• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Hot Air Balloon Painting Ideas

Three ideas, each a balloon canvas, its colors in a row and the single step it turns on.

Hot Air Balloon Painting Ideas

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  1. Mint balloon covered in white swab dotsMint, white, coral, pale blue. Fill the envelope mint and stamp rows of white dots that shrink toward the edges.
  2. Seven balloons stamped as seven sponge rounds on a blue washBlue, red, yellow, green, orange, white. Stamp each envelope with a round sponge and add baskets with a liner brush.
  3. Rainbow gores, one color each, from crown to mouthRed, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Rule curved lines from crown to mouth and fill each strip flat.

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One balloon close up 12

  • Balloon as one flat upside-down teardrop on plain blue Coral, white, sky blue. Fill the teardrop flat, let it dry and add a small square basket on two lines.
  • Balloon cropped by the top edge, only its lower half showing Teal, white, tan, pale blue. Crop the envelope at the top of the canvas and center the basket below it.
  • Balloon from directly below, gores meeting at the crown Yellow, orange, white, blue. Paint a circle and rule lines from the rim to a small ring in the center.
  • Balloon mirrored in a puddle on the wet launch field Red, gray, brown, white. Paint the balloon upside down in the puddle and drag a damp brush across it.
  • Balloon side on, its gray shadow thrown onto a cloud bank Orange, white, gray, blue. Sponge the cloud white and add a soft gray balloon shape on it.
  • Burner flame lighting the inside of the envelope Orange, yellow, black, rust. Paint the mouth dark, then scrub yellow upward into orange with a dry brush.
  • Crown of the balloon from above, the top vent a pale disc Green, white, yellow. Paint rings of color shrinking to a pale disc in the middle.
  • Half-inflated envelope slumped on wet grass at first light Purple, yellow, green, gray. Paint the fabric as a long low shape with one side lifting off the ground.
  • One red balloon filling the canvas, basket at the lower edge Red, white, tan, sky blue. Trace a dinner plate for the top and pull the sides down to a small tan basket.
  • Tethered balloon straining at four ground ropes Yellow, red, green, brown. Slant four lines from the basket down to pegs in the grass.
  • Two passengers as small dark shapes at the basket rim Blue, yellow, black, tan. Keep the figures to head-and-shoulder shapes against the bright envelope.
  • Wicker basket close up, ropes rising out of frame Tan, brown, cream, blue. Weave the basket with short crossed strokes of tan and brown.

Many balloons in one sky 12

  • Balloons crowding a valley sky, a dark slope on each side Olive, blue, red, yellow, white. Frame the sky with two dark slopes and fill the gap with small bright ovals.
  • Balloons overlapping, the near one hiding half the next Pink, teal, yellow, white. Paint from back to front so each edge sits on top of the one behind.
  • Balloons rising in a loose spiral, largest at the bottom Turquoise, orange, white, yellow. Mark a spiral in chalk and set a balloon at each turn.
  • Dozens of balloons lifting off one field together Green, blue, red, yellow, white. Paint the nearest three large and dab the rest as colored dots.
  • Line of tethered balloons lit from inside after dark Black, orange, yellow, red. Paint each envelope dark, then scrub yellow up from the mouth so it glows.
  • Row of five same-size balloons, each one flat color Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, white. Trace one jar lid five times and fill each a different flat color.
  • Seven balloons stamped as seven sponge rounds on a blue wash Blue, red, yellow, green, orange, white. Stamp each envelope with a round sponge and add baskets with a liner brush.
  • Teapot-shaped balloon floating among plain round ones Blue, white, red, yellow. Paint the teapot shape in the middle and ring it with ordinary teardrops.
  • Three balloons climbing a diagonal, each half the size Orange, magenta, navy, pale blue. Shrink each balloon by half as the line climbs to the corner.
  • Tiny teardrop balloons scattered edge to edge like confetti Pale blue, pink, mint, yellow, coral. Dot the canvas with a cotton swab, then pull each dot down to a point.
  • Two balloons side by side, their baskets level Purple, yellow, white, blue. Trace both tops from the same plate so they match in size.
  • White balloons bright under a charcoal storm cloud Gray, white, charcoal. Sponge the sky darkest at the top and leave each white balloon crisp.

Over fields, hills and water 12

  • Balloon above a canyon rim, banded rock below Rust, orange, tan, blue, white. Stripe the rock in level bands and set the balloon over the gap.
  • Balloon above a fog-filled valley, pine tips dotting its top White, gray, dark green, orange. Scrub watery white across the valley and dot dark green treetops along its top.
  • Balloon above a purple flower farm striped to a far point Purple, green, yellow, sky blue. Pull the rows to one vanishing point and float the balloon above it.
  • Balloon above a still lake, its double upside down below Orange, blue, white. Repeat the balloon upside down under the shoreline and soften it with a damp brush.
  • Balloon crossing snow hills, the only color in the picture White, pale blue, red, gray. Keep the land to white and pale blue and give the envelope the one red.
  • Balloon drifting over a quilt of green and gold fields Green, gold, brown, red, blue. Tilt the field patches toward the horizon and make them smaller as they go.
  • Balloon low over a river bend, its shadow on the water Red, green, blue gray, white. Paint the shadow as a darker oval on the water just behind the balloon.
  • Balloon over a harbor town, roofs as small red blocks Red, white, blue, gray. Dab the roofs with the corner of a flat brush and keep the balloon large above them.
  • Balloon over open sea, one small sailboat far below Blue, white, red, navy. Paint the sailboat as one small white triangle on the water.
  • Balloon over three rolling green hills and a plain sky Green, yellow green, blue, red. Paint three overlapping hill curves, lightest at the back.
  • Balloon passing a hilltop windmill with still sails White, brown, green, yellow, blue. Paint the windmill small on its hill so the balloon looks close and large.
  • Balloon skimming a wheat field, basket brushing the stalks Gold, yellow, blue, purple. Drag a dry brush upward for the wheat and overlap the basket with a few stalks.

At dawn and dusk 12

  • Balloon and a crescent moon in a lilac evening sky Lilac, pink, white, plum. Paint the crescent with the edge of a round brush and keep the balloon small.
  • Balloon crossing a huge setting sun, basket inside the disc Red, orange, yellow, black. Paint the sun first and overlap it so the basket sits inside the disc.
  • Balloon drifting through sunbeams fanned from a cloud Yellow, white, gray, orange. Drag pale yellow rays outward with a dry flat brush before the balloon goes on.
  • Balloon lit gold along one side by a low sun Gold, red, purple, blue. Paint the sunward half of each section lighter than the other half.
  • Balloon under the last stars, the horizon turning peach Navy, peach, white, black. Dot a few stars with a cotton swab near the top and blend peach along the base.
  • Balloons lifting through pink morning mist Pink, peach, gray, white. Paint the balloons, then glaze watery white over the lower ones.
  • Black balloon shape against a three-band sunrise Yellow, orange, pink, black. Blend three bands while wet; once dry, paint a flat black teardrop and basket on top.
  • Burner flaring inside a balloon in the half dark Navy, orange, yellow, violet. Keep everything dark except one bright orange flare under the mouth.
  • Dawn launch field: one balloon up, one rising, one flat Lilac, yellow, green, red. Paint one upright, one half risen and one still lying on the grass.
  • Dusk landing: envelope leaning as the basket touches down Orange, purple, green, tan. Tip the balloon to one side and trail its ropes along the ground.
  • Long balloon shadow stretching across morning fields Green, yellow, gray, orange. Stretch a gray oval far across the fields, away from the low sun.
  • Trio of black balloons stepped low, middle and high at dusk Violet, orange, black. Blend violet down to orange and place three black teardrops at different heights.

Stripes, panels and checks 12

  • Cream balloon with a ring of pennant triangles Cream, red, blue, yellow, green. Paint a curved line around the middle and paint small triangles below it.
  • Half warm, half cool balloon, divided down its center seam Red, orange, blue, green, white. Split the balloon down its center seam and fill each half in flat bands.
  • Harlequin diamonds in green and gold Green, gold, white, sky blue. Cross two sets of slanted lines and fill the diamonds in turn.
  • Hooped balloon, its bands tightening toward the top Orange, yellow, red, blue. Paint level bands, each one narrower as the balloon curves toward the top.
  • Mint balloon covered in white swab dots Mint, white, coral, pale blue. Fill the envelope mint and stamp rows of white dots that shrink toward the edges.
  • Navy balloon carrying one large white star Navy, white, red, pale blue. Cut a star-shaped hole in paper and sponge white through it onto the dry navy.
  • Ombre balloon, deep blue crown melting to a white mouth Blue, white, tan. Blend blue into white while both are wet, working down the envelope.
  • Plain teal balloon with one yellow zigzag at its widest part Teal, yellow, white, tan. Paint the balloon flat teal and add one yellow zigzag across the middle.
  • Quilted balloon, a new pattern sewn into every panel Pink, green, blue, yellow, white. Fill the panels with dots, stripes and checks using a small round brush.
  • Rainbow gores, one color each, from crown to mouth Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Rule curved lines from crown to mouth and fill each strip flat.
  • Red and white checkerboard balloon, squares bending round it Red, white, sky blue. Cross the curved gores with level bands and fill every other square red.
  • Spiral stripe twisting from crown to mouth Yellow, purple, white, blue. Slant each band a little more than the last so the stripe seems to turn.

How it works

The fabric bag of a hot air balloon is called the envelope, and the sections running from its mouth up to its crown are gores. The gores are why a balloon's lengthwise stripes curve.

Read the full guide

Painting the gores so the balloon looks round

Some envelopes are sewn from only 4 gores, others from 24 or more. Draw them as curved lines that crowd together near both edges and spread in the middle; that spacing makes a flat shape look round. Rainbow gores, one color each, from crown to mouth is the plainest version.

A balloon in acrylic at dawn or dusk

Blend the sky first and let it dry. Acrylic is water-resistant when dry, so the balloon goes on top in flat color without muddying the sky. Black balloon shape against a three-band sunrise takes four colors. A basket under the envelope finishes it.

  • The easy ones sit under More filters, Level: 22 balloons in flat shapes, stamps and silhouettes.

Questions and answers

What is an easy hot air balloon to paint first?

Balloon as one flat upside-down teardrop on plain blue: three colors and no shading. The traditional envelope is an inverted teardrop, so that one shape and a small square basket already look like a balloon.

How do you paint many balloons in one sky?

Size does the work. Paint the nearest two or three large, then shrink the rest to dots, as in Dozens of balloons lifting off one field together. Overlap a few so the near ones sit on top of the far ones.

What are the parts of a hot air balloon called?

The envelope is the bag of heated air, the gores are its sections, and the wicker basket, or gondola, hangs beneath with the flame that heats the air. Wicker basket close up, ropes rising out of frame paints the basket alone.

Which hot air balloon ideas suit acrylic paint?

All 60 are written for acrylic on canvas. The patterns suit it best: flat color dries fast, so Red and white checkerboard balloon, squares bending round it can take its second color within the same sitting.

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