White pumpkins and a scarecrow in cream and brownCream, tan, brown, pale gray. Shade each white pumpkin with pale gray on one side only.
Scarecrow at the end of a dirt road, fence posts leading to itTan, brown, green, pale blue. Shrink each post and close the gaps as the road runs back.
Scarecrow in the rain, gray streaks and a dripping hat brimGray, slate blue, tan, brown. Pull thin slanted gray lines over the dry scene with a liner brush.
Burlap sack face with button eyes and a stitched smileTan, brown, black, red. Dry-brush crossed brown lines over the tan for the weave, then sew the mouth.
Half a scarecrow face along the left edge, one button eyeCream, brown, navy, orange. Split the face down the nose and leave the rest of the canvas flat navy.
Mismatched patches sewn across a burlap foreheadTan, red, teal, mustard, black. Paint each patch flat, then stitch round it with a liner brush.
Patched sack face with a red plaid triangle for a noseTan, red, white, black. Paint the triangle red, let it dry, then rule thin white lines across it.
Rosy-cheeked scarecrow with a patched bandanna at the neckTan, pink, red, white. Blush the cheeks in small circles with a nearly dry brush.
Sack face with one button eye and one eye a sewn crossTan, black, brown, cream. Paint the button with two small holes and cross two short stitches beside it.
Scarecrow face filling the canvas, hat brim cut off by the top edgeTan, mustard, brown, orange. Paint the face as one tan circle and run the brim off the canvas.
Scarecrow face framed by two cornstalksTan, green, yellow ochre, brown. Paint each stalk as one long stroke and pull every leaf in a single curve.
Scarecrow face in oranges and browns only, no blackOrange, burnt sienna, tan, cream. Mix your darkest brown for the eyes instead of reaching for black.
Scarecrow face on a black canvas, lit warm from one sideBlack, orange, tan, cream. Paint only the lit half and let the black canvas be the shadow.
Scarecrow face seen from below, blue sky behind the hatSky blue, tan, brown, mustard. Paint the sky flat first and widen the chin so the face looms over you.
Scarecrow head in profile, straw sticking out of the collarTan, ochre, denim blue, brown. Paint the profile as one flat tan shape and flick the straw last.
Smiling sack face with a sunflower pinned to the hat bandYellow, brown, tan, green. Dab the petals in a ring with a round brush, then dot the dark center.
Stitched mouth and button nose cropped tight, nothing elseTan, black, red, brown. Fill the canvas with the lower face and make every stitch the same length.
Straw hair bursting from under a floppy felt hat, eyes in its shadowYellow ochre, pale yellow, brown, dark green. Flick the straw outward with a nearly dry flat brush.
In a field 15
Black scarecrow shape with arms out against a striped sunsetYellow, orange, magenta, black. Blend the sky in bands, let it dry, then paint the figure flat black.
Long evening shadow of a scarecrow across plowed furrowsBurnt sienna, brown, orange, tan. Stretch the shadow far longer than the figure, along the rows.
Scarecrow at the end of a dirt road, fence posts leading to itTan, brown, green, pale blue. Shrink each post and close the gaps as the road runs back.
Scarecrow in a sunflower field, taller than the flowersYellow, brown, green, blue. Dab the nearest flowers large and the far ones as yellow dots.
Scarecrow in a vegetable garden, cabbages in rows at its feetGreen, blue-green, tan, brown. Paint each cabbage as a circle, then curl pale veins outward.
Scarecrow in morning fog, the fence behind it barely thereGray, white, tan, brown. Scumble thin white over the dry fence until it nearly disappears.
Scarecrow in spring, green shoots just up around its poleBrown, fresh green, tan, sky blue. Tick the shoots in pairs with the tip of a round brush.
Scarecrow in the first snow, white on its hat and shouldersWhite, pale blue, tan, brown. Dab the snow on last and thick, along every top edge.
Scarecrow in the rain, gray streaks and a dripping hat brimGray, slate blue, tan, brown. Pull thin slanted gray lines over the dry scene with a liner brush.
Scarecrow leaning in a mown hay field, round bales behindGold, tan, brown, pale blue. Paint each bale as a spiral, darkest at its center.
Scarecrow on a pole in a wheat field under a wide blue skySky blue, gold, tan, brown. Drag the wheat upward with a fan brush, palest at the tips.
Scarecrow seen from behind, facing a far red barnRed, tan, gold, blue. Keep the barn small and plain so the patched back carries the detail.
Scarecrow under a big yellow moon, the field in blue shadowNavy, slate blue, pale yellow, black. Sponge the moon first and paint the figure across it.
Small scarecrow on the horizon, corn rows narrowing toward itGreen, yellow ochre, brown, pale blue. Aim every row at the scarecrow so the eye lands there.
Wind-blown scarecrow, coat and straw streaming to one sideTan, brown, gray, ochre. Pull every stroke the same way so the wind has a direction.
With crows and pumpkins 15
Crow and scarecrow face to face, beak to button noseTan, black, orange, cream. Paint both in profile and leave a finger's width between them.
Crow tugging a straw from a scarecrow's sleeveBlack, yellow ochre, tan, blue. Pull one thin ochre line from the beak back to the cuff.
Crow wearing the scarecrow's hat, the scarecrow bareheadedBlack, brown, tan, straw yellow. Paint the hat far too big for the crow, down over one eye.
Crows wheeling in a ring above a scarecrow in a bare fieldGray, black, tan, peach. Tick the far crows as small V marks and give the near ones full wings.
Porch scarecrow on a hay bale with pumpkins and tied corn stalksGold, orange, tan, green. Paint the bale as a gold block and scratch straw lines across it.
Pumpkin patch at dusk, scarecrow and one crow in silhouettePurple, orange, black. Blend purple down into orange, then paint every shape flat black.
Pumpkins stacked three high beside a scarecrow's poleOrange, cream, sage green, brown. Paint each pumpkin a different color, biggest at the bottom.
Row of crows on a fence, the scarecrow small behind themBlack, gray, tan, gold. Paint the crows large and sharp, the scarecrow soft and pale.
Scarecrow dozing against a wheelbarrow of pumpkinsOrange, gray, tan, green. Tip the hat over the eyes so the face needs only a smile.
Scarecrow holding a small pumpkin in each straw handOrange, tan, red, brown. Paint the pumpkins first, then flick straw fingers round them.
Scarecrow rolling its eyes up at the crow on its hatTan, black, mustard, blue. Set both pupils at the top of the eyes, under the crow.
Scarecrow standing guard over a heap of pumpkinsOrange, tan, green, brown. Curve the rib lines of every pumpkin from stem to base.
Scarecrow with a carved lantern at its feet, glow on its bootsBlack, orange, yellow, tan. Dry-brush orange up the boots and trouser legs from the lantern.
Three crows lined along a scarecrow's outstretched armBlack, tan, orange, gray. Paint each crow as a teardrop with a wedge beak, all facing one way.
White pumpkins and a scarecrow in cream and brownCream, tan, brown, pale gray. Shade each white pumpkin with pale gray on one side only.
Cute, for children 15
Baby scarecrow in a hat too big for its headTan, brown, orange, pink. Let the hat cover the eyes halfway and paint a wide smile below.
Happy scarecrow with thick yellow stripes for straw hairYellow, tan, red, blue. Lay the hair on in fat stripes with a flat brush, one stroke each.
Little scarecrow under falling red and gold leavesTan, red, gold, brown. Dot the leaves with a cotton swab, a few large and many small.
Scarecrow and a bluebird sharing one sunflowerTan, sky blue, yellow, orange. Paint the bird as a blue teardrop with an orange dot for a beak.
Scarecrow dancing on one leg, arms flung wideTan, orange, green, yellow. Tilt the whole body a little so it looks mid-step.
Scarecrow face traced round a paper plateTan, orange, yellow, black. Trace a plate for the head, fill it tan and add two triangle eyes.
Scarecrow face with a big candy corn noseTan, orange, yellow, white. Stripe the nose white, orange and yellow from tip to base.
Scarecrow hugging one round orange pumpkinTan, orange, green, brown. Paint the pumpkin first and wrap both arms across it.
Scarecrow in rainbow patches, every patch a different colorRed, orange, yellow, green, blue, tan. Paint one patch in each color and outline them when dry.
Scarecrow reading a storybook to three small birdsTan, blue, red, brown. Sit the birds in a row on its arm, each a different color.
Scarecrow waving hello, one straw hand held highTan, yellow, blue, red. Paint the arms as two thick lines and flick yellow straw from each cuff.
Scarecrow with a mouse peeking out of its pocketTan, gray, denim blue, pink. Paint the mouse as a gray half circle with two round pink ears.
Scarecrow with pink heart cheeks and a polka dot bow tieTan, pink, teal, white. Dot the bow tie with a cotton swab.
Smiling scarecrow made of a circle head and a triangle hatTan, orange, brown, red. Paint the circle and the triangle first, then add two dot eyes.
Two scarecrow friends holding straw handsTan, red, blue, yellow. Paint one tall and one short, and join them with a tuft of yellow straw.
How it works
A scarecrow is dressed in old clothes and stood in an open field to keep crows and sparrows off the crop. Old clothes mean patches, and a patch is one flat square of paint.
Read the full guide
Scarecrow painting ideas on canvas: face or field
Choose the distance first. Close up, the face fills the canvas and the sack is the subject. Burlap is a coarse cloth woven from jute or sisal and used for farm sacks, so crossed brown lines dry-brushed over tan read as a sack head. Far off, the scarecrow is a small cross on the horizon and the field does the work.
A scarecrow painting idea kids can build from two shapes
The 15 under Cute, for children are built from shapes a child already paints. Smiling scarecrow made of a circle head and a triangle hat is a circle, a triangle and two dot eyes; Scarecrow face traced round a paper plate starts from a pencil line.
Flick straw outward from the cuffs, collar and hat with a nearly dry brush.
Let a patch dry, then add short dashes round it for stitches.
A far crow is a small V; a near one is a black teardrop with a wedge beak.
Questions and answers
What are some cute scarecrow painting ideas?
Scarecrow with pink heart cheeks and a polka dot bow tie, Baby scarecrow in a hat too big for its head and Crow wearing the scarecrow's hat, the scarecrow bareheaded. A round face, dot eyes and an upturned mouth keep any scarecrow friendly.
What colors do I need to paint a scarecrow?
Tan is in 52 of the 60 palettes, brown in 32, orange in 23 and black in 18. Those four cover the sack, the hat, the pumpkins and the crows; add yellow ochre for straw.
How do you paint a scarecrow face?
Start with one tan shape for the sack, add two button eyes and a triangle nose, then sew the mouth with a liner brush. Burlap sack face with button eyes and a stitched smile is the plainest of the 15 faces.