Macaroni penguin, yellow crest swept back from its foreheadBlack, white, yellow, orange. Start the crest in the middle of the forehead and sweep it back on both sides.
Evening huddle as one dark mass, small white fronts showingPink, violet, black, white. Blend the sky and paint the huddle as one dark mass with small white fronts.
Sponge-stamped penguin body with brushed feet and beakBlack, white, orange. Stamp a black oval with a sponge and add the white front when it dries.
Adelie penguin: plain black head, snowy white frontBlack, white, pale blue. Split the bird cleanly down the sides, black behind and white in front.
Chinstrap penguin: one fine black line under the chinBlack, white, gray. Paint the face white and draw a single black line from ear to ear under the chin.
Emperor and king side by side, tall and a little less tallBlack, white, yellow, orange. Paint the emperor taller with yellow patches and the king with orange ones.
Emperor at full height, a yellow patch at each earBlack, white, yellow, gray. Paint the black head and back, then lay a yellow patch behind each ear.
Gentoo with a white band over its head like a bonnetBlack, white, orange, pink. Arc a white stripe over the crown from eye to eye and paint the bill orange.
King penguin with a solid orange cheek patchBlack, white, orange, silver gray. Paint the cheek patch as one orange teardrop and warm the top of the chest to match.
Little blue penguin, the smallest kind, in slate blueSlate blue, white, gray. Mix a slate blue for the back and keep the bird short and round.
Macaroni penguin, yellow crest swept back from its foreheadBlack, white, yellow, orange. Start the crest in the middle of the forehead and sweep it back on both sides.
Rockhopper bouncing from rock to rock, pink feet togetherBlack, white, yellow, gray, pink. Lift the bird off the rock with its pink feet tucked up.
Rockhopper with red eyes and a spiky yellow crestBlack, white, yellow, red, orange. Pull the crest feathers outward from above each eye with a liner brush.
Six heads in a row: six kinds told apart by their markingsBlack, white, yellow, orange, red. Paint six matching heads and change only the crest, patch, band or line on each.
Yellow-eyed penguin with a pale yellow band around its headGray, pale yellow, white, brown. Run the yellow band from one eye around the back of the head to the other.
Chicks and huddles 12
Chick half out of its down, sleek feathers showing throughGray, black, white, tan. Leave patches of fluffy gray on a sleek black and white bird.
Chick sheltering against a parent's legsBlack, white, gray, yellow. Paint the adult first and the chick's head peeking out below the white front.
Crowd of chicks as gray sponge rounds with black headsGray, black, white. Stamp gray rounds with a sponge and add a small black head to each.
Emperor chick in gray down, black cap and white maskGray, black, white. Sponge the body soft gray and paint a white mask inside the black head.
Evening huddle as one dark mass, small white fronts showingPink, violet, black, white. Blend the sky and paint the huddle as one dark mass with small white fronts.
Huddle from above: a tight spiral of black backsBlack, white, pale blue. Dot the birds with a round brush in a spiral, closest together at the center.
Huddle in a blizzard, the far side fading into whiteBlack, gray, white. Paint the huddle, then sponge white across it until the far side fades.
King chick in shaggy brown down, round as a pearBrown, tan, black. Dry-brush the brown down so it looks shaggy.
One chick alone on a wide, nearly bare canvasGray, black, white, pale blue. Keep the chick small and low and leave the rest nearly bare.
Parent bending down to a chick, beaks almost touchingBlack, white, gray, yellow. Curve the adult's neck over so the two beaks nearly meet.
Three chicks in a row, the middle one facing the other wayGray, black, white. Paint three matching gray ovals and turn one head.
Two parents facing each other, one chick between themBlack, white, gray, orange. Paint the adults facing each other and the small gray shape between.
On ice and in snow 12
Colony on a rocky shore, hundreds as black and white specksGray, black, white, blue. Dab the colony as paired specks of black and white over gray rock.
Footprints across fresh snow leading to one penguinWhite, pale blue, black. Paint the prints as two rows of small blue marks that end at the bird.
Ice cliff with tiny penguins along its top edgeWhite, pale blue, blue, black. Shade the cliff face in upright blue strokes and keep the birds tiny.
Line of penguins walking to the horizon, each one smallerBlack, white, pale blue. Shrink each bird and close the gaps as the line runs back.
Orange evening on the ice, three black penguin shapesOrange, pink, black, white. Blend the sky and paint three birds in black, each with a sliver of white front.
Penguin alone on a small ice floe in blue waterBlue, white, black. Paint the floe as a white wedge and stand the bird in the middle.
Penguin on white snow, its long blue shadow stretched behindWhite, blue, black, orange. Stretch the shadow three times the bird's height across the snow.
Penguin with its beak tipped up at falling snowflakesPale blue, white, black, orange. Tilt the head back so the beak points at the sky.
Penguins on an iceberg with a blue arch through itWhite, turquoise, blue, black. Paint the arch as a blue hole in the white and dot the birds along the top.
Penguins standing under green southern lightsBlack, green, white, teal. Pull the lights upward with a dry brush and stand the birds below as small shapes.
Snow falling on a row of round black backsNavy, white, black. Paint the birds from behind and dot snow over everything with a cotton swab.
Two penguins at the ice edge, peering down at the waterWhite, navy, black. Stop the ice in a straight edge and lean both birds over it.
Diving and sliding 12
Belly flop onto soft snow, a puff of white around itWhite, pale blue, black, orange. Dab a ring of white puffs around the flat bird with a sponge.
Four penguins in line at the water's edge, the first jumpingWhite, navy, black. Line four birds along the edge and tip the first into the air.
Penguin diving through blue water, bubbles strung behindBlue, turquoise, white, black. Dot the bubbles with a cotton swab, largest near the surface.
Penguin flying underwater, flippers out like wingsTeal, navy, black, white. Spread both flippers level and shape the body like a teardrop.
Penguin leaping out of the sea onto the iceBlue, white, black. Arc the bird out of the water and scatter white drops below it.
Penguin riding a small wave onto a pebble beachBlue, white, gray, black. Curl the wave over and set the bird on its crest.
Penguin weaving through a shoal of silver fishNavy, silver, black, white. Paint the fish as small silver dashes all pointing one way.
Penguins from below, white bellies against a bright surfaceTurquoise, white, pale yellow, black. Paint the surface pale and the birds as white ovals with dark edges.
Splash and two rings where a penguin just went inBlue, white. Paint a crown of white splash with two rings around it, and no bird at all.
Three penguins sliding nose to tail down a snow slopeWhite, pale blue, black, orange. Paint three flat birds on one slanted line.
Tobogganing penguin flat on its front, a blue groove behindWhite, pale blue, black. Lay the bird flat on its front and pull a blue groove back from its feet.
Two penguins sliding side by side, flippers held wideWhite, pale blue, black. Paint two matching birds on their fronts with flippers held wide.
Simple shapes for a first canvas 12
Back view: a black teardrop standing on orange feetBlack, orange, pale blue. Paint one black teardrop and add two orange feet below it.
Egg-shaped penguin asleep, eyes as two small arcsBlack, white, gray. Paint an egg shape and close the eyes with two small arcs.
Five penguins from tall to short, every face the sameBlack, white, orange. Paint five ovals from tall to short and give each the same face.
Flat black penguin with one white oval on a blue fadeBlue, white, black. Blend blue down to white and paint the bird in black with one white oval.
Handprint penguin, the thumb as a flipperBlack, white, orange, in finger paint. Press a black handprint, fingers down, and add a white front on the dry palm.
Jar-lid penguin: one traced circle on top of a larger oneBlack, white, orange. Trace a small lid above a large one, fill both black and add a white front.
Penguin face filling the canvas: two eyes, one beakBlack, white, orange. Paint a white heart-shaped face on black and add two dot eyes and a beak.
Round penguin in a striped hat on plain mintBlack, white, red, mint. Paint the hat as a red and white dome and the ground flat mint.
Sponge-stamped penguin body with brushed feet and beakBlack, white, orange. Stamp a black oval with a sponge and add the white front when it dries.
Three-color penguin perched on a white iceberg triangleBlack, white, teal. Paint a white triangle on teal and stand a simple bird on its point.
Two-oval penguin: white egg shape set on a black oneBlack, white, orange. Paint a black oval, a smaller white oval on it and an orange triangle beak.
Two-shape penguin in a flurry of swab-dot snowNavy, black, white, orange. Paint the bird in two shapes and dot the snow with a cotton swab.
How it works
A penguin is dark on the back and white in front, so two ovals already look like one. What tells the kinds apart is small and bright: a yellow ear patch, an orange cheek, a spiky crest.
Read the full guide
Telling the kinds apart in paint
The emperor is the tallest, with bright yellow ear patches and a pale yellow breast. The king's cheek patch is solid orange. A gentoo wears a white stripe over its head; a chinstrap has one narrow black band under its chin. Six heads in a row: six kinds told apart by their markings paints them together.
Black, white and a third color for shadow
White paint on a white canvas vanishes, so give the snow a pale blue and keep pure white for the bird's front. Penguin on white snow, its long blue shadow stretched behind puts all three to work.
The easy ones sit under More filters, Level: 28 penguins, among them all 12 simple shapes.
Questions and answers
What is an easy penguin to paint for a first canvas?
Two-oval penguin: white egg shape set on a black one, plus an orange triangle for the beak. Simple shapes for a first canvas holds 12 like it, and none needs a drawing first.
What colors do I need to paint a penguin?
Black, white and orange for the bird. Add yellow for an emperor's ear patches or a crest, gray for chicks and shading, and a pale blue for snow and ice so the white front stands out.
How do penguins slide on their bellies?
It is called tobogganing: the bird lies on its front and pushes itself along with its feet, which saves energy. Tobogganing penguin flat on its front, a blue groove behind paints one with the track it leaves.
Why do penguins huddle?
To keep warm. The birds pack together and take turns in the middle, and emperor penguins form huddles of ten to several hundred. Huddle from above: a tight spiral of black backs paints one as dots.