Sponge-stamped stepping stones across a painted pondBlue, gray, green. Brush the pond blue; when it is dry, stamp gray stones across it with a sponge piece.
Thread-spool prints as the wheels of three painted trucksRed, blue, black. Paint three trucks as boxes; dip the end of a spool in black and print wheels under each one.
Table split in four: each side paints its own seasonGreens, yellow, orange, blue, white. Fold a big sheet in four and give one season to each side.
Big-brush portrait of someone at your table, face firstAny skin color, brown, red, blue. Paint a big oval for the face, add the hair last and keep the eyes simple.
Brush-wide stripes in six colors down the whole sheetAny six colors. Drag one loaded brush from edge to edge and change color for the next stripe.
Chunky caterpillar in two greens, one brush turn a segmentLight green, dark green, black. Press the brush flat and turn it once for each circle of the body.
Giant sunflower that fills a whole sheet, one stroke a petalYellow, orange, brown, green. Dab a brown middle, then pull each petal outward with the widest brush.
Hills in four overlapping greens under a round sunYellow, light green, green, dark green. Start with the farthest hill and overlap each one in front.
Huge goldfish in orange with a tail of long loose strokesOrange, yellow, white, blue. Paint the body as one fat oval; pull the tail out in six long strokes.
Jungle leaves bigger than your hand, in three greensYellow-green, green, dark green. Paint each leaf in two strokes from the stalk and overlap them.
Lion's mane in thick orange strokes around a yellow circleYellow, orange, brown. Paint a yellow circle, then pull orange and brown strokes outward all around.
Night sky brushed in dark blue with yellow star dabsDark blue, purple, yellow. Cover the sheet in crisscross strokes; dab the stars on once it is dry.
Rainbow in six wide bands with the widest brush you haveRed, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Paint one arch per color and rinse the brush between bands.
Stormy sea in big side-to-side strokes, white dabbed on topBlue, green, white. Sweep the water in long wavy strokes and dab white along each crest while it is wet.
Tree with a trunk in one upward stroke and dabbed leavesBrown, green, yellow. Push the trunk up in a single stroke, then dab leaves with the brush tip.
Printing and stamping 12
Bottle-cap circle prints as a field of flowersPink, yellow, orange, green. Print the flower heads with a cap, then paint a stem under each one.
Cardboard-tube ring prints overlapped into a chainBlue, green, purple. Dip the end of a tube in paint and print rings that link across the page.
Cookie-cutter outlines printed as a row of starsYellow, blue. Dip the edge of the cutter in a thin puddle of paint, press it down and lift straight up.
Cork-print grapes hanging from a painted vinePurple, green, brown. Print a triangle of circles with a cork, then paint the stalk and one leaf.
Corrugated-card print: ridged rows as a plowed fieldBrown, green. Brush paint on the ridged side of corrugated card, press it down and lift it for rows of lines.
Fern laid down and sponged over to leave its white shapeGreen, blue. Hold the fern flat, dab paint over and around it with a sponge and lift the fern away.
Leaf prints in fall colors pressed along a painted branchBrown, red, orange, yellow. Brush paint on the back of a leaf, press it down and lift it straight up.
Rubber-band block printed as the planks of a fenceBrown, green. Stretch bands around a wooden block, press it in paint and print the planks side by side.
Sponge-stamped fish scales in rows of blue and greenBlue, green, white. Stamp overlapping rows with a half-circle piece of sponge, tail end first.
Sponge-stamped stepping stones across a painted pondBlue, gray, green. Brush the pond blue; when it is dry, stamp gray stones across it with a sponge piece.
Thread-spool prints as the wheels of three painted trucksRed, blue, black. Paint three trucks as boxes; dip the end of a spool in black and print wheels under each one.
Yarn wound around a tube and rolled for wavy linesGreen, blue. Wind yarn around a cardboard tube, roll it in paint and then across the paper.
Resist with crayon and tape 12
Crayon fireworks under a wash of blue-black paintBright crayons, dark blue, black. Draw bursts with crayon and brush thinned dark paint across them.
Crayon fish swimming in a thin blue wash of seaOrange and yellow crayons, blue. Color the fish hard in crayon and wash the sea over them.
Crayon rain lines that stay dry under a gray cloud washBlue and white crayons, gray. Draw slanting lines, then brush thin gray over the top half.
Crayon-striped hot-air balloon under a yellow washRed and blue crayons, yellow. Stripe the balloon in crayon and brush thin yellow over the sky.
Hidden web in white crayon found by a brush of grayWhite crayon, gray. Draw the web with a white crayon you can hardly see; the wash makes it appear.
Leaf rubbing in crayon washed over with thin greenDark green crayon, light green. Rub a crayon over paper laid on a leaf, then wash green across it.
One taped initial under rainbow dabs, peeled to whiteAny five colors. Tape your letter, dab color over the whole sheet with a sponge and peel.
Tape grid peeled to leave white lines between color blocksAny four colors. Tape lines across and down, fill each box with one color and peel.
Tape-resist tree: torn tape branches under fall colorsRed, orange, yellow, brown. Tear tape into a trunk and branches, dab color all over and peel.
Tape-resist window frame with a sunset painted in each paneYellow, orange, pink, purple. Tape a cross on the paper, paint over everything and peel the tape.
Taped zigzag ridge of snowy peaks under a painted skyBlue, purple, white. Tape a zigzag line, paint the sky above it and peel for a snowy ridge.
White-crayon lightning across a wash of storm grayWhite crayon, gray. Press hard to draw two zigzags, then brush thin gray paint over the whole sheet.
Mixing: tints and shades 12
Color strip: your favorite color in seven stepsOne color, white, black. Paint the color in the middle box, three tints to one side, three shades to the other.
Gray day: black and white mixed into five cloudsBlack, white. Mix five grays from nearly white to nearly black and paint one cloud with each.
Green grid: yellow down one side, blue along the topYellow, blue. Rule nine boxes and fill each with more blue toward one side, more yellow toward the other.
Ice-cream cone with five scoops, each a paler pinkRed, white, tan. Start with red and add a spoon of white before painting each scoop.
Night hills in shades: one green darkened step by stepGreen, black. Paint the far hill green and add a drop of black for each hill in front.
One blue stepped lighter with white across six stripesBlue, white. Paint a stripe of blue, add a little white, paint the next, and go on to six.
One-color monster: lighter horns, darker feetOne color, white, black. Mix three lighter and three darker versions and use one for each body part.
Row of balloons from darkest purple to palest lilacPurple, white. Paint the first balloon purple and add white before each balloon after it.
Sea in five bands, each darker than the one aboveBlue, black, white. Paint the top band pale and add a touch of black for each band below.
Six-petal flower: three primaries and the mixes betweenRed, yellow, blue. Paint three petals, then mix each pair of neighbors for the petal between them.
Striped snake in one orange, lighter at every bandOrange, white. Paint a wiggly snake band by band, adding a little white each time.
Sunset in tints: red at the bottom, pale pink at the topRed, white. Paint a red band along the foot and mix in more white for every band above it.
For a group at one table 12
Garden border: one tall flower each along a shared stripGreen, pink, yellow, red, purple. Everyone paints a stem from the bottom edge and a flower on top.
Jigsaw sheet: cut into pieces, painted apart, joined againAny colors. Draw a big simple shape, cut the sheet into pieces, paint one each and fit them back.
Paper blanket: a painted square from each person, taped upAny colors. Give everyone the same size square and one shared color, then tape the squares in rows.
Pattern line: copy the last stamp, then add a new oneAny colors. Pass a strip around; each person repeats the last print and adds one of their own.
Rainbow relay: one color each, in order, across a long sheetRed, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Each painter adds one band and hands the sheet on.
Ring target: each painter adds one ring around the centerAny colors. Start with a dot in the middle; each painter adds a ring in a new color.
Round-robin painting: one new thing, then it moves leftAny colors. Each painter starts a sheet, adds one thing when the paper arrives and passes it on.
Shared pizza: each painter tops one sliceTan, red, yellow, green. Draw one big circle cut into slices on the sheet; each painter fills a slice with toppings.
Shared river strip with a different boat from every painterBlue, white, any colors. Paint the river along a strip together; everyone adds one boat.
Table split in four: each side paints its own seasonGreens, yellow, orange, blue, white. Fold a big sheet in four and give one season to each side.
Table tree: one painted trunk, a dabbed leaf from everyoneBrown, greens, yellow. One person paints the trunk; everyone dabs leaves with a sponge piece.
Table-sized ocean: each painter adds one sea creatureBlues, green, orange, pink. Brush the water together with big brushes; add creatures when it is dry.
How it works
In the United States, tempera paint usually means poster paint, the paint of school art classes. These ideas use what it suits: big brushes on paper, printing, crayon and tape resist, mixing, and one table sharing a sheet.
Read the full guide
Easy tempera painting ideas to start with
Brush-wide stripes in six colors down the whole sheet needs one brush and no drawing. Sponge-stamped stepping stones across a painted pond is a piece of sponge pressed in a line. White-crayon lightning across a wash of storm gray is a crayon drawing with thin paint brushed over it.
Tints and shades
A tint is a color mixed with white and a shade is a color mixed with black. One blue stepped lighter with white across six stripes makes five tints of one blue, and Night hills in shades: one green darkened step by step adds a drop of black for each hill.
The easy ones are under More filters, Level.
Questions and answers
Is tempera paint the same as poster paint?
In the United States, yes: poster paint is also known as tempera paint. Egg tempera, made with egg yolk, is a different paint that artists used for panel paintings.
What are some art ideas with tempera paint besides brushing?
Printing and resist. Leaf prints in fall colors pressed along a painted branch prints with a real leaf, and Tape grid peeled to leave white lines between color blocks keeps the paper white wherever the tape was.
What can a whole class paint together with tempera?
One long sheet. Rainbow relay: one color each, in order, across a long sheet gives every painter a band, and Shared river strip with a different boat from every painter gives each one a boat.
How does crayon resist work?
A resist protects part of a surface from the next stage, as wax keeps dye off cloth. Here a wax crayon drawing goes on first and thin paint is brushed over the sheet.