Painting Challenge Generator

Four parts dealt at once, each lockable: keep your palette, reroll the rest or print 30.

Painting Challenge Generator: 30 challenges

Every stroke stays: no correcting and no painting over. Paint an unmade bed in morning light using earth colours only, as many as you own, over an afternoon, with one tea break.

Padlock: keep a part. Arrows: change only that part.

Ruleevery stroke stays: no correcting and no painting over
Subjectan unmade bed in morning light
Paletteearth colours only, as many as you own
Time boxover an afternoon, with one tea break

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30:00

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Every challenge you make is kept here, newest first, up to the last 20. The list stays in this browser.

Challenge of the day

Every stroke stays: no correcting and no painting over. Paint an unmade bed in morning light using earth colours only, as many as you own, over an afternoon, with one tea break.
As a table, pass paintings one seat left every five minutes. Paint a corner of the room you are in using one colour thinned down, with no white at all, in two hours.
A sponge, a rag or a card edge, but no brush. Paint a storm coming in over water using one red, one green and white, over a whole evening.
With a partner, one mixes the paint and one applies it. Paint two people talking at a table using two yellows, one violet and white, in 15 minutes.
With a partner, one paints and the other gives directions. Paint cut flowers in a jam jar using any single colour plus black and white, in 20 minutes.
As a table, everyone paints the same challenge, no peeking. Paint a kitchen sink with the washing-up in it using yellow ochre, red ochre and black, with no white, in 45 minutes.
No drawing first: straight in with paint. Paint a snowy street at dusk using one pink, one dark green and white, in 20 minutes.
On a surface no bigger than a playing card. Paint onions and garlic on a board using two opposites on the colour wheel, plus white, in 10 minutes.
With a partner, one mixes the paint and one applies it. Paint rooftops against the sky using one earth colour, one blue and white, in 30 minutes.
Palette knife only. Paint mountains in three overlapping layers using one violet and white only, in the time one album takes to play.
As a table, one person calls each change of brush. Paint a candle flame and what it lights using one dark blue and white only, in one hour.
With a partner, one paints only lights, the other only darks. Paint hills under a low moon using one red, one green and white, over a whole evening.
On a surface no bigger than a playing card. Paint a window at night using one violet and white only, over a whole evening.
Dry brush: most of the paint wiped off before each stroke. Paint a cow lying down in long grass using three primaries plus white, in 30 minutes.
A third of the surface left unpainted. Paint boats sitting on the mud at low tide using one cold green, one red-brown and white, in the time one album takes to play.
With a partner, both on one sheet at the same time. Paint a stream running over stones using one blue, one orange and white, in 15 minutes.
Palette knife only. Paint rain running down a bus window using orange, green and violet, plus white, in one hour.
The biggest brush you own and nothing else. Paint a waterfall seen from a distance using one yellow, one violet and white, in two hours.
Brush held at the very end of the handle. Paint a face lit from one side using the coolest red, yellow and blue you own, plus white, over a whole evening.
Painting flat on the table, never upright. Paint a face lit from one side using two neighbours on the colour wheel, plus white, in 10 minutes.
On a toned ground: cover the white before you start. Paint a bathroom mirror and what it reflects using one earth colour, one blue and white, in 10 minutes.
Background first, subject last. Paint onions and garlic on a board using one violet and white only, in 20 minutes.
The biggest brush you own and nothing else. Paint clouds and nothing else using two blues, one orange and white, in 20 minutes.
Squinting often, big shapes only. Paint hens in a yard using one red and white only, in the time one album takes to play.
On the biggest sheet you can find. Paint a gull standing on a post using one yellow, one violet and white, in 30 minutes.
Colours mixed on the picture, not on the palette. Paint a dark room with one bright doorway using three earth colours of your choice, plus white, in three rounds of 10 minutes, with a break between.
No drawing first: straight in with paint. Paint a bathroom mirror and what it reflects using ultramarine, burnt sienna and white, in two hours.
Fingers only. Paint hills under a low moon using three tubes picked with your eyes shut, plus white, in 30 minutes.
Wet paint into wet paint, no waiting for anything to dry. Paint a corner of the room you are in using three tubes picked with your eyes shut, plus white, in 90 minutes.
As a table, one long shared sheet, a strip each. Paint fog over a field using one colour thinned down, with no white at all, over a whole evening.

Next step Want a finished idea? Easy painting ideas

Rule: all 60 rules

On your own 36

a sponge, a rag or a card edge, but no brush Card edges print lines, sponges print texture, rags lift paint off. Try each on scrap paper first.
a third of the surface left unpainted Plan which third before you start. Bare ground can be sky, light on water or simply breathing room.
background first, subject last Painting the space round the subject draws the subject for you, and its edges come out softer.

Show all 60 rules (57 more)

On your own, continued

the biggest brush you own and nothing else A big brush cannot fuss. You will state each shape once and leave it, which is the point.
board tilted so the paint runs Thin the paint, tilt the board and steer the runs by turning it. Lay it flat when you like what you see.
brush held at the very end of the handle You lose fine control and gain a looser stroke. Stand back far enough for your arm to swing.
brush held in your other hand Control drops and attention rises. Expect a wobbly picture with livelier edges than your usual ones.
colours mixed on the picture, not on the palette Lay one colour beside or into another and let them half blend. You get broken, lively mixtures.
cotton buds only, one dot at a time Dots as a technique: crowd them for dark areas, space them out for light ones. A fresh bud for each colour.
cropped until the subject runs off three edges Go in close. What is left is a design of big shapes, and no background to worry about.
dabs the size of a thumbnail, never a long stroke Each dab is one colour decision. Step back often, since the picture only joins up from a distance.
darkest shapes first, lightest last Works with opaque paint, where light can sit on top of dark. Keep the first darks thin so later paint grips.
dry brush: most of the paint wiped off before each stroke A nearly dry brush drags and skips over the surface, which suits bark, grass, stone and old wood.
every colour mixed on the palette, none on the picture Mix a puddle for each main shape before you touch the surface. The painting part then goes quickly.
every stroke stays: no correcting and no painting over Look longer, mix longer, then put it down once. A wrong stroke left alone often reads better than a fixed one.
fifty brushstrokes, then stop Count them. Around stroke thirty you start loading the brush properly and placing each mark as if it cost money.
fingers only Fingertips blend better than most brushes and cannot do detail. Keep a damp cloth and a dry one to hand.
from the centre outward, never going back in Finish the middle before you move out. It stops you polishing one corner for an hour.
hard edges only, as if cut from paper Let each shape dry, or mask it, before its neighbour goes in. The result is flat, graphic and poster-like.
lightest washes first, darks last, no going back The watercolour order: the paper is your lightest light, and each layer can only make things darker.
long strokes that all run in one direction Choose the direction first: upright for rain and calm, slanted for wind and movement.
no drawing first: straight in with paint Place the largest shape with thin paint, then correct it with the next shape. The drawing happens as you go.
no outlines anywhere An edge is only the place where two shapes meet. Paint the shapes up to each other and the line is not needed.
on a surface no bigger than a playing card Small means the brush is large by comparison, so detail is impossible and the design has to carry it.
on a toned ground: cover the white before you start A thin first layer of one colour is a kind of underpainting. Let scraps of it show through at the end.
on the biggest sheet you can find Tape it to a wall or the floor. Big paintings are made with the shoulder and a loaded brush.
one brush for the whole painting Pick a size that feels slightly too big. Its edge gives you thin lines, its flat gives you the rest.
one thin glaze over the whole picture to finish A glaze is a thin transparent layer that shifts every colour under it. Let the painting dry to the touch first.
painting flat on the table, never upright Flat stops washes from running and makes you look straight down, which flattens the design too.
palette knife only Thick paint laid on so the knife strokes stay visible is called impasto. Mix on the palette and spread it like butter.
soft edges everywhere except one The single hard edge becomes the focus without any extra detail. Decide where it goes before you begin.
squinting often, big shapes only Squinting blurs detail and joins small shapes into large ones. Paint what survives the squint.
standing up, at arm's length from the surface Distance shows you the whole picture at once, so the big shapes get judged before the small ones.
three values only: one light, one middle, one dark Value is how light or dark a colour is. Sort everything into three piles before you mix anything.
upside down, turned the right way up only at the end With the picture inverted you stop naming things and start seeing shapes and angles.
wet paint into wet paint, no waiting for anything to dry Painters call this alla prima, Italian for at first attempt. Edges soften wherever two wet colours meet.

With a partner 12

with a partner, back to back, compare at the end Same challenge, two answers. The differences show you your habits faster than a critique does.
with a partner, both on one sheet at the same time Four hands and one surface. Decide nothing beforehand and keep out of each other's elbows.
with a partner, each starts one, then finishes the other's Swap at half time. Starting is one skill and finishing is another, and you get to practise both.
with a partner, half the surface each, meeting in the middle Agree the horizon or the table edge first so the halves line up. The join is where it gets interesting.
with a partner, in silence until the time is up No advice, no apologies, no commentary. Talk it all through once the brushes are down.
with a partner, one mixes the paint and one applies it The mixer has to look hard at colour, the painter has to ask clearly. Swap jobs at half time.
with a partner, one paints and the other gives directions The director may point and describe but never touch the brush. Swap roles at half time.
with a partner, one paints only lights, the other only darks Split the picture by value, not by area. Both of you work everywhere, and the middle tones get argued over.
with a partner, one paints the subject, one the background Work at the same time and watch the edges, because that is where your two paintings have to agree.
with a partner, swap brushes whenever one of you says swap You will be handed the wrong brush at the wrong moment. Use it anyway.
with a partner, swap paintings every five minutes You inherit decisions you would never have made. Build on them; wiping them out is against the spirit.
with a partner, take turns: ten strokes each Ten strokes is long enough for one idea. Count aloud so nobody sneaks an eleventh.

Round a table 12

as a table, a relay on one surface, two minutes a turn One painting, one brush, a queue. Plan nothing; respond to whatever the last person left you.
as a table, each person paints one tile of a bigger picture Cut a sketch into squares and deal them out. Nobody sees the whole thing until the tiles go back together.
as a table, everyone paints the same challenge, no peeking Line the results up afterwards. The same rule, subject and palette never gives the same picture twice.
as a table, forty strokes each, counted out loud The counting is part of the fun and keeps everybody honest. Compare what forty strokes bought each person.
as a table, leave them unsigned and guess whose is whose Pin them up mixed together. People's hands are easier to recognise than they expect.
as a table, one brush each and no swapping Hand the brushes out at random, big and small. Whoever gets the smallest has the hardest job.
as a table, one long shared sheet, a strip each Agree one line that runs through every strip, such as a horizon, so the finished sheet reads as one picture.
as a table, one person calls each change of brush When the caller says change, everyone takes a different brush at once, mid-stroke if need be.
as a table, pass paintings one seat left every five minutes Everyone works on everything. By the end no painting belongs to anybody, which takes the pressure off.
as a table, swap seats at half time and carry on You take over a half-made painting in someone else's hand. Finish it their way or yours.
as a table, vote on the hardest part and all start there Tackling the hard part while you are fresh beats leaving it for the tired end of the session.
as a table, your neighbour makes your first three marks Three marks you did not choose give you something to answer, which is easier than a blank surface.

How this list was compiled: Original list of rules written for Draw This Next, September 2026. Each rule is about tools, process or who holds the brush; none names a colour or a total time, and none involves food or drink. Technique terms follow their Wikipedia articles, checked 2026-09-19: alla prima (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet-on-wet), glaze (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaze_(painting_technique)), impasto (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impasto) and underpainting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underpainting). A few rules are marked for the one kind of paint they suit. Licence: own work

Subject: all 80 subjects

On the table 16

a bottle in front of a bright window Against the light the bottle is a dark shape with a glowing edge. Keep the window the lightest thing.
a bunch of keys on a table Small, hard and shiny. State the dark mass first, then pick out three or four glints and stop.
a chair with a coat over the back Hard furniture under soft cloth. The folds hang from two or three points, so find those first.

Show all 80 subjects (77 more)

On the table, continued

a crumpled paper bag Nothing but planes. Every facet is a slightly different value, which makes it a fine lesson in mixing.
a glass of water on a windowsill Paint what you see through the glass, not the glass. A few sharp highlights do the rest.
a houseplant and its shadow The shadow is half the subject. Paint it as one shape, cooler and simpler than the leaves.
a jug and two cups Three related shapes. Overlap at least two of them so the group reads as one mass.
a loaf of bread with one slice cut Crust against crumb is a texture study: a dry dragged brush for one, soft blending for the other.
a pair of worn shoes Creases and scuffs tell you where to break the edges. Set them at an angle to each other.
a pear on a folded cloth One rounded form, one light source. The cloth's folds give you hard and soft edges in the same picture.
a stack of books seen from the spine side Blocks of flat colour with thin stripes between. Let the stack lean a little so it looks handled.
a teapot with the room reflected in it The reflection is a bent, tiny version of the room. Suggest it with three or four shapes, no more.
cut flowers in a jam jar Mass the flowers into one big shape before you find any petals. The stems bend where they enter the water.
fruit cut open on a plate The cut face is flat and detailed, the skin is round and plain. Two surfaces, two ways of putting paint down.
onions and garlic on a board Papery skins and round forms. The loose skin at the neck gives you a lost edge for free.
three eggs in a bowl White objects are never white. Look for the colour in their shadows and the light bounced up from the bowl.

Land and sky 16

a bridge over a small river An arch and its reflection make one closed shape. The reflection is darker and softer than the bridge.
a city park early in the morning Long shadows, empty benches, pale light. One small figure gives the space its scale.
a cliff seen from below Tall format. The rock face is planes of light and shadow, and the top edge cuts hard against the sky.
a field of tall grass in wind Direction is everything. All the strokes lean one way, and lean further at the top.
a field with one building far away A small hard shape in a large soft one. Put the building off centre and keep it simple.
a garden gate left open An invitation in. Put the brightest light beyond the gate and keep the near side in shade.
a path through a wood Dark verticals, a light path. The light at the far end of the path is the reason for the painting.
a road running to the horizon The road narrows to a point and pulls the eye with it. Decide how high the horizon sits before anything else.
a row of trees and their long shadows Low sun. The shadows are a second set of stripes crossing the ground toward you.
clouds and nothing else Clouds have a lit side, a shadow side and soft edges. Give the sky more than three quarters of the surface.
hills under a low moon Close values and very little detail. The moon is the only hard edge in the picture.
mountains in three overlapping layers Each layer further back is lighter and less detailed. Three mixes, one per layer, prepared in advance.
one wind-bent tree on a bare hill One shape against the sky. Its outline matters more than any leaf, so get the silhouette right.
rooftops against the sky A jagged edge of chimneys and gables. Paint the sky down to the roofs so the skyline comes out crisp.
the sky in the last minute of sunset The colour changes band by band from the horizon up. The land below is one simple dark shape.
telegraph poles along a flat road Repeating uprights that shrink with distance. Get the spacing right and the depth takes care of itself.

Water and weather 16

a boat pulled up on a beach The hull is a curved form lying on a flat plane. Its shadow pins it to the sand.
a lake at first light Horizontal bands of sky, far shore and water. The water repeats the sky, slightly darker.
a pier running out to sea Strong perspective over flat water. The posts and their reflections make a rhythm to the vanishing point.
a puddle reflecting a street A reflection is the scene upside down, a little darker. The puddle's edge is what makes it read as water.
a snowy street at dusk Lit windows against a dim street. The snow picks up the sky colour, so mix the two together.
a storm coming in over water Most of the picture is sky. Keep one strip of light at the horizon to make the cloud above it look heavy.
a stream running over stones Still stones, moving water. Drag a dry brush across for the broken white of the flow.
a waterfall seen from a distance One light vertical in a mass of dark. Soften its foot where the spray rises.
a wave just before it breaks The face of the wave is the darkest part and the thin crest lets light through. Foam goes on last.
boats sitting on the mud at low tide Hulls tilted over, ropes slack, wet ground shining. The reflections are broken and short.
fog over a field Everything lightens and loses its edges with distance. Work with three close values and soften as you go.
mist between rows of hills Each ridge fades at its foot and sharpens at its crest. Work from the far ridge forward.
rain running down a bus window The view outside is soft and blurred, the drops on the glass are sharp. Paint the blur first.
reeds at the edge of a pond Upright strokes and their wavering reflections. Paint the reeds upward from the root, in one movement each.
snow on a fence Snow is lit from above and shadowed below. The shadows carry the colour and the lit tops stay nearly bare.
wet pavement under street lamps Each lamp drops a long vertical smear of light on the ground. Pull those streaks downward in one go.

Rooms and light 16

a bathroom mirror and what it reflects A picture inside a picture. Keep the reflection slightly darker and softer than the room.
a bookshelf as blocks of colour Do not paint books. Paint upright stripes of different widths and let three or four lean.
a café table by a window Daylight from one side, a cup, a chair. Reflections on the tabletop tie the still life to the window.
a candle flame and what it lights The flame is tiny and the lightest thing there. Objects near it are lit on one side and lost on the other.
a corner of the room you are in Three planes meet: two walls and a floor or ceiling. Each plane gets its own value.
a dark room with one bright doorway A bright upright slot in a dim wall, and a wedge of light across the floor.
a desk lamp and its circle of light The lit circle is the subject. Everything beyond it sinks into a few dark, quiet shapes.
a hallway with a door open at the end A dark tunnel with a bright target. The walls are almost featureless, and should be.
a kitchen sink with the washing-up in it Ordinary and hard. Shiny metal, clear water and stacked curves, so simplify without mercy.
a shop window after closing time Lit goods behind glass, a dark street in front, faint reflections across both.
a staircase seen from the top Steps make a fan of alternating light and dark wedges. The banister is the line that leads the eye down.
a table laid for one Plate, glass, cutlery and the shadows they throw. Look down on it at an angle so the circles become ovals.
a window at night Mostly dark with one bright shape. The glow round the frame matters more than anything seen through the glass.
an armchair with a reading lamp A big soft form under a small bright source. The lit arm and the shadowed seat describe the whole chair.
an unmade bed in morning light Folds of cloth in soft raking light: a landscape of hills and valleys in close values.
the view through a half-open curtain A soft frame round a bright view. The curtain is backlit, so its folds glow at the thin places.

People and animals 16

a bird on a wire A small dark shape against a big pale sky. The placing of the bird is the whole composition.
a child on a swing A diagonal figure at the top of the arc. Blur the ropes and the background, keep the figure crisper.
a cow lying down in long grass A heavy block sunk into soft strokes. The line of the back against the field is what you are after.
a crowd under umbrellas Overlapping domes above, a blur of legs below. Nobody needs a face.
a dog waiting at a door The pose tells the story: weight forward, head up. Block the body as two masses, chest and hips.
a face lit from one side Half in light, half in shadow. The edge between the two runs down the forehead, nose and chin.
a figure walking away down a street No face needed. A tapering shape, a tilt of the shoulders and a cast shadow are enough.
a fish seen through water Soft edges, broken by ripples. The back is dark, the flank catches the light.
a gull standing on a post White bird, so the shadow side does all the modelling. The post gives you a strong upright.
a horse in a field Big simple body, thin legs. Paint the body as one mass and let the legs be single strokes.
a person reading by a window Light falls on the page and bounces into the face. Most of the figure can stay in shadow.
a self-portrait from a mirror Light yourself from one side. Find the big shadow shape on the face before any feature.
a sleeping cat One closed shape, a loaf or a comma. Fur is a soft edge, not a thousand hairs.
hens in a yard Rounded bodies pecking at odd angles. Group three together and set one apart.
two people talking at a table Two heads leaning in make one shape. The gap between them is as important as they are.
your own hand holding a brush The model that is always available. Paint it as planes, with the knuckles as the turning points.

How this list was compiled: Original list of subjects written for Draw This Next, September 2026. Each one can be set up at home, found outdoors or painted from memory, and none names a colour, since the palette slot decides that. Licence: own work

Palette: all 50 palettes

One colour 12

any single colour plus black and white White makes tints, black makes shades and the two together make tones. One hue, a full range.
black and white only A picture all in greys is a grisaille. With no hue to lean on, every decision is about value.
burnt sienna and white only A warm red-brown earth. The tints turn peachy, so keep the pure colour for the shadows.

Show all 50 palettes (47 more)

One colour, continued

burnt umber and white only A picture all in browns is called a brunaille. Mix five steps from dark to light before you begin.
one colour thinned down, with no white at all The bare surface is your white. Thin paint gives the lights, thick paint gives the darks.
one dark blue and white only The darker the blue, the more steps of value you can mix from it. Test the range on scrap first.
one green and white only A monochrome in greens has its own name, verdaille. Expect it to feel like moonlight or deep shade.
one red and white only Red and white go pink quickly. Hold some red back unmixed for the darks.
one violet and white only Violet is dark straight from the tube, so you get a long value range from a single colour.
ultramarine blue and white only Blue straight from the tube is your darkest dark. A tint is any colour plus white, and you will mix many.
yellow ochre, black and white Black mixed into yellow ochre gives an olive green, so this is less of a monochrome than it looks.
your darkest brown thinned down, with no white A sepia sketch in paint. Let the ground show through for light and build the darks in layers.

Two colours 13

black, one bright colour and white A grey painting with one colour in it. Decide where the colour goes and keep it out of everywhere else.
one blue, one orange and white Complementary colours: side by side each makes the other look brighter, mixed they lose strength toward grey.
one blue, yellow ochre and white Ochre is a quiet yellow, so the greens you mix will be muted, natural ones.
one cold green, one red-brown and white A softened red and green pair. Mixed together they make useful shadow colours.
one pink, one dark green and white A tint against a shade of its opposite. The pink carries the light, the green carries the dark.
one red, one green and white Opposites on the painter's wheel. Mix the two for browns and greys, keep them pure where you want a jolt.
one warm colour and one cool colour, with no white Thin the paint for your lights. The whole picture becomes a contest between warm and cool.
one warm red, one cool blue and white Warm shapes against cool ones. Their mixture gives you the violets and the dull darks.
one yellow, one violet and white A complementary pair with a big value gap built in: yellow is light from the tube, violet is dark.
raw umber, one blue and white A dark brown and a blue give greys that lean warm or cool. Good for weather, stone and water.
two neighbours on the colour wheel, plus white An analogous pair, such as blue and green. Harmony comes free; contrast has to come from value.
two opposites on the colour wheel, plus white Your choice of complements. Mix a string of steps between them first to find the greys in the middle.
ultramarine, burnt sienna and white A blue and an orange-brown sit roughly opposite each other, so together they mix toward grey.

Three colours 13

black and two colours you rarely use, plus white The neglected tubes. Black and white give you the values, the strangers give you the surprise.
the coolest red, yellow and blue you own, plus white A red leaning to violet, a lemon yellow, a blue leaning to green. Compare the mixes with the warm set.
magenta, yellow and cyan-blue, plus white The three coloured inks a printer uses. Try the mixes beside the red, yellow and blue version.
one colour plus the two beside its opposite, and white Called split-complementary. Find the opposite of your colour, then use its two neighbours in its place.
one red, one yellow and black, plus white No blue on the palette. With yellow ochre as the yellow, black gives you an olive green.
orange, green and violet, plus white The three secondaries, evenly spaced round the wheel, which makes them a triad with no primary to lean on.
three neighbours on the colour wheel, plus white An analogous scheme: a main colour and the one on each side of it. Let one of the three dominate.
three primaries plus white One red, one yellow, one blue. Every other colour in the picture has to be mixed from them.
three tubes picked with your eyes shut, plus white Whatever comes out, make it work. Find the darkest mix and the greyest mix before you start.
two blues, one orange and white A cool picture with one warm accent. Use the orange to grey the blues as well as to stand against them.
two reds, one green and white A warm picture with a cool foil. Mix the green into the reds for the shadow colours.
two yellows, one violet and white A light, warm picture. The violet does all the darkening, so no shadow will be dull.
the warmest red, yellow and blue you own, plus white A red leaning to orange, a yellow leaning to orange, a blue leaning to violet. See what greens they allow.

Earth colours 12

burnt sienna, black and white A red-brown warm against the cool greys of black and white.
burnt umber, yellow ochre, one bright colour and white A brown world with a single visitor. Use the bright colour in one place only.
earth colours only, as many as you own No tube brighter than an ochre. Contrast will have to come from light and dark.
green earth, one red earth and white Green earth, or terre verte, is an earth pigment too. Against a red earth it makes a gentle complementary pair.
one earth colour, one blue and white The blue cools the earth and the earth dulls the blue. Between them sits a family of greys.
raw sienna, raw umber and white A yellow-brown and a dark brown. Quiet, close in colour and good for value practice.
raw umber, one red and white A dark brown and a red make dusky pinks with white and deep warm darks without it.
three earth colours of your choice, plus white Pick one yellowish, one reddish and one dark. Together they behave like a muted set of primaries.
yellow ochre, a bright red, ivory black and white The basic palette recorded for the Swedish painter Anders Zorn, who used vermilion as the red.
yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt umber and white Ochres, siennas and umbers are earth pigments, coloured by iron and manganese oxides. Everything stays warm.
yellow ochre, burnt sienna, ultramarine and white A muted set of primaries: ochre for the yellow, sienna for the red, ultramarine for the blue.
yellow ochre, red ochre and black, with no white No white and no bright tube. Thin the paint for the lights and let the bare ground do the rest.

How this list was compiled: Original list of limited palettes written for Draw This Next, September 2026. Colour terms and pigment facts follow their Wikipedia articles, checked 2026-09-19: monochrome, complementary, analogous, triadic and split-complementary schemes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_scheme), complementary pairs and what happens when they are mixed (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementary_colors), tints, shades and tones (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tint,_shade_and_tone), grisaille, brunaille and verdaille (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grisaille), ochre, sienna, umber and green earth (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_pigment), and the palette of yellow ochre, vermilion, ivory black and white, with its olive green from black and ochre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders_Zorn). Licence: own work

Time box: all 12 time boxes

Short 4

in 10 minutes A sprint. One pass over the whole surface with no time for second thoughts.
in 15 minutes Enough for big shapes and one round of corrections. Set the palette out before the clock starts.
in 20 minutes Spend the first five minutes on placement alone and the other fifteen go further.
in three rounds of 10 minutes, with a break between Step back in each break and decide the one thing the next round is for.

Show all 12 time boxes (8 more)

Medium 4

in 30 minutes The standard quick study. Aim to have the whole surface covered by the halfway mark.
in 45 minutes Long enough to finish something small. Ten minutes to block in, thirty to develop, five to stand back.
in one hour Time to let one passage dry, or to scrape one out and restate it.
in the time one album takes to play Put a record on and stop when it does. The music sets your pace, so choose it with that in mind.

Long 4

in 90 minutes A proper session. Take a break at the halfway point and look at the painting from across the room.
in two hours Room to build the picture in stages. Keep the first half hour broad and leave detail for the end.
over a whole evening No clock. Stop when the next stroke would be fiddling, not when the surface is full.
over an afternoon, with one tea break Fresh eyes after the break find the mistakes you stopped seeing. Begin the second half by standing back.

How this list was compiled: Original list of time boxes written for Draw This Next, September 2026, from ten minutes to a whole evening. A length is given where the page's timer can count the box. Licence: own work

How it works

A painting challenge here is one sentence in four parts: a rule such as palette knife only, a subject such as a window at night, a limited palette such as three primaries plus white, and a time box from ten minutes to a whole evening. Press New challenge, lock any part you want to keep, and print 30 for a month. It deals words, never a picture to copy.

Read the full guide

Deal four parts, lock the ones you need

New challenge changes all four parts. A locked part stays while the others reroll. Lock the palette if you own six tubes, or the time box if you have half an hour. About one rule in three is written for a partner or a table: on your own, lock the other three parts and press until a solo rule comes up. Do the same when two parts fight, such as a palette knife with thinned paint. A saved challenge waits on your Saved page.

What a limited palette does for you

A limited palette means painting with a handful of tubes, usually two to four plus white, and mixing everything else. The 50 here run from one colour and white to earth sets of ochre, sienna and umber. Fewer tubes make colours agree, because every mixture shares a parent. They also push you toward value, which is how light or dark a colour is. Each palette has a note in the lists under the tool: blue and orange grey each other when mixed, black into yellow ochre gives an olive green. In watercolour, read white as bare paper.

A month on paper, or one a day

Print 30 challenges makes a list of thirty different sentences, one a day for a month. Whatever you have locked stays the same down the whole list, so you can print thirty subjects for the one palette you own. The timer runs from 10 minutes to an hour. Set it to match the box you were dealt. Every challenge is a starting point, so swap the subject for something in front of you whenever that helps.

Set the palette out and put every other tube back in the box before the clock starts. A limit only works when the rest is out of reach.
Mix a string of five values from your darkest colour to white before you paint.
Alla prima is Italian for at first attempt: wet paint worked into wet paint, with no waiting for layers to dry.
A glaze is a thin transparent layer over dry paint that shifts the colour beneath it. One warm glaze can pull a patchy painting together.
Write the four parts on the back of the painting. In a month you will want to know which rule produced it.

Questions and answers

What is a painting challenge?

A set of limits you agree to before you start: how you may paint, what you paint, which colours you may use and for how long. Limits remove decisions, and with fewer decisions you start sooner. This page deals the four limits at random from 60 rules, 80 subjects, 50 palettes and 12 time boxes.

Does it work for acrylic, oil, watercolour and gouache?

Yes. Most rules work in any paint, and the few that do not say so in their note: palette knife and dark-to-light suit acrylic and oil, light-to-dark washes suit watercolour. For subjects by medium, see watercolour painting ideas, gouache painting ideas and oil painting ideas.

What if I get a partner rule and I am painting alone?

Lock the other three parts and press until a solo rule appears. Of the 60 rules, 36 are written for one person. Pair rules begin with the words with a partner and group rules begin as a table. They suit a family table, a class or an art club. For two people who want a picture to keep, try couple painting ideas.

How is this different from a list of painting ideas?

An ideas list hands you a picture to make, often with its colours. This page hands you conditions and leaves the picture to you: the subject is a few words, the palette is a set of tubes, and the rule decides how the paint goes on. If you would rather pick a finished idea, easy painting ideas lists canvases with their palettes.

How do I run a 30-day painting challenge with this?

Print 30, pin the list up and cross one off each day. Keep the paintings small, a postcard or less, so a missed day is easy to make up. The limits feel like obstacles for the first few days and like a plan after that.