Apple cut top to bottom, two seeds in the coreCream, red, brown, green. Paint the cream flesh first and edge it with a thin line of skin.
Avocado halves side by side, the pit in one and a hollow in the otherYellow green, dark green, brown, cream. Blend the flesh from dark rim to pale center while wet.
Dragon fruit half: white flesh, black specks, pink skinMagenta, white, black, green. Paint the white oval, edge it magenta and dot the seeds with a toothpick.
Fig split in two, both halves face upPurple, pink, cream, green. Stipple the pink center with the brush tip and keep the skin edge thin.
Halved orange face-up, its segments like wheel spokesOrange, yellow, white, cream. Paint the disc, then pull white lines from the center to the rind.
Kiwi halves showing rows of tiny black seeds around a pale centerLime green, cream, brown, black. Dot the seeds with a toothpick in a ring around the cream center.
Lemon cut crosswise, one half face-on and one rind-upLemon yellow, white, pale green, gray. Join the two halves with one shared shadow.
Papaya half, its hollow full of dark seedsOrange, coral, black, green. Fill the hollow with overlapping black dots, each with a gray glint.
Passion fruit half, seeds in a yellow poolPurple, yellow, orange, black. Pool yellow in the hollow and dot the seeds while it is tacky.
Peach twisted into two halves, red flesh around the stonePeach, yellow, red, brown. Blend red into the flesh around the stone while both are wet.
Pineapple cut lengthwise, pale core down the middleYellow, cream, ochre, green. Paint the flesh in strokes fanning from the core out to the skin.
Pineapple quarter standing on its rind, crown still onYellow, ochre, green, brown. Paint the cut face flat and the rind in dabbed diamonds.
Pineapple ring with the core cut out, seen from aboveYellow, cream, ochre. Trace two lids for the ring and streak it from the hole outward.
Pineapple with its top sliced off, the lid set beside itYellow, ochre, green, cream. Show the cut as a pale ellipse and lean the crown against the side.
Pomegranate broken open, seeds spilling onto the tableCrimson, pink, cream, burgundy. Dab each seed with a round brush and add one white dot of shine.
Watermelon wedge with a bitten cornerRed, pink, white, dark green. Leave a thin white band between flesh and rind; seeds are small teardrops.
A bowl 16
Banana bunch draped over a bowl of plumsYellow, purple, brown, cream. Let the bananas hang over the rim to break the bowl's outline.
Big empty bowl with one last pear in itYellow green, white, gray, ochre. Paint the inside of the bowl darker on the side near the light.
Blue-and-white patterned bowl of peachesPeach, coral, white, cobalt. Paint the bowl's pattern last with a liner brush.
Bowl of strawberries with one cut in half on the tableRed, pink, green, white. Dot the seeds in pale yellow once the red is dry.
Bowl seen side-on, only the tops of the fruit showingRed, orange, yellow, teal. Paint a row of overlapping half circles above the rim.
Bowl tipped on its side, grapes and pears rolling outPurple, green, yellow, tan. Paint each grape as a disc with a darker crescent on one side.
Footed bowl with grapes hanging over the rimPurple, green, white, gray. Paint the far grapes dark and the near ones lighter.
Fruit bowl on a windowsill with a long morning shadowYellow, orange, pale blue, violet. Paint the cast shadow in violet, stretched to one side.
Glass bowl of cherries, stems crossing the rimCrimson, burgundy, white, gray green. Paint the cherries, then the glass as a few white edge lines.
Half a pineapple used as the bowl, heaped with berriesYellow, ochre, red, blue violet. Paint the hollowed half as a boat shape and pile dots of berries in it.
Pineapple standing behind a low bowl of orangesOchre, green, orange, cream. Paint the pineapple first so the bowl overlaps its base.
Pineapple, mango and bananas piled in a woven basketOchre, orange, yellow, brown. Cross-hatch the basket with a flat brush, light over dark.
Small pineapple in the middle of a bowl, ringed by tangerinesOchre, green, orange, white. Paint the ring of tangerines first and stand the pineapple behind them.
Two-tier stand: citrus on top, apples belowYellow, orange, red, gray. Paint both plates as thin ellipses on one center line.
White bowl of lemons and limes on a blue clothLemon yellow, lime, white, cobalt. Shade the bowl with pale blue instead of gray.
Wooden bowl of red and green apples from aboveRed, green, brown, cream. Paint circles first, then the bowl rim as a ring around them.
Slices in a row 16
Apple slices fanned like a hand of cardsCream, red, green. Overlap thin crescents, each with one line of skin.
Banana sliced into coins that still hold the banana's curveYellow, cream, brown. Paint the coins as ovals shrinking toward the tip.
Five citrus wheels in a row: lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, blood orangeYellow, lime, orange, pink, crimson. Trace one lid five times and change only the color.
Grid of nine fruit slices, three by threeYellow, red, green, orange. Tape a grid and paint one slice per square, each on a different ground.
Kiwi rounds marching down a tall narrow canvasLime green, cream, black, brown. Stack the circles and dot each seed ring before moving on.
Lemon slices overlapping across a blue ground like roof tilesLemon yellow, white, cobalt. Start at the bottom row and overlap each row above.
Orange segments set out like a peeled fanOrange, yellow, white. Paint each crescent with a pale inner edge and fine white strings.
Peach slices in a curve around the stonePeach, coral, yellow, brown. Paint crescents red at the stone side fading to yellow.
Pear slices lined up from widest to narrowestYellow green, cream, brown. Paint each slice as a pear outline with a pale middle and two seeds.
Pineapple chunks threaded on a row of skewersYellow, ochre, tan, white. Paint the sticks first, then thread squares of yellow along each.
Pineapple rings overlapping in a lineYellow, cream, ochre, turquoise. Paint the back ring first and overlap each next one by a third.
Pineapple sliced into a tower of rings, crown on topYellow, ochre, green, cream. Stack flat ellipses with gaps between and finish with the leaves.
Pineapple wedges in a row on a cutting board, rinds downYellow, ochre, green, tan. Paint each wedge as a triangle on a rind strip of dabbed diamonds.
Row of halved figs on dark slatePurple, pink, cream, charcoal. Paint the ground dark first so the pink centers glow.
Strawberry slices from stem to tip, each a smaller heartRed, pink, white, green. Paint heart shapes with a pale center and a red edge.
Watermelon triangles lined up on a white plate, tips upRed, white, dark green, black. Paint each wedge as a triangle with a green base stripe.
Bright and flat 16
Apple in three flat tones: light, middle and darkRed, pink, burgundy. Draw the apple, split it into three zones and fill each with one flat tone.
Banana on a blue ground with a hard-edged shadowYellow, cobalt, navy. Paint the shadow as a flat darker blue copy, shifted down and right.
Blueberries as a scatter of dark blue dots, each with a paler ringBlue violet, pale blue, white. Dot with a cotton swab and add a small ring on top of each.
Cherries in pairs scattered on mint greenRed, mint, dark green. Paint pairs of dots and join each pair with a V of stem.
Color-block pear: two blocks of color, the pear over the joinYellow green, coral, teal. Tape the center line, paint both blocks, then the pear on top.
Giant strawberry filling the canvas edge to edgeRed, green, pale yellow. Paint the red to the edges and dot seeds in rows with a cotton swab.
Grapes as a triangle of flat circlesPurple, violet, green. Trace a coin in rows of four, three, two and one.
Half watermelon as a rainbow of bandsRed, pink, white, green. Paint curved bands from the flesh out to the rind, each one thinner.
One lemon on a hot pink ground, flat shapes onlyLemon yellow, hot pink, green. Paint the ground first and the lemon as one shape with one leaf.
Oranges on a branch with flat leaves and no shadingOrange, dark green, cream. Paint the leaves as single pressed strokes of a flat brush.
Pineapple as stacked zigzags under a fan of leavesYellow, orange, green, white. Paint zigzag bands across an oval instead of drawing every scale.
Pineapple in sunglasses on a turquoise groundYellow, turquoise, black, green. Paint the oval and crown flat and add the glasses last.
Pop-art pineapple repeated on four squares of different colorsYellow, turquoise, pink, orange. Tape four squares and repeat one pineapple stencil on each.
Row of pineapples in different colored skins, like a paint chartPink, teal, yellow, violet, green. Paint one pineapple shape five times, changing only the body color.
Sticker sheet look: six small fruits, each with a white borderRed, yellow, orange, purple, white. Paint each fruit, then a thick white outline around it.
Tossed pattern of lemons, leaves and blossomsLemon yellow, green, white, navy. Paint the lemons first, turning each a different way.
How it works
A glass bowl of fruit was already painted on a Roman wall at Pompeii, and fruit is still the plainest way to practice color: it keeps its pose while skin, flesh and shadow each take a mix of their own.
Read the full guide
Pineapple painting ideas: spirals, not a grid
A pineapple is many small fruits fused into one, and they sit in two sets of spirals, often 8 one way and 13 the other. So cross two sets of slanted lines instead of ruling squares. Pineapple as stacked zigzags under a fan of leaves skips the pattern altogether. Pineapples, under More filters, holds 16.
Skin, flesh and shadow
The shadow of an object seems to hold a little of its opposite color. Shade a red apple with a touch of green and an orange with a touch of blue, not black: mixed, opposites dull each other toward gray.
Kiwi and dragon fruit seeds are dotted with a toothpick; a brush makes them too big.
In a bowl, paint the fruit at the back first, then the rim across them.
Questions and answers
What are good fruit bowl painting ideas for beginners?
Wooden bowl of red and green apples from above is circles inside a ring, with no ellipse to draw. Bowl seen side-on, only the tops of the fruit showing is a row of half circles. Choose A bowl for all 16.
Which fruit is easiest to paint?
One with a plain outline and a single color: One lemon on a hot pink ground, flat shapes only, or Banana on a blue ground with a hard-edged shadow. Both sit under Bright and flat, where nothing is shaded.
What colors do I need to paint fruit?
Yellow is in 29 of the 64 palettes, green in 26, white in 21 and cream in 20, then red in 17 and orange in 16. Cream is for cut flesh: apple, pineapple, kiwi and fig.
How do you paint a cut orange?
Paint the disc, then pull white lines from the center out to the rind. Halved orange face-up, its segments like wheel spokes is the first of 16 fruits cut open; Orange segments set out like a peeled fan takes it apart.