Things To Paint For Beginners

A collection of 40 easy things to paint, for anyone looking for inspiration on what to paint next.

Whether you are a beginner artist looking for ways to practice your painting skills or an experienced artist looking for inspiration from other artists, I hope that these paintings may add something fun and beautiful to your day.

Get lost in creating art!

It's a great way to ease your mind and destress from everything else going on in life.

All of the paintings below were creating using Gouache (Himi Gouache Set Review here). Feel free to create these paintings using Acrylic, Gouache, Watercolor, Oils, or whatever other medium you have on-hand.

To create the clean borders, use washi tape or masking tape.

If you are interested in sharing the photos in this blog post, you have permission to do so but please credit or link back to this blog post. Thank you!

easy things to paint for beginner artists

1. Sky

This simple painting of the sky using three colors: Purple, Pink, and White.

Create a gradation using Purple at the top of your painting and Pink at the bottom. Then paint clouds, the moon, and stars using White.

2. Moon and Stars

For this painting, I used Prussian Blue to paint the entire background.

Then create the stars by either splattering white paint or painting dots. Some dots were more opaque while some were more watered down.

Then paint the moon at the center of your painting… And you're done!

3. Rainbow

Try painting a rainbow next!

4. Whale

Here is a simple painting of a whale's tail.

5. Mountains

Mountains are a great way to study shading! I also added hints of pink and yellow to add more of a Spring feeling to this mountain painting.

If you want to learn how to draw mountains first, here is a step-by-step tutorial in my blog post here.

6. Planets

Another fun gradation painting using Purple and Pink.

7. Clouds

Clouds may seem difficult to paint, but they are a great way for beginner artists to practice creating light and shadows in their art.

Generally, the top or outer portions of the cloud will be lighter. The bottom of the cloud will be darker.

Observe clouds outside or photos on the web and paint them, experimenting with different colors and values for different effects and styles.

8. Butterflies

Here are some fun, easy butterfly paintings using a more abstract approach to their wings.

I really enjoyed just playing around with different colors creating these little butterflies.

9. Scribbles

This painting of scribbles was created inspired by Cy Twombly's works.

Even if scribbles are all you want to paint, that's okay. Even scribbles are a beautiful form of artwork that holds the feelings, intentions, and gestures of the human heart.

10. Field of Flowers

Paint a colorful field of flowers and a wandering cloud in the sky.

11. Sunset

Here is a simple sunset painting to try out next using reds, oranges, and yellows.

12. Street Light

Practice painting from the background to the foreground with this simple painting of a street lamp.

Start by creating a gradation of purple and pink in the background. Then, paint the clouds. Use black to paint the street lamp and yellow to paint the light.

13. Meteor Shower

A simple little painting of a meteor shower against a mountain ridge.

Create stars by first painting a wash of blue in the background (I used Prussian Blue in this painting).

Then get a larger brush and wet it with white paint. Using your index finger, flick the brush bristles above your painting and you will be able to create the little white stars.

14. Koi Fish

Use red, white, and blue to paint yourself a simple little Koi fish.

15. Sunflower

A great way for artists to practice art is through drawing flowers. There are so many types out there, but try painting a simple sunflower (Like Van Gogh)!

16. Night Sky

I played around with using dark blue, purple and white to create the night sky in this painting. I also flicked the brush with white paint to create the stars.

17. House

An adorable little house painting to try out.

18. Birds

A simple painting using only light blue and white to create birds in the sky.

19. Bridge

A simple painting of an aqueduct or bridge to try painting next.

20. Galaxy

To create a galaxy painting, paint the entire background black. Then paint an oval in the middle using a dark Prussian blue. Then dilute some white and create round swirls in that Prussian blue.

Finally, to create the stars – Grab some white on a slightly larger size brush and flick the bristles using your index finger.

21. Cat

An adorable and simple cat painting to try out next.

22. Skyline

Paint a city skyline next!

Remember to paint the background first, then the city scape using black as the last step.

23. Ocean

A simple painting of a night ocean scene with the moon over the horizon.

24. Still Life

A great way to practice art in your everyday life is to paint still life around you.

What's on your desk? What beautiful everyday things are around you? Try painting that.

25. Coffee

26. Water

A simple painting of a girl (or ghost perhaps?) standing in a puddle of water.

Random… but that's what I decided to paint when faced with a completely green background I put down without thinking ahead.

27. Paint Palette

Another easy painting idea is simply painting your painting palette.

28. Dog

Paint this adorable dog with a bow.

29. Path

We each walk our own unique path in life. Draw what you envision your own path to be at this moment.

30. Rabbit

An adorable rabbit painting idea to try next.

31. Powerlines

powerlines painting easy things to paint

For this painting, I wanted to play with the gradient of pink and blue. Then, I painted the clouds and used an ink pen to create the powerlines. It helps to create a pencil sketch first of the powerlines.

32. Hot Air Balloons

A monochromatic painting of hot air balloons.

33. Dandelion

For this simple painting, paint your background any color you like. Then, with a pencil, sketch your dandelion and the seeds. Use a drawing pen to go over your initial dandelion sketch.

34. Jellyfish

A simple jellyfish painting using only two colors: Prussian Blue and white.

35. Tree Tops

Try painting tree tops and clouds floating overhead.

36. Crystals

A simple painting of a crystal using only two colors. Feel free to play around with more colors if you like!

37. Window

This window painting idea is a great way to practice painting from the background to the foreground.

Start by painting the pink sky. Then, flick some white paint for the stars. Paint the clouds next and the mountain.

For the window, first create a pencil sketch of the window using a ruler. Then, go over the window portion using black paint and a pen.

38. Hamster

Here's an easy adorable hamster painting to try as well.

39. Eclipse

Try out this eclipse painting: Start by painting the background with a dark blue at the outer edges and make it lighter toward the center. Flick white paint for the stars. Paint a black circle at the center, white outlining the circle with white border.

40. Sailboat

Try out this simple easy sailboat painting as well!

Related Blog Posts:
30 DIY Easy Canvas Painting Ideas
40 Easy Acrylic Painting Ideas
31 Easy Watercolor Painting Ideas
55 Cool and Easy Things to Draw

Thank you for stopping by this blog post! I hope you found some easy painting ideas to try out next in your sketchbook or empty canvas.

Feel free to add your own art style or twists to your painting as you like.

Paint as you wish and paint for fun! Enjoy the process and let your mind calm down from everything else in the world.