astronaut's glove pinching the far-off Earth between finger and thumbWhite, gray, black, blue. Paint the glove huge and the Earth tiny in the gap.
Earth as a balloon on a string in a child's fistBlue, green, white, peach. Paint the string as one thin line from the fist to the knot.
Earth held high above a crowd of raised handsBlue, green, mixed skin colors, white. Paint the hands as a row of simple shapes along the bottom edge.
Earth held like a snowball in two red mittensRed, white, blue, green. Paint the mittens as two rounded shapes that overlap the globe's lower edge.
Earth passed from a large hand down to a small onePeach, brown, blue, green. Tilt the big hand down and the small one up so the globe sits between.
Earth resting in a green leaf held in an open palmGreen, blue, peach, white. Paint the palm, then the leaf, then the small globe, letting each dry.
Earth sheltered under an umbrella held by one handBlue, green, yellow, gray. Paint slanting gray rain everywhere except under the umbrella.
Earth spinning on one fingertip like a basketballBlue, green, white, tan. Add two short curved lines beside the globe for the spin.
Earth wrapped as a gift with a green ribbon, held out in two handsBlue, green, cream, peach. Cross the ribbon over the globe and tie a bow at the top.
Gloved hands planting a sapling, the ground curved like the top of a globeBrown, green, tan, sky blue. Curve the ground like the top of a ball and stand the sapling at its crest.
Hand with a brush painting the last green patch onto the EarthBlue, green, peach, brown. Leave one patch of land unfinished under the brush tip.
Handprint Earth: a blue circle with green handprints for the landBlue, white, green finger paint. Brush the blue circle, let it dry and press green hands on as land.
Hands of many skin colors reaching in from the edges toward a small globeBrowns, peach, tan, blue, green. Paint each hand as a simple mitten shape pointing at the center.
Small hands hugging a globe against a striped sweaterBlue, green, red, white. Paint the stripes first and let the globe and hands cover them.
Two hands shaped into a heart with the Earth seen through itPeach, brown, blue, green, black. Paint the planet first, then curve the fingers over it.
Day and night 15
Band of small suns and moons taking turns around the middle of the EarthBlue, green, yellow, white. Alternate a sun and a crescent moon along the equator.
Day Earth and night Earth on two small canvases hung side by sideBlue, green, white, black, gold. Trace one plate for both so the two globes match.
Day side and night side with a band of twilight between themBlue, navy, white, gray. Blend a narrow gray band between the halves; the edge of night is twilight, not a line.
Earth and Moon both lit from the same sideBlack, blue, gray, white. Shade the same side of both dark, since one Sun lights them.
Earth as a clock face with a day half and a night halfBlue, navy, white, gold. Paint one hand pointing at the edge where the light begins.
Earth with a sleeping face on its night side and a wide-awake face on its day sideBlue, green, navy, white. Paint one closed eye in the dark half and one open eye in the light.
Finished world map with a veil of night glazed over one halfCream, green, blue, navy. Let the map dry, then glaze thin navy over half of it.
Four Earths in a row with the shadow a quarter further across eachBlack, blue, navy, white. Paint four equal circles and move the dark edge on each one.
Globe lamp glowing on a bedside table in a dark roomNavy, blue, green, amber. Glaze thin amber on the table top around the lamp's base.
Globe with blue sky behind its day half and stars behind its night halfSky blue, black, blue, white. Split the background down the middle before you paint the globe.
Northern lights curling over the dark top of the globeGreen, violet, navy, white. Pull green upward in soft curtains with a damp brush.
Rooster on the dawn edge of a small globe and an owl on the dusk edgeBlue, green, navy, brown. Stand each tiny bird on the rim where light meets dark.
Same hill twice on one canvas: at noon on the left, at midnight on the rightSky blue, green, navy, white. Pencil a center line and paint the hill in day colors, then in night colors.
Sun on the left, Earth in the middle, its far side in shadowYellow, black, blue, navy. Paint the half that faces the Sun bright and the other half navy.
Tiny windows lighting up along the edge where evening beginsNavy, blue, gold. Dot gold only in a narrow band just inside the dark side.
How it works
From space the Earth is mostly blue: ocean covers about 71 percent of its surface, with white cloud drifting over it. So most pictures here start from blue, white and a little green.
Read the full guide
Earth themed painting ideas, from a globe to one coast
The globe from space paints the whole planet. Whole Earth with Africa in the middle and the white of Antarctica below is the view a crew on its way to the Moon photographed. Land and sea comes closer: one coastline, one looping river, one chain of islands.
Day and night on one canvas
The Earth turns once in about 24 hours, and at any moment about half of it is dark. Day side and night side with a band of twilight between them blends the join, because the edge of night is twilight, not a line.
Seventeen are marked easy under More filters, Level, among them Earth as the third dot out from a big yellow Sun.
Questions and answers
What are good Earth Day painting ideas?
Earth Day is April 22. The Earth in hands group suits it. For a class, try Handprint Earth: a blue circle with green handprints for the land. For a poster, try Earth passed from a large hand down to a small one.
What colors do you need to paint the Earth?
Ultramarine or cobalt for the ocean, green and tan for land, white for cloud and ice, and black for space. The night scenes add navy and gold.
How do you paint the Earth so it looks round?
Shade one side. Darken the ocean toward the edge that faces away from the Sun and keep the cloud brightest on the lit side, as Sun on the left, Earth in the middle, its far side in shadow does.