Gingerbread figure in a piped apron with a heart pocketBurnt sienna, white, red, burnt umber. Outline the apron in white and fill only the heart.
Gingerbread head and shoulders, one big smile filling the canvasBurnt sienna, raw sienna, white, pink. Crop at the chest and blush each cheek with a dry brush.
Gingerbread man casting a shadow on a white plateBurnt sienna, burnt umber, white, pale gray. Lay a soft gray shadow to one side before the figure.
Gingerbread man centered on red ginghamBurnt sienna, raw sienna, white, red. Paint the checks first, then the figure, then the icing line.
Gingerbread man dipped to the waist in white icingBurnt sienna, white, pale gray, red. Paint the lower half white with a wavy top edge and two drips.
Gingerbread man in a green bow tie with red gumdrop buttonsBurnt sienna, green, red, white. Give each gumdrop a small white highlight so it looks domed.
Gingerbread man in a red hat with a white pompomBurnt sienna, red, white, raw sienna. Slant the hat over one eye and stipple its fur band.
Gingerbread man in thick paint with a raised icing outlineBurnt sienna, burnt umber, white. Load the liner heavily so the white line stands up from the brown.
Gingerbread man leaning on a candy cane as tall as he isBurnt sienna, white, red, raw sienna. Paint the cane white, then stripe it red with a liner brush.
Gingerbread man on navy with snow dots falling around himNavy, burnt sienna, white, red. Dot the snow with a cotton swab after the figure has dried.
Gingerbread man tipped at a slant, mid-danceBurnt sienna, white, yellow, burnt umber. Tilt the whole figure and lift one leg off the ground line.
Gingerbread man waving on a mint green groundBurnt sienna, raw sienna, white, mint green. Raise one stubby arm and curve a wavy cuff around it.
Gingerbread man with a red icing heart where a button would beBurnt sienna, red, white, raw sienna. Paint one red heart on the chest and outline it in white.
Gingerbread man with raisin buttons and pink cheeksBurnt sienna, burnt umber, pink, white. Paint the raisins as dark wrinkled ovals with one highlight each.
Gingerbread man with two eyes, a smile and three white buttonsBurnt sienna, white, cream. Fill the shape flat and add the icing with a liner once it is dry.
A gingerbread house 15
A big and a small gingerbread house under one string of lightsBurnt sienna, burnt umber, white, red, yellow. Swag a thin line between the roofs and dot bulbs along it.
Gingerbread bakery front with a scalloped icing canopyBurnt sienna, red, white, cream. Pipe the canopy in white scallops and leave the sign blank for a name.
Gingerbread front door close up, with a heart-shaped windowBurnt umber, burnt sienna, white, red. Fill the canvas with the door and pipe a scallop arch above it.
Gingerbread house at night with yellow windows on navyNavy, burnt umber, yellow, white. Paint the windows yellow first and the dark walls around them.
Gingerbread house from the corner, two walls and the roof showingBurnt sienna, burnt umber, white. Paint the side wall a shade darker so the corner turns.
Gingerbread house front with a candy cane each side of the doorBurnt sienna, white, red, raw sienna. Paint the wall and roof flat, then all the white lines in one go.
Gingerbread house in a yard of white icing with two small treesBurnt sienna, white, green, pale blue. Sweep the icing snow on in thick white and shade it pale blue.
Gingerbread house in pastel candy colors on pinkPink, burnt sienna, mint green, lilac, white. Keep the walls brown and paint every candy pastel.
Gingerbread house in three flat shapes: square, triangle, doorBurnt sienna, burnt umber, white. Block the shapes in, dry them, then outline each in white.
Gingerbread house on a cake standBurnt sienna, white, pale gray, pink. Paint the stand's oval top first so the house sits on it.
Gingerbread house roofed in rows of round candy tilesBurnt sienna, red, green, yellow, white. Press each tile on with a round sponge dauber, row by row.
Gingerbread house with a peppermint wheel over the doorBurnt sienna, red, white, green. Paint a white disk, then curve red wedges out from its center.
Gingerbread house with a small figure waving from the doorwayBurnt sienna, burnt umber, white, red. Paint the open door dark and the figure lighter against it.
Gingerbread house with chimney smoke piped as a white swirlBurnt sienna, white, navy, red. Curl the smoke upward in one unbroken line of thick white.
Tall gingerbread house on a long canvas, three windows stackedBurnt sienna, white, yellow, red. Rule three floors lightly and give each window its own icing frame.
A tray of cookies 15
Cookie jar of gingerbread men with faces at the glassBurnt sienna, white, pale blue, red. Paint the figures, then glaze thin white streaks down the jar.
Cooling rack of gingerbread men, wire shadows beneathBurnt sienna, gray, white, burnt umber. Paint the wire grid first and lay the figures across it.
Four gingerbread men in four squares, each on a different bright groundBurnt sienna, white, red, teal, yellow, pink. Quarter the canvas and repeat one figure four times.
Gingerbread hearts hanging in a row on red ribbonsBurnt sienna, red, white. Hang each heart at a different height and pipe a different border on each.
Gingerbread men overlapping in a loose pileBurnt sienna, burnt umber, white. Shade each figure darker where another one lies across it.
Gingerbread men, trees and stars repeated like wrapping paperCream, burnt sienna, green, white. Cut one stencil of each shape and repeat them in slanted rows.
Paper bag of gingerbread cookies with three heads poking outKraft brown, burnt sienna, white, red. Fold the bag's top edge down and line the heads up above it.
Plate of gingerbread stars, one leaning on the pileBurnt sienna, white, pale blue, burnt umber. Outline every star in white, the front one last.
Ring of gingerbread men, feet to the center like a wreathBurnt sienna, white, red, green. Sketch a circle and stand eight figures around it, a bow at the top.
Rolling pin, dough and three cut-out shapes on a floured boardRaw sienna, burnt sienna, cream, white. Paint the dough pale and dab white flour around it with a sponge.
Round tin of cookies with the lid off, seen from aboveRed, burnt sienna, white, gold. Paint the tin as a red ring and fan the cookies inside it.
Row of six gingerbread men, three iced and three still plainBurnt sienna, raw sienna, white. Paint all six the same brown and stop the icing halfway along.
Sheet pan in warm oven light, the cookie edges a shade darkerBurnt sienna, burnt umber, orange, gray. Darken the rim of each figure and glaze the pan with orange.
Stack of round ginger cookies tied with red stringBurnt sienna, raw sienna, red, white. Stack five ovals and darken the lower edge of each one.
Two gingerbread men on a small plate beside a glass of milkBurnt sienna, white, pale blue, gray. Paint the milk white and shade the glass with pale blue.
Icing patterns 15
Crossed white lines making a plaid on a brown groundBurnt sienna, white, cream. Pull thick and thin lines both ways and let the brown show in the squares.
Gingerbread chest close up: bow tie, two buttons, zigzag beltBurnt sienna, white, red, green. Crop at the neck and the waist so only the decoration shows.
One gingerbread arm close up, with a wavy icing cuffBurnt sienna, raw sienna, white. Fill the canvas with the rounded arm and run three wavy lines at the wrist.
One unbroken white squiggle wandering over a brown canvasBurnt umber, white. Thin the white a little and keep the liner moving from one corner to the other.
Round ginger cookie iced like a lace doilyBurnt sienna, white, cream. Work outward in rings: dots, loops, then a scalloped rim.
Rows of small white outline hearts, every other one filled redBurnt umber, white, red. Outline every heart first, then fill alternate ones.
Rows of white wavy lines with red dots betweenBurnt sienna, white, red. Alternate one wavy line and one row of cotton-swab dots down the canvas.
Sampler of nine brown squares, a different white pattern in eachBurnt sienna, burnt umber, white. Grid the canvas three by three and vary the brown from square to square.
Sweater band in white on brown: diamonds between two stripesBurnt sienna, white, red. Rule two stripes and link a chain of diamonds between them.
White dotted spirals on a brown groundBurnt umber, white. Start each spiral at its center and let the dots shrink as it winds out.
White holly leaves and red berries piped over brownBurnt sienna, white, red. Draw each leaf as a white outline only and group the berries in threes.
White icing dripping from the top edge down a brown groundBurnt sienna, white, pale gray. Pull drips of different lengths and round off each tip.
White scallop border around a plain brown centerBurnt sienna, burnt umber, white. Edge the canvas in scallops and dot the point where two meet.
White starbursts scattered on brown, eight points eachBurnt sienna, white. Cross four strokes at one point for each burst and vary the sizes.
White zigzag rows across a brown canvasBurnt sienna, white. Paint the ground, dry it, then pull each zigzag across without lifting the liner.
How it works
A gingerbread man is only roughly a person, with stumps for feet and no fingers, so the outline is hard to get wrong. The painting is two jobs: a flat brown shape, then white icing lines on top.
Read the full guide
Gingerbread painting canvas ideas, by subject
Fifteen single figures, 15 houses, 15 trays of cookies and 15 icing patterns. Shirt buttons can be gumdrops or raisins as well as icing: Gingerbread man in a green bow tie with red gumdrop buttons and Gingerbread man with raisin buttons and pink cheeks paint them.
Gingerbread house art ideas
A real gingerbread house is covered in candy and icing, its roof tiles frosting or candy and its yard iced as snow. Gingerbread house roofed in rows of round candy tiles and Gingerbread house in a yard of white icing with two small trees follow that.
Gingerbread man art ideas need no whole figure: Icing patterns is 15 canvases of white line on brown, from zigzags to a plaid.
Questions and answers
What are easy gingerbread painting ideas for beginners?
Gingerbread man with two eyes, a smile and three white buttons: one flat brown shape and six white marks. Easy first gingerbread, under More filters, holds 16, among them White zigzag rows across a brown canvas.
What colors make gingerbread brown?
Three tubes: burnt sienna for the cookie, raw sienna for paler dough and burnt umber for shadow. Burnt sienna is in 56 of the 60 palettes and white in 59, so buy those two first.
How do you paint icing on a gingerbread man?
Use white on a liner brush once the brown is dry: acrylic is water-resistant when dry, so the line stays clean. Royal icing is hard and white, so keep the paint pure white. Try Gingerbread man in thick paint with a raised icing outline.