Flower basket on chains under each nail holeGreens, pink, white, yellow. Three chains from each hole hold a round basket; flowers spill over the sides. Round brush.
Bats outlined in gray so they show on the slateGray, yellow. Three bats with folded wings along the top; only the outlines and the yellow eyes are painted.
Two lanterns hanging from the holes, a glow around eachYellow, orange, white. A short chain painted down from each hole; a lantern on each; soft yellow dabbed around them.
Bicycle with the two holes as its wheel hubsWhite, red. Spokes and a rim painted around each hole; a red frame, saddle and handlebars join them. Liner brush.
Bunting sagging from one nail hole to the otherFive bright colors, white. A white cord runs between the holes; seven triangle flags hang from it. Flat brush.
Clothesline between the holes with painted socksWhite, three bright colors. A line sags from hole to hole; five socks and one shirt pinned along it. Liner brush.
Face in round glasses, a hole in the middle of each lensWhite, one frame color. A painted ring around each hole, joined by a bridge; eyebrows above, a smile below. Liner brush.
Flower basket on chains under each nail holeGreens, pink, white, yellow. Three chains from each hole hold a round basket; flowers spill over the sides. Round brush.
Garden swing on two ropes from the nail holesWhite, brown, green. A rope drops from each hole to a plank seat; grass along the bottom edge. Liner brush.
Holly leaves fanning out from between the two holesGreen, red, white. Five spiked leaves; three red berries in the middle, each with a white highlight. Round brush.
Owl with the two nail holes as its eyesWhite, cream, yellow. White feather rings around each hole; a yellow beak between and below them; the cord goes behind.
Spider on its thread below one of the nail holesWhite, gray. A straight thread runs down from one hole to a spider in the middle of the slate. Liner brush.
Tree label tied through one hole, name and planting yearWhite. The tree's name in two lines; the year below; hung on a loop of cord through a single hole. Paint pen.
Two cherries, each on a stalk from its own nail holeRed, green, white. Two green stalks drop from the holes and lean together; a red cherry on each; one leaf. Round brush.
Two lanterns hanging from the holes, a glow around eachYellow, orange, white. A short chain painted down from each hole; a lantern on each; soft yellow dabbed around them.
House numbers and name slates 12
Family name in chalk-style script with a pale shadowWhite, pale gray. The name runs the width of the slate; pale gray along one side of every stroke. Liner brush.
House name over the outline of your own roofWhite, one accent color. The name in capitals across the top; below it the roofline and chimneys in one white line.
House number in hand-high numerals under the two holesWhite. Numerals as tall as a hand, centered below the holes, bare slate all around them. Number stencil, flat brush.
House number inside a ring of evenly spaced dotsWhite. The numerals in the center of the slate; one circle of dots around them. Cotton swab, flat brush.
Name with a bird perched on top of its first letterWhite, red, brown. The name in white; a brown bird with a red breast perched on the top of the first letter.
Name with painted corner brackets like a frameWhite, gold. A gold bracket in each corner; the name in white between them, the slate left bare. Liner brush.
Number followed by a letter in a bright colorWhite, one bright color. For an apartment or an annex: the numerals in white, the letter after them in the bright color.
Number inside a white oval, like an old door plateWhite. A painted oval outline with a thinner one inside it; the numerals in the middle, slate showing between.
Number with your street's name in small capitals belowWhite. Numerals fill the upper two-thirds; the street in letters a finger high along the bottom. Paint pen.
Numerals with the number spelled out beneathWhite, yellow. Large numerals in the upper half; the same number in small yellow capitals under them. Paint pen.
Shed number between two painted stripesWhite, one bright color. One numeral in the middle of a small slate; a bright stripe down each short edge. Tape.
Tall slate with the numerals stacked for a gatepostWhite. Hung with a short edge up: one numeral above the next, each inside a thin white box. Number stencil.
Scenes that use the dark ground 12
Campfire, orange sparks thinning out toward the topOrange, yellow, red. Flames low in the middle; dots of orange grow smaller and fewer on their way up. Round brush.
Cat in white on a wall, its back turnedWhite, pale gray. The cat's back and tail in white; the top of the wall as one gray line; a few stars above.
Cottage roof and ground in snow, walls left as bare slateWhite, yellow. Snow on the roof and along the ground; one yellow window; nothing else is painted. Flat brush.
Polar bear and cub walking the bottom edgeWhite, pale gray, black. The bear and one cub in white, gray shadows on their legs; a line of ice beneath. Round brush.
Row of snowdrops, white heads against the grayWhite, green. Nine flowers on thin green stems along the lower third, every head nodding the same way. Liner brush.
Sailing boat in white on a path of moonlightWhite, pale blue. A small moon at the top; short white dashes widen down the slate; the boat sits on them. Liner brush.
Sheep in a night field, each a cloud on four legsWhite, black. Six sheep scattered over the lower half, woolly bodies in dabbed white; a thin moon. Sponge.
Single white feather lying across the slate at a slantWhite, pale gray. One long feather from a lower corner toward the opposite upper one; every barb a single stroke.
Skein of geese in a V, a pale disc behind themWhite, pale gray. A white moon in one upper corner; seven small geese cross it, painted in gray. Liner brush.
Snowfall in dots of three sizes over one dark firWhite, dark green. The tree only just lighter than the slate; white dots everywhere, largest at the bottom. Cotton swab.
Summit drawn by its snow alone, the rock left to the slateWhite, pale blue. Snow on the lit side of the mountain and in its gullies; nothing else is painted. Flat brush.
White swan and its reflection on a dark pondWhite, orange, pale gray. The swan in the middle; its reflection below in broken gray strokes; an orange bill.
Seasons for a door 12
Bats outlined in gray so they show on the slateGray, yellow. Three bats with folded wings along the top; only the outlines and the yellow eyes are painted.
Fall leaves, crowded at the top and thinning lower downRed, orange, yellow, brown. Nine leaves of three shapes, as if dropping from the top edge. Round brush.
Five daffodils on straight stems, tallest in the middleYellow, orange, green. The stems rise from the bottom edge; the trumpets turn different ways. Round brush.
Pumpkin trio, one cream among the orangeOranges, green, cream. Three pumpkins in a row, the largest in the middle; rib lines; curling green tendrils.
Red mittens with a snowflake on each, a string betweenRed, white. Two mittens side by side, thumbs inward; a looped white string joins the two cuffs. Flat brush.
Ring of pink and white blossom, the middle left bareWhite, pink, green. Five-petal flowers and small leaves in a wreath; nothing inside it. Round brush.
Robin at the high end of a slanting, snow-topped branchRed, brown, white. The branch crosses the slate at a slant; white along its upper side; the robin faces in.
Sheaf of wheat fanning from the bottom edge to the topGold, yellow, brown. The stalks cross at a brown band in the middle and spread above it; ears at the tips. Liner brush.
Strawberries and their white flowers along one runnerRed, white, green, yellow. One stem crosses the slate at a slant; three berries, two flowers, toothed leaves.
Sunflower head filling the slate, petals to the edgesYellow, brown, orange. The seed head in the center in brown dots; the petal tips touch all four edges. Round brush.
Three eggs in grass along the bottom edgePastel colors, green. Three patterned eggs stand in a fringe of grass painted up from the bottom edge.
Three hollyhock spires, the tallest at one side of the slatePinks, white, green. Three spires stand on the bottom edge; open blooms low on each stem, buds at the tips. Round brush.
How it works
Slate is a fine-grained rock that splits into smooth, flat sheets, which is why it roofs houses, and it is often gray. These 48 designs paint light on that dark ground, and 12 are built on the nail holes.
Read the full guide
The slate is the night
The bare slate does part of the painting. Cottage roof and ground in snow, walls left as bare slate paints only the snow and one window, and Summit drawn by its snow alone, the rock left to the slate needs two colors.
Two nail holes
Roofing slates are usually fixed with nails or hooks, and a slate that was nailed keeps its holes. Twelve designs build on them: Owl with the two nail holes as its eyes, Holly leaves fanning out from between the two holes, Bunting sagging from one nail hole to the other.
Questions and answers
What paint do you use on slate?
Acrylic paint is fast-drying and most kinds become water-resistant when dry. Which paint grips stone, and what weather does to it, is on its label: we do not test paints and promise nothing for a slate kept outdoors.
What can you paint on an old roof slate?
A house number or a name, a picture built on the nail holes, a night scene or one for a season: the 48 designs are filed 12 to each. House number in hand-high numerals under the two holes is white on bare slate.
Do I have to paint the whole slate?
No. Most of these designs leave most of it bare, because the gray is the sky, the rock or the shadow in the picture. Only a few, such as the sunflower, run to all four edges.