• 60 designs
  • Checked October 2026

Pinecone Painting Ideas

Press for three pinecone designs, each with its colors, which scales take the paint and the brush or tool.

Pinecone Painting Ideas

Show all 60
  1. Frosted cone: white tips, pale blue tucked under each scaleWhite, pale blue. Blue in the shadow under each scale; white on the tip above it. Liner brush.
  2. Fox curled up: orange cone, white on the end scalesOrange, white, black. The last three rings at the narrow end white, tipped with black. Round brush.
  3. Cone dipped top-first in white up to the halfway ringWhite. The upper half lowered into paint and left to drain; the base half stays wood. Dipping jar.

Next step Try dot painting on paperPaint a dried gourd next

All 60 designs

Tips only: snow, gold, color 12

  • Black cone, every scale tip touched with orange Black, orange. Flat black into every gap first; orange on the tips once it is dry. Dry brush.
  • Confetti tips: no two neighboring scales the same bright Six brights. One dab per scale tip, colors picked at random; the wood stays bare. Cotton swab.
  • Copper tips over a cone washed dark brown Dark brown, copper. A watery dark coat over the whole cone first; copper on every tip. Dry brush.
  • Ember cone: red tips at the base, orange, then yellow Red, orange, yellow. Tips only, in three bands that lighten toward the top. Round brush.
  • Frosted cone: white tips, pale blue tucked under each scale White, pale blue. Blue in the shadow under each scale; white on the tip above it. Liner brush.
  • Gold scale tips on the lower half of the cone only Gold. Tips touched from the base up to the middle; the upper half stays plain. Round brush.
  • Mint, lilac and peach tips following the spiral of scales Mint, lilac, peach. Three colors in turn along each spiral row around the cone. Round brush.
  • One spiral of scales picked out in red like a ribbon Red. Only the scales of a single spiral, base to top, on an unpainted cone. Liner brush.
  • Scale tips changing color ring by ring, base to top Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. One color for each ring of scales. Round brush.
  • Snow along the upper edge of every scale, wood left bare White. A dab on the top edge of each scale only; brown wood shows between. Dry brush.
  • Sugar-frost tips: white with clear glitter glaze over White, glitter glaze. White on the tips; glaze dabbed over while the white is wet. Sponge.
  • Two colors of your own on alternate rings of scale tips Any two colors. Rings alternate from the base to the top; the core stays brown. Round brush.

Dipped and whole-cone color 12

  • Base half dipped teal, top half white, a wood band between Teal, white. Each end dipped in turn; a ring of bare scales is left around the middle. Dipping jar.
  • Bronze cone with green dabbed into the gaps like old copper Bronze, sea green. Bronze all over; green pushed into the gaps and wiped off the tips. Rag.
  • Chalky cones in blush, sage and butter for a shelf Blush, sage, butter. One pale color per cone in a flat finish, no shine. Foam brush.
  • Cone dipped top-first in white up to the halfway ring White. The upper half lowered into paint and left to drain; the base half stays wood. Dipping jar.
  • Cone fading from navy at the base to sky blue on top Navy, sky blue, white. Three mixes blended where they meet, ring by ring. Flat brush.
  • Hot pink cone, the underside of each scale included Hot pink. Two coats, the second from below so the hidden sides are covered. Round brush.
  • Matte black cone with every gap between scales filled Matte black. Paint worked under each scale so no brown shows from any side. Round brush.
  • Paint poured on the top and left to run down the scales White, two brights. Each color poured in turn from the tip; drips stop where they stop. Squeeze bottle.
  • Speckled-egg cone: pale blue flicked with brown Pale blue, brown. Blue all over; brown specks flicked across the scales. Toothbrush.
  • Trio of cones in mustard, rust and olive, one color each Mustard, rust, olive. One flat color per cone, the stalk ends included. Foam brush.
  • Walnut wash darkening the gaps, scale tips wiped back Walnut brown. A watery coat over everything; the tips rubbed clean while it is wet. Rag.
  • White outer scales with the core left brown White. Only the faces of the scales are painted, so the cone looks hollow and dark inside. Dry brush.

Flowers cut from the base 12

  • Dahlia slice shading from dark red inside to pink outside Dark red, pink, white. Inner rings of scales darkest; the outer ring nearly white. Round brush.
  • Daisy slice: white scales, yellow core, a green twig stem White, yellow, green. Scales white on top and underneath; the glued twig painted green. Round brush.
  • Five flower slices in five colors on wire stems Coral, yellow, lilac, white, pink. One color per slice, each core a contrasting dot. Round brush.
  • Forget-me-not slices from small cones, white-ringed cores Pale blue, white, yellow. Blue scales; a white ring and a yellow dot on the core. Dotting tool.
  • Marigold slice: orange inner rings, yellow outer ring Orange, yellow. Two rings of scales orange, the last ring yellow, the core left dark. Round brush.
  • Poinsettia from a wide slice, gold dots at the core Red, dark red, gold. Darker red at the foot of each scale; five gold dots in the middle. Dotting tool.
  • Ring of flower slices in pinks and corals for a door Pink, coral, peach, yellow. Each slice one color with a yellow core, glued around a hoop. Round brush.
  • Rosebud from the closed tip of a cone, painted deep red Deep red, green. The top third of a cone cut off whole; scales red, the cut base green. Round brush.
  • Succulent rosette from a base slice: sage scales with pink tips Sage green, pink, white. Green all over the slice; pink on the tip of every scale; a white dry edge. Dry brush.
  • Sunflower slice: yellow scales around a brown cut core Yellow, brown, orange. Orange streaks at the foot of each petal scale; the core brown. Round brush.
  • Water lily slice floating on a jar lid painted blue White, yellow, blue. White scales with yellow at the core; the lid under it blue. Flat brush.
  • Zinnia from the base slice: hot pink scales, yellow core Hot pink, yellow. Each scale of the cut slice is one petal; the core is dotted yellow. Round brush.

Animals and little trees 12

  • Bee: yellow and black rings of scales on a small cone Yellow, black, white. Rings alternate along the cone; two scales white as folded wings. Round brush.
  • Fall tree: tips in red, amber and gold on a bare cone Red, amber, gold. Cone upright; tips dabbed in mixed leaf colors, more gold near the top. Cotton swab.
  • Fish: cone on its side, scales in overlapping blues Three blues, silver. Blues mixed across the scales; a silver edge on each one. Dry brush.
  • Fox curled up: orange cone, white on the end scales Orange, white, black. The last three rings at the narrow end white, tipped with black. Round brush.
  • Hedgehog: cone on its side, the stalk end as a face Tan, black, white. The stalk end painted tan with a black nose; scale tips white as spines. Round brush.
  • Little green tree with an ornament dot on every scale tip Green, red, gold, white. Cone upright and green; dots on the tips in three colors. Dotting tool.
  • Mouse: small gray cone, two scales pink as ears Gray, pink, black. Two scales near the narrow end pink; a black nose on the very tip. Liner brush.
  • Owl cone: two cream scales as eye discs, an orange beak Cream, orange, black. Two front scales cream with black pupils; one scale below orange. Liner brush.
  • Penguin cone: front scales white, two orange scales as feet Black, white, orange. Black all over; the front scales white from top to base. Round brush.
  • Robin: brown cone with red breast scales on the front Brown, red, cream. A patch of front scales red; cream on the scales under it. Round brush.
  • Snowy fir: green cone, white on the upper side of scales Green, white, yellow. White laid on top of each scale as settled snow; a yellow top dot. Dry brush.
  • Turkey: cone on its side, tail scales red, orange and gold Red, orange, gold. The scales at the wide end painted in three bands like a fanned tail. Round brush.

Bowls, garlands and ornaments by season 12

  • Basket of cones in egg colors with white speckles Pale yellow, pink, aqua, white. One pale color per cone; white specks flicked over all. Toothbrush.
  • Fall bowl: cones in pumpkin orange, cream and deep green Orange, cream, deep green. One flat color per cone; stalk ends left as wood. Foam brush.
  • February string: pink and red cones, white-tipped between Pink, red, white. Solid pink and red cones alternate with bare cones tipped white. Round brush.
  • Frosted pastel ornaments with a pearl dot on each tip Lilac, mint, peach, pearl white. One pastel per cone; a raised pearl dot on every tip. Dotting tool.
  • Garland of red cones and bare cones strung in turn Red. Every second cone on the string painted red all over; the others left as found. Foam brush.
  • Halloween bowl: black, purple and orange, glow dots as eyes Black, purple, orange, glow paint. Two glow dots on one scale of each black cone. Dotting tool.
  • July garland: red, white and blue cones with star dots Red, white, blue. Cones alternate along the string; white dots on the blue ones only. Dotting tool.
  • New Year bowl: black cones tipped gold, gold tipped black Black, gold. Half the cones each way, so the bowl reads as one two-color pattern. Dry brush.
  • Summer bowl: citrus cones in lemon, lime and orange Lemon, lime, orange, white. One color per cone; a white rim on each scale like pith. Liner brush.
  • Thanksgiving row of five cones shading gold to maroon Gold, orange, rust, red, maroon. One color per cone, set in order down the table. Foam brush.
  • Tree ornament: gold top third, ribbon loop at the stalk Gold. The scales nearest the stalk painted gold; the ribbon is tied on, not painted. Round brush.
  • Winter bowl: cones in white, ice blue and soft gray White, ice blue, gray. One color per cone, tips of all three touched with white. Dry brush.

How it works

A pine cone is woody scales set around a central axis, overlapping like fish scales. These 60 designs paint the tips, the whole cone or a slice cut from its base.

Read the full guide

Tips first, whole cone second

Paint on the tips alone keeps the wood in the picture: Snow along the upper edge of every scale, wood left bare is one color and one brush. The whole-cone designs go past the tips, and two of them are dipped, such as Cone dipped top-first in white up to the halfway ring.

Pinecone painting flower ideas

A slice cut across the base of a cone is a rosette of scales around a core, which is why eleven designs treat it as a flower or a succulent; a twelfth makes a rosebud of a cone's closed tip. Zinnia from the base slice: hot pink scales, yellow core is the plain one. Cutting a cone is a job for an adult.

Questions and answers

What paint do you use on pine cones?

We do not test paints. Whether a paint holds on a pine cone, indoors or out, is on the paint's label, so read it before you buy.

Do these pine cone painting ideas work on closed cones?

Some do. The dipped, poured, faded and speckled cones cover a closed cone as well as an open one. The tip designs, the animals and the designs that paint the gaps or the underside of the scales need open scales.

Which designs are for Christmas?

Little green tree with an ornament dot on every scale tip, Tree ornament: gold top third, ribbon loop at the stalk and Poinsettia from a wide slice, gold dots at the core.

Which pine cone designs can a small child paint?

The simplest ones: Trio of cones in mustard, rust and olive, one color each needs a foam brush and nothing else, and Confetti tips: no two neighboring scales the same bright is dabbed on with a cotton swab.

More tools

Show 7 more

Browse Painting Ideas