Canopy from below, pale cracks of sky between the crownsGreen, dark green, pale blue. Paint the sky pale first, then dab crowns over it and leave a narrow crack around each.
Red bromeliad holding a cup of rainwaterRed, green, pale blue, white. Fan stiff leaves from one point and paint a small pool at the center.
Red parrot on a branch against plain deep greenDark green, red, yellow, blue. Paint the ground flat green and the bird in three bright blocks.
Banana leaves torn by wind into ragged stripsYellow green, green, olive. Paint each long leaf, then cut pale notches in from its edges toward the rib.
Black canvas with leaves outlined in lime, none filled inBlack, lime, green, teal. Draw each leaf as an outline and a midrib with a liner brush and fill none of them.
Fern fronds uncurling at the bottom of a wall of leavesGreen, lime, brown, dark green. Paint each young frond as a spiral on a stalk among the large leaves.
Giant leaf with a line of ants walking its center ribGreen, lime, dark green, brown. Paint the leaf across the canvas and dot a row of brown ants along the rib.
Hanging vines looping in front of broad dark leavesDark green, green, brown, lime. Paint the leaves first and loop slim vines across them when dry.
Jungle border: leaves around all four edges, bare middleCream, green, teal, olive. Work in from the edges and leave the center of the canvas plain.
Leaf layers with a gap in the middle onto pale mistPale green, green, dark green, white. Leave an oval of pale mist and frame it with darker leaves all around.
Leaves in blue and violet shade with one sunlit leafBlue green, violet, navy, yellow green. Keep every leaf cool and dark except a single bright one.
One leaf so large that only the corners stay darkLeaf green, dark green, lime. Paint the corners dark, fill the middle with one leaf and add a lime rib and veins.
Palm fronds crossing from both top cornersYellow green, green, navy. Pull each leaflet from the rib outward with one stroke of a flat brush.
Raindrops running off the pointed tips of glossy leavesGreen, dark green, white, pale blue. Add a white shine down each leaf and one drop hanging from its tip.
Split-leaf plant across the canvas, dark showing in holesLeaf green, dark green, black. Paint the leaf whole, let it dry and paint its slots and holes back in dark.
Canopy and shafts of light 12
Buttress roots flaring like fins from a giant trunkBrown, tan, dark green, ochre. Paint tall triangular fins flaring from the trunk to the ground.
Canopy from above like green broccoli, one tree tallerGreen, lime, dark green, white. Dab rounded crowns with a sponge and raise one pale crown above the rest.
Canopy from below, pale cracks of sky between the crownsGreen, dark green, pale blue. Paint the sky pale first, then dab crowns over it and leave a narrow crack around each.
Emergent, canopy, understory, floor: four stacked stripesYellow green, green, dark green, brown. Paint four bands from bright treetops down to a dim floor.
Evening canopy in silhouette against an orange and pink skyOrange, pink, black. Blend the sky and dab the treetops along the bottom in black with a sponge.
Mist rising between layers of treetops at dawnPale green, gray green, white, peach. Paint each row of crowns paler than the one in front of it.
One spot of sunlight on a dark forest floorDark green, brown, yellow, lime. Paint everything dim and place one bright patch on the ground.
Orchids and bromeliads growing on a mossy branchBrown, green, pink, red, white. Paint the branch across the canvas and seat the plants along its top.
Rain falling through the canopy in long silver linesDark green, gray, silver, white. Pull fine slanted lines over the dry leaves with a liner brush.
Rope bridge crossing between two tall trees in the canopyTan, brown, green, pale blue. Sag the bridge in a shallow curve and fade the far tree with pale green.
Three slanted sunbeams landing on a single bright fernPale yellow, green, dark green. Glaze three thinned yellow bands from the top edge and brighten the fern they reach.
Tree trunks as dark stripes on a glowing lime groundLime, yellow, dark brown. Blend lime into yellow, let it dry and paint plain dark trunks over it.
Rivers and waterfalls in the trees 12
Brown river curving through green from a high viewpointTan, brown, green, dark green. Paint the river as one wide S and dab treetops along both banks.
Cloud of spray hiding the base of a fall, crowns above itWhite, pale gray, green, blue gray. Sponge the mist over the lower trees after they dry.
Dugout canoe on still water under leaning treesBrown, olive, dark green, yellow green. Mirror the leaning trunks in the water with broken strokes.
Five flat rocks dotting a jungle creek, a streak below eachGray, teal, green, white. Space five flat stones across the water and drag a white streak downstream of each.
Jungle creek from above as a pale ribbon between dark banksPale blue, dark green, green. Paint the ribbon first and crowd the leaves in from both sides.
Mossy trunk lying over a gully with a row of small fernsBrown, green, dark green, gray. Lay the log from bank to bank and plant small ferns on it.
Pool below a fall with giant lily padsTeal, green, white, pink. Paint each pad as a circle with an upturned rim and one pink flower.
Rain rings on a forest pool, leaves reflected between themGreen, dark green, white, gray. Paint small white ovals in pairs, one inside the other.
River bend at dusk, the water holding the last orange lightOrange, brown, black, dark green. Paint the water brightest and the banks nearly black.
River in flood, tree trunks standing in brown waterTan, brown, green, cream. Paint each trunk with its reflection straight below it.
Twin ribbon waterfalls on a green cliffWhite, green, dark green, gray. Paint the cliff in dabbed greens and pull two white lines down it.
Waterfall dropping out of the leaves into a hidden poolWhite, pale blue, green, dark green. Drag white straight down and close leaves in over both sides.
Animals half hidden 12
Coati nose-down on the forest floor, ringed tail uprightBrown, tan, black, dark green. Stand the long ringed tail straight up above the leaf litter.
Green snake looped on a green branch, told apart by its eyeLime, green, yellow, brown. Paint the snake one shade lighter than the leaves and add a yellow eye.
Leaf wall with one pair of amber cat eyes looking outDark green, black, amber. Paint the leaves, then two almond shapes in amber with a slit in each.
Leaf-green frog gripping a stalk, given away by one eyeGreen, lime, red, blue. Keep the frog leaf-colored and paint one round red eye.
Leaf-shaped butterfly lost among brown litter on the groundBrown, tan, green, ochre. Paint the wing as a brown leaf shape with a line for a midrib.
Leopard half behind a trunk, spots fading into shadeOchre, black, brown, dark green. Show only the head and one shoulder and let the rest go dark.
Long curled monkey tail dangling out of the foliageBrown, tan, green. Paint a long curled tail dropping from the leaves and nothing of the monkey.
Pair of eyes and round ears looking down from a leafy forkDark green, brown, yellow, black. Hide the face in shadow and light only the eyes and ear rims.
Paw prints across a muddy bank, no animal in sightBrown, tan, dark green. Press four small dots above a larger pad shape and repeat it up the bank.
Shaggy shape slung under a branch, one small pale face in itGray green, brown, cream, dark green. Paint a slung oval the color of the branch with a small cream face.
Stick insect on a twig, drawn so it is hard to findBrown, tan, green. Paint the insect as a twig with six fine legs lying along a real twig.
Striped tail vanishing behind a fernOrange, black, green. Paint the fern first and let a banded tail stick out to one side.
Bright birds and flowers 12
Bird with a huge curved beak peering from a tree holeBlack, yellow, orange, brown. Paint the beak larger than the head and the hole as a dark oval.
Electric blue wings open on a dull green leafBlue, black, green. Paint the wings bright blue with a black edge and the leaf dull.
Flowering vine in orange climbing a dark trunkOrange, yellow, dark brown, green. Wind the vine around the trunk and dot it with trumpet shapes.
Hummingbird at a hanging red flowerRed, green, teal, white. Blur the wings with a nearly dry brush and keep the beak in the flower.
One pink orchid spray on a mossy trunkPink, white, green, brown. Paint five flowers down a curved stem, each one three rounded petals.
Parrots crossing a gap in the canopy, wings in three colorsPale blue, red, yellow, blue, green. Give each bird a red body, yellow shoulders and blue wingtips, all thumb-sized.
Petals fallen on the forest floor in a ring under a treePink, brown, dark green. Dot pink petals in a loose circle on the dark ground.
Quartet of plain-colored birds perched along a sagging vineRed, blue, yellow, green, brown. Paint four plain bird shapes, each in a single color.
Red bromeliad holding a cup of rainwaterRed, green, pale blue, white. Fan stiff leaves from one point and paint a small pool at the center.
Red parrot on a branch against plain deep greenDark green, red, yellow, blue. Paint the ground flat green and the bird in three bright blocks.
Single dropped tail plume striped in three parrot colorsRed, yellow, blue, white. Paint three bands along one feather and comb the edges with a dry brush.
Tiny bright yellow frog beside a white flower twice its sizeYellow, black, white, green. Paint the frog small and bright and the flower twice its size.
How it works
A jungle is dense forest and tangled plants, so it paints in layers: dark leaves at the back, lighter ones in front. Only about 5 percent of the sunlight gets through the canopy.
Read the full guide
Rainforest painting ideas, layer by layer
A tropical rainforest has four layers: a few giant trees above, the canopy, the understory and a dim floor. Emergent, canopy, understory, floor: four stacked stripes paints them as stripes. Woody vines climb toward the light, and orchids and bromeliads sit on the branches.
Dark first, light last
Fill the canvas with the darkest green and let it dry. Acrylic is water-resistant once dry, so each lighter leaf goes over the last without mixing. Hanging vines looping in front of broad dark leaves works that way: leaves first, vines once they dry.
Questions and answers
What is an easy jungle painting for a beginner?
Easy first jungles, under More filters, holds 20. Tree trunks as dark stripes on a glowing lime ground is one blend and a few stripes, and Black canvas with leaves outlined in lime, none filled in is line and no filling.
How do you paint light coming through trees?
Paint the trees dark and let them dry. Then glaze thinned pale yellow down from the top edge in bands, all at one angle. Three slanted sunbeams landing on a single bright fern is the plainest version.
Which greens do you need for a jungle?
At least three: a yellow green, a middle green and a dark green, with teal or navy for shade. Leaves in blue and violet shade with one sunlit leaf swaps most of the greens for cool colors.
Which animals can I hide in a jungle painting?
Twelve ideas half hide one: Leaf wall with one pair of amber cat eyes looking out, Long curled monkey tail dangling out of the foliage, Striped tail vanishing behind a fern. A leopard, a coati and a leaf-green frog are among them.