Fun Painting Ideas
When it comes to painting, we all start off on the same level playing field. Those who paint beautifully have honed their skills over time. But don’t worry, becoming a great painter takes a little patience and a willingness to pick up that brush and start creating stroke by stroke. I’ve witnessed this transformation in drawing too! Just a few years of practice can make a difference, turning a mediocre sketch into a masterpiece that showcases your extraordinary talent.
Choosing your medium
Deciding on the perfect paint for your masterpiece can sometimes feel overwhelming with so many options available. Each type of paint has its own unique qualities, some being more long-lasting or capable of transforming the appearance of your final artwork.
The right choice of paint can play a crucial role in achieving your artistic vision, depending on what you’re creating. The various paint types come in different styles and have distinct properties that can greatly influence your painting journey.
Among the popular options are watercolor, acrylic, oil, and gouache. Take a look at my comprehensive list of paint types to gain a better understanding of which one suits you and your project best.
Supplies will you need
Once you’ve decided on the type of paint you want to use, you can start thinking about the other supplies you’ll need. In addition to your paint set, you’ll also need brushes, and you might want to consider getting a canvas or painting paper. If you’re feeling a bit fancy, you could even get an easel.
I have some great recommendations for the three most popular types of paint. Take a look at my guides for the best watercolor paint sets, top acrylic paint, and best oil paints that both beginners and professionals will absolutely love. And don’t forget, besides using brushes, you can also try using a paint marker. I even have a guide for the best paint markers too!
So, once you’ve got your watercolor, acrylic, or even oil paint, you’re all set to dive into honing your craft. But hey, we all face that dreaded creative block sometimes, right? Don’t worry, I’ve got your back! I’ve put together a list of prompts to get those creative juices flowing. I’ve got easy painting ideas inspired by life and some that will challenge your imagination.
Check out the list and think about what you’d enjoy painting. What will push you to improve? Any cool techniques you wanna try? Like, a tree with lots of leaves lets you play with texture, and picturing stuff in black and white helps you understand tones, light, and shadows.
Painting ideas for everyone
Ideas Inspired by Real Life
- Your favorite coffee mug
- A prickly pear cactus
- Your furry friend
- A tranquil lake scene
- Your eye and eyebrow (try observing from real life)
- A leafy tree
- Your childhood home
- A piece of cloth draped over a chair
- Fluffy clouds
- A bouquet of flowers in a vase
- A cardinal on a branch…
- …or a wise owl
- A curling ocean wave (check out Ray Collins’ wave photographs for inspiration!)
- Copy a masterpiece painting of an artist you admire
- A bowl of fruit
- Fish underwater
- A portrait of yourself when you were a kid
- Your hand or foot
- Your favorite collection of things
- A building facade you’ve always admired
- Someone standing under an umbrella while it’s raining
- A streetlamp illuminating a dark street
- A peacock’s colorful plumage
- An insect
- The Eiffel tower, or any other memorable landmark
- Decorative tiles you’ve admired
- Your mode of transportation (car, bike, scooter, skateboard…)
- A reflective object such as an orb
- A collection of seashells
- An old pair of shoes
- Take your art supplies outdoors and paint a park en plein air
- Your bedroom
- Paint the night sky
- Mountain landscape
- The moon
- The beach
- A butterfly
- A cherry blossom tree (with q-tips instead of a brush)
- A pumpkin
- The sunset sky
- Paint on rocks instead of on canvas
- Paint your lunch or dinner
- A shiny balloon
- Someone who is doing an everyday activity such as sleeping, cooking, putting on makeup
- Go big: show peonies blooming on a giant canvas or piece of paper
- Knot some rope and paint what you see—it’s trickier than you think
Ideas Inspired by the Imagination
- A person with flowers growing from their head
- Create an image inspired by your favorite song
- A majestic unicorn with a rainbow-colored mane
- Create a self-portrait in a Cubist style
- Reimagine a scene from your favorite Disney film
- Imagine a dog could walk and talk like a human. What would they say and do?
- Create your own repeat pattern…
- … or mandala-inspired design
- A cat in a fancy hat
- Your dream home
- Try painting with your fingers
- The sky imagined in colorful swirls like in van Gogh’s Starry Night
- A scuba diver swimming through outer space instead of the ocean
- A person made out of balloons
- Tiny people moving throughout a regular-sized world
- Create a repeat pattern of your favorite kitchen appliance
- A spooky scene in the woods (try painting it on a wood slice)
- Animals in the place of humans
- Salvador Dali-inspired interior
- Living underwater
- Paint a fantastical garden of imaginative plants
- Merge two of your favorite animals into one
- Try painting in an Art Deco style, like Tamara de Lempicka
- Imagine you can fly…
- … or that you’re a giant
- A person whose skin cracks like porcelain
- Create your own fairytale
- Fuse day and night into a single scene
- An easy quote
- Metallic abstract
- Geometric art
- Splatter art
- Animals outside of their natural habitat (look to Marina Kusraeva for inspiration)
- An enchanted forest
- Life in the future
- Combine a realistic subject with abstract elements
- Create a painting just of loops. What designs can you make with that?
- Something that slithers (doesn’t have to be a snake or a slug!)
- Two or more things that are about to collide, or have collided
Painting tutorials
If you’re not a painting pro, starting to paint any of these ideas can be pretty scary. But don’t worry, we’ve got some tutorials that’ll teach you how to paint specific things and give you the confidence to tackle more art in the future. Give ’em a try!