• 70 designs

Plant Pot Painting Ideas for the Collar, the Wall and the Saucer

Three pot designs at a time, each with its colours, the pot size it suits and whether it wants tape, a sponge or a dotting tool. Keep one and drop the rest.

Plant Pot Painting Ideas for the Collar, the Wall and the Saucer

Show all 70
  1. Strawberry pot with a green collarRed wall, green collar, pale yellow. Small pot; teardrop seeds in offset rows; the collar is the leaf cap. Round brush.
  2. Greek key round the collarNavy or black on white. Large pot; one continuous line folding at right angles all the way round. Pencil first, liner.
  3. Hedgehog pot with a cactus for spinesTan, brown, black. Small pot; a pointed face low on one side, brown dashes over the rest. Plant a round cactus. Liner.

Next step Try an easy canvas nextSee cute ideas for a canvas

All 70 designs

Easy 33

  • Bumblebee pot striped round the wall Yellow, black, white. Small pot; tape level black bands round the wall, then two white wings on one side. Flat brush.
  • Collar in one colour, wall left bare One bright colour or white. Any size; tape under the collar and paint only that band. Flat brush, two thin coats.
  • Cotton-bud polka dots on bare clay White, or three pastels. Small pot; print dots with a cotton bud in offset rows from the collar down. A bud per colour.
  • Criss-cross tape lattice in white White on bare clay. Medium pot; criss-cross narrow tape over the wall, sponge white over it all, peel for clay lines.
  • Cut-paper shapes in four colours Blush, mustard, navy, sage on white. Large pot; big rounded leaf and pebble shapes, overlapping a little, no outlines.
  • Dipped at a slant, bare clay above White or one bright colour. Any size; tape a slanted line round the wall and paint below it. Flat brush, two thin coats.
  • Drip-glaze look running down from the rim Teal or cream on bare clay. Medium pot; paint the collar, then pull drips of uneven length down the wall. Round brush.
  • Eggshell speckle flicked from a toothbrush Cream base, brown, black. Small pot; flick thinned paint off a toothbrush with your thumb. Work inside a cardboard box.
  • Evenly spaced dots round the collar White on bare clay. Any size; mark four dots at the quarters first, then halve every gap until it is full. Dotting tool.
  • Face pot with the plant as its hair Bare clay or a skin tone, black, pink. Small pot; sleepy eyes and cheeks mid-wall. Plant grass or a trailer for hair.
  • Family of three in one palette Three tones of one colour. Small, medium and large pot; palest on the smallest, collars left bare. Flat brush.
  • Gold line on the rim's top edge Metallic gold. Any size; one line along the very top edge. Rest your hand and turn the pot, not the brush. Liner.
  • Grass blades rising from the base Two greens on white or sky blue. Any size; quick upward flicks of uneven height, so the real plant carries on above.
  • Leaf shapes masked and sponged in white White on bare clay or sage. Medium pot; hold a small leaf flat on the wall, sponge over it, lift to leave its shape.
  • Mountain range taped round the base Navy, white on bare clay. Medium pot; tape zigzag peaks round the wall, paint below, add white snow caps. Flat brush.
  • Nested arches in earth colours Rust, mustard, blush, cream. Medium pot; three nested arches standing on the base, repeated round the wall. Round brush.
  • Paint-chart fade across five pots One colour plus white. Five matching small pots; add more white to each mix so the row steps from deep to pale.
  • Painted inside the rim, bare outside One bright colour. Any size; paint the rim's top edge and the inch inside that shows above the soil. Flat brush.
  • Rainbow row, one colour per pot Six rainbow colours. Six small pots; one flat colour each, lined up in order along a sill. Flat brush, two coats.
  • Saucer and collar matched, wall left bare One colour. Any pot with a saucer; paint the collar and the saucer's outer edge to match, nothing else. Flat brush.
  • Sawtooth triangles round the collar One colour on bare clay. Any size; triangles point down from the rim with their corners touching. Small flat brush.
  • Scalloped lace edge under the collar White on bare clay. Medium pot; half circles hang from the collar's lower edge, a dot inside each. Draw round a coin.
  • Sponge fade from the collar down to bare clay One colour. Medium pot; sponge it solid on the collar, then dab lighter and sparser down the wall until the clay wins.
  • Strawberry pot with a green collar Red wall, green collar, pale yellow. Small pot; teardrop seeds in offset rows; the collar is the leaf cap. Round brush.
  • Sunrise rays fanning up from the base Yellow, orange on white. Medium pot; rays start from one point at the base and widen up to the collar. Tape, flat brush.
  • Tape stripes that fan out toward the rim White on bare clay. Any size; tape strips from collar to base. The wall tapers, so the gaps widen as they climb.
  • Terrazzo chips on a white pot White base, terracotta, mustard, sage, black. Any size; small angular chips at every angle, none touching. Flat brush.
  • Three level bands in sorbet colours Three sorbet colours. Medium pot; tape two level lines round the wall, paint each band, peel while the paint is soft.
  • Thumbprint flowers round the wall Three petal colours, yellow, green. Small pot; five thumbprints in a ring per flower, a fingertip centre, a stem below.
  • Two pots, one pattern, colours swapped Any two colours. Two matching pots; colour A on B for one, B on A for the other. Stripes, dots or checks all work.
  • Watermelon pot with a rind collar Pink-red wall, green collar, white, black. Any size; a thin white line under the green, black teardrop seeds below.
  • White line marks on a black pot Black base, white paint pen. Medium pot; rows of crosses, dashes, arrows and dots, a different mark in every row.
  • Whitewash wiped back to the clay White thinned with water. Any size; brush it on, then wipe with a rag so the orange shows through in patches.

Cute 17

  • Bunting flags hanging from the rim Five bright colours. Any size; triangle flags hang point down from the rim's edge across the collar. Small flat brush.
  • Caterpillar of five pots in a row Two greens, black, white. Five small pots in a line; a face on the first, one stripe and two spots on each of the rest.
  • Citrus trio with a segment wheel on each Yellow, orange, green, white. Three small pots; a flat fruit colour each and one white segment wheel on the front.
  • Day pot and night pot Pale blue, yellow; navy, white. Two matching pots; a sun and clouds on one, a moon and dotted stars on the other.
  • Fox face tapering to the base Orange, white, black. Small pot; white cheeks sweep down to a black nose at the base, so the taper shapes the face.
  • Frog pot with eyes up on the collar Bright green, white, black, pink. Small pot; two eyes sit on the collar, one wide mouth line crosses the wall.
  • Gnome pot with a beard down the wall Red collar, white, skin tone. Medium pot; the collar is the hat brim, a round nose under it, a white beard to the base.
  • Hedgehog pot with a cactus for spines Tan, brown, black. Small pot; a pointed face low on one side, brown dashes over the rest. Plant a round cactus. Liner.
  • Ladybird pot with a black collar Red wall, black. Small pot; the black collar is the head, a centre line runs down, three spots each side. Dotting tool.
  • Lemons and leaves on a white planter Yellow, two greens, white base. Large planter; thumb-sized lemons, leaves in pairs, spaced evenly all round.
  • Nesting-doll family in stepping sizes Red, black, skin tone, flower colours. Three pots in stepping sizes; the same scarfed figure on each, smaller each time.
  • Owl pot with the collar as its brow Brown, cream, orange, black. Medium pot; big ringed eyes tucked under the collar, a beak between, feather Us below.
  • Pineapple pot with a spiky plant on top Yellow, brown, orange. Medium pot; brown diamond lattice over yellow, a dot in each diamond. Plant something spiky.
  • Sleeping cat curled round the wall Grey or ginger, pink, black. Medium pot; the body wraps the whole wall and the tail loops back to the nose. Round brush.
  • Tape-measure marks round the collar Yellow band, black. Medium pot; long and short tick marks with numbers, like a tape measure wrapped round. Liner or pen.
  • Toadstool from an upturned pot and its saucer Cream, red, white. Small pot upside down as the stalk, the saucer on top as the cap. Sponge the white spots. No plant.
  • Wafer cone pot with a melting collar Tan wall, brown, pink collar. Any size; criss-cross wafer lines on the wall; the collar is ice cream dripping over it.

Sets 7

  • Collars in a colour run, walls bare Five colours from yellow to red. Five matching pots; paint only the collars, each the next colour along. Flat brush.
  • Herb pots lettered with their names Black or white band, a pen in the opposite. Three to six small pots; one band round each wall, the herb's name on it.
  • Lighthouse stacked from three upturned pots White, red, black, yellow. Large, medium and small pots stacked upside down; taped red bands, lamp panes on the top.
  • One vine running across three pots Two greens on any base. Three matching medium pots pushed together; pencil the vine across all three, paint them apart.
  • One word, one letter per pot One dark colour on a pale base. A small pot per letter, such as GROW; pencil each letter first, centred. Flat brush.
  • Sunset blended across three pots Yellow, orange, pink, purple. Three medium pots in a row; sponge one sky across all three, a low sun on the middle pot.
  • Wind chime bells from three tiny pots Three brights, white. Three tiny pots hung upside down on cord through the drainage holes; a ring of dots on each.

Rim only 4

  • Blanket stitches over the collar's edge White or cream paint pen. Small pot; short upright stitches over the collar's lower edge, joined by a line along it.
  • Checkerboard round the collar Black and white. Medium pot; two rows of squares fit most collars. Pencil the grid, fill alternate squares. Flat brush.
  • Greek key round the collar Navy or black on white. Large pot; one continuous line folding at right angles all the way round. Pencil first, liner.
  • Laurel leaves round the collar Two greens, or gold. Medium pot; pairs of leaves along a pencilled centre line, all pointing the same way. Round brush.

Patterns 9

  • Argyle diamonds round the wall Two colours, one thin contrast line. Medium pot; a row of tall diamonds, then crossed diagonals through them. Liner.
  • Basket weave over the whole wall Tan, brown, cream. Medium pot; pairs of short strokes, across then down, alternating so the pot reads as woven.
  • Cobalt vines on a white planter White base, cobalt blue only. Large planter; curling vines and leaves all over, like painted porcelain. Liner brush.
  • Fish-scale scallops from base to collar Two blues, white. Medium pot; rows of U shapes from the base up, each row offset. Higher rows need more scales.
  • Herringbone bricks round the wall Two tones of one colour on white. Medium pot; short rectangles laid in zigzag rows, one stroke each. Small flat brush.
  • Lines scratched through wet paint One dark colour on bare clay. Medium pot; paint a band, then draw through it wet with a cocktail stick so clay shows.
  • Mediterranean tile band round the middle Cobalt blue, yellow on white. Large pot; a white band mid-wall ruled into squares, the same four-petal motif in each.
  • Monstera leaves overlapping round the wall Deep green, mid green on white or blush. Large pot; big split leaves at angles, some running off the base. Round brush.
  • Stepped zigzag bands in desert colours Rust, turquoise, cream, black. Large pot; stacked bands of zigzags, steps and diamonds, each band a different width.

How it works

A terracotta pot gives you three surfaces: the collar under the rim, a wall that tapers inwards and a saucer. These 70 plant pot painting ideas for pots and planters each give the colours, the pot size and the tool: tape, sponge, brush or dotting tool.

Read the full guide

Collar, wall and saucer

The thick band under a pot's rim is the collar, the best-behaved strip to paint: level, a finger wide, framed by its own edges. The Rim only group holds 14 designs that touch nothing else, such as Greek key round the collar. Below it the wall tapers inwards, which is why Fox face tapering to the base works and why taped stripes fan out as they climb.

Terracotta lets water through

Terracotta is unglazed fired clay, not watertight: water from the soil passes through the wall and evaporates. That damp arrives behind your paint, so whether to seal the pot, inside or out, is a question for your paint's label. Or keep the plant in its plastic nursery pot inside the painted one, so wet soil never touches the clay.

  • Start with Collar in one colour, wall left bare if you want flower pot painting ideas easy enough for one sitting: one tape line, one band, and the bare clay does the rest.
  • Let the plant finish the picture, as the cute flower pot painting ideas do: grass is the hair on a face pot, and a round cactus is the spines on Hedgehog pot with a cactus for spines.
  • Soil in a black pot in sun warms faster than soil in a white one, so decide where White line marks on a black pot will live before painting.

Questions and answers

What paint do I use on a terracotta pot?

Craft acrylics are made for surfaces beyond canvas, ceramics included, and most become water-resistant when dry. A pot is harder on paint than a canvas: damp comes through the clay from the soil side, plus rain and sun outdoors. Check the label for outdoor use and any primer or sealer it names.

Which designs suit a child?

Thumbprint flowers round the wall needs only fingers, and Cotton-bud polka dots on bare clay is hard to get wrong. Of the 23 cute pot painting ideas, the simplest is Strawberry pot with a green collar: flat colour first, then seeds.

Which designs need a big pot or a row of pots?

Seven planter painting ideas ask for a large pot or planter, such as Lemons and leaves on a white planter, because a small motif needs room to repeat. For a row of pots, the Sets group holds 15, including Lighthouse stacked from three upturned pots, which needs no plant.

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