Half a sunflower, cut off by the canvas edgeNavy, cadmium yellow, yellow ochre, burnt umber. Centre the seed head on the left edge so only half the flower shows.
Knife-tip daisies on sky blueSky blue, white, cadmium yellow, sap green. Press the tip of a small painting knife down once for each petal.
Watercolour hollyhocks against a cottage wallPink, crimson, sap green, raw sienna. Paint round blooms up a tall stem, smaller and tighter toward the top.
Almond blossom branch against a turquoise skyTurquoise, white, pale pink, burnt umber. Five dabs of a round brush per flower, then a dark pink dot in the middle.
Bearded iris in purple and goldViolet, ultramarine, yellow ochre, sap green. Three strokes stand up and three fall; add the yellow beard last.
Bluebells bending over on thin stemsUltramarine, violet, sap green, cream. One curved pull per bell, all hanging from the same side of the stem.
Chrysanthemum built from comma strokesBurnt orange, yellow ochre, cream, sap green. Work from the outside in, each ring of commas shorter than the last.
Cosmos with wide notched petalsPale pink, magenta, yellow, sap green. Drag a flat brush outward and wiggle it at the end for the notched tip.
Daisy chain looping across the canvasSage green, white, cadmium yellow. Press and lift a round brush once per petal, and link the stems in a loop.
Foxglove spire in single bell strokesMagenta, pale pink, white, sap green. Paint each bell as one downward press, largest at the foot of the spire.
Lavender bunch tied with stringViolet, ultramarine, white, sage green, raw sienna. Stack pairs of dabs up each stem, smaller toward the tip.
Leafy wreath with single-stroke budsSap green, olive, blush pink, white. Pencil a circle round a bowl and press the leaves in pairs along it.
Magnolia branch on a pale grey groundPale grey, white, blush pink, burnt umber. One broad stroke per petal, pink at the base and white at the tip.
Poppy seed heads and grasses in one greyPayne's grey, cream. Use the grey at three strengths and paint each seed head as an urn with a flat cap.
Sunflower from one ring of long strokesCadmium yellow, yellow ochre, burnt umber, sap green. Pull each petal from its tip inward to the centre.
Tulips from two curved strokes eachCoral, crimson, sap green, cream. Two C strokes that meet at the top make the cup; one long pull makes a leaf.
Two-colour petals from a double-loaded flat brushMagenta, white, sap green. Dip one corner of a flat brush in each colour and pivot it once for every petal.
Printed and dotted with household tools 16
Blossom wreath stamped with a wine corkCream, blush pink, coral, sap green. Stamp cork circles round a pencilled ring, then add a dark dot to each.
Bottle-bottom blossom on a bare branchPale blue, burnt umber, pink, white. Dip the base of a plastic drinks bottle: its five bumps print five petals.
Cherry blossom branches run from a tilted puddleBurnt umber, pink, white. Drop a puddle of thin dark paint, tilt the paper so it runs into branches, then dot blossom.
Cotton-bud hydrangeas, one blue and one pinkUltramarine, violet, pink, white, sap green. Bundle six cotton buds with a band and stamp each dome.
Dot-built sunflower in ringsNavy, cadmium yellow, orange, burnt umber, white. Dot outward from the centre in rings, the dots growing larger.
Fork-printed tulips on cardboard-edge stemsRed, yellow, pink, sap green. Press the back of a fork into paint and print the head; stamp stems with card.
Lilac heads printed with bubble wrapLilac, violet, white, sap green. Wrap bubble wrap round a cork, dab it in two purples and print each cone.
Meadow spattered from a toothbrushLeaf green, white, yellow, red, violet. Mask the sky with paper and flick each flower colour off a toothbrush.
Mimosa sprays dotted with a pencil eraserGrey-blue, cadmium yellow, lemon yellow, sage green. Dot the pompoms with the rubber on the end of a pencil.
Orchard in blossom dabbed with a spongePale blue, leaf green, burnt umber, pink, white. Tear a corner off a kitchen sponge and dab the crowns.
Potato-print flowers on brown paperKraft brown, white, mustard, terracotta. Cut a petal shape into half a potato and print five round a centre.
Queen Anne's lace in white dots on charcoalCharcoal grey, white, sage green. Dot each flat flower head with a cocktail stick, in clusters on thin spokes.
Real leaves masked out under sponged colourCream, sage green, dusty pink. Lay pressed leaves or flowers down, sponge over them and lift them off.
Rose prints from the cut end of a celery bunchCrimson, pink, white, sap green. Cut the base off a celery bunch, dip the cut face and press it down.
Sunflower with a bubble-wrap seed headCadmium yellow, orange, burnt umber, black, sap green. Press bubble wrap into brown paint and print the centre.
Yellow dandelions from a snipped cardboard tubeLeaf green, cadmium yellow, orange. Snip one end of a cardboard tube into a fringe, splay it and print.
Loose watercolour 13
Botanical study of one stem with leaf and budSap green, olive, magenta, pale grey. Work from a real stem and paint the bud, open flower and leaf life size.
Line-and-wash wildflowers in pen and watercolourWaterproof black pen, sap green, pink, yellow, blue. Draw loosely, then let the colour miss the lines.
Loose bouquet, flowers first and stems lastCoral, pink, violet, yellow ochre, sap green. Place the big blooms as soft blobs, then join them up with stems.
Loose watercolour roses in three tones of one pinkPermanent rose, sap green. Start with tight dark commas and open them out with more water on every ring.
Peony as bud, half-open and full bloom on one sheetPermanent rose, crimson, sap green. Paint the same flower at three stages, adding more water as it opens.
Ranunculus in a jar, stems bending in the waterCrimson, coral, yellow ochre, sap green, pale blue. Shift each stem sideways where it crosses the water line.
Snowdrops left as bare paper in a grey washPayne's grey, sap green, yellow ochre. Paint round each drooping bell and leave the paper to be the petal.
Watercolour anemones with ink-dark centresViolet, crimson, indigo, sap green. Let the petals dry, then drop the dark centre in so that it stays crisp.
Watercolour floral initialCoral, violet, yellow ochre, sap green. Pencil a large letter and paint small flowers and leaves along its strokes.
Watercolour hollyhocks against a cottage wallPink, crimson, sap green, raw sienna. Paint round blooms up a tall stem, smaller and tighter toward the top.
Watercolour pansies with dark whiskersViolet, yellow, indigo. Paint flat petals, let them dry, then pull fine dark lines out from the centre.
Watercolour sunflower with a bloomed centreCadmium yellow, burnt sienna, burnt umber, sap green. Drop umber into the wet sienna centre and let it spread.
Wet-on-wet garden blur with one sharp flowerSap green, pink, violet, yellow. Flood the background colours together, let it dry, then paint one crisp bloom.
Palette knife and thick paint 13
Bougainvillea over a white doorwayWhite, magenta, pink, sap green, cobalt blue. Tap clusters of magenta on with the knife edge, thickest at the top.
Impasto sunflowers in a clay jugCadmium yellow, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, turquoise, sap green. Lay each petal on thick and leave the ridge.
Knife-painted white roses on dark greenDeep green, white, cream, pale grey. Curl short knife strokes round a centre, thickest where the light lands.
Knife-tip daisies on sky blueSky blue, white, cadmium yellow, sap green. Press the tip of a small painting knife down once for each petal.
Palette-knife poppies on a grey-green groundGrey-green, cadmium red, crimson, black. Load the knife edge and press each petal on with one short pull.
Peonies in thick paint with scratched petal linesBlush pink, magenta, white, sap green. Pile the paint on, then draw petal edges through it with a brush handle.
Rapeseed field under a storm sky, in knife workLemon yellow, cadmium yellow, Payne's grey, white, sap green. Spread the yellow flat and drag grey cloud above.
Red geraniums on a whitewashed windowsillWhite, cadmium red, sap green, terracotta, cobalt blue. Dab the flower heads on thick and keep the wall flat.
Single dahlia filling the canvas in knife strokesBurgundy, crimson, coral, cream. Work in rings from the outside in, each knife mark one pointed petal.
Sunflower field with thick foreground headsCadmium yellow, orange, burnt umber, sap green, cerulean. Thick heads near, thin dots far: texture gives depth.
Textured abstract bouquet in five coloursCoral, magenta, mustard, teal, white. Smear each bloom as a rough disc and scratch stems through the wet paint.
Tulip field in knife-dragged stripesRed, yellow, pink, violet, sap green, pale blue. Drag each colour band toward the horizon, narrower as it goes.
Wild poppies and cornflowers beside a wheat fieldYellow ochre, cadmium red, cobalt blue, sap green. Knife the wheat in upward flicks, then dot the red and blue.
Built up in layers 24
Bee on a lavender head, close upViolet, lilac, sap green, yellow ochre, black. Blur the background with a damp brush and keep the bee sharp.
Bluebell wood with a path through itViolet, ultramarine, sap green, burnt umber, lemon yellow. Drybrush a violet haze under the trunks, paler farther off.
Botanical grid of nine small flower studiesCream, red, pink, yellow, blue, violet. Tape a three-by-three grid and paint one flower in each square.
Daffodils on a grassy bankCadmium yellow, lemon yellow, orange, sap green, cerulean. Paint the darker trumpet over the dry pale petals.
Flower crown on a faceless portraitBurnt sienna, cream, pink, coral, sap green. Keep the face a flat shape and spend the detail on the crown.
Flower market buckets in rows of colourGrey, red, yellow, pink, violet, sap green. Treat each bucket as one block of colour with a few dots of light.
Folk-art flowers in a mirrored patternBlack, red, mustard, turquoise, white. Fold a paper template in half so that both sides of the design match.
Garden gate half hidden by delphiniumsCobalt blue, violet, white, sap green, grey. Stack dabs into tall spires and let them overlap the gate.
Half a sunflower, cut off by the canvas edgeNavy, cadmium yellow, yellow ochre, burnt umber. Centre the seed head on the left edge so only half the flower shows.
Lotus on dark water with a mirrored reflectionIndigo, phthalo green, pink, white, yellow. Repeat the flower upside down beneath it, darker and broken by ripples.
Night garden of pale flowers under a moonNavy, violet, white, pale yellow, deep green. Mix a little navy into every flower colour so the moon stays brightest.
One flower cropped so close it runs off every edgeCoral, crimson, cream, deep green. Blend each petal from a dark base to a pale tip and let all four edges crop it.
One red tulip in a bed of yellow tulipsCadmium yellow, cadmium red, sap green, olive. Repeat one cup shape across the canvas and change a single one to red.
Peonies in a glass vase on a striped clothBlush pink, magenta, white, sap green, navy. Paint the stripes first and bend them where they pass behind the glass.
Roses climbing a brick archBrick red, grey, sap green, pink, cream. Paint the arch flat, then let leaves and blooms cross its edges.
Row of sunflowers along a fence, all facing one wayCerulean, cadmium yellow, burnt umber, sap green, white. Turn every head the same way, as a real row does.
Small sunflowers on teal with white outlinesTeal, cadmium yellow, orange, burnt umber, white. Paint flat shapes, then outline them loosely in white with a liner.
Sunflower as bud, half-open head and full bloomCadmium yellow, lemon yellow, burnt umber, sap green. Paint all three stages on stems of different heights.
Sunflower from behind, against the skyCerulean, sap green, olive, cadmium yellow. Paint the green back of the head with a fringe of yellow showing round it.
Sunflower head with seeds in crossing spiralsCadmium yellow, yellow ochre, burnt umber, black. Dot the seeds along curves that spiral both ways from the middle.
Sunflowers in a blue-and-white jugCadmium yellow, yellow ochre, burnt umber, cobalt blue, white. Block in the jug and the heads flat before any detail.
Water lily pond with a green footbridgePhthalo green, ultramarine, violet, white, pink. Lay the water in horizontal dashes, then float the pads on top.
White flowers on a black groundBlack, white, pale grey, sap green. Paint the petals in thin white first, with a second coat only where light lands.
Wildflower meadow against a low evening sunPeach, leaf green, olive, white, red, violet. Paint the grass dark to light, then give seed heads a pale rim.
How it works
Flower painting ideas differ most in how the petals get made, so these 80 are sorted that way: single strokes, prints from household tools, loose watercolour, palette knife and thick paint, or layers. Each names its palette and one step.
Read the full guide
Simple easy flower painting ideas: the tool makes the petal
Sixteen ideas are printed and dotted, so the tool draws the flower: the back of a fork prints a tulip head, the cut base of a celery bunch prints a rose, and six banded cotton buds stamp a hydrangea dome. Paint Cotton-bud hydrangeas, one blue and one pink as they grow: bluer on acidic soil, pinker on alkaline.
Sunflowers that look like the real plant
A sunflower is a head of many small flowers: the petals are ray flowers, and the centre is disc flowers that become seeds. The seeds sit on spirals running both ways, typically 34 and 55, which Sunflower head with seeds in crossing spirals borrows. Mature heads face east, so Row of sunflowers along a fence, all facing one way is accurate.
Under More filters, Flower narrows any technique to the 13 sunflower painting ideas.
Floral painting ideas in thick paint hide shaky drawing: Textured abstract bouquet in five colours scratches stems through wet paint.
A corn poppy has four red petals, usually black-spotted at the base: see Palette-knife poppies on a grey-green ground.
Questions and answers
What do these acrylic flower painting ideas need?
Sap green is in 49 of the 80 palettes, so buy that before any petal colour. White is in 35, and cadmium yellow and violet in 20 each. Add a round brush, a flat, a liner and a small painting knife.
Which flower canvas painting ideas suit a first attempt?
Daisy chain looping across the canvas: one press of a round brush per petal. White flowers on a black ground forgives too: thin white over black shades itself. For no brush at all, set Technique to Printed and dotted with household tools.
Can I paint the loose watercolour ideas in acrylic?
Partly. The 14 Loose watercolour ideas rely on wet paint blooming into wet paper, the charm of Watercolour sunflower with a bloomed centre, and dry acrylic cannot be re-wetted. Try Loose bouquet, flowers first and stems last in thinned acrylic; keep the rest for paper.