Banners streaming sideways from a gatehouse in a galeGray, red, gold, sky blue. Pull each banner sideways in one wavy stroke.
Castle carved into a cliff face, rows of warm windowsSlate, brown, orange, yellow. Dot rows of small warm windows with a cotton swab.
Desert fortress with a huge red sun behind its wallsSand, ocher, orange, red. Trace a plate for the sun and stand the walls in front of it.
Drawbridge lowered across a moat full of mistGray, umber, white, slate. Sponge the mist thinly across the moat after the bridge is dry.
Fallen column and broken steps overgrown with ivyGray, cream, ivy green, umber. Dab the ivy with the corner of a sponge over the dry stone.
Ice palace with spires as thin as iciclesWhite, pale blue, turquoise, navy. Pull each spire up with a flat brush on its edge.
Keep on a wave-ringed rock, a single yellow windowNavy, gray, black, yellow. Paint the rock and castle as one dark shape, then a single yellow dot.
Lone watchtower on a ridge beneath three starsNavy, black, white. Paint the ridge and tower black, then dot three stars with a cotton swab.
Roofless throne room with moss on every stoneGray, moss green, gold, pale blue. Glaze thin green over the dry stone where the moss grows.
Ruined arch on a hill, the moon showing through itIndigo, gray, cream, olive. Paint the moon first, then build the arch around it.
Stone stair winding around the outside of a thin towerGray, black, cream, teal. Wind the stair around the tower as a row of small steps.
Tower wrapped in a climbing rose, its top lost in cloudGray, green, rose, white. Scumble thin white over the dry tower top so it fades into cloud.
Turreted castle as a flat black shape on a pink dawnRose, peach, lilac, black. Blend the sky, then paint the whole castle in flat black.
Violet castle and its dragged reflection in calm waterViolet, gray, white, navy. Repeat the castle below the shoreline and drag a damp brush across it.
Dragons and creatures 14
Cat-sized dragon perched on a stack of old booksTeal, brown, cream, gold. Paint the books as flat blocks and the dragon as one rounded shape on top.
Dragon asleep, coiled around the top of a towerViolet, navy, black, yellow. Curl the body around the tower in one dark shape with a small lit eye.
Dragon in flight, black against a huge orange moonOrange, yellow, black. Trace a plate for the moon and paint the dragon as one flat black shape.
Emerald reptile eye filling the canvas, edged in gold scalesEmerald, gold, black, white. Dot scales around the eye with a cotton swab and add one white glint.
Giant's boots towering beside a tiny cottageBrown, tan, green, red. Crop the giant at the knee so the boots rise over the roof.
Griffin perched on a crag, wings half openGold, brown, gray, sky blue. Paint the creature as a dark shape and edge the wings with gold.
Newborn dragon, two eyes above a zigzag eggshell edgeGreen, cream, yellow, purple. Paint the egg as an oval with a zigzag crack and two eyes above it.
Phoenix rising from embers, wings spread wideRed, orange, yellow, black. Pull each feather upward with a dry brush, yellow at the tips.
Phoenix tail trailing down a tall canvas like flameCrimson, orange, gold, navy. Drag long curling strokes down from the bird, lighter as they fall.
Sea serpent's three coils breaking a calm green surfaceTeal, navy, white, green. Paint three arches and a head, then white foam where each meets the water.
Stag whose antlers are branches hung with lightsUmber, black, pale yellow, teal. Paint the antlers as branches and dot lights along them.
Tiny winged fairy dark against a glowing flowerYellow, pink, black, green. Paint the flower's glow first, then the small winged silhouette.
Unicorn and hilltop as one black shape under a crescentIndigo, violet, white, black. Blend the sky, then paint horse, horn and hill together in black.
Winged horse crossing a bank of sunset cloudPeach, rose, violet, white. Scumble the cloud tops pale and keep the horse a simple light shape.
Enchanted forests and glowing things 14
Autumn wood where falling leaves glow like sparksRust, orange, yellow, black. Dot the leaves with a cotton swab, brightest near the middle.
Black trunks split by one slanting beam of goldBlack, dark green, gold. Paint the trunks, then dry-brush one slanting beam between them.
Blue flowers glowing at the roots of a giant treeBlack, indigo, bright blue, white. Paint the flowers last in the brightest blue on the canvas.
Circle of red-capped toadstools traced around a plateNavy, green, red, white. Trace a plate for the ring and dot the toadstools around it.
Fireflies circling a hollow tree with a tiny doorDark green, umber, yellow, orange. Dot the fireflies and glaze a thin yellow halo around a few.
Forest pool holding a sunset while night hangs aboveGreen, navy, pink, white. Paint a sunset inside the pool and a night sky above the trees.
Frozen wood, every twig sheathed in iceWhite, pale blue, lilac, gray. Dry-brush white over dry gray branches so they sparkle.
Huts high in the canopy linked by looping walkwaysBrown, green, yellow, tan. Loop the bridges with a liner brush between the trunks.
Mist between tall trunks, a pale stag far offGray green, white, umber. Sponge the mist thinly so the far trunks fade.
Old trees with kindly faces in their barkBrown, gray green, cream. Use the knots as eyes and a split in the bark as a smile.
Paper lanterns strung from branches along a streamNavy, green, orange, yellow. Glaze orange around each dry lantern for the glow.
Small creatures sheltering under giant leaves in rainGreen, lime, red, cream. Paint the leaves large and tuck small figures under them.
Trail of glowing mushrooms between dark trunksBlack, teal, lime, white. Paint the trees dark, then dot mushroom caps in lime with a white middle.
Willow whose hanging strands are strings of tiny lightsNavy, teal, pale yellow, white. Pull the strands down and dot lights along each.
Moons and night skies 15
Castle-shaped cloud edged in moonlightIndigo, gray, white. Scumble the cloud's lit edges and leave its heart dark.
Comet with three tails above a sleeping villageNavy, white, pale blue, yellow. Dry-brush three tails away from the head, fanning apart.
Constellation traced as a dragon in dotted linesBlack, white, pale blue. Dot the stars with a cotton swab and join them with a liner brush.
Cream moon tangled in the twigs of a leafless treeIndigo, cream, black. Paint the moon, then lay the black branches across it.
Crescent cradling a tiny sleeping figureNavy, pale yellow, white, lilac. Paint the crescent, then a small curled shape in its curve.
Eight coin-traced moons from sliver to full above a peakBlack, white, gray, navy. Trace a coin along an arc and paint a wider lit slice on each.
Giant moon rising out of the sea behind a tall shipNavy, cream, black, teal. Trace a large plate half below the horizon and put the ship in front.
Hundreds of sky lanterns drifting upward at nightIndigo, orange, yellow, black. Paint each lantern smaller and dimmer as it rises.
Moon cracked like an egg, light spilling from the splitNavy, white, yellow, gray. Paint the crack as a jagged line and glaze yellow around it.
Night sky framed by a round stone windowGray, navy, white, yellow. Trace a plate, paint the sky inside it and stone around it.
Purple night with a river of stars running through itPurple, indigo, white. Sponge a pale band, then dot it with a cotton swab.
Ring of standing stones beneath a green auroraBlack, green, teal, gray. Pull the aurora up with a dry flat brush from a sharp lower edge.
Silver moonlight pooling on a field of white flowersNavy, gray, white, silver gray. Dot the flowers densest where the light falls.
Three shooting stars falling toward an open tower roofNavy, white, gray. Pull each trail with a liner brush, thick at the head.
Twin moons of different sizes above a black ridgeIndigo, cream, lilac, black. Trace two lids of different sizes and shade each on the same side.
Doors, portals and floating islands 15
Arched door standing alone in a meadow, no wall nearGreen, red, gold, sky blue. Paint the meadow first, then the door as one flat arch with a gold handle.
Cottage on a drifting rock tied down by one long ropeGray, red, green, sky blue. Loop the rope down off the canvas with a liner brush.
Enormous turtle whose shell is a grassy hill with treesGreen, teal, brown, sky blue. Paint the turtle's shell as the island's hill.
Gateway of two stone hands, each holding a lanternGray, yellow, navy, green. Glaze yellow around each lantern once the stone is dry.
Gilt mirror showing a forest instead of the roomGold, green, gray, cream. Paint the forest inside the frame and plain wall outside it.
Glowing footbridge thinly dry-brushed across open skySky blue, white, green, gold. Dry-brush the bridge so thinly that the sky shows through.
Key the size of a bridge laid across a ravineGold, brown, gray, teal. Paint the key as the bridge and tiny figures walking on it.
Open storybook with a path leading out of its pagesCream, brown, green, sky blue. Paint the book flat, then a small landscape rising from it.
Portal of swirling light between two ancient oaksViolet, teal, white, black. Start in the middle with white and wind outward into darker color.
Sky city of thin towers built around a floating hoopLilac, white, gold, sky blue. Trace a plate for the hoop and stand thin towers along it.
Sky island whose river falls away and fades to mistGreen, gray, white, sky blue. Pull the waterfall down with a dry brush until it fades out.
Staircase climbing into a doorway of pure lightPeach, white, gray, gold. Shrink each step as it rises and leave the doorway unpainted white.
Stone well with stars at the bottom instead of waterGray, navy, white, moss green. Paint the inside of the well as night sky.
Three small floating rocks, each carrying one treeSky blue, gray, green, white. Paint each rock as an upside-down cone with a tree on top.
Yellow glow leaking beneath a small door in an oakBrown, green, yellow, black. Paint a thin yellow line along the bottom of the door.
Whimsical 12
Canvas split down the middle: grinning sun, drowsy moonYellow, orange, navy, white. Split the sky down the middle, warm on one side and cool on the other.
Cat in a wizard's hat sitting on a crescent moonNavy, yellow, black, purple. Paint the moon, then the cat and hat as one dark shape on it.
Crowned frog holding court on a pink water blossomGreen, gold, pink, teal. Paint the crown last in thick gold.
Fox with a storybook beneath a glowing toadstoolRust, cream, red, yellow. Glaze yellow under the mushroom cap for the lamp light.
Leaning purple cottage whose chimney ties itself in a curlPurple, orange, yellow, teal. Lean every wall a different way and curl the chimney with a round brush.
Row of crooked houses in candy colorsPink, mint, lemon, lilac, black. Paint each house one flat color and tilt every roof.
Snail carrying a tiny house with a lit windowTan, brown, yellow, green. Paint the shell as a spiral and the house on top.
Teacup boat on a pond with a spoon for an oarPink, white, blue, green. Paint the cup as a half circle and ripple rings around it.
Toadstool village with doors and round windowsRed, white, cream, green. Paint the caps red, then dot white spots with a cotton swab.
Tree with a door, a swing and a mailboxBrown, green, red, yellow. Paint the door first and hang the swing from the lowest branch.
Upturned umbrella sailing over rooftops, a mouse aboardRed, gray, cream, sky blue. Paint the umbrella upside down as a boat and the mouse in it.
Wobbly stack of teapots with a plant growing from the topTeal, pink, yellow, green. Lean each pot a different way so the stack wobbles.
How it works
A phoenix is a legendary bird that is born again and again, and two canvases here show one. The rest cover castles, creatures, enchanted forests, moons, portals and a whimsical group, all made up for this list.
Read the full guide
Ideas to paint: phoenix bird, dragon, griffin
Five of the creatures are plain dark shapes, so there is no anatomy to get right. Dragon in flight, black against a huge orange moon is a traced plate and one flat black shape. For Phoenix rising from embers, wings spread wide, pull each feather upward with a nearly dry brush, yellow at the tips.
How the glow is made
A glaze is a thin see-through layer over dry paint. Paint the lantern, window or mushroom in its lightest color, let it dry, then brush thin orange or yellow around it. Mist is the opposite: thin white dabbed on with a sponge until the trees behind fade.
The easy ones are under More filters, Level.
Questions and answers
What are some easy fantasy painting ideas?
Try Turreted castle as a flat black shape on a pink dawn or Twin moons of different sizes above a black ridge. Both are a blended sky and flat shapes, with a lid to trace for any circle.
Are there whimsical painting ideas here?
Yes, 12 in the Whimsical group, brighter and funnier than the rest: Leaning purple cottage whose chimney ties itself in a curl, Teacup boat on a pond with a spoon for an oar and Cat in a wizard's hat sitting on a crescent moon.
Which colors suit a fantasy painting?
Navy, indigo and violet for the night scenes, with one warm color, yellow or orange, kept for the glow. The castles lean on grays, the forests on dark greens and the whimsical group on candy colors.