Tail framed by icebergs in a still fjordWhite, pale blue, navy, black. Paint an iceberg at each side and mirror everything in the water.
Tail with water sheeting off its back edge like a curtainCharcoal, white, pale blue. Drag white straight down from the trailing edge with a nearly dry brush.
Beluga calling, sound drawn as rings from its foreheadWhite, teal, navy, pale yellow. Paint pale rings widening forward from the round forehead.
Black humpback shape leaping across an orange sunsetOrange, yellow, black. Blend the sky and sea, let them dry and paint the leaping whale flat black.
Breach from underwater, the body leaving a silver ceilingTeal, silver, navy, white. Paint the surface as a bright rippled band and the tail half through it.
Breaching humpback from below, grooves from chin to bellyWhite, gray, navy. Paint the throat pale and rule long curved grooves down it with a liner brush.
Breaching humpback twisting, one long fin flung wideBlue gray, white, teal. Paint the long front fin reaching far out to one side.
Empty horizon with one tiny distant breach and its splashPale blue, navy, white. Keep the whale tiny on the horizon line with a white burst beside it.
Humpback against snowy mountains, mid-leap in a cold bayWhite, slate, navy, pale blue. Paint the mountains pale and soft and the whale dark and sharp.
Humpback breaching, her calf copying at half the sizeCharcoal, white, teal. Repeat the pose at half size a little in front of the large whale.
Humpback falling back, a wall of white water risingWhite, navy, gray. Sponge a tall ragged curtain of spray and show only the head and one fin above it.
Humpback nose-first out of flat water, no splash yetNavy, charcoal, white, pale blue. Paint the head as a tall rounded wedge and leave the sea flat and unbroken around it.
Humpback on its side, one fin raised like a sailNavy, white, gray. Lay the whale on its side at the waterline and raise one fin straight up.
Knobby humpback head rising straight up to look aroundCharcoal, gray, white, teal. Dot a row of rounded bumps along the jaw and the top of the head.
Paper-stencil leaping whale with the sea sponged around itNavy, teal, white. Hold a paper whale on the canvas, sponge color over its edges and lift it off.
Rainbow in the spray of a breachNavy, white, red, yellow, blue. Glaze a faint arc of three colors through the dried white spray.
Three stages of one breach across a long seaBlue, white, black. Paint the same whale rising, level and falling from left to right.
Two humpbacks breaching at once, mirror imagesBlue, white, charcoal. Paint the first whale, then flip its pose for the second on the other side.
Tails 15
Barnacles clustered on the tips of a tailCharcoal, cream, gray. Dot small cream rings in groups along the edges with the end of a brush.
Calf's small tail beside its mother's large oneBlack, white, pale blue. Paint the two tails side by side, the same shape at two sizes.
Outline-only fluke drawn with a liner brush on tealTeal, white. Fill the canvas with teal, let it dry and draw the tail with a liner brush.
Quartet of tail flukes, each with its own notch and marksBlack, white, teal, gray. Divide the canvas in four and change the notch and the markings on each tail.
Row of tails going down one after anotherBlue, black, white. Paint five tails in a line, each one lower in the water than the last.
Tail above a pastel sea, the water in three soft bandsPink, peach, lilac, charcoal. Blend three bands for the sea and sky and paint the tail dark.
Tail and a small sailboat far behind it for scaleNavy, white, black, red. Paint the boat no taller than the notch of the tail.
Tail framed by icebergs in a still fjordWhite, pale blue, navy, black. Paint an iceberg at each side and mirror everything in the water.
Tail seen from behind as the whale dives, a V with a notchBlue gray, navy, white. Shape the two halves like wings with a small notch between them.
Tail sliding under at sunset, a ring of gold on the waterGold, orange, black, violet. Paint half the tail above a bright ring and the sea dark around it.
Tail smacking the surface, spray thrown to both sidesNavy, white, gray. Tilt the tail down and sponge two fans of white where it hits.
Tail with water sheeting off its back edge like a curtainCharcoal, white, pale blue. Drag white straight down from the trailing edge with a nearly dry brush.
Underside of a humpback tail, its own black and white mapBlack, white, gray. Paint the tail white, then work black in from the edges in an uneven pattern.
Whale tail above flat water, drops falling from both tipsNavy, black, white. Paint the tail as a wide flat Y and dot a line of drops from each point.
Whale tail as a black shape inside a full moon reflectionNavy, pale yellow, black. Paint a bright path on the water and set the tail in the middle of it.
Under water with light 15
Blue whale stretching edge to edge, a diver's-eye viewBlue gray, pale blue, navy. Make the body so long that the head and tail both touch the canvas edges.
Humpback hanging upright in blue water, long fins spreadNavy, blue, gray, white. Hang the whale upright with its tail toward the surface and its fins out.
Looking up at a whale crossing the sunlit patch overheadWhite, aqua, navy. Blend the water from a white center outward and paint the whale as a flat shape.
Mother and calf resting, the calf above her backBlue, navy, gray, white. Paint the small whale just over the large one, both level.
Pod in silhouette swimming toward a bright openingAqua, white, navy. Paint the light as a pale oval and five small whales heading into it.
Small whale low on the canvas under a tall field of blueAqua, blue, navy, gray. Blend the water from aqua at the top to navy below and keep the whale small near the bottom.
Two-color whale: dark top half, pale undersideNavy, pale gray, teal. Split the body along its length, dark above and light below.
Whale diving straight down into darker water, tail lastGray, navy, black. Point the whale downward with its tail nearest the top and darken the water under it.
Whale eye close up, light rippling over the skinCharcoal, gray, pale blue, white. Paint the small eye in a fold of skin and net the rest with pale lines.
Whale fading into blue, only its near half clearBlue, navy, white. Mix more of the water color into the whale toward its tail until it disappears.
Whale gliding over a ridge of dark rock, just clearing itTeal, navy, charcoal, gray. Paint the ridge along the bottom edge and the whale level above it with a slim gap.
Whale gliding through slanted bars of lightTeal, navy, pale yellow, gray. Paint the whale, let it dry and drag pale bars across it with a dry brush.
Whale rising toward the surface inside a column of bubblesNavy, teal, white. Dot the bubbles with a cotton swab in a spiral around the body.
Whale shape left white on a wash of bluesBlue, teal, navy, white. Mask a whale shape with tape or paper, wash the blues over it and peel it off.
Whale's back catching one stripe of sun, the rest in shadeSlate, pale yellow, teal. Paint the whale dark and lay one pale stripe along the very top of its back.
Orcas and belugas 15
Beluga calling, sound drawn as rings from its foreheadWhite, teal, navy, pale yellow. Paint pale rings widening forward from the round forehead.
Beluga gliding beneath a pale ceiling of sea iceWhite, aqua, teal, navy. Paint the ice as a pale ceiling and the whale just beneath it.
Beluga puffing out one hoop of tiny bubblesWhite, teal, pale blue. Paint one white ring in front of the mouth, made of small dots.
Beluga smiling head-on, round forehead, no fin on its backWhite, pale blue, gray, teal. Paint the round bump of the forehead and a wide curved mouth below it.
Belugas in a river mouth from above, pale dashes on brownTan, brown, white. Paint the water in two browns and the whales as small white dashes.
Orca above, beluga below: two outlines to compareBlack, white, gray, blue. Paint one above the other and give only the orca a back fin.
Orca mother and calf, the calf's patches tinted orangeBlack, white, pale orange, gray. Paint the calf small at her side and warm its white areas with pale orange.
Orca pattern as flat shapes on a gray groundGray, black, white. Paint the black whale and add three white shapes: chin, belly and eye patch.
Orca pod traveling together, fins in a rowNavy, black, white. Paint five fins of different heights along one line of water.
Orca rising head first to look across the iceBlack, white, pale blue. Stand the head straight up out of the water as far as the fins.
Orca side-on: black, a white eye patch and a gray saddleBlack, white, gray, teal. Paint the whole whale black, let it dry and add the two pale marks last.
Orca surfacing, a puff of mist above its blowholeBlack, white, pale blue, slate. Show the top of the head and back and dab a small white puff above it.
Orca tail and fin only, the rest under a flat line of seaBlack, navy, white. Rule the waterline and paint one fin and one tail tip above it.
Orca tracing a wide circle, its wake a white ringNavy, black, white. Paint a white ring on the dark sea and the fin and back where the ring is still open.
Trio of belugas curved like commas, shaded on one sideTurquoise, white, pale gray. Paint three curved white shapes and shade one side of each in gray.
How it works
Most of a whale is under water, so a whale painting is usually a part: a tail, a fin, a head and its spray. The humpback, with its long fins and its leaps, gives the most to paint.
Read the full guide
Which whale is which
A humpback has long front fins and rounded bumps on its head, and it is black above. An orca is black with a white patch by each eye and a gray saddle behind its tall fin. A beluga is all white, with a round forehead and no fin on its back.
A tail is a signature
The black and white pattern under a humpback tail differs from whale to whale. Underside of a humpback tail, its own black and white map paints one; Quartet of tail flukes, each with its own notch and marks paints a set.
Questions and answers
Which whale canvas painting ideas are easy?
Easy first whales, under More filters, holds 20. Whale tail above flat water, drops falling from both tips is one flat shape, and Black humpback shape leaping across an orange sunset is a blend with a silhouette on top.
How do you paint the spray around a breaching whale?
With a sponge and nearly dry white paint, after the sea has dried. Dab upward and outward from the waterline and leave gaps. Humpback falling back, a wall of white water rising is nearly all spray.
What colors do you need to paint a whale?
Navy, teal and white for the sea, and black, charcoal and gray for a humpback. Orcas need only black, white and gray. A beluga is white, shaded with pale blue or gray on a turquoise sea.
How is a beluga different to paint?
It is white all over and has no back fin, so the shape is a smooth curve with a round forehead. Trio of belugas curved like commas, shaded on one side is the simplest of them.