Red fox diving nose-first into a drift, back legs in the airOrange, white, pale blue. Paint the front half hidden in the snow and spray white dots around the hole.
Profile with a slightly upturned snout and one upright earOrange, cream, black. Tilt the tip of the snout up a little and stand the ear straight above the eye.
Fox head-on, amber eyes level, snout pointing at youRust, cream, amber, black. Shorten the snout to a rounded bump and put the nose just below the eyes.
Blue evening snowfield, a fox crossing with a long shadowCobalt, violet, orange. Paint the shadow longer than the fox and a deeper blue than the snow.
Fox as a flat orange wedge crouched on a white hillOrange, white, sky blue. Paint a hill line, then one low pointed shape with two ear triangles.
Fox at the edge of birches, orange between white trunksWhite, black, orange, gray. Paint the trunks first and fit the fox into one gap between them.
Fox glancing back over its shoulder, breath a small cloudOrange, cream, pale gray. Twist the head toward the tail and puff a soft gray shape at the nose.
Fox in mid-arc above the snow, front paws togetherRust, cream, pale blue. Bend the body into a rainbow curve with the nose pointing down.
Fox listening, head cocked, one ear aimed at the groundRust, white, blue gray. Tilt the head so one ear points down and the other at the sky.
Fox shaking off powder, a white cloud around its shouldersOrange, white, gray blue. Sponge the cloud over the dry fox and blur the fur edges with it.
Fox sitting in falling snow, flakes caught on its whiskersRust, white, slate. Dot the flakes with a cotton swab and place three on the whiskers.
Lone russet fox, the one warm note on a snow-white canvasOrange, white, gray. Keep snow and sky nearly the same white and let the fox carry all the color.
Red fox diving nose-first into a drift, back legs in the airOrange, white, pale blue. Paint the front half hidden in the snow and spray white dots around the hole.
Single-file prints over a snowfield, the fox at the far endWhite, pale blue, orange. Shrink the prints as they go and finish with a small orange shape.
White tail tip trailing a line through fresh snowWhite, orange, pale blue. Drag one pale blue groove behind the fox with the edge of a flat brush.
Curled and sleeping 12
Crescent-shaped fox on deep blue with three starsOrange, white, deep blue. Paint the fox as a fat crescent moon and dot three stars with a cotton swab.
Fox asleep in a hollow log, tail spilling out of the endBrown, orange, white. Paint the log end as a dark circle and pour the tail out over its rim.
Fox asleep on a mossy stump, one ear still upOrange, moss green, brown. Round the body over the stump top and leave one ear standing.
Fox curled in ferns, seen from directly aboveOrange, fern green, cream. Arch the fronds inward around a circle and paint the fox as a spiral in it.
Fox dozing in a sunbeam on a barn floorGold, orange, dark brown. Rule a slanted bar of gold across the floor and lay the fox inside it.
Fox napping on a flat rock in summer heat, legs sprawledOrange, gray, pale yellow. Flatten the body onto the rock and let one leg hang over the edge.
Fox under a blanket of first snow, only its ears clearWhite, pale blue, orange. Mound the snow over the body and leave two orange triangles showing.
Sleeping fox as a rust ring, brush wrapped across its faceRust, cream, white, dark brown. Paint a thick ring and close it with a white-tipped tail over the nose.
Spiral fox: one orange coil ending in a white tipOrange, white, teal. Paint a coil from the center out on a teal ground and tip the end white.
Two kits asleep in a heap, a third awake between themRust, cream, gray. Paint the heap as one shape and add three faces, two with closed eyes.
Vixen wrapped around four kits in a den, warm browns onlyUmber, rust, tan. Use no blue or green at all and light only the top of each small head.
Yawning fox in mid-stretch, tongue curled, front legs longRust, pink, cream. Slope the back down from hips to shoulders and stretch both front legs forward.
Faces 12
Contented fox, eyes shut, whiskers fannedOrange, cream, black. Paint the eyes as two downward curves and fan five fine lines from each cheek.
Fox face emerging from black, only the lit side paintedBlack, orange, cream. Paint half the face and let the other half stay the color of the canvas.
Fox face from a downward kite shape and two ear pointsOrange, white, black. Point a kite shape down for the face and add two small triangles on top for ears.
Fox face in two temperatures: warm left, cool rightOrange, red, blue, violet. Paint the left half in oranges and the right half in blues, same shapes.
Fox face made of fall leaves: ears, cheeks and ruffRed, orange, yellow, brown. Arrange pointed leaf shapes around two eyes and a nose.
Fox head-on, amber eyes level, snout pointing at youRust, cream, amber, black. Shorten the snout to a rounded bump and put the nose just below the eyes.
Fox mask shape in three flat colors on tealOrange, white, black, teal. Fill the mask orange, the lower cheeks white, and the nose and ear tips black.
Fur study of a cheek ruff in orange, cream and grayOrange, cream, gray. Lay the fur in short strokes that all sweep back from the nose.
Half a fox face cropped by the canvas edge, one eyeOrange, white, amber, black. Cut the face down the middle of the nose with the right-hand edge.
Kit's face with oversized ears, peering out of grassRust, gray, green. Hide the chin behind upright grass strokes and keep the ears above them.
One amber eye filling the canvas, rust fur combed outwardAmber, black, rust, white. Paint the iris as a flat disc and add one white dot before the fur.
Profile with a slightly upturned snout and one upright earOrange, cream, black. Tilt the tip of the snout up a little and stand the ear straight above the eye.
In forests and fields 12
City fox on a garden wall under a street lampNavy, yellow, orange, gray. Blend a cone of yellow light down from the lamp and stand the fox in it.
Fox burying something under leaves, nose pushing the soilOrange, brown, rust, yellow. Scatter leaf shapes over the front paws and keep the nose low.
Fox crossing a stream by three flat stonesGray, blue green, orange, white. Put one paw on each of two stones and a ripple ring around each.
Fox in a poppy field, red dots around an orange backRed, green, orange. Dot the poppies with a cotton swab and leave a fox-shaped curve among them.
Fox on a hilltop inside the disc of a rising harvest moonOrange, yellow, black. Paint the moon large, let it dry, and add the hill and fox in flat black.
Fox on a round hay bale, stubble rows running to the horizonStraw yellow, orange, blue. Rule the stubble rows toward one point and seat the fox on the bale.
Fox on a woodland path dappled with coins of lightGreen, pale yellow, rust. Press round spots of pale yellow over both the path and the fox's back.
Fox pouncing in long summer grass, tail highGold, green, orange. Show only the back half and the tail above the grass tops.
Fox slipping through a gap in a hedgeDark green, orange, brown. Paint the hedge as a solid wall and show the fox half through a dark hole.
Fox standing in a wood carpeted with blue flowersBlue, violet, green, orange. Sponge the flowers in a band and stand the fox in the middle of it.
Fox trotting a field edge at dawn, mist up to its kneesPeach, gray, rust, green, white. Scrub watery white across the legs once the fox is dry.
Three kits wrestling on the bare earth by a burrow mouthRust, brown, green. Paint the den as a dark arch and tangle three small foxes in front of it.
Arctic and desert foxes 12
Arctic fox curled tight, nose tucked behind its furry tailWhite, cream, pale blue. Paint a white ball with two small ears and one closed eye above the tail.
Arctic fox face-on: small ears in a puff of white furWhite, gray, black. Paint a soft white circle, two small low ears and three dark dots.
Arctic fox half white, half brown, between two seasonsWhite, brown, gray. Patch the brown through the white along the back and the face.
Arctic fox in its brown summer coat among tundra stonesBrown, cream, gray, olive. Darken the back and lighten the sides and belly to cream.
Arctic fox in winter white on snow, drawn by its shadowsWhite, pale blue, gray. Paint only the blue shade under the chin, belly and tail, and a dark nose.
Arctic fox leaping to punch down through a snow crustWhite, pale blue, slate. Stand the fox on its nose with all four legs straight above it.
Arctic fox trotting below a violet polar twilightViolet, pink, white, gray. Blend the sky in two colors and keep the fox a pale shape on pale ground.
Fennec curled in a hollow of sand at noonSand, cream, tan. Shade the hollow slightly darker than the dune and curl the fox to fit it.
Fennec ears lit pink from behind by a low desert sunPink, sand, orange, brown. Fill the inside of both ears with pink and rim them in pale orange.
Fennec face: a small triangle between two tall ear shapesSand, cream, black. Paint two tall leaf shapes for ears and a small face between their bases.
Fennec fox with huge ears sitting on a dune crestSand, cream, pale blue. Paint each ear almost as tall as the head is wide.
Red, Arctic and fennec foxes compared in a row of threeOrange, white, sand. Paint three sitting foxes side by side and change the ears, coat and size.
How it works
A fox is a triangular face, upright pointed ears and a long bushy tail. The red fox adds an auburn coat and a white tip to that tail. These canvases set it in snow, asleep, close up and far away.
Read the full guide
Fox acrylic painting ideas: orange on white
Snow does half the work. Paint the canvas in whites and pale blues, let it dry, and set the fox on top: acrylic is water-resistant when dry, so the orange stays clean. Lone russet fox, the one warm note on a snow-white canvas is the plainest of the twelve.
Arctic and desert foxes
An Arctic fox has tiny ears, short legs and thick fur, usually brown in summer and white in winter. A fennec fox goes the other way, with large ears and short fur for the desert. Red, Arctic and fennec foxes compared in a row of three paints the differences.
Questions and answers
Are there fox canvas painting ideas for kids?
Easy first foxes, under More filters, holds 21. Fox face from a downward kite shape and two ear points is three shapes, and Fox in a poppy field, red dots around an orange back is mostly dots from a cotton swab.
What colors do you need to paint a red fox?
Orange or rust for the coat, cream or white for the chest and the tip of the tail, and a dark brown or black for the nose and eyes. The snow canvases add pale blue.
How does a fox sleep in the cold?
Curled up. An Arctic fox rolls into a tight ball, legs and head tucked in beneath it and its bushy tail wrapped across them. Arctic fox curled tight, nose tucked behind its furry tail paints that as a white ball.
How do you paint a fox jumping into snow?
A fox crouches, leaps up and lands on the spot it was aiming at. Fox in mid-arc above the snow, front paws together paints the top of the jump; Red fox diving nose-first into a drift, back legs in the air paints the landing.