Piglet peeking over the bottom board of a sty doorRed, white, brown, black. Paint the board as one brown band and show only the ears, eyes and snout above it.
Two snouts side by side over the top rail of a gateRed, white, orange, gray. Mix one pink warmer than the other so the two pigs read as different animals.
Sleeping pig with its flower crown fallen onto its snoutRed, white, yellow, lilac. Close the eyes as two curved lines and drape the crown across the snout.
Mud-caked pig drying in the sun, pink showing through the cracksRed, white, tan, umber. Paint the pig pink, cover it in tan, then scratch crack lines back to the pink.
Mud-splashed pig face with a clean pink ring around each eyeRed, white, umber. Dab umber over the dry pink face with a sponge and leave a circle bare around each eye.
Muddy trotter prints leading from a puddle to a sleeping pigRed, white, umber, straw yellow. Print each trotter as two short strokes side by side, fading as they go.
Pig cooling in a wallow under a white midday sunRed, white, umber, pale yellow. Keep the sky nearly white and put the darkest brown right under the pig.
Pig half pink and half brown, a mud line straight across its sideRed, white, umber. Paint the whole pig pink, let it dry, then cover the lower half in one pass of umber.
Pig on its back in a mud hole, belly up and trotters wavingRed, white, orange, umber. Mix the belly pink paler than the legs and splash umber up both sides.
Pig plowing a furrow through wet earth with its snoutRed, white, umber, black. Pile darker earth along both sides of the furrow and keep the snout tip muddy.
Pig shaking itself dry inside a ring of flying mud dropsRed, white, umber, sky blue. Dot the drops with a cotton swab, largest near the pig and smallest far out.
Pig standing in a brown puddle with its pink reflection belowRed, white, umber, ocher. Repeat the pig upside down in the puddle with more umber in the pink.
Pig sunk to its chin in a wallow, only ears and snout above the mudRed, white, umber, cream. Paint the mud flat across the canvas, then set two ears and a snout on top of it.
Pig up to its knees in mud at a field gate in the rainRed, white, gray, umber. Pull thin gray rain lines down over the dry pig with a liner brush.
Two pigs lying back to back in one round wallowRed, white, umber, green. Paint one brown circle on green and fit two pink bean shapes inside it.
Piglets 12
Heap of piglets asleep in a tangle of ears and tailsRed, white, orange, umber. Overlap six pink ovals, then pick out each ear and tail in a darker pink.
One spotted piglet in a row of plain pink onesRed, white, black. Paint five matching pink ovals in a row and add black patches to one of them.
Piglet at full trot with both ears flying backRed, white, orange, green. Lift all four trotters off the grass and streak the ears back in one stroke each.
Piglet peeking over the bottom board of a sty doorRed, white, brown, black. Paint the board as one brown band and show only the ears, eyes and snout above it.
Piglet sitting in a tin bucket, front trotters over the rimRed, white, gray, pale blue. Paint the bucket first, with one white streak down it, then the piglet above.
Piglet standing on its mother's back like a lookoutRed, white, orange, green. Make the piglet a brighter pink than the sow so it stands out against her.
Piglet trailing a hen across a dusty yardRed, white, rust, tan. Keep both animals in side view, the hen a step ahead, on one pale band of dust.
Piglet with its head tilted and one ear turned inside outRed, white, rose, black. Paint the turned ear in rose, darker than the face, and tip the whole head to one side.
Piglets feeding in a row along a sow lying in strawRed, white, ocher, cream. Paint the sow as one long pale shape and the piglets as darker pink ovals.
Row of piglets asleep in a line, each chin on the next one's backRed, white, orange, straw yellow. Mix one pink and add a little more white for each piglet along the row.
Smallest piglet buried in straw, ears and snout showingRed, white, straw yellow, ocher. Flick straw strokes in every direction, then tuck pink into the gaps.
Two piglets nose to nose, snouts touching in the middleRed, white, rose, mint. Paint one piglet, then mirror it so the two snout discs meet at the center.
Snouts and faces close up 12
Black pig's face with a pale pink snout on a mustard groundBlack, red, white, mustard. Paint the face black and save the only pink on the canvas for the snout.
Bristly chin and a smiling mouth line, cropped below the eyesRed, white, cream. Flick short cream bristles along the jaw with a nearly dry brush once the pink is dry.
Butterfly resting on the tip of a pig's snoutRed, white, yellow, black. Cross the pig's eyes toward the butterfly and keep its wings one flat yellow.
Floppy ears covering both eyes, snout showing belowRed, white, rose. Paint two large rose triangles folding down over the face and one disc under them.
One pig eye with pale lashes under a fold of pink earRed, white, brown, black. Paint the eye small and dark, then pull each lash outward with a liner brush.
Pig looking up at you from below, snout huge and eyes smallRed, white, orange, black. Make the snout a third of the canvas and shrink everything behind it.
Pig's head in profile, snout tilted up to sniff the airRed, white, orange, teal. Paint the ground teal and tip the flat end of the snout toward a top corner.
Snout filling the whole canvas: one pink disc and two nostrilsRed, white, rose. Paint the canvas pale pink, add a darker disc and press in two rose ovals.
Snout poking through the gap between two fence boardsRed, white, brown, black. Paint two brown boards with a dark gap and push one pink disc through it.
Snout print left on a fogged window, the pig a pink blur behindRed, white, pale blue. Scrub the pig in soft and pale, then paint one sharp oval print with two holes.
Two snouts side by side over the top rail of a gateRed, white, orange, gray. Mix one pink warmer than the other so the two pigs read as different animals.
Wet snout with a blob of mud on its tipRed, white, umber. Add one white highlight to the top edge of the snout and a thick dab of umber below.
In a flower crown 12
Autumn crown of orange leaves and acorns on a ginger pigRust, orange, ocher, brown. Paint the pig rust and choose leaves lighter than its coat so the crown shows.
Clover crown with one four-leaf clover above the snoutRed, white, two greens. Paint the clovers as groups of three dots and give the middle one four.
Crown of lavender sprigs and wheat ears between two pink earsRed, white, violet, straw yellow. Stand the sprigs upright in a row, alternating violet and straw.
Daisy crown slipping over one floppy ear, face-onRed, white, yellow, sage green. Dot each daisy as a yellow center with a ring of white swab prints.
Pig eating its own flower crown, one stem hanging from its mouthRed, white, yellow, green. Leave half a crown on the head and trail one green stem below the snout.
Pig in profile with a ring of pink roses behind its earsRed, white, rose, green. Paint each rose as a spiral in a pink darker than the pig so the two stay apart.
Pig in side view wearing one daisy where a crown would sitRed, white, yellow, sky blue. Paint the pig on a flat blue ground and add the daisy last, by the ear.
Pig walking away under a marigold crown, corkscrew tail in the middleRed, white, orange, rose. Paint a wide pink rump, two ear tips above it and one rose curl at its center.
Piglet under a buttercup crown too big for its headRed, white, yellow, green. Let the crown sit low over one eye and paint the buttercups as five-dot rings.
Poppy and cornflower crown on a pig against pale wheatRed, white, blue, straw yellow. Use the red straight from the tube for the poppies and mixed for the pig.
Sleeping pig with its flower crown fallen onto its snoutRed, white, yellow, lilac. Close the eyes as two curved lines and drape the crown across the snout.
Spotted pig in a sunflower crown, black patches and yellow petalsRed, white, black, yellow, brown. Paint three sunflowers only, the largest in the middle of the crown.
Farmyard scenes 12
Black pig with one white band over its shoulders, in tall grassBlack, white, two greens. Paint the grass over the legs last, pulling each blade up from the bottom edge.
Hen standing on the back of a dozing pigRed, white, rust, straw yellow. Paint the pig as one low pink mound and perch the hen at its highest point.
Pig asleep in a stripe of shade beside a barn wallRed, white, barn red, violet. Paint the shade as one violet band and mix a little violet into the pig.
Pig at a wooden trough in side view, ears tipped forwardRed, white, brown, straw yellow. Paint the trough as one long brown box and hide the snout behind its edge.
Pig in the doorway of a low sty with a curved tin roofRed, white, gray, green. Paint the doorway black first so the pink head stands out in front of it.
Pig nosing through fallen leaves under an oak, snout out of sightRed, white, rust, ocher. Dab leaves with the corner of a sponge and lower the snout into them.
Pig scratching its side against a fence postRed, white, brown, green. Lean the pig into the post and tilt the post a little the other way.
Pig silhouettes on a hilltop at sunset, ears and curled tailsOrange, yellow, magenta, black. Blend the sky first, then paint the hill and three pigs in flat black.
Pig under an apple tree with windfalls around its trottersRed, white, green, apple red. Dot the apples with a swab, some in the tree and more on the grass.
Pink pig in a snowy field with a dug trail behind itRed, white, pale blue. Leave the snow as bare white canvas and shade the trail with pale blue.
Sow and her piglets wading a shallow stream, the smallest lastRed, white, teal, green. Paint the stream as one teal band and cut every pig off at the knees with it.
Three pigs at a gate at feeding time, snouts through the barsRed, white, gray, green. Paint the pigs whole, let them dry, then lay the gray bars across them.
How it works
A pig is a short list of shapes: a barrel body, a large head and a long snout that ends flat. These canvases put them in wallows, litters, close-ups, flower crowns and farmyards.
Read the full guide
Mixing the pinks
Pink is a pale tint of red, and a tint is a color mixed with white. So each pink starts from red and white: more white for a belly, less for ears and snout. Red and white lean slightly blue, toward magenta; a little orange pulls the mix back toward red, so some palettes list it. Row of piglets asleep in a line, each chin on the next one's back is one pink, paler for each piglet.
Why so many are muddy
Pigs do not sweat to cool down; when it is hot they wallow in mud or water. Pig half pink and half brown, a mud line straight across its side is the plainest of them: one coat of pink, one pass of umber.
Questions and answers
What are some cute pig painting ideas?
The flower crown group holds 12, from Clover crown with one four-leaf clover above the snout to Pig eating its own flower crown, one stem hanging from its mouth. Among the piglets, try Piglet sitting in a tin bucket, front trotters over the rim.
What is an easy pig to paint on canvas?
Snout filling the whole canvas: one pink disc and two nostrils is three shapes in three pinks. Two pigs lying back to back in one round wallow is a brown circle holding two pink beans. Sixteen are marked easy.
How do you paint a pig snout?
Paint a flat oval a little darker than the face, then two upright nostril ovals, darker again. The real snout ends in a disc of cartilage, so keep its front edge crisp and do not blend it into the cheeks.
What colors do you need to paint a pig?
Red and white for the pinks, umber for mud and one color for the ground. Not every pig here is pink: two are black, one is ginger and two are spotted, so black, rust and ocher turn up too.