Checkerboard in three colors, no square touching its own colorRed, yellow, blue. Rule the grid in pencil and fill one color at a time.
Chevrons stacked up the canvas in a repeating orderRed, yellow, blue. Tape each V and fill it flat with a wide brush.
Nine squares, each halved on the diagonal into color and whiteRed, yellow, blue, white. Tape each diagonal and paint one half; leave the other half white.
Nine unequal boxes ruled in black, three of them filledRed, yellow, blue, white, black. Fill the three boxes first and paint the black bars last.
One circle, one square and one triangle floating on whiteRed, yellow, blue, white. Give each shape its own color and leave wide white between them.
Pinwheel of eight triangles turning around the centerRed, yellow, blue. Rule corner to corner and side to side, then fill the triangles in order.
Plaid of crossing bands, each color kept clean where they crossRed, yellow, blue, white. Paint all the upright bands, let them dry, then cross them.
Squares inside squares, the three colors repeating to the centerRed, yellow, blue. Paint the largest square first and each smaller one over it when dry.
Steps of flat blocks rising from bottom left to top rightRed, yellow, blue, white. Rule the steps and repeat the three colors up the stair.
String of triangle pennants across a white canvasRed, yellow, blue, white, black. Paint the sagging string in black, then hang the triangles from it.
Target of rings with red at the centerRed, yellow, blue. Trace plates and lids for the rings and work from the outside in.
Three circles overlapping, each overlap left whiteRed, yellow, blue, white. Trace one lid three times and paint up to the shared parts, not over them.
Three wide stripes, edge to edge, one of each colorRed, yellow, blue. Tape one stripe at a time and let each dry before its neighbor.
Wall of bricks in three colors with white mortarRed, yellow, blue, white. Paint the canvas white and print each brick with one pull of a flat brush.
Zigzag bands from edge to edge, tapedRed, yellow, blue. Lay the tape in a zigzag, paint the gaps, then move it to the next band.
One subject in three colors 15
Blue house with a red door and one lit yellow windowRed, yellow, blue. Paint the house as one blue block and set the door and window on it when dry.
Blue teapot with one red cup and one yellow cupRed, yellow, blue. Keep every shape flat and let bare canvas show as a thin line between them.
Blue vase holding red and yellow tulipsRed, yellow, blue, white. Paint each tulip as a single cup shape with no shading.
Diamond kite in red and yellow quarters, high in a blue skyRed, yellow, blue. Rule the kite's cross first and give opposite quarters the same color.
Red apple on a yellow table against a blue wallRed, yellow, blue. Paint the wall and table first and set the apple over the line between them.
Red parrot with yellow and blue wing feathersRed, yellow, blue, white, black. Paint the wing as three rows of feathers, one color to a row.
Red tractor in a yellow field under a blue skyRed, yellow, blue. Split the canvas into two bands and paint the tractor across the join.
Red umbrella in blue rain on a yellow streetRed, yellow, blue. Paint the rain as short blue dashes, all leaning the same way.
Rooster in flat shapes: red comb, yellow body, blue tailRed, yellow, blue, white. Draw the bird as five simple shapes and fill each with one color.
Three balloons on strings, one of each colorRed, yellow, blue, white, black. Leave a small white window on each balloon for the shine.
Toy robot built from red, yellow and blue boxesRed, yellow, blue, black. Paint each box flat and add the eyes and bolts in black last.
Yellow fish with red fins in blue waterRed, yellow, blue, white. Dot white bubbles with a cotton swab once the blue is dry.
Yellow ladder leaning on a blue shed, a red bucket at its footRed, yellow, blue. Paint the shed flat, let it dry, then rule the ladder's two rails and its rungs.
Yellow sailboat with a red flag on a blue seaRed, yellow, blue, white. Leave a white sail and keep the sea one flat blue.
Yellow sun over red hills with a blue river winding throughRed, yellow, blue. Paint the hills first and lay the river over them as one blue ribbon.
Mixing on the canvas 15
Bowl of oranges on a blue cloth, each orange mixed on the canvasRed, yellow, blue, white. Paint each fruit yellow and swirl a touch of red into it wet.
Color wheel of six wedges, the three between mixed in placeRed, yellow, blue. Paint three wedges, then pull each pair together in the gap between them.
Curling wave with yellow worked into the blue for a green crestRed, yellow, blue, white. Curl the wave in blue, touch yellow into its top, cap it white; add a red sail.
Flames with a yellow core and red tips against a blue nightRed, yellow, blue. Paint the yellow flame, pull red in from the tips and fill the night around it.
Green hills made by brushing yellow into wet blueRed, yellow, blue. Stripe blue and yellow side by side, stroke across twice and add a red sun above.
Maple in red and yellow dabs, orange wherever two overlapRed, yellow, blue, white. Dab red and yellow wet over each other; mix all three for the trunk.
Peacock feather: a blue eye ringed with green and goldRed, yellow, blue. On a dry red ground, paint the blue eye and ring it with yellow while wet for green.
Purple irises with green leaves, all from the three tubesRed, yellow, blue. Mix the purple on the petal itself: blue first, red pulled through.
Purple mountains where red is dragged into blueRed, yellow, blue. Lay blue peaks, streak red through them wet, and leave a yellow sky.
Rainbow arc from three tubes, six bands in allRed, yellow, blue, white. Paint three arcs with gaps and blend each gap from its two neighbors.
Spiral of three colors pulled together from the center outRed, yellow, blue. Lay three wet arcs side by side and drag one brush around through them.
Sunset blended from yellow through orange to red over a blue seaRed, yellow, blue. Brush red down into wet yellow; the orange band makes itself.
Three wet circles overlapping into orange, green and purpleRed, yellow, blue. Paint each circle thinly and overlap them wet so the shared parts mix.
Tree with a trunk mixed from all three, leaves in pure colorRed, yellow, blue, white. Stir all three together on the trunk until it turns dull; dab the leaves clean.
Wet stripes tilted until each runs into the nextRed, yellow, blue. Thin the paint with water, stripe it and tip the canvas once each way.
For a first lesson 15
Block initial filled with three stripesRed, yellow, blue, white. Tape the letter's outline and stripe it across.
Caterpillar of circles in a repeating red, yellow, blue patternRed, yellow, blue. Print each circle with a round sponge and keep the order all the way along.
Cone with three scoops, one of each colorRed, yellow, blue, white. Stack three circles and leave a white shine on each.
Flower with a yellow center and red petals on blueRed, yellow, blue. Paint the blue ground, let it dry, then add the petals and the center.
Folded butterfly: dabs of three colors pressed into matching wingsRed, yellow, blue. Dab thick paint on one half of the paper, fold it, press and open.
Lollipop swirl in two colors on a ground of the thirdRed, yellow, blue. Paint a yellow disc, spiral red over it and fill the ground blue.
Mixing chart: three primaries above, their three mixes belowRed, yellow, blue, white. Paint the top row, then mix each pair on the canvas in the square below.
Polka dots in three colors scattered on white, none touchingRed, yellow, blue, white. Print the dots with a cotton swab or a round sponge.
Rocket with a red nose, yellow body and blue finsRed, yellow, blue, white. Paint a white porthole last, once the yellow is dry.
Striped snake in an S, the three colors repeatingRed, yellow, blue. Paint the S in yellow, then band it with red and blue when dry.
Three big dots in a row, one of each colorRed, yellow, blue. Trace a cup for each dot and fill it with a round brush.
Three fish in a row, each a different primaryRed, yellow, blue, white. Paint each fish as an oval and a triangle; dot the eye white.
Three umbrellas seen from above, each split into six wedgesRed, yellow, blue. Trace a plate, rule it into wedges and repeat the three colors around.
Tower of three boxes, one color each, on a bare canvasRed, yellow, blue. Paint each box as a square with one pull of a wide flat brush.
Train of three wagons, one of each colorRed, yellow, blue. Paint three rectangles and print the wheels with a bottle cap.
How it works
Art lessons commonly teach red, yellow and blue as paint's primaries. Those three tubes carry every picture here, kept as flat color or blended on the canvas.
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Kept flat or mixed on the canvas
Two groups keep the three colors apart: taped blocks and stripes, then single subjects such as Red umbrella in blue rain on a yellow street, each shape one flat color. Let a color dry before its neighbor goes on, or the edge mixes. Mixing on the canvas does the opposite: yellow brushed into wet blue turns green inside the picture.
Why the orange comes out brighter than the green
A red, yellow and blue palette gives strong mixes from yellow to red and duller greens and purples. No three real paints can mix every color, so art classes usually add white and black. Here 25 palettes add white and 5 black; 34 use the three tubes alone.
Rinse the brush between colors: a trace of blue left in it turns the yellow green.
Questions and answers
What can I paint with only primary colors?
Anything that reads in flat color: Red apple on a yellow table against a blue wall, Three wide stripes, edge to edge, one of each color, or Blue house with a red door and one lit yellow window. Each needs no fourth tube.
What colors do red, yellow and blue make?
Red and yellow mix to orange, yellow and blue to green, and red and blue to purple. Mixing chart: three primaries above, their three mixes below puts all six on one canvas.
Which primary color painting ideas suit a first lesson?
The 15 under For a first lesson, among them Three big dots in a row, one of each color and Train of three wagons, one of each color. Folded butterfly: dabs of three colors pressed into matching wings is printed by folding the paper.
Do I need white and black as well as the primaries?
Only for a highlight, a white ground or a black outline. Mixed into a color, white makes a tint and black a shade, which the three primaries cannot make alone.