Big and small unicorn touching nosesWhite, pink, lilac, gold. Paint the two heads facing each other and leave a heart-shaped gap between the necks.
Black unicorn outlined in silver on a navy canvasBlack, navy, silver, white. Edge the black head with a thin silver line so it shows on the dark.
Front-view unicorn face wearing a crown of dotted flowersWhite, pink, gold, green. Paint the face as a long oval and dot the flowers across the forehead.
Mane blowing sideways in pastel wavesWhite, peach, mint, lilac, sky blue. Pull each wave with a round brush, starting at the neck.
Mane of thick paint swirlsWhite, turquoise, magenta, yellow. Paint the head flat, then curl thick paint for each lock with a palette knife.
Side-on unicorn head with a mane in five color stripesWhite, pink, yellow, mint, blue, lilac. Paint the head white and lay each mane stripe in one curved stroke.
Unicorn in profile with a ribbon tied around its hornWhite, pink, gold, sky blue. Paint the horn first, then loop one ribbon around its base with two trailing ends.
Unicorn looking back, shaded in pale grayWhite, pale gray, lavender, gold. Shade under the jaw and along the neck with pale gray.
Unicorn portrait in an oval of painted rosesWhite, rose, green, cream. Pencil an oval, paint the head inside and ring it with small spiral roses.
Unicorn whose mane drips down the canvas in thin runsWhite, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. Thin each color and let it run down from the mane.
Unicorn with a braided mane and star clipsWhite, purple, pink, yellow. Paint the braid as a chain of overlapping teardrops.
White head on a pink canvas with a gold spiral hornPink, white, gold. Paint a tall gold cone and wrap thin white lines around it for the spiral.
Whole unicorns as silhouettes 12
Rearing unicorn in black against a full moonIndigo, pale yellow, black. Paint a moon that nearly fills the canvas, let it dry and paint the unicorn black inside it.
Two unicorns, large and small, walking a ridge at dawnPeach, yellow, plum. Paint the ridge as one dark slope and set both shapes on its edge.
Unicorn among tall trunks with mist behindPale green, white, dark green. Paint pale mist first, then dark trunks and the unicorn between two of them.
Unicorn at full gallop across a galaxy skyBlack, violet, pink, white. Sponge the galaxy, dot the stars with a cotton swab and paint the unicorn as a black shape.
Unicorn drinking at a lake with its reflectionPeach, lilac, black. Paint the unicorn above the waterline and a paler, broken copy below it.
Unicorn in black on a hill, a rainbow arching behindSky blue, six rainbow colors, black. Paint the arc first and the hill and unicorn in black on top.
Unicorn on a cliff with a shooting star aboveIndigo, black, white. Paint the cliff and unicorn black and pull one thin white streak across the sky.
Unicorn standing in a field of firefly dotsDark blue, black, yellow. Dot the fireflies with a cotton swab around the black shape.
Unicorn standing in black on a yellow, orange and pink skyYellow, orange, pink, black. Blend the bands, let them dry and add the unicorn standing on a flat ground line.
Unicorn under a tree, both black against pinkPink, peach, black. Paint the tree and the unicorn as one joined shape with no detail inside.
White unicorn shape on a starry navy skyNavy, white, silver. Paint the unicorn in white this time and dot stars around, not on, it.
Winged unicorn leaping over cloudsLilac, white, black. Dab the clouds with a sponge and paint the wings as three long feathers each.
Cute and cartoon 12
Chubby unicorn with a donut around its hornWhite, pink, tan, yellow. Paint the donut as a ring and dot the sprinkles with a cotton swab.
Round baby unicorn sitting, with pink cheeksWhite, pink, yellow, lilac. Paint the body as one big circle and the head as a smaller one on top.
Unicorn asleep in the curve of a yellow crescent moonNavy, pale yellow, white, pink. Paint the moon as a wide curve and tuck the unicorn into it.
Unicorn carried into the sky by a bunch of balloonsWhite, red, yellow, blue, sky blue. Paint the bunch high up and the unicorn small below, strings tied around its middle.
Unicorn cupcake with a horn and ears in the frostingPink, white, gold, tan. Paint a swirl of frosting and stand a small gold cone in the top.
Unicorn face from a circle, two triangles and a coneWhite, pink, gold, black. Paint the circle, add the triangle ears and the cone horn, then two dot eyes.
Unicorn in yellow boots splashing through a puddleWhite, yellow, blue, pink. Paint the splash as short curved strokes rising from the puddle.
Unicorn on a cloud with its legs danglingSky blue, white, pink, gold. Paint the cloud as a row of overlapping circles.
Unicorn peeking out of a gift boxRed, white, pink, gold. Paint the box first and let only the eyes, ears and horn show above the lid.
Unicorn puffing out the candles on a pink cakeWhite, pink, yellow, blue. Paint the cake low in one corner and the puffed cheeks as two pink circles.
Unicorn riding a skateboard, mane flyingWhite, turquoise, pink, black. Tilt the board and sweep the mane straight back.
Unicorn with ice cream scoops in place of a maneWhite, pink, mint, yellow, brown. Stack three round scoops along the neck where the mane would be.
On a rock 12
Cloud-shaped rock with a unicorn asleep on topWhite, pale blue, pink. A bumpy pale rock; paint the unicorn small on the highest bump.
Family of three unicorn rocks, big to smallWhite, pink, mint, gold. One face on each of three round rocks, with a different mane color on each.
Galaxy rock with a small white unicorn shapeBlack, violet, blue, white. Sponge the whole rock dark, then paint the unicorn in the middle with a fine brush.
Gold horn and two ears peeking over a rock's top edgeAny pastel, white, gold. Upper edge of a flat rock, with a small brush; leave the rest one plain color.
Horn and closed eyes on a white oval rockWhite, gold, black, pink. Front of an oval rock; paint it white and add the face with a fine brush.
Pink rock with a white star and a horn in the middlePink, white, gold. Center of a round rock; paint a five-point star and stand a gold cone on it.
Tall narrow rock painted as a gold-striped hornWhite, gold. A long narrow rock stood on end; wrap slanting gold lines around it with a liner brush.
Unicorn asleep on a round stone, legs tucked underWhite, pink, gold. Whole top of a round rock, with a small brush; the body follows the curve of the stone.
Unicorn head filling a heart-shaped rockWhite, lilac, pink, gold. Flat face of the rock; point the horn into one lobe of the heart.
Unicorn head on a pointed rock, horn running to the tipWhite, pink, gold. A rock with one pointed end; aim the horn into the point and dot the mane with a brush handle.
Unicorn hoofprints trotting across a green rockGreen, white, pink. Top of a flat rock; print pairs of small U shapes with a fine brush.
Unicorn on a stone, its rainbow tail running around the rimWhite, six rainbow colors. Unicorn on top and the tail around the rim, with a round brush.
Prints for small hands 12
Bottle-cap bubbles around a unicornPink, lilac, mint, white. Dip a bottle cap in paint and print rings all around the unicorn.
Cotton swab rainbow dotted behind a unicornSix rainbow colors, white. Dot each arc with its own cotton swab over a unicorn shape an adult has painted.
Flower stamps cut from a potato along a unicorn's manePink, yellow, lilac, white. An adult cuts a flower into half a potato; dip it and stamp along a painted neck.
Fork-print unicorn mane in six rainbow colorsSix rainbow colors, white. Press the back of a fork in paint and print it along the neck, one color at a time.
Gold horn with stripes printed by a card edgeGold, white, pink. Dip a card edge in paint and print slanting stripes up a triangle horn.
Handprint unicorn: fingers for legs, thumb for the neckWhite finger paint, blue paper, pink, gold. Print the hand fingers down; the thumb becomes the neck.
Handprint wings on a flying unicornLilac finger paint, white, pink. Print one hand each side of a painted body, fingers pointing up and back.
Pencil-eraser stars printed around a unicornNavy paper, white, yellow. Dip the eraser end of a pencil in paint and dot the stars.
Sponge clouds with a unicorn peeking overWhite, sky blue, pink, gold. Dab the clouds with a sponge and paint only the horn, ears and eyes above them.
Sponge-stamped unicorn body with a painted hornWhite, pink, gold, blue paper. Press an oval sponge for the body; an adult adds the legs, head and horn.
Unicorn mane combed into waves through thick paintPink, yellow, blue, white. Brush on three thick stripes and drag an old comb through them in waves.
Unicorn mane printed by pulling a painted stringWhite, pink, purple, turquoise. Lay a painted string on the neck, cover it with paper and pull it out.
How it works
A unicorn is a horse shape with one spiraling horn, so most start from a head in profile or a simple outline. These unicorn painting ideas are heads and manes, silhouettes, cartoon unicorns, painted rocks and prints for small hands.
Read the full guide
Unicorn canvas painting ideas
Start with White head on a pink canvas with a gold spiral horn: a tall gold cone with thin white lines wrapped around it. A silhouette is easier still. Rearing unicorn in black against a full moon is one big pale disc and one black shape.
Unicorn rock painting ideas
One group fits a stone. Horn and closed eyes on a white oval rock needs a fine brush and four colors. Unicorn asleep on a round stone, legs tucked under lets the body follow the curve of the rock.
The easy ones sit under More filters, Level.
The two handprint ideas name finger paint, which is made to go on fingers.
Questions and answers
What is an easy unicorn to paint?
Unicorn face from a circle, two triangles and a cone: one circle, two ears, a horn and dot eyes. 30 of the 60 ideas carry the easy mark, including all twelve prints for small hands.
What colors do I need for a unicorn painting?
White for the body, gold or yellow for the horn, and pink, lilac, mint and sky blue for the mane. The silhouettes swap these for black over a blended sky.
How do you paint a unicorn mane?
One curved stroke for each lock, starting at the neck. Side-on unicorn head with a mane in five color stripes lays pink, yellow, mint, blue and lilac side by side without blending.
Which unicorn ideas suit very young children?
The Prints for small hands group: a sponge-stamped body, a mane pressed with a fork, cotton swab dots and bottle-cap rings. An adult paints the outline and the child adds the prints.