Lamp newly lit under a violet evening skyViolet, rose, peach, white, black. Dot the lamp white, then glaze a thin yellow halo over the dry sky around it.
Beam catching the underside of low cloudCharcoal, navy, white, gray. Scumble white where the beam meets the cloud so that patch glows.
Lighthouse in falling snow, the near flakes largestPale blue, white, red, black. Dot the flakes with a cotton swab, big and small, over the dry scene.
Black and white spiral tower against a plain blue skyBlack, white, cerulean blue. Paint the tower white, let it dry, then wrap slanting black bands around it.
Gulls wheeling around a white tower at noonWhite, light gray, cerulean, black. Paint each gull as two curved strokes and make the near ones larger.
Keeper's cottage and tower with laundry on the lineWhite, brick red, sky blue, yellow green. Block both buildings flat, then dot the laundry with a small round brush.
Lighthouse seen from the dunes through beach grassSand, white, pale blue, olive. Paint the tower small, then pull grass blades up over it with a liner brush.
Red and white banded tower on a grassy headlandRed, white, sky blue, sap green. Tape the bands, fill them flat, peel, then add the lantern in black.
Sailboat passing a striped tower on a breezy dayWhite, red, cobalt, turquoise. Lay short white dashes on the water with the edge of a flat brush.
Squat harbor light at the end of a stone breakwaterGray, white, green, teal. Drag a nearly dry brush along the stones so the canvas weave reads as rough rock.
Tiny island light seen low from a rowboat, waves in frontTurquoise, navy, sand, white, red. Paint two rows of wave tops across the front so the island sits behind them.
Tower mirrored in a tide pool at low waterWhite, red, blue gray, umber. Repeat the tower upside down, then drag a damp brush across the copy.
Trio of towers side by side, each with its own daymarkRed, white, black, yellow, sky blue. Give each tower a different pattern: bands, a spiral, one solid color.
White tower with a red roof above a rocky coveWhite, red, cobalt blue, gray, ocher. Shade one side of the tower pale gray so it turns in the light.
Yellow tower with one dark stripe on a chalk cliffLemon yellow, black, white, ultramarine. Fill the cliff white first, then stand the tower on its edge.
Sunset and dusk 12
Cliff-top lighthouse under three bands of sunsetLemon, tangerine, plum, black. Lay three wide bands with a flat brush, then add cliff and tower as one black shape.
Cloud bottoms glowing coral over a dark towerCoral, gold, gray violet, black. Scumble pale coral thinly along the cloud bottoms with a dry brush.
Fishing boat heading home past the lightOrange, pink, navy, white. Paint the boat as a dark wedge with one white stroke for its wake.
Lamp newly lit under a violet evening skyViolet, rose, peach, white, black. Dot the lamp white, then glaze a thin yellow halo over the dry sky around it.
Pink sky behind a white tower and a long pierRose, peach, lilac, white, charcoal. Keep the tower's lit side peach, never pure white, at this hour.
Purple headlands in layers with a small towerLavender, purple, indigo, orange. Paint each ridge darker as it comes forward; the tower sits on the nearest.
Small tower low on the canvas under a huge fading skyPale yellow, peach, sky blue, black. Give the sky most of the canvas and blend it in one pass.
Striped tower turning gold on its west sideRed, white, golden yellow, slate blue. Glaze thin gold over the dry bands on the side that faces the sun.
Sun going down exactly behind the lantern roomYellow, orange, magenta, black. Paint the sun disc first and let the black lantern cut across it.
Tower and its long reflection on wet sandPeach, coral, mauve, white, umber. Pull the reflection down with a flat brush, then break it with sideways strokes.
Tower as a black shape on an orange evening skyYellow, orange, crimson, black. Blend the sky wet from the horizon up, let it dry, then paint the tower flat black.
Tower windows glowing as the sky turns tealTeal, deep blue, warm yellow, white. Paint the windows last, in the brightest yellow on the canvas.
Night and the beam 12
Beam catching the underside of low cloudCharcoal, navy, white, gray. Scumble white where the beam meets the cloud so that patch glows.
Green aurora behind a lighthouse on a snowy pointBlack, green, teal, white. Pull green up from a sharp lower edge with a dry flat brush.
Lantern room glowing yellow, all else in silhouetteBlack, navy, yellow, white. Paint the glow first as a soft yellow circle, then the black tower over it.
Lighthouse and stars on a black canvasBlack, white, yellow. Paint the tower white on the black ground, then dot stars with a cotton swab.
One yellow square of light where the keeper sitsBlack, indigo, warm yellow, orange. Paint one small yellow square, then glaze orange around it once dry.
Pale river of stars arching over a tiny towerBlack, indigo, violet, white. Sponge the pale band thinly, then dot stars over it with a cotton swab.
Red lamp throwing a red path on black waterBlack, deep blue, red, white. Glaze thin red over the dry water in a narrowing strip toward the tower.
Ship's lights far out, the beam pointing at themNavy, black, white, red, green. Dot the ship's lights tiny and keep the beam the widest shape in the picture.
Thin crescent moon beside a striped towerNavy, white, red, pale yellow. Trace a coin for the moon and paint over all but a thin edge in navy.
Tower under a full moon with a silver path on the waterIndigo, black, white, silver gray. Dab short white strokes under the moon, narrowing toward the horizon.
Two beams, one each side, over a black seaBlack, Prussian blue, white, lemon. Tape a wedge for each beam, scumble white inside thinly, then peel.
White beam sweeping across a navy skyNavy, black, white, pale yellow. Dry-brush the beam as a widening wedge out from the lantern.
Storm, fog and snow 12
Beam cutting a tunnel through heavy rainBlack, gray, white, yellow. Scumble the beam, then drag rain streaks only inside it.
Driving rain over a red and white towerGray, white, red, slate. Drag a dry flat brush diagonally over the dry painting in thin gray.
Fog bank hiding the bottom half of the towerWhite, gray, red. Paint the full tower, let it dry, then scumble white fog up from the base.
Green sea heaving under a yellow-gray skyViridian, gray, ocher, white. Paint the swells as overlapping curves, lightest along each crest.
Lighthouse in falling snow, the near flakes largestPale blue, white, red, black. Dot the flakes with a cotton swab, big and small, over the dry scene.
Lightning forking behind the lanternIndigo, violet, white, black. Paint the bolt with a liner brush in one pass, then a thin white glow each side.
Snow on the gallery rail and the cottage roofWhite, blue gray, red, charcoal. Shade the snow with pale blue and keep pure white for the top edges.
Storm clouds stacked behind a white towerPayne's gray, white, ocher, navy. Paint the sky dark so the white tower is the lightest shape on the canvas.
Tower fading into fog, only the lamp sharpGray, white, pale yellow. Mix the tower only a little darker than the fog, then dot the lamp bright.
Tower on a frozen shore with ice piled on the rocksWhite, turquoise, gray, navy. Cut ice slabs with a palette knife in white tinted with turquoise.
Wave breaking halfway up a stone towerSlate gray, teal, white, black. Stipple the spray with a stiff dry brush, thickest where the wave hits.
Winter dawn, pink snow and a dark towerRose, lilac, white, charcoal. Tint the snow with the sky's pink on top and lilac in the shadows.
Close up 12
Brass lamp and a folded chart on the keeper's deskOcher, brown, cream, navy. Glaze thin brown over the dry ocher lamp to turn its shadow side.
Gallery rail and a slice of sea beyond itBlack, white, teal, sky blue. Paint the sea first, then rule the rails over it in black.
Iron steps winding up the tower wall, seen from belowCream, gray, black, rust. Draw the spiral as shrinking wedges and darken the underside of each step.
Lantern and roof cropped close on one flat skyBlack, white, red, one sky color. Crop at the gallery so the lantern and roof are the whole picture.
Lantern room filling the canvas, lens glowing insideBlack, yellow, white, sky blue. Rule the glazing bars with a liner brush over the dry glow.
Lighthouse lens close up, rings of glass catching lightPale green, white, yellow, gray. Paint the rings one inside another, then one hard white highlight on each.
Peeling bands, old red showing under whiteWhite, red, rust, gray. Dab white on with a sponge so patches of the red coat stay bare.
Porthole window framing a strip of seaWhite, gray, cobalt, turquoise. Trace a jar lid for the window and paint the view inside it only.
Rope, a life ring and a lantern on a white wallWhite, red, tan, black. Paint the ring as two circles, then four white bands across it.
Scarlet door at the foot of the tower stepsWhite, red, gray, black. Paint the door as one flat rectangle with an arched top, then a round black handle.
View straight down the tower to rocks and foamWhite, gray, teal, black. Narrow the tower sharply toward the bottom so the height reads.
Weather vane and lightning rod above the roofBlack, copper green, sky blue. Keep the sky flat and paint the ironwork as a crisp silhouette.
How it works
A lighthouse is one tall shape, so the weather around it makes the painting. These canvases are sorted by light: clear day, sunset, night, storm and fog, and close-ups of the lantern and door.
Read the full guide
Acrylic painting ideas: lighthouses with bands
Towers that stand near each other are painted in different patterns so sailors can tell them apart by day. That pattern is called a daymark. Trio of towers side by side, each with its own daymark sets bands beside a spiral and a solid color. Acrylic dries fast, so tape a band, fill it flat and peel.
Painting the beam at night
The lamp sits in the lantern room, the glass housing at the top, with an open gallery below it. For White beam sweeping across a navy sky, load a flat brush with very little white and drag a widening wedge out from the lantern. The dark sky should still show through.
The easy ones sit under More filters, Level: simple shapes with no shading.
Real lights differ in color and flash pattern. Red lamp throwing a red path on black water uses that.
Questions and answers
What is an easy lighthouse to paint first?
Start with Tower as a black shape on an orange evening sky. Blend yellow, orange and crimson while wet, let the sky dry, then paint the tower in flat black with no detail inside it.
Which colors do I need for a lighthouse painting?
White, black and one red cover most towers here. Add a sky blue for day, orange and crimson for sunset, and navy for night. Each idea lists its own palette, so buy for the one you picked.
How do you paint fog around a lighthouse?
Paint the whole tower first and let it dry. For Fog bank hiding the bottom half of the tower, brush a thin, nearly dry layer of white up from the base so the tower fades into it.