• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Mermaid Painting Ideas

Three ideas, each a mermaid canvas, its colors and the single step that carries it.

Mermaid Painting Ideas

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  1. Glowing teal tail curving out of plain blackBlack, teal, aqua, white. Paint the tail in teal, then stroke aqua and white along one edge only.
  2. Pastel tail draped over the side of a small wooden rowboatPeach, mint, lilac, brown. Block the boat as a brown wedge and hang the tail over its rim.
  3. Scallop shell fan in blush pink with white ribsBlush, coral, white, sand. Pull every rib from the hinge outward with a liner brush.

Next step Skies to paint behind the tailDraw more repeating patterns

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Tails and splashes, no figure 12

  • Emerald tail curled round a mooring post at low tide Emerald, gray, sand, white. Paint the post first, then wrap the tail around it in one thick curve.
  • Forked tail tossing a fan of white droplets off the sea Turquoise, teal, white. Dot the droplets with a cotton swab in an arc, largest nearest the fin.
  • Just the splash where she dived, a white ring of water Cobalt, teal, white. Pull short white strokes up and outward from one point on the waterline.
  • Pastel tail draped over the side of a small wooden rowboat Peach, mint, lilac, brown. Block the boat as a brown wedge and hang the tail over its rim.
  • Rainbow-scaled tail on a beach towel beside a sandcastle Sand, red, yellow, green, blue, violet. Stripe the tail in bands, then scallop each band's edge.
  • See-through tail fin with the low sun shining in it Gold, coral, teal. Glaze thin coral over dry gold so the fin looks lit from behind.
  • Tail dangling off a plank dock into mirror-flat water Gray brown, aqua, pink, white. Repeat the tail upside down below the waterline, paler and shorter.
  • Tail fin slipping under a wave at sunset, nothing else Orange, magenta, teal, navy. Blend the sky wet, let it dry, then paint the fin as one dark Y shape.
  • Tail rising out of sea foam in thick palette-knife paint Teal, phthalo green, white. Spread the tail with the knife and leave the ridges as scales.
  • Tail seen through the glassy green face of a rising wave Sea green, yellow green, navy, white. Paint the tail dark, then glaze the wave's green over it.
  • Tail tip and widening ripple rings in a moonlit rock pool Navy, slate, silver gray, white. Paint the rings as thin ovals that widen and fade outward.
  • Two tails diving side by side in violet and jade Violet, jade, aqua, white. Paint one tail, then mirror it, and ring both with broken white foam.

From behind or in silhouette 12

  • Black mermaid shape on a rock against a huge orange sun Orange, yellow, black. Paint the sun as a big circle, dry it, then add rock and figure as one black shape.
  • Dark swimming shape under a rowboat, seen from above Teal, brown, deep green. Paint the boat as a pointed oval and the swimmer as a soft darker shadow.
  • From behind in a flower crown, tail curled on wet sand Tan, teal, white, pink, yellow. Dab the crown with a swab and streak white reflections on the sand.
  • From behind on a shell-strewn shore, combing out her hair Cream, coral, sea green, tan. Dot the shells with a swab and let the hair cover the whole back.
  • Mermaid from behind, braid down her back, watching a ship Slate blue, auburn, teal, white. Paint the braid as stacked V shapes and keep the ship tiny.
  • Mermaid outline under a rainbow, the sea steel gray Steel gray, black, rainbow colors. Paint the rainbow thin and pale so the dark figure leads.
  • Seated on a sandbar from behind, long hair lifted by wind Sand, aqua, copper, pale blue. Sweep the hair sideways in one direction with a dry brush.
  • Silhouette leaping across a full moon, tail arched high Navy, cream, black. Trace a lid for the moon and cross it with a single curved black shape.
  • Silhouette perched on a channel buoy in evening fog Gray, mauve, black, red. Paint the fog as pale bands and put one red dot of light on the buoy.
  • Small dark figure waving from a wave crest at dawn Peach, pink, indigo. Keep the figure to a head, one raised arm and a fin, all in flat indigo.
  • Tiny silhouette on a horizon rock under a vast pink sky Pink, apricot, plum. Give the sky most of the canvas and keep the figure no bigger than a thumbnail.
  • Two sisters in silhouette on one rock, tails in the surf Violet, rose, black, white. Paint both figures as a single black shape and foam the rock's base.

Scales and shell patterns 12

  • Close-up where the last scales meet the fin's fine ribs Aqua, teal, white. Shrink the scales toward the fin, then fan thin lines out from the join.
  • Crown of scallops, sea stars and pearls on deep teal Deep teal, peach, gold, white. Set the largest shell in the middle and step the rest down each side.
  • Fish-scale tiles, every one outlined in gold paint pen Turquoise, navy, gold. Fill the scales flat, let them dry, then trace each curve once in gold.
  • Mosaic tail built from square dabs of a flat brush Cobalt, turquoise, lime, white. Press the brush flat once per tile and leave a hairline gap between.
  • Scale pattern that turns into waves at the top edge Navy, aqua, white. Let the top two rows of scales stretch sideways and tip them with white.
  • Scale rows printed with a cut sponge arc in three sea greens Jade, sea green, mint. Cut a sponge into a half circle and print it in overlapping rows.
  • Scallop shell fan in blush pink with white ribs Blush, coral, white, sand. Pull every rib from the hinge outward with a liner brush.
  • Sequin scales: a swab dot of light in the middle of each arc Purple, magenta, pearl white. Paint the arcs, dry them, then press one pale dot inside every scale.
  • Single pearl in an open oyster on dark teal Dark teal, gray, cream, white. Shade the pearl gray on one side and add one sharp white dot.
  • Spiral seashell seen end on, pearly pink turning to cream Cream, pink, pale violet, tan. Wind one spiral line out from the center and shade its inner edge.
  • Sunset scales, yellow at the hem rising to plum Yellow, orange, rose, plum. Change color every two rows and blend the joins while wet.
  • Whole canvas of overlapping scales, teal fading to violet Teal, violet, white. Paint rows of U shapes from the bottom up, each row covering the gaps of the last.

Underwater, with a small figure 12

  • Mermaid no bigger than a whale's eye, the two face to face Gray blue, navy, coral, white. Fill half the canvas with the whale's head and keep its eye calm.
  • Sea anemone garden tended by a small mermaid with a rake Magenta, orange, green, sand. Dab each anemone as a ring of short strokes around a dark center.
  • Seabed tea party: a tiny mermaid, a crab and an octopus Sand, aqua, red, purple, white. Use a flat rock as the table and keep every guest to simple shapes.
  • Small dark figure in one shaft of light, deep blue all round Navy, ultramarine, white. Drag one pale wedge down with a dry brush and set the figure inside it.
  • Small figure peering into a sunken chest of gold coins Brown, gold, navy, teal. Paint the open lid dark and dot the coins so they light her face.
  • Small figure trailing bubbles through tall kelp Olive, sea green, aqua, white. Pull the kelp up in wavy strokes and print bubbles with a swab.
  • Small mermaid asleep inside a giant open clam Lilac, cream, teal, pink. Paint the clam as two fluted fans and curl the tail along the lower one.
  • Small mermaid reading on a coral ledge, fish peering over Coral, teal, yellow, navy. Paint the ledge first, the figure as three shapes, and the fish last.
  • Small mermaid sitting on a rusty anchor on the seabed Rust, sand, teal, blue green. Dry-brush orange over brown for the rust and seat her on the crossbar.
  • Small swimmer following a sea turtle across open blue Cobalt, olive, tan, white. Paint the turtle larger than the figure and point both the same way.
  • Tiny mermaid riding a seahorse past pink sea fans Pink, orange, turquoise, yellow. Paint the seahorse as an S and seat the rider just behind its neck.
  • Tiny swimmer heading up toward a bright patch of surface Navy, cobalt, pale aqua, white. Lighten the water toward the top and keep the figure dark.

On a black canvas 12

  • Bubbles and a tail tip rising through black water Black, aqua, white. Print bubbles of three sizes with a swab, a pencil end and a bottle cap.
  • Glow-outlined swimmer made only of tiny blue dots Black, electric blue, white. Dot the outline closely along the tail and loosely along the hair.
  • Glowing teal tail curving out of plain black Black, teal, aqua, white. Paint the tail in teal, then stroke aqua and white along one edge only.
  • Gold tail on black, the scales in metallic paint Black, gold, bronze. Paint the scales bronze first and touch only their lower edges with gold.
  • Jellyfish like lanterns lighting a mermaid silhouette Black, violet, pink, white. Glaze the jellyfish thinly so the black shows through, figure left dark.
  • Mermaid scales picked out in neon dots on black Black, neon pink, neon green, white. Dot the scale rows with swabs and leave black between the dots.
  • Moon path on black water with a single fin breaking it Black, silver gray, white. Paint the path as short flat dashes that narrow toward the horizon.
  • Night tide pool on black: sea star, tail fin and moon glint Black, orange, teal, white. Keep every shape small and let most of the canvas stay black.
  • Pearl string and one scallop floating on black, no figure Black, cream, pink, white. Dot the pearls with a swab and shade each with a gray crescent.
  • Pink and violet hair fanning out on black, face turned away Black, magenta, violet, white. Pull each lock outward from the head with a round brush, thinning to a point.
  • Star-map mermaid: dots joined into a tail and two arms Black, white, pale blue. Dot the stars with a swab and join them with a liner brush.
  • White line mermaid from behind on black, one unbroken line Black, white. Chalk the pose lightly, then follow it once with a white paint pen.

How it works

A mermaid is half person and half fish, and the fish half is the easy part. These canvases are sorted by how much figure drawing they ask for, starting with tails and splashes that need none.

Read the full guide

Mermaid art ideas with no figure to draw

Two groups leave the person out. A tail fin is one curved Y shape, and a scale pattern is rows of U shapes painted from the bottom up, so each row covers the gaps of the last. Whole canvas of overlapping scales, teal fading to violet is that method and nothing else.

Adding the figure

From behind or in silhouette there is no face to get right: hair, shoulders and tail read as one shape. In the underwater scenes the figure stays small, so three or four strokes are enough. On a black canvas the light colors go on last.

  • The easy ones sit under More filters, Level: simple shapes.
  • Acrylic dries fast, so a sunset sky can be dry before the dark fin goes over it.

Questions and answers

What is an easy mermaid painting for beginners?

Start with Tail fin slipping under a wave at sunset, nothing else. Blend orange and magenta into teal while the paint is wet, let it dry, then paint the fin as one dark Y shape.

How do you paint mermaid scales?

Paint rows of U shapes, starting at the bottom, and shift each new row half a scale sideways. For Sequin scales: a swab dot of light in the middle of each arc, press one pale dot inside every dry scale.

What colors make a mermaid tail?

Teal, navy and aqua lead this list, with white for the highlights. The sunset version runs from yellow to plum, and on black one idea uses neon pink and green and another gold. Every idea names its own palette.

How can I paint a mermaid without drawing a face?

Turn her away from you. In Mermaid from behind, braid down her back, watching a ship the head is hair and nothing more, and in the silhouettes the whole figure is one flat dark shape.

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