• 60 designs
  • Checked October 2026

Ceiling Fan Blade Art Ideas

Fan blade painting ideas, three at a time, each with its colors and where each end of the blade goes.

Ceiling Fan Blade Art Ideas

Show all 60
  1. Ladybug with its wing cases open: two red blades with black spotsRed, black. Screw ends together at the head, round ends apart in a V; the largest spots low down. Sponge dauber.
  2. Bright fish with a screw hole for its eyeTwo brights, white. Screw end is the head: ring one hole as the eye; scale rows to the round end. Sponge dauber.
  3. A surfboard for each person in the family, a name down every oneOne bright per blade, white. Round ends up, stood in a row like boards on a rack; names stacked. Spray can.

Next step Paint a dragonfly on a canvasSee designs for a full-size board

All 60 designs

Dragonflies and feathers 15

  • Angel wings: a pair of white blades in rows of scalloped feathers White, pale gray, gold. Screw ends up at the shoulders, round ends down; gold dots over the holes. Round brush.
  • Barred feather: dark bands across a pale blade, a white tip Cream, brown, white. Round end up and left white; slanted bars a thumb apart down to the screw end. Flat brush.
  • Bee from two blades: pale wings on a post banded yellow and black White, gray, yellow, black. Screw ends fixed to the banded post, round ends angled up and out. Flat brush.
  • Butterfly from two blades, the same pattern mirrored on each Orange, black, white. Screw ends touch at the body; a dotted black border follows each round end. Round brush.
  • Copper dragonfly wings with veins drawn in dark brown Copper, dark brown. Screw ends at the body, round ends out; veins go over the dry coat. Spray can, paint pen.
  • Dragonfly from four blades, clear wings with dark veins White, pale blue, black. Screw ends meet on a table-leg body, round ends out. Veins with a liner brush.
  • Dragonfly wing cells sprayed through a mesh produce bag Silver over black. Mesh pulled tight from the screw end to the round end, sprayed, then peeled. Spray can.
  • Dragonfly wings fading from teal at the body to white at the tips Teal, white. Darkest at the screw end, palest at the round end, all four blades alike. Spray can.
  • Dragonfly wings with one dark cell near each tip Pale gray, black, amber. A small dark box on the front edge near the round end of every blade. Liner brush.
  • Feather with splits: V gaps painted in the wall color along both edges White, gray, your wall color. Round end is the tip; a center line runs to the holes at the quill. Liner brush.
  • Ladybug with its wing cases open: two red blades with black spots Red, black. Screw ends together at the head, round ends apart in a V; the largest spots low down. Sponge dauber.
  • Parrot wing in three bands: red at the shoulder, yellow, then blue Red, yellow, blue. Red at the screw end, blue at the round end, a row of feather tips in each band. Round brush.
  • Peacock feather with the eyespot in the round end Teal, green, bronze, navy. Round end up, rings of color in it; fine barbs slant to the screw end. Liner brush.
  • Stained-glass dragonfly wings, a different color in every cell Black, jewel brights. Black lines split the blade into cells from the screw end out; fill each one. Flat brush.
  • Three feathers from three blades, hung as a fan from one nail Three colors. Screw ends overlap at the bottom, one nail through the holes; round ends spread. Liner brush.

Garden signs 15

  • Bird hotel: a little house painted around each screw hole Brights, white, black. Screw end up; every hole is a doorway under a roof; VACANCY below them. Round brush.
  • Caterpillar at the foot, chrysalis halfway, butterfly in the round end Greens, yellow, orange, black. Round end up; a leafy stem climbs from the screw end past all three. Round brush.
  • Chili peppers ripening from green to red up the blade Greens, orange, red, white. Round end up with the reddest pepper in it; HOT beside the stalks. Round brush.
  • Daisy from one fan's blades, a word of your own on its center White, yellow, green. Screw ends hidden under a round yellow board, round ends out as petals. Flat brush.
  • Garden rules, one word to a line: DIG, PLANT, WATER, WAIT Dark green, cream. Round end up; a small leaf between the words; the screw end goes to a stake. Stencil.
  • Garden spade: the round end is the gray scoop, a name down the handle Gray, brown, white. Round end down as the scoop; a brown handle carries the name to the screw end. Flat brush.
  • Giant plant tag: a white blade with the plant's name in black White, black. Screw end up, hung by twine through a hole; the name runs down to the round end. Paint pen.
  • Green hose looping down the blade, the nozzle spraying from the round end Green, brass, pale blue, white. Round end up; blue drops fan out of it; the coil ends by the holes. Round brush.
  • Mole asleep below a painted soil line, flowers above it Brown, pink, greens, white. Round end up; the burrow curls near the screw end; SHH on the soil. Round brush.
  • Open dawn to dusk: a sun in the round end, a moon at the screw end Yellow, orange, navy, white. Round end up; the sky darkens down the blade, the words in the middle. Sponge.
  • Row markers from one fan, each blade the color of its crop Red, orange, purple, green, white. Round ends up; the crop name stacked in white; screw ends staked. Stencil.
  • Seed packet: the crop pictured in the round end, its name on a band below Cream, green, red. Round end up with a bean pod or a beet in it; the screw end goes to a stake. Round brush.
  • Signpost arms: each blade names a place in your garden White, dark green. Screw ends bolt to one post; the round ends point the way to the pond or the shed. Stencil.
  • Snails crossing: a silver trail that loops the length of the blade Green, silver, brown, white. Hung sideways by the holes; the snail sits in the round end. Paint pen.
  • Tulip row: each round end a bloom, one letter of a name on each Reds, pinks, yellow, green. Blades side by side, round ends up; a stem down to each screw end. Flat brush.

Santas and snowmen 15

  • Beach Santa in sunglasses and a flowered shirt Red, white, aqua, yellow. Round end up as the hat; shirt at the middle, bare feet by the screw holes. Round brush.
  • Countdown Santa: a numbered curl of beard for each day to the 24th Red, white, gray. Round end down; outline 24 curls in gray, fill one in white each day. Liner brush.
  • HO HO HO stacked down Santa's coat Red, white, black. Face in the round end at the top; three white words down the coat to the screw end. Stencil.
  • Melted snowman: hat, carrot and scarf in a puddle in the round end Pale blue, white, black, orange. Round end down; sky above the puddle, flakes up to the screw end. Round brush.
  • Mrs. Claus to stand beside Santa, her bun in the round end Red, white, gray, green. Round end up; apron to the foot, a row of holly over the screw holes. Round brush.
  • One fan's blades as a snowman family, a different scarf on each White, black, orange, scarf brights. All round end up in a row; a white coat on every blade first. Spray can.
  • Santa face, round end down: the beard follows the curve Red, white, pink, black. Hat from the screw end, a fur band, a nose; the beard fills the round end. Round brush.
  • Santa on one face of the blade, a snowman on the other Reds and whites, then blues and whites. Both stand round end up; turn it over after Christmas. Flat brush.
  • Santa's list unrolling down the blade, your family's names on it Cream, red, black. Eyes and hat peek over the top in the round end; names run to the screw end. Paint pen.
  • Snowman close-up: only the face, the carrot nose pointing off one edge White, orange, black, pink. Round end down as the chin; eyes halfway; a hat band at the screw end. Round brush.
  • Snowman with a very tall top hat White, black, orange, red. Face in the round end at the bottom; the hat runs to the screw end. Flat brush.
  • Snowman, round end up: the screw holes are his lowest coal buttons White, black, orange, one bright. Head in the round end, a scarf under it, buttons down to the holes. Sponge dauber.
  • Standing Santa, round end up: the pom-pom of his hat fills it Red, white, black, gold. Belt at the middle; black boots painted over the holes at the screw end. Flat brush.
  • Three snowman heads stacked, a different hat on each White, black, red, green. Round end down holds the first face; top hat, knit cap, earmuffs above. Round brush.
  • Woodland Santa in a long green coat, a lantern in one hand Forest green, white, tan, yellow. Round end down: the hem follows the curve; hood at the screw end. Round brush.

Fish and surfboards 15

  • A surfboard for each person in the family, a name down every one One bright per blade, white. Round ends up, stood in a row like boards on a rack; names stacked. Spray can.
  • Bright fish with a screw hole for its eye Two brights, white. Screw end is the head: ring one hole as the eye; scale rows to the round end. Sponge dauber.
  • Clownfish: orange with three white bands edged in black Orange, white, black. Round end is the head; first band behind the eye, the third by the screw end. Flat brush.
  • Fish bones on a black blade, the skull in the round end Black, white. A spine down the center, ribs to both edges, a tail fin over the holes at the screw end. Liner brush.
  • Giant fishing lure with a real cord through a screw hole Silver, red, yellow, black. Screw end is the nose with a big eye; a painted hook at the round end. Paint pen.
  • Koi seen from above: white with large red patches White, red, black. Round end is the head; side fins near it; the tail fans over the screw end. Round brush.
  • Longboard seen from below: a fin painted around each screw hole White, one bright, black. Screw end is the tail; one stripe runs from the fins to the round nose. Paint pen.
  • Mermaid tail: scales from the screw end, fins fanned over the round end Teal, violet, gold. Screw end up as the waist; the scale arcs grow larger toward the round end. Sponge dauber.
  • Sardines: a set of blades side by side, all heads one way Silver, gray, blue. Round ends are the heads; one dark stripe along each back; hung edge to edge. Spray can.
  • Shark with its grin in the round end Gray, white, black, red. Round end is the snout with a row of teeth; the tail at the screw end. Round brush.
  • String of fish: one fan's blades hung on a single rope Greens, silver, pink. Rope through one hole of each blade; mouths at the screw ends, tails below. Round brush.
  • Surfboard with a real cord leash tied through a screw hole Yellow, white, navy. Screw end is the tail; two navy stripes to the round nose; knot the cord behind. Tape.
  • Surfboard with two sandy footprints where the feet go Aqua, sand, white. Round end is the nose; one print at the middle, one nearer the screw end. Sponge.
  • Two fish nose to nose over a doorway Blue, orange, white. Two blades hung sideways, round ends almost touching, tails at the screw ends. Round brush.
  • Whale shark from above: pale spots and lines on dark gray Dark gray, white. Wide head in the round end; dots and thin lines over the back to the screw end. Cotton swab.

How it works

A fan's blades are also called paddles or wings, and a blade off an old fan is a board ready to become a wing, a feather, a Santa or a fish.

Read the full guide

Which end of the blade is the top

The end that was screwed to the fan keeps its holes: the lines call it the screw end, and the free end the round end. Round end down, the curve is a beard or a chin; round end up, a head, a hat or a bloom. Some holes get a job: a doorway in the bird hotel, a fish's eye, a snowman's coal buttons.

Spray paint ideas for fan blades

Six designs name a spray can, for coats that cover a whole blade: the dragonfly wings that fade from teal to white, the copper wings, the silver sardines. Faces, letters and veins go on by brush or paint pen over the dry coat. An adult does the spraying and follows the can's label.

  • Blades are usually solid wood, plywood, MDF, steel, aluminum or plastic. Find out which yours is before you choose a paint.
  • A dragonfly holds its wings out level, so the four blades sit flat, two on each side of the body.

Questions and answers

What can I make out of old ceiling fan blades?

Wings, signs, figures and fish. Here blades become dragonfly, butterfly and angel wings or single feathers, garden signs for a stake or a post, Santas and snowmen as tall as the blade, and fish and surfboards to hang on a wall.

How do you make a dragonfly out of fan blades?

In these designs four blades are the wings and a table leg is the body. The screw ends meet at the body and the round ends point out. An adult does the drilling and the screws. Real dragonfly wings are mostly clear, with dark veins.

What kind of paint do you use on fan blades?

We do not test paints. The label has to name what your blade is made of, and for a piece that will stay in the garden it has to say the paint is meant for outdoors. Try a patch on the back first.

Can I paint the blades and put them back on the fan?

These designs are for blades that have come off a fan for good, to hang on a wall or stand in a garden. For a fan still in use, the maker's instructions say what may be done to its blades.

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