• 60 designs

Ornament Painting Ideas for Clear Balls, Ceramic and Wood Slices

Three ornament designs at a time, each with the colours to put out and where it sits on the ball, the ceramic shape or the wood slice. Keep the ones you like.

Ornament Painting Ideas for Clear Balls, Ceramic and Wood Slices

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  1. Ceramic house with lit windows and a snow roofRed, white, yellow, brown. Yellow panes with white glazing bars, thick white along the roof edge, a wreath on the door.
  2. Name and year lettered round the equatorOne deep base colour, white or gold. Pencil a guide band round the widest part; name in front, year at the back.
  3. Fingerprint fairy lights round the middleWhite base, five brights, black. One wavy pen line round the widest part; a fingerprint bulb every thumb's width.

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All 60 designs

Easy 16

  • Ceramic tree in three green bands Three greens, gold, red. Darkest band at the bottom, lightest at the tip, cotton-bud baubles, a gold dot on top.
  • Fingerprint fairy lights round the middle White base, five brights, black. One wavy pen line round the widest part; a fingerprint bulb every thumb's width.
  • Fingerprint reindeer with a name underneath Brown, red, black. One brown thumbprint per child; pen antlers, eyes and a red nose, then the name and year below.
  • Holly sprig fanning down from the hole Two greens, red. Two leaves spread below the hanging hole like a bow; three cotton-bud berries where they meet.
  • Icicles dripping from the cap White, pale blue. Pointed drips pulled down from the neck at uneven lengths, a pale blue line down one side of each.
  • Peppermint swirl on a flat ceramic disc White, red. Six curved red wedges spinning out from the centre like a wrapped mint, a thin red line between each.
  • Red and black check on a wood slice Red, thinned black. Three flat-brush bands each way over dry red; where two bands cross, the square goes darkest.
  • Santa belt round the widest part Red inside, black and gold outside. Coat the inside red; a black belt round the equator, a square gold buckle in front.
  • Six-arm snowflakes in white paint pen Any deep base colour, white. Three crossed lines make six arms; add a V near each tip. Vary the sizes, overlap none.
  • Snow dots thickening toward the base White. Cotton-bud dots on the outside, packed tight at the bottom and thinning to nothing by the cap.
  • Snowman face with the cap as his hat White, black, orange. Coal-dot eyes and smile on the front, a carrot nose pointing left; paint the metal cap black.
  • Snowy pine on bare wood Dark green, white. Leave the wood as the sky; one zigzag pine, white dabs on the boughs, a drift along the bark.
  • Swirled pour inside a clear ball Two or three colours. Squeeze paint in through the neck, turn the ball slowly, drain it upside down in a paper cup.
  • Thumbprint penguin family in height order Black, white, orange. Black thumbprints from the tallest person to the smallest, white bellies, names in pen below.
  • Wreath painted just inside the bark rim Two greens, red, white. Short leaf dabs in a ring a finger in from the bark, red berry dots, a bow under the hole.
  • Year in big numerals, two in front and two behind Any base colour, white. Split the year round the ball, numerals as tall as your thumb, a dot border at cap and base.

Clear ball 12

  • Acorn with the cap painted as the cup Tan inside, brown on the cap. Coat the inside tan; paint the metal cap brown and cross-hatch it in darker pen.
  • Earth with continents outside and ocean inside Blue inside, green and white outside. Coat the inside blue; copy continents from an atlas, white at cap and base.
  • Frosted ball with one clear peephole White. Stick on a coin-sized paper circle, sponge the rest of the outside, peel; drop a sprig in through the neck.
  • Goldfish bowl a third full of blue Blue inside, orange and white outside. Swirl blue round the lower third only; two goldfish painted on the clear glass.
  • Half pour tilted up one side as a snowdrift White, pale blue. Pour white in and tilt it only halfway up one side; blue pen snowflakes on the clear half.
  • Holly band with the rest left clear Two greens, red. A leaf-and-berry chain round the widest part only, so tree lights shine through above and below.
  • Hot-air balloon stripes from cap to base Four brights. Eight vertical stripes, widest at the middle; hang a thimble-sized basket beneath on four threads.
  • Melted snowman pooled in the base White inside, black and orange outside. Let a spoonful of white settle in the base; pen eyes, buttons and nose over it.
  • Reindeer face with antlers either side of the cap Brown inside, black, white, red outside. Eyes and a red nose low on the front; antlers rise to the neck. Paint pen.
  • Snow scene on the back, seen through the front White, dark green, navy. Paint hills and one pine on the back half only, so you look at them through the glass.
  • Snowy village band round the equator White, black, yellow, red. A ring of small gabled houses round the widest part, lit windows, snow dots above them.
  • Stained-glass panes in black outline Black outliner, five transparent glass paints. Divide the ball into panes and fill each thinly so light still passes.

Ceramic 13

  • Ceramic bell with a holly band at the rim Cream or gold, two greens, red. Leaf-and-berry chain round the flared rim; the rest left plain so the shape reads.
  • Ceramic bone lettered with the dog's name White, red, black. Name in capitals along the shaft of the bone, a paw print at each knob, the year on the back.
  • Ceramic house with lit windows and a snow roof Red, white, yellow, brown. Yellow panes with white glazing bars, thick white along the roof edge, a wreath on the door.
  • Christmas pudding with icing dripping from the cap Brown, white, green, red. Brown lower two thirds with dark flecks, white drips from the top, holly round the cap.
  • Folk-art bird and tulips in cobalt on white Cobalt blue, white. One bird facing a tulip spray on the front, a scalloped band at cap and base. Liner brush.
  • Gingerbread man with piped-icing lines Tan, white, red. Wavy white lines at wrists and ankles, three red buttons, a smile. White paint pen over dry tan.
  • Heart with a folk-art flower and leaf pair Cream, red, green. One round flower in the dip of the heart, a stem down the centre line, mirrored leaves either side.
  • Knitted-jumper bands stacked round a ball Red, white, green. Five bands round the ball: zigzag, dots, a row of reindeer, dots, zigzag. Liner brush.
  • Mitten in a knitted snowflake pattern Red, white. Rows of tiny V stitches, one snowflake band across the knuckles, a ribbed cuff. Liner brush.
  • Moon and stars in gold on a navy ball Navy, gold. A crescent on the front, stars in three sizes scattered round the back, gold on the cap. Paint pen.
  • Robin with its breast at the widest point Brown, orange-red, white, black. The ball is the bird: red breast in front, wings folded round the sides, tail behind.
  • Star with a burst running out to each point Yellow ochre, gold, white. Lines fan from the centre into all five points, palest at the tips. Flat brush, then pen.
  • Stocking shape with stripes and a lettered cuff Red, white, green. Candy stripes down the leg, a contrast heel and toe, a name along the white cuff in pen.

Wood slice 14

  • Bare winter tree with branches touching the bark Dark brown, white. Trunk rises from the lower rim; branches fork until they meet the bark all round, snow on each.
  • Barn owl face filling the whole slice White, tan, black. The heart-shaped face fills the circle, dark eyes level with the centre, tan flecks out to the bark.
  • Child's own drawing copied onto a wood slice Black, their colours. Trace the drawing small, go over it in paint pen, colour it their way; age and year on the back.
  • Gnome with the hat tip at the hanging hole Red, white, tan. The hat runs from the hole to the middle, a round nose under its brim, the beard fanning to the bark.
  • Growth rings traced in white, a name on each White, three brights. Trace the rings in paint pen; colour one ring per person and letter a name along its curve.
  • Hedgehog with spines running into the bark Tan, brown, black. Face low on one side; brown spine dashes sweep back until they meet the bark rim. Flat brush.
  • Home coordinates lettered round the rim White on a painted or bare slice. Latitude and longitude round the edge, a small house or heart in the centre.
  • Mountain range under a gold sun Navy, white, gold. Three peaks across the lower half with white caps, a gold disc behind; wood left bare as sky.
  • New-home wood slice with the street name White, black, one door colour. A plain gabled house outline, your own door colour, street name and year round the rim.
  • One word lettered along the lower curve White or black. Pencil a guide arc a finger in from the bark; letter PEACE or NOEL along it, a sprig above. Paint pen.
  • Polar bear looking up at one star White, pale blue, black, gold. Bear seated low and left, nose lifted to a gold star placed just under the hole.
  • Snowy cabin with smoke curling to the hole Brown, white, yellow, grey. Cabin low in the circle, one lit window, a grey smoke curl rising to the hanging hole.
  • Stag silhouette against a full moon White, black. A white moon disc over the growth rings, the stag in flat black across it, antlers toward the rim.
  • Two red cardinals facing on one branch Red, black, brown, white. Branch runs rim to rim; two birds facing each other, snow dabs along the top of the branch.

Name and year 5

  • Baby's first Christmas with a fingerprint heart White, red, gold. Two fingerprints angled into a heart on the front, 'first Christmas' and the year lettered round it.
  • Handprint snowmen, one on every finger Blue ball, white, black, orange. A white handprint wrapped round the ball; each finger gets a hat, face and scarf.
  • Name and year lettered round the equator One deep base colour, white or gold. Pencil a guide band round the widest part; name in front, year at the back.
  • Teacher's apple with the class year Red, green, white, brown. The ball is the apple: a leaf and stalk at the cap, a white shine, 'Class of' and the year.
  • Two initials inside a wreath, wedding year below Cream, two greens, gold. A leaf wreath on the front, initials joined by an ampersand inside, the year in gold below.

How it works

Craft shops sell three blank ornaments and each paints differently: a clear ball can be coloured from the inside, a ceramic shape is a small flat canvas and a wood slice comes framed in bark. These 60 ornament painting ideas cover all three, each with its colours, placement and tool.

Read the full guide

Paint a clear ball from the inside

From the 1850s, German glass baubles were silvered by swirling a silver nitrate solution inside the cooled glass; the outside was then painted by hand and given a cap and hook. Swirled pour inside a clear ball is the same move in craft paint. Eight designs put the colour inside, where no brushstroke shows: Santa belt round the widest part adds only a belt and buckle outside.

Use the cap and the bark

Most Christmas ornament painting ideas shrink a flat picture onto a ball. These use the object. The metal cap is a hat for a snowman and the cup in Acorn with the cap painted as the cup. On a wood slice the bark is the frame. Each ring generally marks one year of the tree's life, newest next to the bark: hence Growth rings traced in white, a name on each.

  • Hang a wet ball from a pencil laid across a mug. A coat or two of craft acrylic usually takes 10 to 20 minutes; a pour is thicker, so drain it neck down until nothing drips.
  • A real snowflake has six arms, so Six-arm snowflakes in white paint pen is accurate: cross three lines and stop.
  • Pencil lettering first on wood and ceramic. Paint pen does not rub out.

Questions and answers

Are any ornament painting ideas easy enough for a toddler?

Yes. Five designs need only a finger, thumb or hand: Fingerprint reindeer with a name underneath takes one brown thumbprint per child, and an adult pens the antlers once it dries. Baubles are now often plastic, which suits small hands better than glass.

What paint suits glass and ceramic?

Craft acrylics are made for wood, metal, fabric and ceramics, so a wood slice or unglazed ceramic takes them directly. Glass, plastic and glazed ceramic are slippery: whether your paint grips them is a question for its label. Stained-glass panes in black outline needs transparent glass paint, or no light passes through.

Where do name and year go?

Name and year lettered round the equator puts the name in front and the year behind. The Name and year group holds 14, from Home coordinates lettered round the rim to Ceramic bone lettered with the dog's name. The original glass ornaments came only as fruits and nuts, so Teacher's apple with the class year is in old company.

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