• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Fresco Painting Ideas

Three ideas for a plaster tile, each with its colors and one step, on wet plaster or dry.

Fresco Painting Ideas

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  1. Swag of fruit and leaves hung between two painted nailsYellow ocher, red ocher, green earth, umber. Paint the sagging curve first; thicken it in the middle.
  2. Band of ovals and arrow points across the top edgeUmber, yellow ocher. Space the ovals first, then fit one point into each gap.
  3. Hill town on three tiles, its towers climbing to the rightYellow ocher, red ocher, umber. Paint the walls flat and add the dark windows before each tile dries.

Next step Borders to draw firstOne picture across three canvases

All 60 ideas

Wet plaster: one thing on a tile 12

  • Brown hen in profile with one foot lifted Umber, red ocher, yellow ocher. Block in the body first; the comb and the beak go on last.
  • Clay jug with one handle and a dark stripe round it Red ocher, umber, black. Fill the jug shape flat, then run the stripe round its widest part.
  • Fig split to show its pink middle, a whole fig behind it Red ocher, green earth, umber. Wash each shape in pale, then drop darker color into the wet middle.
  • Hare sitting up, its ears touching the top edge Yellow ocher, umber, black. Paint the body as two ovals and pull the ears up from the head.
  • Lemon on a twig, one leaf half across the fruit Yellow ocher, green earth, umber. Paint the lemon, then lay the leaf over its edge while both are wet.
  • Octopus with eight curling arms that reach every edge Black, red ocher. Start at the head in the middle and curl each arm out to a different edge.
  • Olive sprig laid corner to corner, five olives on it Green earth, black, yellow ocher. One stroke a leaf: press the brush down, then lift off to a point.
  • Pomegranate split open with its seeds showing Red ocher, yellow ocher, umber. Paint the skin first and dot the seeds in while it is damp.
  • Red fish swimming left on a plaster tile Red ocher, black. Paint the body in one curved stroke while the tile is damp, then dot the eye.
  • Round tile filled by a smiling sun, short rays to the rim Yellow ocher, red ocher. Paint the disc, then pull each ray outward before the tile dries.
  • Snail climbing up the left edge of the tile Umber, yellow ocher, green earth. Paint the shell as one spiral stroke from the middle out.
  • Swallow seen from below, wings wide and tail forked Black, red ocher. Leave the belly as bare plaster and paint only the wings, tail and throat.

Wet plaster: borders and bands 12

  • Band of curling wave scrolls under a blank field Black, red ocher. Paint a row of curls that each tip into the next, all leaning the same way.
  • Band of ovals and arrow points across the top edge Umber, yellow ocher. Space the ovals first, then fit one point into each gap.
  • Border of ivy leaves running round an empty middle Green earth, umber. Paint the stem line round the tile first, then hang the leaves at even steps.
  • Checkered frame two squares wide Red ocher, black. Paint every other square and leave the bare plaster as the third color.
  • Grapevine frame with a bunch of grapes at each corner Green earth, red ocher, umber. Paint the four bunches as stacked dots, then join them with vine.
  • Key pattern turning in one unbroken line Black. Work the turns out on squared paper first, then paint only straight runs and square corners.
  • Laurel wreath closed at the bottom with a ribbon knot Green earth, yellow ocher, red ocher. Work up both sides in pairs of leaves so they meet at the top.
  • Rope twist band between two straight lines Yellow ocher, umber. Paint a row of leaning S strokes and darken the lower half of each.
  • Shoal of small fish circling the edge of a round tile Red ocher, black. Paint one fish, turn the tile a little, and paint the next one behind it.
  • Small birds along a branch, each one facing the next Umber, green earth, red ocher. Paint the branch across the tile, then seat a bird on every bend.
  • Swag of fruit and leaves hung between two painted nails Yellow ocher, red ocher, green earth, umber. Paint the sagging curve first; thicken it in the middle.
  • Zigzag band with a dot in every notch Red ocher, yellow ocher, black. Paint the zigzag in one color and add the dots in the other two.

Wet plaster: one picture, a tile a day 12

  • Boat with a square sail on two tiles, the mast on the seam Umber, red ocher, yellow ocher. Paint half the sail each day and match its stripes at the mast.
  • Five ducks walking in a line, one duck to a tile Umber, yellow ocher, green earth. Keep one ground line at the same height on all five tiles.
  • Fruit tree on four stacked tiles: roots, trunk and two of crown Umber, green earth, red ocher. Sketch the whole tree on paper and paint from the top tile down.
  • Garden wall across three tiles, one fruit tree to a tile Green earth, umber, yellow ocher. Paint a tile a day and carry the top of the wall over each seam.
  • Hill town on three tiles, its towers climbing to the right Yellow ocher, red ocher, umber. Paint the walls flat and add the dark windows before each tile dries.
  • Hills on two tiles with the sky left bare for blue added dry Green earth, yellow ocher, umber. Stop the paint at the hilltops; the sky waits for the dry tile.
  • Long fish over two tiles, the seam across its middle Red ocher, black, yellow ocher. Mark where the back meets the edge on day one; start there on day two.
  • One tree in four seasons on four tiles set in a square Green earth, yellow ocher, red ocher, umber. Repeat the same bare trunk four times, then dress each.
  • Table laid across three tiles: bread, a jug, a bowl of figs Yellow ocher, red ocher, umber, green earth. Run the table edge through all three before any object.
  • Tall cypress on two tiles, one above the other Green earth, black, umber. Paint the tip on the upper tile and widen the tree to match at the seam.
  • Three running hares, one to a tile, ears streaming back Yellow ocher, umber, black. Give each hare the same stretched pose so the three read as one chase.
  • Vine arbor on four tiles with a leaf band along the top Green earth, umber, red ocher. Paint the top band on each tile first so the seams line up.

Dry plaster: fine detail and blue 12

  • Beetle with a blue-green shell and six jointed legs Blue, green, black, white. Paint the shell, let it dry, then add the legs and one white highlight.
  • Blue iris with yellow veins down each petal Blue, violet, yellow, green. Lay the petals flat, let them dry, then draw the veins over them.
  • Blue jug with one white highlight and a dark rim Blue, white, black. Paint the jug flat; on dry plaster a slip can be painted over.
  • Blue sky and two white clouds over hills painted wet Blue, white. On a dry tile whose sky was left bare, brush the blue in and dab the clouds in white.
  • Bowl of cherries with a highlight on every cherry Red, green, white, blue. Paint the bowl blue and touch one white dot on each fruit when dry.
  • Butterfly with an eyespot on each wing, mirrored Orange, blue, black, white. Paint one wing fully, then copy it across the body spot for spot.
  • Deep blue vault scattered with gold stars Blue, yellow ocher. Coat the dry tile blue from edge to edge and dot the stars with a cotton swab.
  • Kingfisher on a reed, every feather edge drawn fine Blue, orange, white, black. Wait until the tile is dry, then use acrylic and the smallest brush.
  • One eye and eyebrow close up, lashes one at a time Umber, black, white, blue. Paint the iris, add one white dot, then flick each lash outward.
  • Portrait of an invented person inside a round frame Ocher, umber, red, blue. Fill the background blue last, cutting in round the head.
  • Swallow added in blue-black over a tile painted wet Blue, black, white. Take a finished wet-plaster tile and paint the bird on top once it is dry.
  • Your initial in red with a thin blue shadow line Red, blue. Paint the letter, let it dry, and run the shadow line down its right side.

Dry plaster: things that are not there 12

  • Crack across the tile with a green shoot growing out Black, gray, green. Paint the crack as a jagged dark line with a pale line along one edge.
  • Door standing ajar on a strip of sunny garden Umber, green, yellow, blue. Paint the gap as a tall bright stripe and keep the door dark.
  • Fluted column standing at the left edge of the tile Cream, gray, umber. Paint the flutes as stripes that go from light to dark across the shaft.
  • Mouse looking out of a hole painted on the tile Black, gray, umber, pink. Paint the hole solid black first, then the nose and whiskers coming out.
  • Painted wall tiles in blue and white, one fallen out Blue, white, gray, umber. Rule the grid, pattern each square, and paint one as bare rough plaster.
  • Patch of bricks showing where plaster seems to have fallen Red ocher, gray, umber. Give the patch a ragged edge with a thin shadow along its top.
  • Round porthole looking out at a boat under sail Blue, white, gray, umber. Ring the view with a gray frame and paint four bolt heads on it.
  • Slab of marble that is only paint, veined in gray and rust White, gray, red ocher. Drag thin wandering veins with the brush tip and soften some with water.
  • Small bird perched on a ledge painted at the tile's foot Gray, umber, blue, white. Let the tail hang below the ledge so the bird seems in front of it.
  • Stone arch framing blue sky and one swallow Gray, blue, white, black. Shade the inside of the arch darker on one side so it looks thick.
  • Three steps that seem to climb up into the tile Gray, white, umber. Paint each tread light and each riser dark, narrowing toward the top.
  • Window that is not there, open on hills and sky Blue, green, umber, white. Paint the inner edges of the frame darker on one side so it looks deep.

How it works

Fresco has two methods: buon fresco on wet plaster and secco on dry. Both fit a tile of plaster of Paris that an adult mixes and pours, so the 60 ideas are small: a fish, a border, a painted window.

Read the full guide

Buon fresco: wet plaster, one sitting

The paint is absorbed into wet plaster, which is why it lasts, and the drying plaster sets the deadline. So the three wet groups are quick: a few earth colors, shapes done in one pass and the bare plaster for white. The third paints one picture across several tiles, a tile a day.

Secco: dry plaster, fine detail and blue

Secco goes on dry plaster, alone or over a fresco that has dried, and its paint needs a binder such as egg, glue or oil. Painters used it for changes, small details and blue, which worked badly on wet plaster. A kingfisher on a reed, every feather edge drawn fine, is detail and blue at once.

  • A wet idea needs the tile still damp, so pour it the day you paint.

Questions and answers

What are some ideas for fresco painting in a class?

Ones that fit a tile each: Round tile filled by a smiling sun, short rays to the rim; Zigzag band with a dot in every notch; Mouse looking out of a hole painted on the tile. Easy first tiles holds 18 like them.

Is buon fresco or fresco secco easier?

Secco. It is quicker, a mistake can be corrected, and the colors change less as they dry. Buon fresco lasts better: a picture painted wholly on dry plaster tends to flake away.

Can you paint a fresco on plaster of Paris?

Not a true one. The plaster of true fresco is lime, and the lime setting in air is what fixes the color. A plaster of Paris tile gives the same practice, painting damp plaster against the clock, on a picture small enough to keep.

What is a giornata in fresco painting?

A day's work: the patch of fresh plaster laid for one day's painting. The seams between days were nearly invisible at first and can show centuries later. The garden wall across three tiles, one fruit tree to a tile, puts its seams between the trees.

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