Fairy reading on a daisy, legs crossedWhite, yellow, green, lilac. Paint the daisy from above as a wheel of petals and seat the figure on its yellow center.
Wings as stained glass, every pane a different flat colorBlack, red, blue, yellow, green. Draw the panes in black first and fill each with one flat color.
Upturned acorn used as a lantern on a twigBrown, yellow, black, orange. Paint the acorn upside down and glaze watery orange around it once the yellow is dry.
Fairy blowing dandelion seeds across an orange skyOrange, yellow, black, white. Paint the figure black and dot the drifting seeds white with a cotton swab.
Fairy flying across a red sun half set in a lakeRed, orange, yellow, black. Mirror the sun in short dashes on the water and cross the disc with a winged shape.
Fairy mid-leap between two toadstools at duskPeach, violet, black. Blend the sky from peach up to violet and cut the leaping shape in with a small round brush.
Fairy napping in a spider-silk hammock between grass stemsTeal, pink, black. Blend teal into pink, then draw one curved black line with a small shape resting in it.
Fairy on a dandelion clock against a full moonIndigo, pale yellow, black, white. Paint the moon disc first and pull the seed stalks over it with a liner brush.
Fairy on a hilltop holding a wand with one star at its tipPurple, rose, black, white. Curve a black hill across the base and touch the wand tip with one white dot.
Fairy on a swing hung from the moon's lower tipNavy, pale yellow, black. Paint the crescent, drop two fine lines from its tip and seat a small figure there.
Fairy seated on a crescent moon, legs danglingNavy, white, black. Blend the navy sky, paint the crescent white, then add the figure in flat black.
Row of fairies walking a branch, each one smallerPeach, lilac, black. Paint the branch across the canvas and shrink each figure toward its tip.
Three fairies in a ring, hands joined, before a huge moonCream, gray blue, black. Trace a plate for the moon and space three small black figures along its lower edge.
Winged figure on a grass stem at sunsetYellow, orange, magenta, black. Blend three bands wet, let them dry, then paint stem and figure in flat black.
Winged shape rising from tall grass under the first starIndigo, turquoise, black, white. Pull the grass upward in black over the dry sky and place one white dot high up.
Among flowers and mushrooms 12
Bluebell hat on a tiny figure seen from behindBlue, violet, green, tan. Paint the bell shape as a hat and let only two feet and two wing tips show below it.
Fairy asleep inside a tulip, one arm over the rimRed, pink, green, cream. Paint the tulip cup first, then tuck a cream arm and a tuft of hair over its edge.
Fairy halfway up a foxglove, a foot in each bellPink, magenta, green, white. Stack the bells up one stem, largest at the bottom, and place the climber halfway.
Fairy in a poppy skirt balancing along a wheat stalkRed, gold, black, cream. Turn a poppy upside down for the skirt and tilt the gold stalk under the feet.
Fairy peeking out between two fern frondsGreen, olive, cream, pink. Paint the fronds as two arcs of short strokes and leave a gap for the face.
Fairy pouring dew from an acorn cup onto a seedlingBrown, green, pale blue, cream. Add the drops last as pale blue dots falling in a line.
Fairy reading on a daisy, legs crossedWhite, yellow, green, lilac. Paint the daisy from above as a wheel of petals and seat the figure on its yellow center.
Fairy sheltering from rain under a red toadstool capRed, white, gray, green. Pull slanted gray rain lines across the dry painting and keep the space under the cap clear.
Mushroom cap carried overhead through falling petalsTan, pink, white, green. Sponge pink petals down the canvas, then paint the small walker and the cap on top.
Ring of brown mushrooms in grass, one wing showingBrown, cream, green, white. Paint the caps as a ring of ovals and hide a single white wing behind one stalk.
Sunflower with a fairy sitting on one petalYellow, brown, green, lilac. Fill the canvas with the flower head and keep the figure no taller than one petal.
Two fairies sharing a blackberry on a bramble leafPurple, green, cream, pink. Build the berry from a cluster of purple rounds dabbed with a cotton swab.
Wings close up 12
Butterfly-shaped fairy wings in orange and blackOrange, black, white. Fill the orange panels flat, outline them in black and dot white along the edge.
Dusty moth wings in cream and brown, two round eye marksBrown, cream, black, rust. Paint each eye mark as rings inside rings, darkest in the middle.
Fairy from behind, wings filling the whole canvasLilac, pink, white, brown. Paint the wings edge to edge and keep the figure a small shape where they meet.
Four long clear wings, shaped like a dragonfly'sAqua, lilac, white. Paint four long narrow wings and glaze watery lilac over the tips.
Single fairy wing, white veins on pale bluePale blue, white, silver gray. Wash the wing shape first, let it dry, and draw the veins with a liner brush.
Torn wing mended with a spiderweb stitchGray, white, pale pink. Leave a gap in the wing and cross it with fine white lines, like a web.
Wing beaded with dew, a clear drop on every veinPale green, white, gray. Paint each drop as a gray dot with a smaller white dot on its upper side.
Wing study in watercolor, colors dropped into wet paperTurquoise, violet, yellow. Wet the wing shape with clean water and touch three colors in so they spread.
Wings as stained glass, every pane a different flat colorBlack, red, blue, yellow, green. Draw the panes in black first and fill each with one flat color.
Wings cut from two green leaves, one edge notchedGreen, yellow green, brown. Paint a pair of leaves joined at the stems and leave a small notch in one edge.
Wings folded shut, seen from the side like a closed fanMint, gold, white. Paint one long leaf shape and rule gold lines from its base out to its edge.
Wings made of two tilted hearts, gold dots on the rimsPink, white, gold. Paint two hearts tipped outward and dot gold along the rims with a cotton swab.
Fairy doors, houses and lights 12
Birdhouse with a lantern beside its perchBlue, white, yellow, brown. Fix a small yellow lantern to the perch and glow the round doorway to match.
Hollow-log house with an acorn-cap roofBrown, tan, green, yellow. Paint the log end as rings and set a small arched door in the middle.
Lantern-lit door between two roots, a welcome mat of mossBrown, green, yellow, red. Paint two dark roots, a small red door between them and one yellow lantern above it.
Mitten house hung on a twig, one lit window in the thumbRed, white, brown, yellow. Paint the mitten red with a white cuff and put one yellow window in the thumb.
Old boot turned into a house, a door in the heelBrown, red, green, yellow. Lay the boot on its side in grass and put a round yellow window near the laces.
Pumpkin house, a ladder leaning up to its stalk chimneyOrange, green, brown, yellow. Paint the ribs as curved orange bands and lean a small brown ladder on one side.
Round red door set in a grassy bank, a pebble pathRed, brown, gray, green. Paint the door as a red circle, add a dot for the knob and a curve of gray stones.
Shelf fungi as a staircase winding up a trunkCream, orange, brown, green. Step the fungi up the bark like shelves and add a small door at the top.
Three doors up a trunk, joined by a rope ladderBrown, teal, mustard, pink. Paint three small doors in three colors and zigzag the ladder between them.
Tiny door in a garden wall, ivy around the frameGray, green, purple, gold. Sponge the stone gray, paint a purple door and dab ivy leaves over its edge.
Tiny lamps strung daisy to daisy across a night gardenNavy, white, yellow, green. Paint a sagging line and dot it with yellow, each dot ringed in paler yellow.
Village of shell houses on a mossy stump at duskPink, cream, green, violet, yellow. Paint each shell as a spiral and touch one yellow window into each.
A glow in a jar or lantern 12
Fairy peering into a jar from outside, face litViolet, yellow, cream, black. Light only the side of the figure that faces the jar and leave the rest dark.
Fairy sitting inside a jar lantern, wings lighting the glassNavy, pale yellow, white, lilac. Sponge a soft yellow round inside the jar before painting the figure.
Firefly jar with a punched lid on a porch stepNavy, yellow green, gray, brown. Dot the glow in yellow green and add a gray lid with a row of dark holes.
Glass jar of glowing dots on a dark windowsillBlack, yellow, white, gray. Outline the jar in gray, dot the lights yellow and put a white dot inside each.
Jar on a stump lighting a ring of mushroomsBlack, yellow, red, cream. Brighten only the mushroom sides that face the jar.
Jar tipped over, lights drifting out into the nightIndigo, yellow, white. Lay the jar on its side and trail the yellow dots upward, smaller as they go.
Lantern hung from a foxglove, moths circlingNavy, pink, yellow, cream. Paint the glow first as a pale yellow round and add three cream moths at its edge.
Lantern trail up a hillside path, the far ones tinyNavy, yellow, black. Shrink each dot of light as the path climbs and bend the line twice.
Light held in two cupped hands, yellow slits between fingersBlack, yellow, tan, white. Paint the glow first, then the two hands around it, leaving slits of yellow.
Paper lantern carried on a stick through dark grassBlack, orange, yellow, green. Paint the lantern as an orange oval and scrub yellow outward with a dry brush.
Trio of jars glowing pink, green and blue on a shelfBlack, pink, green, blue, white. Sponge one soft color inside each jar and outline all three in white.
Upturned acorn used as a lantern on a twigBrown, yellow, black, orange. Paint the acorn upside down and glaze watery orange around it once the yellow is dry.
How it works
Painters gave fairies their wings: they are common in Victorian and later art and rare in the old folklore. Today's pictures often borrow a dragonfly's or a butterfly's, and this list paints both.
Read the full guide
Acrylic fairy painting ideas: sky first, figure last
Acrylic is water-resistant once it dries, so a flat black figure can go straight over a blended sky without lifting it. Fairy seated on a crescent moon, legs dangling works that way: navy sky, white crescent, then the black shape. Keep the figure small and the moon large.
Painting a glow in a jar
A glow needs a dark ground around it. Start on black or navy, sponge a soft round of yellow where the light sits, and add the brightest dots last. Glass jar of glowing dots on a dark windowsill takes four colors. Light the near side of anything that stands close to the jar.
The easy fairy painting ideas sit under More filters, Level: 22 flat shapes and silhouettes.
Questions and answers
Which fairy canvas painting ideas for kids need no drawing?
The silhouettes. Winged figure on a grass stem at sunset is three blended bands and one flat black shape, and Fairy blowing dandelion seeds across an orange sky adds its dots with a cotton swab.
Do fairies have to have wings?
No. In folklore wings are rare; artists added them later. Row of fairies walking a branch, each one smaller reads with or without them, and Bluebell hat on a tiny figure seen from behind shows only two wing tips.
Which painted fairy ideas fit a garden stone or a flower pot?
The doors. Round red door set in a grassy bank, a pebble path and Tiny door in a garden wall, ivy around the frame are flat shapes that sit on a stone or a pot as well as on a canvas.
What is a fairy ring?
A ring or arc of mushrooms that forms naturally. Ring of brown mushrooms in grass, one wing showing paints one in daylight, and Jar on a stump lighting a ring of mushrooms sets a light in the middle.