A dozen koi crowding one corner of the pondBlack, red, white, gold. Overlap the bodies so no fish is whole and every gap is dark water.
Butterfly koi trailing long fins like ribbonsCream, yellow, teal. Pull each fin out twice as long as usual with a soft round brush.
Five koi noses meeting at one floating crumbNavy, white, orange, yellow. Point all five heads at one spot so the bodies fan out like petals.
Koi and its gray shadow on the pond floorAqua, orange, white, gray. Paint a gray copy of the fish a little below and to one side.
Koi from three shapes: a teardrop, a forked tail, two finsNavy, orange, white. Paint a teardrop, a forked tail and two small side fins.
Koi gliding under a wooden footbridge, seen from the railBrown, teal, orange, white. Paint the bridge planks across the top and the fish passing below them.
Koi seen through green water, its edges gone softGreen, olive, orange, white. Paint the fish, let it dry and glaze watery green over all but its back.
Koi sliding beneath red maple leaves on dark waterBlack, red, orange, white. Scatter red leaf shapes on the surface and slide the fish beneath them.
Koi under falling rain, white rings over their backsGray green, white, orange. Paint the fish first and lay white rings over them once they are dry.
One orange and white koi from above on plain tealTeal, white, orange, black. Paint a white fish like a long teardrop, then add orange patches and two black dot eyes.
Round stone basin from straight above, two koi insideGray, teal, orange, white. Paint a gray ring for the rim and curve both fish to follow it.
Single koi turning, its body bent in a CBlue, white, red. Bend the body into a C and fan the tail the opposite way.
Pairs circling 12
Big and small pair under the trailing leaves of a willowGreen, yellow green, orange, white. Pull willow leaves down over the water and show the fish between them.
Big koi and a small one swimming in stepTeal, white, red, yellow. Paint the small fish just behind the large one's side fin.
Gold koi and silver koi either side of a moon on the waterNavy, gold, silver, white. Paint a white disc on the water and curve one fish on each side.
Orange koi and white koi nested head to tail in a discBlack, orange, white. Curl the two fish head to tail so together they fill a circle.
Pair leaving twin wakes across still green waterGreen, white, orange. Pull a fine white V behind each fish.
Pair nose to nose over a pebble bottomTan, gray, orange, white, blue. Dab the pebbles in tan and gray and glaze blue over them before the fish go on.
Pair of koi curving around one floating pink blossomNavy, pink, white, orange. Place one pink blossom in the center and curve a fish on each side.
Red koi and black koi mirrored across the canvasRed, black, cream. Paint one fish, then its twin turned the other way beside it.
Twin koi tail to tail, one mostly white, one mostly redBlack, white, red. Paint the two fish tail to tail so they point opposite ways.
Two koi crossing paths in an XBlue, orange, white, black. Cross the two bodies in the middle and let the upper one hide part of the lower.
Two koi stamped from one cut sponge, turned opposite waysTeal, orange, white. Cut a fish shape from a sponge and stamp it twice in a ring.
Two koi winding inward along one spiral, like a shellIndigo, orange, cream. Wind both fish inward along one spiral line.
Among lilies and ripples 12
Fallen blossoms on the pond, koi rising among themPink, white, navy, orange. Dot the petals with a cotton swab around the fish.
File of koi passing a stand of reedsTeal, olive, white, red. Paint the reeds as upright strokes and file the fish past their feet.
Just the mouth of a koi breaking the surface in ringsBlue, white, orange. Paint three rings and only the lips of the fish inside the smallest.
Koi broken by ripples into wavy slicesAqua, orange, white. Paint each fish in three or four offset slices with water between.
Koi curving under a single pink lotus bloomPink, green, orange, navy. Paint the bloom as a cup of pointed petals and curve the fish below it.
Koi snout poking up in the gap between three green padsGreen, teal, orange, white. Paint three round pads with a notch each and one fish head between them.
Koi under a carpet of duckweed, showing only in the gapsLime, green, orange, white. Dot the duckweed with a cotton swab and leave gaps where the fish show.
Lily bud about to open, a koi tail leaving the framePink, green, orange, teal. Crop the fish so only its tail shows at the edge.
Lily pads as green circles, koi as orange commasGreen, orange, navy. Stamp the pads with a sponge round and brush a comma for each fish.
One white lily and one red koi on black waterBlack, white, red, green. Keep the canvas black and give the lily and the fish a corner each.
Stepping stones across a koi pond, a fish in every gapGray, teal, orange, white. Paint four flat stones in a line and slip a fish between each pair.
Waterfall inlet stirring the pond, every koi facing itWhite, blue, orange, gray. Scrub white foam at one corner and point every fish toward it.
Color patterns by name 12
Asagi: light blue back, red belly and cheeksPale blue, navy, red, white. Cross-hatch the back in navy on pale blue and warm the belly and cheeks red.
Bekko: black spots scattered on white, like tortoise shellWhite, black, red. Paint the fish white and scatter a few clear black spots along the back.
Chagoi: one plain tea-brown fish, bigger than the restBrown, olive, copper, cream. Paint one large plain brown fish among smaller patterned ones.
Goshiki: red laid over a dark fishnet of scalesNavy, gray, red, white, black. Cross-hatch a fishnet over the body and lay red patches on top.
Kohaku: red patches on a white koiWhite, red. Paint the fish white and lay two or three red patches along its back.
Ogon: solid gold from nose to tail, no pattern at allGold, yellow, white. Paint the whole fish gold and stroke a pale highlight down the back.
Sanke: red on white with small black marks addedWhite, red, black. Paint red patches on white, then dot a few small black marks over the back.
Showa: a black koi wrapped in red and whiteBlack, red, white. Start with a black fish and add bands of red and white across it.
Shusui: one row of big scales down a pale blue backSky blue, navy, orange, white. Paint a single line of navy scales along the spine and orange along the sides.
Six named patterns as six small fish in a rowWhite, red, black, gold, blue, yellow. Paint six small fish in a row and give each one pattern.
Tancho: a white fish wearing a single red capWhite, red, gray. Paint the fish white and stamp one red round on the head with a cotton swab.
Utsuri: ragged black and yellow stripes across the backBlack, yellow, white. Band the fish in black and yellow and keep the edges ragged, like ink stains.
Ink and wash 12
Curled ink koi fitted inside a drawn circleBlack ink, gray wash, orange. Draw a circle lightly and fit one curled fish inside it.
Dry-brush scales dragged over a wet-wash bodyBlack ink, gray wash. Wash the body pale, let it dry and drag a nearly dry brush across it for scales.
Gray ink koi with a single red patch as its only colorBlack ink, gray wash, red. Paint the fish in grays and add one red patch at the end.
Ink koi arched out of the water, spray dots around itBlack ink, gray wash, red. Curve the body like a bow and dot the spray with the brush tip.
Ink koi in two dilutions chasing each other's tailsBlack ink, gray wash. Dilute the ink for the pale fish and use it nearly full strength for the dark one.
Ink reeds with a koi passing behind themBlack ink, gray wash, orange. Paint the fish first and the reeds over it in darker strokes.
Koi body in one loaded stroke of black ink, tail a split tipBlack ink, gray wash. Load the brush fully, then press, pull and lift for the whole body in one stroke.
Lily pads as wet gray blots, koi in crisp lineGray wash, black ink. Drop the pads as wet blots and draw the fish with the tip of the brush once the paper dries.
Loose gray puddles turned into fish with a few dark linesGray wash, black ink. Let pale puddles dry, then add eyes, fins and tails where a shape suggests a fish.
One-color koi in three strengths of indigoIndigo blue, white paper. Use one blue at three strengths: pale for the body, mid for fins, full for eye and spots.
Pale wash pond with three ink-comma fishGray wash, black ink. Flood the paper with pale gray and drop a darker comma for each fish while it is damp.
Tail study: five forked tails in five ink strengthsBlack ink, gray wash. Paint five forked tails, adding a little more water to the ink for each one.
How it works
Koi are colored carp kept for decoration in outdoor ponds. A pond is seen from above, so this list starts with that view. Breeders tell koi apart by color, pattern and scales, and the patterns have names.
Read the full guide
Koi painting ideas, pattern by pattern
A Kohaku is white with red markings on top. A Sanke adds small black marks to that. A Showa starts black and carries red and white. A Tancho has one red patch, on its head. Kohaku: red patches on a white koi takes two colors, and the group paints eleven patterns by name.
Ink and wash
Ink wash painting works in black ink at different strengths, from full black down to a silvery gray, and one stroke can hold several of them. Press a loaded brush for the shoulder, pull, and lift for the tail. Tail study: five forked tails in five ink strengths is the warm-up.
The easy ones sit under More filters, Level: 22 koi in flat shapes, stamps and two or three colors.
Questions and answers
Why paint koi from above?
Because that is how a pond shows them. Koi are kept in outdoor ponds and water gardens, and a Kohaku's red markings sit on top of the fish. One orange and white koi from above on plain teal shows a whole pattern at once.
What do the koi pattern names mean?
They are Japanese names for color and scale patterns. Kohaku means red and white, Bekko means tortoise shell, Goshiki means five colors and Chagoi means tea-colored. A Tancho is named after the red-crowned crane.
How do you paint two koi circling?
Curl them head to tail so the pair fills one circle, and make the two differ: one mostly orange, one mostly white. Orange koi and white koi nested head to tail in a disc does that on a black ground.
What colors do I need for a koi fish painting?
White, red or orange, and black cover most of the named patterns, with gold for a metallic fish. The water takes teal, navy or black. The ink group needs black ink alone, plus red for a single patch.