69 ideas

Silhouette Painting Ideas

Press the button for three black shapes, each with the background to put behind it, then start the clock.

Show all 42

Hiker on a summit with rucksack and polesEasy. Gold to blue-grey. A rucksack bump, two hairline poles and a wide stance on a triangle of rock.
Treehouse with a rope ladderEasy. Amber to dusty blue. A box in the fork of a big tree, one window left bare, a ladder of short rungs.
Couple's profiles over a blush and gold gradientMedium. Blush to gold. The two busts overlap at the shoulder, but both noses and chins stay clear.

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All 69 ideas

To paint 42

Basketball player at the top of a jump shot Medium. Orange to purple. One arm extended, wrist bent, ball just clear of the fingers. The hoop is a thin ring.
Birds lifting off a tree, leaves turning into wings Medium. Yellow through orange to magenta. Leaves along one side loosen into birds that shrink as they leave.
Black profile across a warm and cool split Easy. Left half orange, right half teal, hard join down the middle. Centre the profile on the join.
Castle on a crag with one lit window Medium. Deep blue to turquoise. Battlements are square teeth. One window stays a warm yellow dot.
Cat on a fence, tail hanging in a hook Easy. Navy to violet gradient, pale moon. Paint the cat side-on: two ear points and the hooked tail make it a cat.
Child flying a kite on a hill Easy. Pale yellow to sky blue. One arm raised, a small diamond kite, and a string that sags. Never rule it.
Child jumping off a jetty, arms flung up Easy. Yellow to coral with a low sun disc. Knees tucked, arms up, a clear gap between the feet and the jetty end.
City skyline with one crane Easy. Lilac to peach. Blocks of mixed widths and heights; aerials, a crane and water tanks break the top edge.
Cockerel crowing on a gatepost Easy. Lemon to orange. Open beak, a comb of three bumps, tail feathers as separate sickles with sky between.
Couple dancing, skirt flaring into one clear curve Medium. Rose to amber. Two dancers merge into one shape, so keep the heads apart and let the hem flare.
Couple's profiles over a blush and gold gradient Medium. Blush to gold. The two busts overlap at the shoulder, but both noses and chins stay clear.
Cyclist on a ridge, wheels full of sky Medium. Gold to teal. Two rings, not discs: leave the wheels open and give each four spokes at most.
Deer drinking at a lake edge, mirrored below Medium. Rose to pale gold. Neck lowered, front legs a little splayed. Mirror the shape below in broken strokes.
Desert cacti with their arms raised Easy. Orange to purple. Rounded tips and arms that bend up like elbows. Paint three sizes for depth.
Elephant family walking trunk to tail Easy. Orange to red with a low sun disc. Link trunk to tail, but leave daylight under every belly.
Flamingos with one leg tucked Easy. Pink to gold. Necks make an S and a question mark. Overlap two birds and stand a third apart.
Geese flying in a V, the leader largest Easy. Pale orange to grey-blue. Each goose is a stretched cross with a long neck. Shrink them along both arms.
Giraffes crossing, necks at three angles Medium. Yellow to deep orange. Keep sky between the legs and between the necks, or the herd becomes one blob.
Heron standing in the shallows Easy. Pale grey to lemon wash. One S-curve neck, a dagger bill and two stick legs with broken reflections.
Hiker on a summit with rucksack and poles Easy. Gold to blue-grey. A rucksack bump, two hairline poles and a wide stance on a triangle of rock.
Hot-air balloons at three distances Easy. Peach to pale blue. Three sizes of one bulb and basket. Ropes are hairlines and the baskets small squares.
Lighthouse on a headland, lamp left unpainted Easy. Teal to pale gold. Tapered tower, gallery rail and cap. Leave the lamp window bare so it glows.
Mountain ranges in five fading layers Easy. One colour in five strengths, palest at the back. The nearest ridge is pure black with pine tips.
Pagoda with five upturned roofs Medium. Red to pale pink. Stack the roofs, each one smaller. Eave tips curl up and the finial is a thin spike.
Palm trees leaning over a beach Easy. Magenta to orange to yellow. Trunks curve; each frond is a comb of short strokes pulled from a rib.
Parent and child walking away, hands joined Easy. Apricot to rose. The joined hands make one shape. Show the height difference and gaps between legs.
Pier with a lone angler at the end Medium. Gold to grey-violet. Pier legs repeat and shrink, the rod is a hairline, the figure thumb-sized.
Pine tree line against a three-colour gradient Easy. Yellow at the horizon, then orange, then red. Tap in the pine tops with a flat brush at uneven heights.
Profile blowing a dandelion clock Medium. Pale blue fading to white. Seeds drift from the lips as tiny stars. The stem is one stroke.
Profile wearing headphones Easy. One flat bright colour. The band and ear cup break the skull line; the cable is a single thin curve.
Profile with curls, every curl on the outline Hard. Coral to yellow gradient. Hair only reads at the edge, so put the curls there and keep the inside flat.
Roller coaster with one car at the crest Medium. Violet to hot pink. The track is two hairlines on a lattice of crossed struts. One car tips over the top.
Rower in a single scull Medium. Silver to pale orange. A long thin hull, oars as two diagonals, all mirrored faintly below.
Sailing boat with two sails and a broken reflection Easy. Coral to yellow with a sun disc. Two triangles and a hull, mirrored below in short dashes.
Sea turtle seen from underneath Medium. Pale turquoise at the top to deep blue below. Flippers spread wide, with light rays fanning down.
Stag on a hill with sky between the antler tines Medium. Peach to dusty pink. Every tine needs background around it, so switch to your smallest round brush.
Tent and campfire under pines Easy. Navy to teal with flicked stars. Leave the tent a warm triangle and paint everything else black.
Treehouse with a rope ladder Easy. Amber to dusty blue. A box in the fork of a big tree, one window left bare, a ladder of short rungs.
Two friends squeezed under one umbrella Easy. Grey-blue wash with slanting rain strokes. The dome joins them into one shape; keep the legs apart.
Whale tail lifting above the waterline Easy. Teal to pale yellow. A symmetrical fluke with a centre notch, water falling from it as loose dots.
Window seen from indoors, plant and cat on the sill Medium. The window panes hold the gradient and the room is black: glazing bars, pot plant, sleeping cat.
Yoga tree pose with a triangle of light at the knee Easy. Peach to lilac. The foot on the knee opens a triangle of background. Hands meet overhead.

To draw 27

Baby's profile, all forehead and cheek Easy. Plain pale blue or pink. Big cranium, button nose, no neck to speak of, one curl at the crown.
Bare tree inked from trunk to twig tips Medium. Plain white paper. Each fork is thinner than the branch it leaves, and twigs end in hairlines.
Bicycle leaning on a lamp post Hard. Plain ground. Spokes, stays and frame triangles are all thin lines. Use a fine liner and a ruler.
Butterfly with open windows in its wings Medium. Any bright plain ground. Leave holes in the black wings so the colour shows like stained glass.
Child's profile with a ponytail Easy. Plain pastel ground. A child has a rounder forehead and a shorter nose. The ponytail names the sitter.
Classic cut-paper profile portrait Medium. Plain cream card. Trace a side-on photo onto black paper and cut it. Keep the lip line and lashes crisp.
Dancer caught mid-leap Hard. Plain ground. The pose must read with no face: legs split, feet pointed, arms in one long line.
Dog sitting with its head tilted, one ear up Easy. Plain paper and a brush pen. The tilt and the odd ear carry the character, so exaggerate both.
Footballer striking a ball Medium. Plain ground. Pick the widest moment: leg back, arms out for balance, the ball clear of the boot.
Fox trotting with its tail held level Medium. Plain cream paper. Side view, pointed muzzle, a tail as long as the body, one front paw lifted.
Grandparent's profile in a flat cap Medium. Plain warm grey. Age shows in the outline: a softer jaw, a longer ear, the chin tucked back a little.
Guitarist on a stool, neck of the guitar jutting clear Medium. Plain ground. If the guitar neck crosses the body it vanishes, so angle it out into the background.
Head in profile with a pine forest inside it Hard. White paper. Black pines rise from the neck and thin out toward the crown. The face edge stays clean.
Horse and rider clearing a fence Hard. Plain ground. Front legs tucked, hind legs trailing, rider folded forward. Keep air under the hooves.
Horse rearing, mane in separate locks Hard. Plain pale ground. All the anatomy sits on the outline: fetlocks, open mouth, a mane broken into locks.
Pet's head in profile, cut from black paper Medium. Plain cream card. Work from a side-on photo. Whiskers and brow hairs are tiny cuts at the very edge.
Profile bust in an oval frame Medium. Cream oval on a dark page. End the bust with one curved sweep under the shoulder, not a flat cut.
Profile with glasses and a bun Easy. Plain paper. Glasses show as a small step at the brow and one thin arm. The bun does the rest.
Runner at full stride Easy. Plain paper. Back foot off the ground, opposite arm forward, a gap between the elbow and the ribs.
Skateboarder in the air, knees bent Medium. One flat bright colour. Board under the feet, one arm up. Keep daylight between board and ground.
Squirrel on a branch, tail curled over its back Easy. Plain paper. The tail's question mark is as big as the body. A tuft on the ear finishes it.
Stone bridge of three arches Medium. Plain ground or grey wash. The arches are the empty shapes, so draw those half-circles first.
Swallows in flight, forked tails spread Easy. Plain white paper. Each bird is a curved M with a forked tail. Change the sizes to give distance.
Two profiles facing each other across a gap Medium. Plain ground. The space between the faces turns into a vase, so draw that gap on purpose.
Village roofline with one steeple Easy. Plain pale wash. One unbroken band across the page; chimneys, a steeple and a tree break the top.
Windmill with latticed sails Medium. Plain paper or one light wash. The sails are ladders with sky showing through, so rule them.
Your own profile traced from a lamp shadow Medium. Paper taped to a wall. Sit side-on to a lamp while a friend traces the shadow, then fill it black.

How it works

A black shape and the background behind it: that is every one of these silhouette painting ideas, 42 to paint over a gradient and 27 to draw or cut on a plain ground. Every hint opens with Easy, Medium or Hard, names the colours and says what the outline needs. Groups sort them into animals, profiles, places and people in action.

Read the full guide

A silhouette lives on its outline

Nothing inside the shape shows, so everything has to sit on the edge. Turn the subject side-on: a cat facing you is a lump, while Cat on a fence, tail hanging in a hook has ears and a tail. Leave background between legs, antlers and arms, or Giraffes crossing, necks at three angles becomes one blob. Overlapping shapes merge, so overlap on purpose or not at all.

Background first, black last

For the 42 ideas under To paint, lay the gradient with a wide flat brush, palest near the horizon, and blend while wet. Let it dry fully before the black goes on. The 27 silhouette drawing ideas under To draw use a plain ground and a brush pen, a marker or cut black paper, as in Classic cut-paper profile portrait. The list runs 33 Easy, 30 Medium and 6 Hard.

Mix your black from ultramarine and burnt umber. It dries softer than tube black and sits better on a warm sky.
Squint at the reference photo. If the subject still reads as a dark shape with a clear edge, it will work.
For a portrait profile, photograph the sitter side-on against a bright window, print it and trace the edge.

Questions and answers

Which silhouette should I paint first?

Choose To paint and look for hints that open with Easy. Pine tree line against a three-colour gradient is three bands of colour and a row of tapped-in tree tops. Mountain ranges in five fading layers uses one colour plus black. Both forgive a shaky hand: trees and ridges have no correct outline.

How is this different from the sunset painting list?

That page is about the sky: cloud types, moons and the order of the colours. This one is about the black shape in front and whether its outline reads, and no subject appears on both. For a sky worth putting a shape on, try sunset painting ideas.

What paint and surface work best?

Acrylic on canvas board or heavy paper is the forgiving choice: the gradient dries in minutes and black covers it in one coat. Watercolour gives softer skies, but the black must wait until the paper is bone dry or it bleeds. For the To draw ideas, a brush pen on smooth card gives the cleanest edge.