Tree frog peering over a leaf edge, eyes and fingers onlyGreen, orange, black. Run the leaf edge across the canvas and hook four small toes over it.
Grid of nine frogs, each a different green, for a class wallNine greens, black. Rule a grid and paint the same simple frog in each square in a new green.
Raindrops beading on a tree frog's backGreen, dark green, white. Add each drop as a small dark crescent with one white dot beside it.
Frog in mid-leap between twigs, back legs at full stretchGreen, yellow, brown, sky blue. Draw the body and legs along one long diagonal line.
Green frog asleep on a green leaf, legs tucked, hard to findLeaf green, lime, dark green. Mix frog and leaf from the same green and part them with one narrow shadow.
Lime frog on a hot pink flower, two flat colors and an eyeLime, hot pink, black, white. Fill the petals pink, the frog lime, and add one black eye with a white dot.
Raindrops beading on a tree frog's backGreen, dark green, white. Add each drop as a small dark crescent with one white dot beside it.
Red-eyed tree frog on a banana leaf, its eye the bright spotGreen, red, yellow green, black. Paint the eye last, pure red around a narrow upright pupil.
Shadow of a frog showing through a backlit leafYellow green, dark green. Paint the leaf bright and the frog as a soft darker shape with four splayed feet.
Small frog riding a curled fern frondGreen, brown, yellow green. Paint the frond as a spiral and seat the frog on its outer curl.
Three tree frogs along one reed, each facing a different wayLime, olive, tan. Space them evenly up the reed and turn one sideways and one head down.
Tree frog at night, throat puffed out in a pale bubbleDark green, cream, navy. Paint the throat as a pale round shape under the chin, lighter at its center.
Tree frog clinging to a stem, round toe pads spread wideLime, leaf green, orange, white. Paint the toes as short lines that each end in a small round disc.
Tree frog peering over a leaf edge, eyes and fingers onlyGreen, orange, black. Run the leaf edge across the canvas and hook four small toes over it.
Underside of a frog on a window pane: pale belly, four padsCream, pale green, gray blue. Paint the belly as a soft cream shape and press four dots around it.
On lily pads 12
Big green frog covering a whole pad, chin on its rimGreen, olive, pink, dark blue. Let the frog hide most of the pad and show one notch at the front.
Evening pond, frog and pad as one black shape on orangeOrange, yellow, black. Blend the water, let it dry, and paint pad and frog as one flat black shape.
Frog and dragonfly eyeing each other across a padGreen, blue, white, black. Face the two toward each other with the width of the pad between.
Frog beside a white water lily twice its heightWhite, yellow, green, dark blue. Paint the lily tall and the frog crouched low in its shade.
Frog jumping between two pads, rings on the one it leftGreen, blue, white. Paint two white rings on the empty pad and the frog in the air above the gap.
Frog launching off a pad, the pad tipping under its feetGreen, white, blue. Tilt the pad into the water on one side and splash white at that edge.
Frog sheltering beneath a tilted leaf while a shower passesGreen, gray, white. Slant fine white rain across the dry painting and leave the space under the leaf clear.
Moonlit pad, the frog a dark bump with one glint in its eyeNavy, silver gray, white. Paint everything in two dark blues and add a single white dot for the eye.
Pair of gold eyes breaking the surface in a gap among padsDark green, gold, black. Paint the water flat and add two gold domes with level black pupils.
Row of pads as stepping stones, a frog on the thirdGreen, blue, lime. Paint five pads shrinking into the distance and a dot of a frog on the middle one.
Sponge-printed pads with one swab-dot frogBlue, green, lime. Print the pads with a round sponge and dot the frog on with a cotton swab.
Top view: round pad, notch at six o'clock, frog at centerLeaf green, lime, black. Paint a green circle with one wedge cut out and a small frog shape at its center.
Tadpole to frog 12
Cloud of frogspawn: clear beads with a black dot in eachPale gray, white, black, green. Paint overlapping pale circles and put one dot off center in every circle.
Egg, tail, legs, hop: silhouettes growing left to rightBlack, pale green. Paint four flat black shapes in a row, each a little larger than the last.
Four stages in four panels: egg, tadpole, froglet, frogGreen, black, pale blue, white. Rule the canvas into four squares and paint one stage in each.
Froglet with four legs and a stub of tail on a wet stoneGreen, gray, brown, white. Paint a small frog and leave a short pointed tail behind it.
Froglets leaving the pond, a dozen tiny shapes in wet grassGreen, olive, brown. Paint the grass first and hide twelve small frogs among the stems.
Life cycle around a circle with arrows between the stagesGreen, black, blue, yellow. Paint the four stages at twelve, three, six and nine o'clock and curve arrows between.
One tadpole close up: gold-flecked body, clear tail finBrown, gold, pale gray. Dot the gold with the tip of a brush and paint the fin as a pale glaze.
Shoal of tadpoles from above, shadows on a sandy bottomSand, black, gray. Paint a soft gray copy beside each tadpole, all offset the same way.
Tadpole with legs budding beside a long tailBrown, olive, cream. Paint the oval body and tail first, then add two small bent legs at the join.
Tadpoles as commas wriggling across pale green waterBlack, pale green. Paint each tadpole in one stroke: press for the head, lift and curl for the tail.
Tadpoles nibbling along the edge of a floating leafBlack, green, pale blue. Line the tadpoles up around the leaf with every tail pointing outward.
Tail shrinking in three steps on the same young frogGreen, brown, cream. Paint the frog three times side by side with the tail long, short, then gone.
Bright poison frogs 12
Black frog with yellow stripes in flat shapes on leaf greenBlack, yellow, leaf green. Fill the frog flat black and add three yellow stripes from nose to rump.
Bright frog in brown leaf litter, the canvas's only colorBrown, tan, gray, red. Paint every leaf in dull browns and the frog in pure red.
Golden-yellow frog alone on a dark ground, no pattern at allGolden yellow, ochre, black. Shade the frog with ochre only and keep the ground almost black.
Orange and black frog reflected in a rain-covered leafOrange, black, green, white. Mirror the frog faintly below itself and dot the leaf with raindrops.
Orange frog as small as a coin beside a fallen flowerOrange, pink, brown, green. Paint the flower large so the frog reads as tiny next to it.
Pop-art poison frog repeated in four color pairsYellow, black, red, orange. Rule four squares and paint the same frog in each with the two colors swapped.
Red frog with black legs climbing a mossy rootRed, black, moss green, brown. Angle the root up across the canvas and set the frog a third of the way along.
Red frog with black speckles on green mossRed, black, moss green. Sponge the moss first and paint the frog on top in one flat red.
Three poison frogs, red, orange and yellow, on one logRed, orange, yellow, brown. Paint the log across the canvas and space the three frogs along it.
Warning colors close up: skin as a map of red and blackRed, black, orange. Fill the canvas with skin and paint the black as islands on the red.
Yellow frog under a red flower in rain forest shadeYellow, red, dark green. Keep the background dark so the yellow and red are the two brightest things.
Yellow frog with black bands on a dark wet leafYellow, black, dark green. Paint the frog yellow, let it dry, and lay the black bands across its back.
Simple shapes and tape resist 12
Bottle-cap-printed spots on a flat green frogGreen, dark green, yellow. Dip a bottle cap in paint and stamp rings across the frog's back.
Cartoon frog with a daisy balanced on its headGreen, white, yellow. Paint a round frog and set a flat daisy on its head, petals over one eye.
Frog built from five green circles of different sizesLime, green, black. Use one large circle for the body, two for eyes and two for back feet.
Frog face as a green bean shape with two domes on topGreen, white, black. Paint a wide bean shape, two half circles on top, and a long curved mouth line.
Frog outline in white paint pen on a blended green groundLime, dark green, white. Blend the ground from light to dark, let it dry, and draw the frog in one line.
Frog sitting front-on: body, two knees, two feet, all ovalsGreen, lime, white. Stack the ovals from the feet up and add two round eyes on top.
Grid of nine frogs, each a different green, for a class wallNine greens, black. Rule a grid and paint the same simple frog in each square in a new green.
Half a frog face peeking in from the side of the canvasGreen, white, black, pink. Paint one eye, half a mouth and one hand entering from the right edge.
Smiling frog with a long curled tongue reaching a flyGreen, pink, black. Paint the tongue as one pink spiral stroke that ends at a black dot.
Tape border peeled to a white frame around pad and frogGreen, blue, white. Tape all four edges, paint the scene up to the tape, and peel when dry.
Tape-resist pond: masked reeds, sponged blue, frog lastBlue, green, white. Tape the reed shapes, sponge blue over everything, peel, and paint the frog.
Taped triangles in greens with a frog silhouette on topLime, olive, dark green, black. Tape and fill the triangles, peel, then paint one black frog over them.
How it works
A frog is a squat body with bulging eyes, legs folded under it and no tail. Skin runs from mottled brown and green to vivid red or yellow with black. These canvases use the whole range.
Read the full guide
Frog acrylic painting ideas: leaf first
Paint the leaf or the water before the frog and let it dry; acrylic is fast-drying. Then set the frog down as one flat green shape and add the eye last. Lime frog on a hot pink flower, two flat colors and an eye is the short version.
Cute frog painting ideas for a first canvas
Round the body, enlarge the eyes and leave out the toes. Frog face as a green bean shape with two domes on top is three shapes, and Cartoon frog with a daisy balanced on its head adds one prop. For crisp reeds, mask them with tape, sponge the pond over the top and peel.
Questions and answers
What are easy frog painting ideas for a class?
Easy first frogs, under More filters, holds 21. Frog built from five green circles of different sizes needs no drawing, and Grid of nine frogs, each a different green, for a class wall repeats one simple frog in nine squares.
How does a tadpole turn into a frog?
Frogs typically lay their eggs in water. The eggs hatch into tadpoles with tails and gills, and the tadpoles change into adults with no tail. Twelve canvases under Tadpole to frog follow the change.
Why are poison frogs so bright?
The color is a warning that the frog is toxic. Poison dart frogs are mostly red, orange or yellow, and many have black markings as well. The list paints them in those colors only.
How do tree frogs hold on to leaves?
With their toes. Most tree frogs are long-legged, and each long toe ends in a sticky pad. Tree frog clinging to a stem, round toe pads spread wide paints the pads as small round discs.