Painting Ideas for Every Theme, Medium and Season

140 pages

0–9, A 10

3D Painting Ideas60 paintings with depth: raised paint, layered card and boards, painted illusions and things set into the paint.
4 Seasons Painting Ideas60 subjects to paint in all four seasons: one tree four times, sets of four small canvases, one canvas in quarters.
Acrylic Dog Painting Ideas60 dogs to paint in acrylic: from a photo of your own dog, puppies, dogs by coat and build, dogs doing dog things, and simple shapes and silhouettes.
Acrylic Painting Background Ideas72 painted backgrounds sorted by how the paint goes on: blended, sponged, speckled, taped, lit softly or built for a portrait, each with what it suits.
Acrylic Painting Ideas72 canvases sorted by what acrylic does: light over dark, dry brush, thick strokes, thin glazes, taped edges and a toned ground.
Advanced Acrylic Painting Ideas72 acrylic canvases for painters past the basics, sorted by the problem each sets: reflections, skin, backlight, depth, texture and realism, with a technique for each.
Airbrush Painting Ideas60 airbrush ideas: control drills that end as a picture, fades and skies, stencil and mask designs, freehand subjects and things to spray.
Amate Bark Painting Ideas60 designs in the manner of Mexican bark-paper painting: birds, flowers and vines, animals, village scenes, borders and brown-paper sheets for a class. One vine climbing the whole sheet with a bloom at every bend
Animal Painting Ideas84 animals to paint in acrylic or watercolor: pets, birds, woodland, farm, sea and river, and safari, each with a palette and one stroke.
Anime Painting Ideas60 anime-style canvases in acrylic: skies, streets and stations, eyes and close-ups, silhouettes and food, each with a palette and one flat-shadow step.

B 9

Bamboo Painting Ideas60 bamboo studies and canvases: stalks in ink style, leaves and shoots, groves and paths, and bamboo with a moon, birds, pandas or insects.
Bat Painting Ideas60 bats to paint: silhouettes on a moon, bats hanging upside down, bats in flight over rooftops and trees, and friendly bats.
Bear Painting Ideas60 bears to paint: brown bears, polar bears, black bears and cubs, bears in forests, rivers and mountains, and simple shapes and silhouettes.
Birthday Painting Ideas60 birthday canvases in acrylic: cakes, balloons, lettered greetings, gifts for one person and party pictures, each with a palette and one step.
Black and White Acrylic Painting Ideas72 canvases in black, white and the grays between: silhouettes, night and snow, value studies, patterns and black-and-white animals, each with its mix and one step.
Blacklight Painting Ideas50 canvases planned for fluorescent paint under an ultraviolet lamp: hidden second pictures, deep sea and space, splatter and drips, and neon outlines on black.
Boat Painting Ideas60 boats to paint: sailing boats, rowing boats and canoes, fishing boats and harbors, tall ships and steamers, and boats at sunset and in fog.
Bridge Painting Ideas60 bridges to paint: small footbridges over water, stone arches, covered and wooden bridges, suspension bridges and city lights, and bridges in mist, fall and snow.
Bug Painting Ideas60 bugs to paint: ladybugs and beetles, bees and dragonflies, caterpillars, snails and ants, thumbprint and stamped bugs, and bugs on leaves and flowers.

C 15

Camouflage Painting Ideas48 camouflage patterns for a canvas, a toy chest or a plant pot: blotches, taped squares, leaf masks and other colors, each with the order its colors go on.
Camping Painting Ideas60 camp scenes to paint: lit tents at night, campfires, lakes with a canoe, camper vans and lanterns, each with its colors and one step.
Canvas Painting Gift Ideas60 paintings to give: for a parent, a grandparent, a teacher or a friend, and for Christmas, each sized for one evening.
Canvas Painting Ideas for Dorms60 small canvases for a dorm room: singles for above a desk, sets of three, your own words, and skylines of home and campus.
Cave Painting Idea Sheets60 cave painting ideas in four earth colors: animals of the cave walls, hands and signs, herds and hunts, your own cave wall, and ways to make it look old.
Cherry Blossom Painting Ideas42 cherry blossom pictures sorted by what makes the petal: a cotton swab, a print, a brush or loose watercolor, each with a palette and one step.
Chicken Painting Ideas60 chickens to paint: hens, roosters, chicks and eggs, and coops and yards, each with its colors and one step.
Colorful Painting Ideas70 bright canvases sorted by color plan: rainbow order, two opposites, warm against cool, every color on white or black, blocks and stripes.
Cottage Painting Ideas60 cottages to paint: thatch and stone close up, garden gates, cottages in snow, lit windows at dusk and country scenes.
Country Painting Ideas, From Easy Barns to Farm AnimalsFarm and countryside canvases in acrylic: barns, farm animals, fields, old trucks and porch still lifes, each with a palette and one step.
Couple Painting Ideas for a Date Night at Home62 two-person projects: canvases that join, one shared canvas, swap games and couple silhouettes, each with its palette. Wrong-hand portraits · Five marks, then pass it over · Two halves of one big heart
Crab Painting Ideas60 crabs to paint: crabs from above, crabs on sand and rocks, hermit crabs and their shells, and bright, patterned crabs.
Crow Painting Ideas60 crows and ravens to paint: on branches and wires, against a moon or a sunset, in flight, and feather and eye studies.
Cute Cow Painting Ideas60 cows to paint: Highland cows, faces close up, black and white cows in fields, calves, and simple shapes in bright colors.
Cute Painting Ideas With a Pastel Palette for Each One138 cute canvases in acrylic, from animals to food with faces, each with a pastel palette and one step. Sleepy sunflower with one drooping leaf

D 8

Daily Painting Ideas60 small studies for a painting a day: one object, one sky, one color study or one corner of a room.
Dance Painting Ideas60 dance pictures to paint: ballet, silhouettes in motion, skirts as brush strokes, stage, lights and pairs, and shoes, barres and studios.
Dandelion Painting Ideas60 dandelions to paint: white seed heads, seeds on the wind, yellow flowers in grass, and puffs printed with a fork.
Deer Painting Ideas60 deer pictures to paint, sorted by scene: a stag in silhouette, a doe and her fawn, deer in snow, and reindeer for December.
Desert Painting Ideas60 desert canvases in acrylic: dunes and sand, cacti and desert plants, mesas, canyons and arches, desert skies, and animals and their tracks, each with a palette.
Dog Paw Print Art Ideas50 keepsakes from a dog's paw print: paint prints on paper and canvas, clay and salt-dough impressions, prints beside your own hand, and cards and ornaments.
Dot Painting Ideas91 dotting designs for rocks, canvases and cards, each with its colour order, dot sizes and one step. Feather of slanted dot rows · Octopus with dotted suckers · Rosette of dragged teardrops
Dragonfly Painting Ideas60 dragonflies to paint: wings in washes and fine lines, on reeds and lilies, over water, stamped and printed, and pattern and color studies.

E 11

Earth Painting Ideas60 Earths to paint: the globe from space, land and sea from above, the Earth in hands, and day and night.
Easel Painting Ideas60 pictures for a child at a standing easel, each with two colors that mix and a tool that is not a paintbrush: sponges, kitchen tools, rollers, leaves and squeeze bottles.
Easy Abstract Painting Ideas Sorted by Method, With Palettes91 abstracts sorted by method: tape, palette knife, pour, splatter and watercolour, each with its colours and tool.
Easy Dragon Painting Ideas60 dragons to paint: silhouettes against a sky, heads and eyes, scales, wings and fire, long wingless dragons, and small friendly ones.
Easy Giraffe Painting Ideas60 giraffes to paint: heads and necks, coat patterns, mother and calf, giraffes on the savanna at sunset, and simple shapes for a first canvas.
Easy Mountain Painting Ideas60 mountains to paint: layered ridges in mist, snow peaks and alpenglow, peaks mirrored in a lake, palette knife peaks, and moonlit ridges.
Easy Paint and Sip Ideas With Palettes and Timed Stages61 group pictures for a 60, 90 or 120 minute session, each with a named palette, a staged painting order and the brush and minutes per stage.
Easy Painting Ideas for Kids, Sorted by How Much Help They Need100 projects sorted by adult help needed, each with its colours and one household tool: forks, cotton buds, sponges, masking tape.
Easy Painting Ideas With a Palette and One Technique Each174 beginner canvases in acrylic, each with its palette and one technique, sorted by half hour or hour. Blended rainbow heart · Tropical sunset with birds · Lightning over a field
Easy Peaceful Painting Ideas60 quiet scenes to paint: still water, mist, one tree and stones, each with a soft palette and one step.
Easy Things to Paint When You're Bored60 small paintings for an idle hour: quick shapes, whatever is on the table, scrap cardboard and paper, and ideas for one brush.

F 15

Fairy Painting Ideas60 fairies to paint: silhouettes on a moon or sunset, fairies among flowers and mushrooms, wings close up, doors and houses, and glows in jars.
Fall Painting Ideas87 autumn canvases in acrylic, each with its palette and one technique, sorted by time and by subject.
Fantasy Painting Ideas84 fantasy canvases in acrylic: castles, dragons and phoenixes, enchanted forests, moons, portals and a whimsical group, each with a palette and one step.
Feather Painting Ideas60 feathers to paint: loose watercolor, dry brush and fine line, saved whites, patterned feathers, and 12 painted on a craft feather.
Finger Painting Ideas for Adults60 canvases an adult paints with gloved fingertips: dabbed blossom, blended skies, swept petals, abstract ridges and small studies on card.
Finger Painting Ideas With Colours and Which Print Makes What86 fingerprint, handprint and footprint pictures, each with its colours and which print makes which part.
Firefly Painting Ideas60 fireflies to paint: jars of light, fields at dusk, dots topped with glow-in-the-dark paint, and children catching fireflies.
Firework Painting Ideas48 ways to paint fireworks: stamped with a tube or a fork, brushed on black, crayon and salt resists, and whole night scenes, sorted by the help each needs.
Flower Painting Ideas, Sorted by How the Petals Are Made80 flowers by technique: single strokes, household-tool prints, loose watercolour, palette knife and layers, plus 13 sunflowers.
Fork Painting Ideas60 pictures printed and dragged with a fork: petals and tulips, manes, fur and spikes, grass, trees and fireworks, suns and stars, cards and wrapping paper.
Fox Painting Ideas60 foxes to paint: red foxes in snow, curled and sleeping foxes, faces, foxes in forests and fields, and Arctic and desert foxes.
Fresco Painting Ideas60 small frescoes for a plaster tile: single subjects, borders and tile-a-day pictures on wet plaster, then fine detail and painted illusions on dry.
Friendship Painting Ideas60 paintings for friends: two canvases that join, hands and pinky promises, a shared memory, and matching symbols.
Frog Painting Ideas60 frogs to paint: tree frogs, frogs on lily pads, tadpole to frog, bright poison frogs, and simple shapes with tape resist.
Fruit Painting Ideas64 fruit pictures to paint, sorted by arrangement: one cut fruit, a bowl, a row of slices, or flat and bright. 16 are pineapples.

G–H 8

Ghost Painting Ideas60 friendly ghosts to paint: sheet ghosts, ghosts in landscapes and old photos, glows on black, and easy ones for children, each with its colors and one step.
Gingerbread Man Painting Ideas60 gingerbread pictures to paint: single figures, houses, trays of cookies and icing patterns, each with its browns and its white line work.
Gnome Rock Painting Ideas72 painted gnomes: on single stones, sets of stones, canvas, pots, wood slices and ornaments, one for each season, and color schemes for a bought figure.
Gouache Painting Ideas84 flat, opaque subjects for gouache: fruit, shop fronts, five-colour poster landscapes, food and patterned rooms, each with a palette.
Halloween Painting Ideas91 Halloween canvases in acrylic, cute to spooky, each with its palette and the one technique it needs.
Hippie Painting Ideas60 canvases in the hippie look: peace signs and flowers, suns, moons and mushrooms, vans and tents, tie-dye swirls and bubble lettering, each with its colors and one step.
Horse Painting Ideas60 horses to paint: heads and manes, running and jumping, silhouettes at sunset, mares, foals and paddocks, and coats from dapple gray to palomino.
Hot Air Balloon Painting Ideas60 hot air balloons to paint: one balloon close up, many in one sky, over fields, hills and water, at dawn and dusk, and stripes, panels and checks.

I–L 10

Ideas for Plein Air Painting60 subjects to paint on location, sorted by where you can set up: garden, street, water, park and field, or the sky itself, each with a palette and one fast step.
Impressionism Painting Ideas60 canvases to paint the Impressionist way: light on water, gardens and fields, streets and stations, one view at three times of day, and broken color studies.
Inspirational Painting Ideas for Beginners60 hopeful canvases for a beginner: light after dark, paths and doors, growth, people together, and one object that stands for a feeling, each with its colors.
Jungle Painting Ideas60 jungle scenes to paint: layered leaves, canopy and shafts of light, rivers and waterfalls in the trees, animals half hidden, and bright birds and flowers.
Koi Fish Painting Ideas60 koi to paint: from above in a pond, pairs circling, among lilies and ripples, color patterns by name, and ink and wash.
Lake Painting Ideas60 canvases of still water and reflections, docks and canoes, rivers and streams, ponds with reeds and lilies, and lakes in mist, dawn and moonlight.
Lavender Painting Ideas60 lavender pictures to paint: single stems, fields in rows, bunches and jars, and stems dabbed with a cotton swab.
Leaf Painting Ideas60 leaves to paint: leaf prints, designs on a real leaf, fall leaves on canvas, green and tropical leaves, and watercolor studies of veins.
Lighthouse Painting Ideas60 lighthouses in acrylic, sorted by light and weather: clear day, sunset, night beam, storm and fog, and close-ups, each with a palette and one step.
Lotus Flower Painting Ideas60 lotus pictures: one open bloom, the bud and the seed head, ponds of still water, and ink and wash, each with its colors and one step.

M–N 7

Mermaid Painting Ideas60 mermaid canvases sorted by how much figure drawing they need: tails, silhouettes, scale patterns, small underwater figures and black canvases.
Metallic Acrylic Painting Ideas80 canvases built round a metallic paint: gold on dark grounds, silver and pewter, copper and bronze, single accents, abstracts and gold leaf.
Minimalist Painting Ideas60 canvases in three paints or fewer with most of the canvas kept empty: single lines, two blocks, one small object, three-band horizons, arches and suns.
Mother Daughter Painting Ideas76 projects for an adult and a child painting side by side, split by who paints what, with a group for two sisters.
Nautical Painting Ideas60 nautical canvases: anchors, wheels and knots, sails and rigging, signal flags, buoys and portholes, charts and compass roses, each with a palette.
Negative Painting Ideas60 subjects for negative painting in watercolor: leaves, trees and grasses, flowers, and shapes and letters, each with its paints and its layers.
Neon Sign Painting Ideas60 painted neon signs: single words, simple shapes, open and closed signs and glow on brick, each with its colors and one step.

O–P 15

Oil Painting Ideas With the Colours and a Method for Each64 subjects that suit slow-drying oils, each with its colours and a method: alla prima, glazing, impasto or underpainting.
Ombre Painting Ideas60 canvases built on one fade: a color into white, two neighboring colors, dark-to-light bands, fades behind a flat subject, and sets of three.
Owl Canvas Painting Ideas60 owls to paint: barn owls, owls on a branch against a moon, eyes and faces, snowy and horned owls, and simple shapes for a first canvas.
Paint Party Ideas for Kids48 group pictures for children in three age bands, each with five plain colors or fewer and numbered stages: animals, space, under the sea, sports, sweets, seasons.
Painting Ideas for Big Canvases60 compositions for one large canvas: one big subject, wide skies, abstract fields and bands, oversized flowers, and grids of many small parts.
Painting Ideas for Teens80 canvases for a teenager: bedroom wall sets, skies and silhouettes, patterns and your own lettering, pictures from your camera roll, and pairs to paint with a friend.
Painting Ideas of Lips60 canvases of lips in acrylic: pop art, glossy, drips and metallic, unexpected colors and lips with one small thing, each with its colors and one step.
Palette Knife Painting Ideas60 subjects for a knife and thick paint: flowers, landscapes and seas, abstracts and first tries, each with its colors and one stroke.
Penguin Painting Ideas60 penguins to paint: kinds from emperor to rockhopper, chicks and huddles, on ice and in snow, diving and sliding, and simple shapes.
Perspective Painting Ideas60 scenes with depth to paint: roads to the horizon, streets in one point, corners in two, views straight up and hills that fade.
Pig Painting Ideas60 pigs to paint on canvas: pigs in mud, piglets, snouts close up, pigs in flower crowns and farmyard scenes, with the pinks to mix.
Planet Painting Ideas88 space canvases in acrylic: the eight planets, rings and moons, the whole solar system, invented worlds, rockets, astronauts and aliens, each with a palette.
Portrait Painting Ideas60 portraits to paint: family and friends from your photos, profile and three-quarter views, limited palettes, window and lamp light, and faces in simple shapes.
Preppy Painting Ideas60 canvases in the preppy look: bows, ribbons and stripes, smiley flowers and checks, fruit, shells and summer things, and words lettered in bright pairs.
Primary Color Painting Ideas60 pictures in red, yellow and blue: flat blocks and stripes, single subjects, colors mixed on the canvas and first lessons.

Q–S 19

Quote Painting Ideas60 lettered canvases sorted by the kind of words: one word, a short line, an old proverb, words with one picture, or a layout for your own line.
Rainbow Painting Ideas for Kids60 rainbows for kids to paint: arcs and bands, rainbows in a landscape, rainbows made with a sponge, a fork, cotton swabs or finger paint, abstract rainbows, and clouds and puddles after rain.
Retro Painting Ideas60 canvases with a retro look: mid-century shapes, seventies suns and stripes, diner and roller-rink things, old travel posters and faded photo colors.
Santa Painting Ideas60 Santas to paint: faces and beards, hats and belts with no face, sleighs in the night sky, and small pictures for a card.
Scarecrow Painting Ideas60 scarecrows to paint: sack faces close up, figures in a field, crows and pumpkins, and cute ones for children, each with its colors and one step.
Sea Turtle Painting Ideas60 turtles to paint: sea turtles from above, shell patterns, hatchlings on sand, turtles swimming through light, and pond turtles and tortoises.
Seahorse Painting Ideas60 seahorses to paint: single profiles, seahorses among coral and sea grass, color and texture studies, and pairs with curled tails.
Seascape Painting Ideas60 canvases of the sea: breaking waves and foam, calm water and far horizons, storms, rocks and cliffs, and gulls, boats and the shore.
Simple Easy Christmas Painting Ideas for Canvas and Cards88 Christmas canvases and cards: trees, snow scenes, lights and ornaments, snowmen, gnomes and robins, each with its palette.
Skyline Painting Ideas60 city canvases: skylines against a sunset, cities at night, towers mirrored in water, rooftops and water towers, rain and fog.
Snake Painting Ideas60 snakes to paint: coils and S-curves, rings, diamonds and stripes, snakes in grass and on branches, heads close up, and simple first shapes.
Sponge Painting Ideas on Canvas60 pictures made with a sponge on canvas: skies and blends, leaves and blossom, stamped shapes, textures and soft edges over a mask.
Sport Painting Ideas72 sports pictures to paint with no team in them: balls and kit, players in silhouette, fields and courts, and signs for a bedroom door.
Spray Paint Ideas60 projects for an adult with a spray can: stencils and masks, fades and layers, space scenes, and jars, frames, pots and stones.
Squirrel Painting Ideas60 squirrels to paint: with acorns and nuts, tail studies, squirrels on branches and trunks, and squirrels in autumn leaves and snow.
Succulent Painting Ideas60 succulents and cacti to paint: rosettes from above, cacti by shape, cute pots and windowsills, desert cacti at sunset and cactus flowers.
Sun and Moon Painting Ideas60 sun and moon pictures to paint: split canvases, sets of two, faces, and skies that are day at one end and night at the other.
Sunflower Painting Ideas60 sunflower pictures to paint: one bloom close up, fields, sunflowers in a jar or a jug, and loose quick studies.
Sunset Painting Ideas86 sunsets, moons, galaxies and cloud studies in acrylic, each with its colour order and one technique.

T–W 13

Tempera Paint Ideas60 things to paint with school tempera: big-brush pictures on paper, printing and stamping, crayon and tape resist, mixing tints and shades, and paintings a whole table shares.
Thanksgiving Canvas Painting Ideas60 Thanksgiving canvases in acrylic: turkeys, pies and the table, harvest still lifes, November skies and lettering layouts, each with a palette and one step.
Tiger Painting Ideas60 tigers for kids and beginners to paint: faces and eyes, stripes, tigers in grass and jungle, cubs, and white tigers and snow.
Tree Art Ideas72 trees to paint: fan-brush evergreens, dabbed crowns, bare branches and birches, silhouettes, one tree in four seasons, and tree of life designs.
Umbrella Painting Ideas60 umbrellas to paint: figures in rain, umbrellas from above, beach umbrellas, rain on streets and windows, and designs for a real umbrella.
Underwater Painting Ideas72 underwater canvases: light shafts, reefs and kelp, sharks and rays, turtles, dolphins and whales, glowing jellyfish and split waterlines.
Unicorn Painting Ideas60 unicorns to paint: heads and manes, silhouettes against a sky, cartoon unicorns, painted rocks and prints for small hands.
Valentines Painting Ideas67 Valentine canvases in acrylic, from hearts and roses to love birds and sweets, each with its palette and one technique.
Warli Painting Ideas60 scenes in the Warli manner: figures from two triangles, the circle dance, trees, birds and animals, village and field scenes, and ideas for a pot, a card or a board. Peacock on a branch, tail hanging in long lines
Water Color Painting Ideas Sorted by What the Paint Does80 watercolour exercises grouped by technique, each with its paints and the one move it depends on.
Waterfall Painting Ideas60 waterfalls to paint: plunge falls, cascades and tiers, mist and rainbows, forest and jungle falls, and falls on a black canvas.
Whale Painting Ideas60 whales to paint: humpbacks breaching, tails, whales under water with light, and orcas and belugas.
Winter Acrylic Painting Ideas92 winter pictures with no Christmas subject: snowfields, trees, animals, night skies, snowmen, watercolors and snowflakes, each with a palette.

A blank canvas is harder to start than a blank page, because paint costs money and a bad start is harder to rub out. So every idea in these lists comes as a small plan: the composition, its named colours, and the one technique it depends on.

More about these tools

That might be a wet blend for a sunset sky, masking tape for clean geometric edges or a nearly dry brush dragged across texture. None of them is a drawing idea with the word painting swapped in. Lists run by theme (easy, cute, flowers, country, couples), by medium (watercolour, gouache, oils, fingers) and by season, and each one is grouped so you can see what fits tonight. Take one idea from the button, or print the list and carry it to the art shop.