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101 Easy Acrylic Painting Ideas for Beginners on Canvas

If you’re new to acrylic painting, this is the blog post for you! With 101 easy acrylic painting ideas for beginners on canvas, there’s no reason not to start your journey today. From landscapes and still life paintings to abstracts and portraits–this list has something for everyone.

Painting Ideas for Beginners on Canvas:

Need some inspiration? When I start painting, I am afraid that it will not look like I’ve planned or I’m simply blank sometimes and don’t touch canvas for weeks! But then I browse Internet, Pinterest and save all cool painting ideas to rework them into something mine.

Where to get Ideas for acrylic painting?

  • pinterest, just type acrylic painting ideas or painting ideas, as it doesn’t matter the medium, you can do it in acrylics!
  • google images – same
  • facebook groups for acrylic painting beginners. People post a lot of works, it may inspire you.
  • your photo album – choose your favorite photos.
  • movies and tv shows or games – paint your fav character or scene.
  • world around you. Every artist sees details no one else can see. World around us is unique.

But also check my other lists of ideas:


What do you need to paint acrylic on canvas?

Supplies for easy acrylic painting on canvas:

To learn all about supplies, check this guide for beginners about tools and this How-to paint on canvas.

Please, do not limit your creativity! These ideas will absolutely work on wood, canvas, your old T-shirt, glass, and even rocks! I have a few simple guides on how to paint on different surfaces, so nothing can stop you now:

You may think, well, I got this, but I am not creative, I don’t have TALENT to draw or paint. You don’t have to! You can paint how you feel and you will progress over time, I guarantee you.

Yet, some artists, especially those with some sort of art education, all started by drawing with simple pencils. If you are nerdy enough to get yourself into drawing I highly recommend these 42 hours of pencil drawing tutorials. Afterwards you’ll never say, I can’t draw 🙂


101 Easy Acrylic Painting Ideas for Beginners on Canvas

1 – Night sky

Night skies can be different all over the world. It could also be a night sky not on the Earth, why not? You can take a photo of the night sky and use it as a reference or use your imagination.

Insider Tip: the most simple way to paint night sky may be to paint on pre-primed black canvas.
By J.CMax

Here is an idea for desert Night Sky:

Original artwork credit: StepByStepPainting.net

Check out these 22 Easy Night Sky Painting Tutorials (Acrylic, Watercolor, Poster Paint, Gouache)


2 – Painting Galaxy with acrylic

Galaxy is appealing and mysterious, but very easy to paint with acrylics, to be honest. You can use a dry brush or sponge and make it happen in 5 minutes!

Colors you can use (buy brands such as Liquitex, Golden, Winsor & Newton) for galaxy paintings, here are all colors by Liquitex:

Unkonw artist (please come forward if the work if yours so I can properly credit you)

The video tutorial on painting galaxy with sponge:

Read also: Violet vs Purple: The Difference You Should Know


3 – Mountains with acrylics

Mountains can be soooo different! With trees, winter mountains, mountains on an imaginary planet, Japanese mountains, Kilimanjaro, etc.

So many options!

Original idea by unknown artist, but it was taken by some paint-by-numbers company and also diamond painting.
My original work of Caucasus mountains, canvas, 2018

How to paint mountains with acrylics:

Insider Tip: to create depth in your mountain painting, paint in layers going from the furthest mountains to the closest ones. Remember that not all mountains resemble a pyramid.  

4 – Rivers or lakes

Water may be quite tricky to paint, but let’s start with rivers or lakes. Find a photo from your favorite spot or steal one from Pinterest.

By talented Australian artists Ian Harris, see full demo video.
I’m unable to find the author, please message me if you know who is it
Swan Lake by PaintSesh

You can paint just a lake or a lake with swans or a boat. Lake in summer, or winter, on a rainy day – choose what inspires you.

Insider Tip: If you a very very beginner, try not to choose complex ideas with a lot of details, shades and reflections. 

5 – Your fav photo

This is might be one of your first paintings. Today painting a photo from Instagram became a very popular trend among some artists, this is a work by Sasha Robinson which will be probably sold for a couple of thousand $$.

By Sasha Robinson

6 – Your pet

Paint your loved dog, cat, fish or hamster, or any other pet you have. It could be just for practice, but also can be a great gift or memory.

puppy acrylic painting easy
Created by my team: Easy Dog Painting for Beginners [Step-by-step Tutorial]

Choose a photo or make one use it as a reference, make a sketch first. Painting animals takes time and patience, but a beginner can absolutely make it!

if you are painting a dog or cat, use a round small brush or a liner for details and fur, or even add fur with a pen or pencil. Use white paint painting fur.

Here is a guide How to paint a cat in acrylics:

Here is a Youtube video How to paint a dog with acrylic:


7 – Easy dot painting with acrylics

Dot art can be very detailed and take a lot of time. For a beginner, though it can be an easy way to start. You don’t have to mix a lot of paint, you don’t have to paint objects and details – only dots, which is easy with a round brush.

Technically, anything can become a dot painting: a mandala, a landscape, an abstract idea.

By Brenda
Pinned by Kaz Lee
Sold on Esty: Music Quaver 8th Note

You can also use henna bags instead of a brush 😉

Painting dots make sure your brush is always clean!

8 – Abstract Painting on Black Background

The black background is a lot of fun. You can paint it with black paint, you can prime a raw canvas with black gesso, or you can simply buy a pre-primed black canvas.

Abstract art is freedom, there are no rules and you are free to express yourself with any colors and shapes you want: lines, dots, paint dripping from the brush, big strokes – everything is acceptable.

The Splash (2017) said to be created by an American artist, but I can’t find the name (if you know please message me!)

I have more ideas on black background for you: 54 Awesome Black Canvas Painting Ideas You’ll Want to Replicate and for those in love with black and white 60 Cool and Easy Black and White Painting Ideas.


9 – Make Acrylic look like Watercolor

To make acrylic paintwork as watercolor, you will need to thin acrylics with Liquitex Flow Aid and distilled water (you can use tap water too, but it is still recommended to use distilled water).

Here is a short video demonstrating wet-on-wet techniques with acrylics:

Please note, that watering acrylics down will make the transparent color even more translucent and opaque colors will also become thinner. To learn all about opacity and what colors are naturally more opaque than others check this blog: 7 Ways How to Make Acrylics More Opaque & Full Opaque Colors List.


10 – Paint Sunset with acrylic paint

What sunset are you imagining? Sunset on the beach, sunset in the megapolis, sunset on top of the mountain or near a lake?

Follow tutorials on StepByStepPainting.net
Simple Sunset Paintings by Ahmad Art (click to watch the full tutorial)
Full tutorial of these Sunset Mountains by Instructables
Cityscape by Jasmine (click to watch her tutorial)

Paint sunset with acrylic paint is extremely easy. You may have used the following colors:

Start with the background, moving from one color to another (use brush or sponge), let it dry, and then paint the closest objects with black paint. Add details and highlights with white and that’s it!


11 – Sunrise in acrylics

Close your eyes and imagine this fresh air, newborn sun, and how nature is waking up…Or maybe you hear how silent is your city?

Original artwork is actually for sale – Sunrise by Behshad Arjomandi, 2018
Easy acrylic Sunrise by Grace J Art (click to watch video tutorial)
Mountain Sunrise video tutorial

Sunrise near a river in a tent, on the beach on an island, in the village of your childhood – many many options to paint.

To paint a sunrise you may need: yellow, bright orange, pink and blue

Here is a Youtube tutorial How to paint a sunrise with acrylic:


12 – Horse

Painting horses can be challenging, that’s why I suggest you paint a horse’s head or horse silhouette like this:

This painting idea is widely used for paint and sip events, but I can’t find the original creator
Easy to follow Horse painting tutorial by StepByStepPainting.net

13 – Easy Rain acrylic painting

Painting rain and water is tricky as you need to paint something almost transparent. Water also has reflections and interacts with light.

Second, how we can tell about rain? Umbrellas, drops on the window, puddles. Sometimes a rainy day is a grey, but sometimes it’s still sunny. Which one do you choose?

Red Umbrella. This painting idea is widely used for paint and sip events, but I can’t find the original creator
Follow the tutorial by Jane to recreate this Rainy Day painting.

You can learn to paint drops easily with one of these 15+ Great Drawing Raindrops Turotials (Pencils, Oil Pastels, Acrylic, and Watercolor).

how to paint raindrops
My original small painting of raindropstutorial
Easy painting idea by Aftab

14 – Easy Portrait acrylic painting

A professional artist can create portrait as real as a photo is.

Easy Painting Vered tutorial for this portrait
Handmade paintings on paper by Rocío Montoya

To paint a good portrait you need to know anatomy and think about light, also you will need to mix skin tone color. We are learning and we can use some tricks:

  • use different technique, don’t try to be photorealistic
  • use bright colors for accents
  • google how to create skin tone color and other questions you may have, don’t be shy!

Here is a Youtube easy acrylic portrait tutorial:

A portrait can be very original too: what if it would be a female face with no mouth to illustrate how society ignores violence or a silhouette of the face with an inner world inside? Portrait can also combine several techniques, painting, and impasto, as an example.

My artwork, copy of one of my favorite artworks by Aleksandra Waliszewska.

15 – Easy Mushrooms painting

The fly agaric is the most popular mushroom to paint. It can be as part of a fairy tale with a Dwarf on top of it, or a more natural look of a mushroom. Be original, try other mushrooms too.

Can be a great painting for the kitchen!


16 – Easy black and white acrylic painting

Black and white is an easy painting as we only need 2 colors. You can do it on any background and use any theme, e. I yin yang or you can paint objects, portraits, nature using only 2 colors.

Original art by Sharon Cummings, Perfect Balance.
I don’t know the original author, unfortunately
I’ve seen dozens of variations of this painting and I still can’t find who made it originally. If it is you, please let me know so I can credit you properly

17 – Paint lovers, a couple

Are you in love? As we agreed, painting people and animals can be challenging, so we will again use the trick with silhouettes.

Here is also a Moonlight Couple Painting with acrylics:

More: Painting Date Night Complete Guide +12 Ideas For Sip & Paint Date DIY


18 – Paint an owl acrylic painting for beginners

Owl is an image of wisdom, owl painting can be also a great gift for Harry Potter fans.


19 – Puppy

Who doesn’t love cute puppies? You can try to paint as realistic as you can, or paint cartoon-style dogs.

This idea is widely used for kids painting parties! Unfortunately, I don’t know the original creator.
Unknown artist. Can buy a paint by numbers kit in UK.
Beagle. Unkown artist.

Head straight to my easy tutorial on how to draw this cute puppy:

Cute puppy created by my team, follow the full tutorial here

20 – Earth

Our planet is beautiful and diverse. It can be a view from space, it can be something conceptual like a planet on turtles – up to you. Maybe it can be something social – polluted planet or planet in war.

What is Earth for you?

Mother Earth. Unkown artist. Used for paint parties.
easy acrylic painting ideas mother earth
I think this is the original work on canvas, but the artist’s name remains unknown.
By Artecion. Original artwork is for sale.
Salt of the Earth 1620 Original Acrylic Painting, sold.

21 – Moon

how to draw a crescent moon
My super easy crescent moon you can copy in 15 minutes.

I have prepared more tutorials: How to Draw a Crescent Moon 15 Great Tutorials for All Types of Artists

Mysterious and gorgeous – the Moon. To paint the background using a sponge. If you want to paint on black background, buy a black primed canvas.

Painting the moon with Youtube tutorial:


22 – Nature morte or a Still life painting

Historically, nature morte was one of the must-have traditions in painting. Depending on culture, artists painted fruits, fish, kitchenware, etc.

A still-life painting is extremely important in academic painting teaching. You can create your own nature morte with fruits, vegetables, cups, and other kitchen stuff or even try something modern

I can’t find the original author, let me know if you know. Looks very Cezanne-ish but it’s not him.
This idea was reiterated sooo many times! Original art is by Nancy Bivins.
Unknown artist. If you know the orgignal author don’t hesitate to contact me.

23 – Easy photorealism with acrylic

Photorealism looks outstanding and it is sometimes hard to tell if it is a painting or a real object. As you can guess this technique requires time, knowledge, and patience.

by Simon Taylor on Unsplash

It also has a trick – one of the key stages of painting photorealism is transferring photos to your canvas.

Insider tip: print your photo reference on high quality print paper the same size as your future painting will be. When you transfer the photo to the canvas with transfer paper, remember to trace every detail, every single detail.  

24 – Easy geometric painting with acrylic

Painting geometric you will feel more confident, as all shapes are very well measured.

There are not only straightforward geometric painting ideas, but you can also paint everything using shapes, look at this lion with triangles.

Another option is to use masking tape.

by Rachael DeAnne Art
Unknown artist.

25 – Painting beach with acrylic paint

One of the easy paintings in acrylics is the beach scene. Did you know that there are beaches with black sand too? Maybe you want to paint one of those.

The background is easy to blend with a sponge.


26 – Paint a city

For a beginner, the easiest way to paint a big city is to paint a night city with silhouettes.

Popular idea for paint nights in NY
Said to be by Devika Agarwal

27 – Underwater world with acrylic

Imagine your snorkeling in clear, turquoise water…What you will see? Turtles, jellyfish, Nemo? The underwater world is fantastic, and also quite simple to paint for a beginner.

how to paint sea turtle
My underwater turtle with acrylic paints (tutorial)
Insider tip: Always paint water first, fish and corals will be last.

Check also: How to Paint Sea Turtles 15 Beautiful Tutorials (Acrylic, Watercolor, Pencil)


28 – Paint metaphorical love, death, etc

Art helps us to express something invisible, something that doesn’t need words. Art therapy is a proven method of building well-being also because we can experience what’s happening. We are also all so different, that for someone love is eternal, but for others temporary like a flower.

Painting is your way to transmit a message about yourself and the world.

Eternal Love  by Victoria Trok
Artist unknown. If you know original creator, please let me know
Aritst unknown, but the work is on sale online.

29 – Try easy acrylic pouring on canvas

Acrylic pouring is an absolute trend now – it is easy, it is fast, it is nice. You don’t need to buy brushes, palettes, worrying about fast-drying paint. You only need to dilute the paint with Floetrol or another pouring medium.

Acrylic pouring (Dirty Cup), my work
Acrylic pouring (Straw)

There are different techniques in pouring (I have a list with videos of 25!!) too, just follow a tutorial, like this:

You need:

Before using Floetrol or if you feel like it is quite expensive, check my Floetrol guide with 9 substitutes and easy recipes.

Insider tip: there are some ready-to-use starter packs on Amazon - everything is included: paint, canvas, cups, sticks, palette knife, boards, etc - it will be enough to create 3 acrylic pourings!! One of these starter kits is Nicpro 26 Colors Pour Paint Kit for only $35.99.

30 – Paint a tree or a forest with acrylic paint

Insider tip: to paint trees and forest you can use Fan brush, it will make the process easier. 
You can also use a palette knife to create 3D crowns.
Tutorial by Jay Lee
Original art by Enxu Zhou
Easy tutorial by Eileen Mckeena

You can create a tree like this too, as a symbol of time and seasons changing:

Unkown artist

Check also: 55+ Easy & Cute Spring Painting Ideas on Canvas for Beginners


31 – Easy plants painting for beginners

It could be a plant in minimalistic modern interiors or a plant in the garden, or just a big monstera leaf – use your imagination.


32 – Desserts and candies

We need to love what we are doing, right? I adore sweets and I think it can be fun to paint something that you like to eat.

Macarons, cakes, lollipops…everything!

By Myroslava Voloshuk
Unkown artist
Unkown artist
Sweets I quickly sketched with paint pens

33 – Woman with acrylics

Female paintings just make you stare at them – they are powerful and purely beautiful. It is ok if you now can’t paint faces or hair, you can always play around with it without losing quality in beauty.


34 – Kids: mom and daughter acrylic painting or son and father, or a whole family

Family painting can be a great memory and a nice gift for grandparents, parents for anniversaries.

Tutorial by Vijaya
Father with son Painting by Irena Ra
Unknown artist. Popular idea for paint parties.

35 – Paint a bird on a branch

Easy and romantic painting in acrylic:

Spring Finches paint event
By ArtSherpa
Unknown artist

36 – Christmas acrylic painting

Can be a nice decoration or a gift to create a Christmas atmosphere. Paint snowman, candles, Christmas tree, gifts, Santa – so many ideas!

More ideas for winter and holiday season: 55+ Easy Christmas & Winter Canvas Painting Ideas For Beginners


37 – Coastal art with acrylic

Coast it is not only the beach, but it can also be a completely different landscape! Even a beach can be shown from a new point of view. Experiment, don’t stick only to the white sand beaches.

By Mike Kraus, original work is sold.
Original work is for sale by talented Nicola Maylesher

38 – Paint acrylics with fingers

Let’s be fully free and feel like we are kids again. Feel the paint, feel the process. Plus, our fingers will create an individual texture for your painting, as all prints are unique. These sunflowers were created by fingers!

Here are also my collection of 22 Easy Tutorials How to Paint a Sunflower (Acrylic, Watercolor, Pouring Etc).


39 – Easy Acrylic painting with palette knife

I love it! You don’t use any brushes, you apply paint with palette knives – there are at least 5 different shapes of palette knives you can use.

With a palette knife, you can paint landscapes, abstract art, flowers, portraits.


40 – Clouds acrylic painting

Clouds painting can teach you to work with white color, creating light-weighted paintings. It doesn’t have to be always blue clouds!

Use sponge or even palette knife to create clouds. Or experiment with brushes.
My artwork, actually done with gouache but can be created with actylics
Unknown artist
A Tutorial by Arteza

41 – Gradient

We are learning to blend paint when we do gradients. In fact, we use gradients all the time: backgrounds, sunsets, sunrise, etc.

A gradient by itself can be a nice abstract painting or you can turn it later into a sunset.

Skills of blending and creating gradients can be used to paint sky:

Little work I made with poster paints

42 – Paint acrylic with Q tips

Extremely easy and interesting to paint with Q tips, it is perfect for any round shapes and detailed work. It is also cheap, as you don’t need a brush set, you can use Q tips from your bathroom.

By ArtSherpa
By Art Sherpa
Insider tip: you can use 1 Q tips or bend several tips with different colors on it. 

43 – Acrylic painting rose

One of the most popular flowers is a Rose. Painting a rose needs a bit of patience, but you are free to use brushes, q tips, palette knives, or your fingers.

Always paint roses in layers!

Also, I love peonies as much as I love roses, so here we go: How to Paint Peony 23 Beautiful Tutorials (Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache)


44 – Easy Sunflower acrylic painting

Van Gogh made it and so can we! Sunflowers can be made with a palette knife and fingers too.

sunflower painting
My easy version of a sunflower (tutorial)
By Renjitha Anoop
Unknown artist

Here are also my collection of 22 Easy Tutorials How to Paint a Sunflower (Acrylic, Watercolor, Pouring Etc).


45 – Tulip acrylic painting

Did you know that each color of tulips has a meaning? For ex., Yellow tulips are the symbol of friendship.

ArtByJae
Full tutorial by Pamella Groppe
Unknown artist

46 – Lavender with acrylic paint

The easiest way to paint lavender with acrylics is to do it with Q tips.

Another option is a palette knife, it’s more complicated and has a different effect, like in this Youtube tutorial.


47 – Acrylic painting diptych or triptych

What if our idea is bigger than 1 canvas? Professional artists often create painting series or 2-3 paintings which are connected by theme, colors, style.

Easy diptych can be abstract painting, acrylic pouring, reflections, seasons, inverted colors of the same painting, and so on – you see, it is really easy to get ideas!

by NatureAndArt
Original artwork was sold. Poppy Garden, Carlo Nelson

48 – Easy Zodiac acrylic painting

Your painting can be very personal – you can paint your zodiac sign: constellation, real creature, or any other way you see it.

It is easy to paint: paint the background with a sponge, take a liner and create a constellation. Add highlights.
Series by MLpaintings
Unknown artist
Night Sky Zodiac paint events held by PinotsPalette

49 – Pumpkin for Halloween

by Aileen Ruiz
Olga Tkatchuk, original art sold on her website.

Check also: 91 Fall Canvas Painting Ideas Everyone Will Surely Love!


50 – Wedding theme for acrylic painting

Could be a wonderful gift or a piece of memory for your living room or bedroom!

Again, if you’re not comfortable with painting faces, don’t! You can see how many artists completely ignore them, don’t evaluate all paintings that it should be only realism, no!

Commision art by Deann
By Jennie Lou Art
by adrianedworzak

51 – Painting contours

It is something new and very popular! People sell it for hundreds of dollars! You can find a lot of contour painting on Pinterest, it is usually faces, hands, flowers or leaves, bodies.

by Willow Wolfe

52 – Acrylic painting quote

This is a great idea for your workplace, write something motivational to remind you why you started what you’re doing.

Unknown artist

Some motivation quotes ideas to paint:

  • Enjoy the little things.
  • Tough times don’t last.
  • A problem is a chance for you to do your best.
  • A little progress each day adds up to big results.
  • Success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall.
  • Don’t stop until you’re proud.
  • Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.
  • Follow Your Passions.
  • Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. 
  • The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.
  • Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.

53 – Acrylic painting with fruits, berries, vegetables

Perfect for kitchen or dining room. Try to make it the way you want to eat it – juicy, bright, fresh!

Some doodles I made traveling
Unknown artist
I think it was created by Sari Studio
by Chelzart

I love watermelon, so here we go, a watermelon painting tutorial from Youtube:


54 – Easy Heart acrylic painting

Try to be creative and not paint just a red heart, which is also completely fine.

by 121Art
by Jen Sneddon Holden

55 – Lips with acrylic paint

Basically, you need colors for the background, red and titanium white to mix red tints and add highlights. You can also create lips with lipstick or surrealistic lips.

Unknown artist
Dozens of versions, but original was seem to be by ArtSherpa
Evolution of “LIPS” painted @ Painting with a Twist Miami.

56 – Painting eyes

I find eyes painting one of the most powerful art pieces. Eyes can express so much!

Tutorial by Angela Anderson

57 – Nude art

Painting a human body is quite difficult, you need to know anatomy and paint the right shades.

Claustraphobia by Aja Trier 
Unknown artist

58 – Cappadocia ballons

original work is on sale on Saatchi Art, by Dr Joel Goldman
Cappadocia Painting by Elena White
Unknown artist

This is a really easy and unique tutorial of Cappadocia balloons painting:


59 – Movie heroes

When I first saw Mandalorian, I was a fan of Baby Yoda, and not only me, there are so many babies now all over the Internet, haha.

It could be done cartoon style, it could be more realistic, it could be your own vision. Find a scene or a photo of your favorite character, print it, and paint!

by Snowboardleopard
KidsArtClass
Unknown artist

For Star wars fans: 55+ Easy Star Wars Painting Ideas & Crafts for Star Wars Day


60 – Pop art acrylic painting ideas

Pop art is actually an art movement and not a technique. It means you can do it with any medium, including acrylics.


61 – Acrylic painting impasto technique

Impasto is when you apply thick layers of paint, even directly from the tube. You can also use a palette knife. It creates incredible texture and three-dimensional effects. You will need a special impasto or heavy gel.

Unknown artist
Unknown artist

62 – Acrylic Painting with masking tapes

Masking tape can help you create extra framing to your painting or nice edges between shapes and objects.

Unknown artist
Unknown artist
Use only masking tape, not another type of tape!

63 – Garden scene

Garden scenes require a lot of patience and working on small details, it is absolutely doable by a beginner, but maybe not the best choice if you want faster results.

Rose Gate Gardens a Box of Cookies Academy acrylic painting lesson by Ginger Cook
by Ginger Cook

64 – A bicycle with a basket of flowers in acrylics

It is a very traditional theme to paint, so why not?

The Amra Palette
by RiddhisArtDesk
by Angela Anderson

65 – A view from your window

Where do you live? It doesn’t have to be a villa next to the ocean, but it still can be pretty. Or what you would like to see opening curtains?

Original author unknown
Unknown artist

66 – A winter scene

Winter is easy to paint and can be a nice decoration. I don’t like winter as it’s cold, but I love winter scene acrylic painting!

Original author unknown
Original work by Jacobson, but there is a very similar artwork by Thomas Harle
by Deb Watson
by StepByStepPainting.net
by ArtSherpa

67 – Autumn with acrylic paint

Easy autumn paintings are autumn trees, forests, and leaves. You will need warm colors: red, yellow, orange.

By SpruceCrafts
“Autumn Path” acrylic painting by Jonna Wormald for Cork & Canvas
FineArtAmerica
Insider tip: to paint a leaf simply get one real leaf from the park, paint it and place it on the canvas - you will transfer it to the canvas and then can add detail with brush.

More ideas: 91 Fall Canvas Painting Ideas Everyone Will Surely Love!

68 – 4 seasons in one painting

This is a great idea to put all season in one painting. You can paint a tree, split the canvas into 4 parts and each part will have its own season and how a tree looks like in winter, in summer, or during autumn. Or the same landscape in 4 seasons.

It could also be an idea for triptych or even quadriptych.

by Anisha Jain

69 – Reflections with acrylic paint

Mastering reflections is an important step to paint water, glass, mirrors.


70 – Road

Highway, the road in the mountains or the forest – so many ideas! Road ad a symbol of life and endless traveling.

My Road
Unknown artist

71 – Surrealism with acrylic paint

Did you know that the surrealism movement idea was to knock subconsciousness on the door to release creativity?

Surrealism is characterized by dream-like ideas, the use of symbols, lack of logic, and bizarre objects. It means – frees yourself and creates what never existed!

by JuddWonderland
by Andrew Judd
by Corinna Chirila
Painting for paint events

72 – Sunset or sunrise from plane

Have you ever flying during sunset or sunrise – it is spectacular! You can never see this type of beauty on the ground.

I would suggest to paint it on small size canvas.
potentially by Eli Miranda
by Aftab

73 – Easy Tour Eiffel acrylic painting

Tour Eiffel is a symbol, romantic symbol, of Paris. Did you know that many years ago, artists and writers hated it and even left the city to not see it?!

Artist unknown. But used for paint nights by PinotsPalette
by Angela Anderson

Here is a Youtube tutorial to paint Tour Eiffel in Paris easily:


74 – Easy Pyramids acrylic painting

The shape of pyramids is easy to create for a beginner, you also don’t need a lot of colors and complex details to work on.

Artist unknown to me
Starry Night Pyramid Painting, by Oli Agrama
by SA_ART 

75 – Nuclear Explosion in acrylic

Why not? Why we should always paint the same landscapes and not trying something new? Nuclear explosions are devastating and bring a lot of death, let keep them only on canvas.

Painting explosion will be similar to painting clouds. 
by Chirila Corina
by Charles Bittinger, original painting is made with oils.

76 – Post apocalypse scene acrylic painting

There are a lot of fans of post-apocalypse culture. It can be your imagination or a scene from a game or a movie.

by GothLyllyOn

77 – Acrylic painting feather

You can create amazing feathers with acrylic pouring. Peacock feather is the most popular for acrylic painting, but you can absolutely paint any feather you like.

Unknown artist
by Renjitha Anoop
by East Urban Home

78 – Windows from street, house facade

Old small European towns and villages, flowers, the smell of pastry…

by Riddshyam’s
by Ginger Cook

79 – Copy of your favorite painting

One of my first paintings was an attempt to copy my favorite artist. It was a great lesson and I’m very proud that I made it.

My version of a French painting

80 – Sport painting: surfer, football, golf

Any sport you like can work. I mentioned that I copied an artist, that was a surfer painting:

by alejandro moreno, original art is already sold.
By Alison Philpotts
My copy for a friend, I can’t remember the artist’s name, unfortunatelly

81 – Waterfall acrylic painting

Google waterfalls or take a picture of a waterfall in your region if you are lucky as I am (I live in Bali and there are so many secret waterfalls!).

Start painting with background and darker areas. Clear water and white highlights will come last.
By ArtSherpa
by StepByStepPainting.net
Artist unknown

82 – Village scenery acrylic painting

I grew up in a village and my parents still live there. Villages changer so much for the last 20 years. We may soon forget how was it, but it still has its own charm.

by Ruchika
by ChiefBabs
by Aniko Hencz

83 – Acrylic painting car or motorbike

For modern interior design, a sports car painting or a custom bike could be great!

Original artwork is already sold. by Raksha R, 2018
by Samantha Geernaert
Unknown artist

84 – Easy flamingos with acrylic

Flamingos are actually regarded as the most beautiful tall birds in the world. When people keep flamingos in captivity, they lose pink shades and turn yellowish. So paint happy and free flamingo!

Here is an easy tutorial to paint flamingo with acrylic paint:


85 – Portrait without face

Human faces are really hard to paint, sometimes it turns out very bad. So the trick is to paint a portrait without a face.

Unknown artist

86 – Acrylic painting: dance, dancer

Dance is another art expressing soul and emotions without words and sometimes even better than a text.

by Sowjanya Tirunagari
Dancing Painting by vishalandra m dakur

87 – Rainbow acrylic painting

Rainbow can be painted itself or can be implemented in your painting.

by CharBensonArts
by Angela Anderson
By PaintingIsEasy

88 – Dolphins acrylic painting

Dolphins are so beautiful and smart. They actually can paint too!

Painting idea for one of the paint classes
by Sharla Guinn
Artist unknown

89 – A whale in acrylic

You can paint a tale of the whale or a whole whale.

Artist unknown, but the idea is widely used for paint nights
Paint night idea from Catalyst Studio
By Victoria Gobel

90 – Easy Koi fish acrylic painting

Easy to paint, can be done in 90 minutes a koi fish acrylic painting like this:

My Koi fishes I created once at a paint night event

91 – Ideas for acrylic painting on round canvas

Acrylic painting and pouring look amazing on round canvases.

Unknown artist
Unknown artist
by SheerJoy
By Magali Blandin

92 – Storm and lightning acrylic painting

by Ginger Cook

93 – Easy Northern lights acrylic painting

The usual colors Northen lights have are pink, green, yellow, blue, violet, and occasionally orange and white.

OOAK Artisan Showcase
Tutorial

94 – Wine and wine glass

You can choose your favorite drink instead of wine.

Adult paint nights by ArtSpy
Unknown artist
by Barbara Janecka
by Bogdan Toma

95 – Safari

The easy safari painting would be a sunset safari with silhouettes: elephants, giraffes, lions, etc.

Safari paint night by paintnite.com
by Imee Art and Craft
Safari king paint night by PinotsPalette

96 – Japanese style paintings

Japanese themes include a variety of ideas: geisha, Japanese village or city, Japanese landscape, and flowers.

Unknown artist
Original author is unknown to me
Unknown artist, but the idea is used by many paint night studios

97 – Ballet acrylic painting

Ballet painting was popular among artists of all schools and times. Ballet is easy to paint, be careful with hands and proportions!

Unknown artist, but the idea is used by many paint night studios, 5d paintings and prints
by SheaDesignArt

98 – Buddha or other spiritual figures and elements

We all believe in something, it could be a great gift for someone spiritual and nice detail for a yoga studio.

Artist unknown
Unknown artist
Unknown artist

99 – Sailing boat acrylic painting

Boats and sea were popularized in the painting by Aivazovsky. Water can be hard to paint, so choose easy ideas:

I don’t seem to find who painted this
the painting is very similar to the original artwork by Olga Astri
I can’t find the name of the original artist

100 – A veiw from a keyhole

Interesting idea! On another side could be a garden or a room, or a magic universe!

Unknown artist
By Jane
by Ahmad Art

101 – Aesthetic minimalist acrylic painting

This is a modern art movement based on simplicity. It is really easy and looks professional. Pinterest is full of ideas.

Unknown artist

NOT ENOUGH IDEAS? Check my latest Winter painting Ideas for beginners and Star Wars Painting Ideas!


How painting affects mental health

Finally, I want to remind you why you absolutely should continue painting and be more self-confident.

  • it is simply your hobby, your time for yourself, your way to see the world and to switch from everyday routine. Art is you! You are creative, amazing and special.
  • Painting and art can help you express yourself without words and say even more than you could.
  • Art has an immense impact on our mental health and brain activity NO matter what skills you have!
    • Expressing yourself through painting can help your with depression, anxiety, or even cancer.
    • Painting improves memory, reasoning, and resilience in healthy older people.
    • It helps improve observation skills.
    • Art helps to prevent dementia, Alzheimer, cognitive impairment and other age effects, also allows to maintain fine-motor skills!
    • Painting helps to recover from illnesses
    • Painting prevent loneliness and isolation.
    • Art helps to build emotional and mental well-being and make it stable
    • Painting reduces stress even on hormone level.
    • Painting keeps you mindful and self-compassionate.
    • Painting brings you to the state of the flow which lead to boost of creativity and innovative thinking.
    • Art encourage creative, critical thinking and we develop problem-solving skills painting.
    • When we look at the paintings we like, our blood flow to the brain is increased the same 10% as when we are looking at somebody we love.
    • If you are painting with your friends or attending a paint night event, it makes you feel a part of a community and our brain sees it as a nice reward.
    • Doing art, especially abstract art is liberating. There is no wrong or right and you can for once not be worried about fitting in.
    • Art teaches us to be kind to ourselves and that mistakes are OK!

How does this work? It works because we not only paint with acrylics but because we imagine, reuse, and experiment with different textures, colors, supports, and mediums. It keeps our brain active, attentive and motivates us to find new ways, which means our brain builds new paths.

The most important thing that makes art so powerful tool for happiness is mistaking. We are learning through mistakes, and our brain rewards learning. So please, be happy every time you make a mistake – you grow.

One more piece of advice: be focused on your painting. Don’t talk, don’t be distracted. Make sure this time is for you and your canvas, and nothing is bothering you. This is a sort of creative meditation. Use it to build your well-being.


I also shared all the painting tips I think helped me (and I update this list) as a beginner here: 60 Acrylic Painting Tips for Beginners You Should Know.


What To Look For When Looking For an EASY Acrylic Painting Idea as a Beginner

Some paintings look more difficult to paint that they actually are!

Some techniques and mediums also require more patience and skills, than other, so look for a few signs to determine if the painting idea is really easy to do and to avoid disappointment.

  1. You can easily name colors you see. I means you don;t have to mix complex shades and tones that you don’t have in your paint set.
  2. There is no gradient. Gradient colors look stunning but they require blending. If it is your very first painting, skip blending for now, and learn it later.
  3. There are no small details. For example, painting landscapes or a portrait a professional artist can go in much more details – till painting each pore and tiny hair on model’s face. As a beginner we need to avoid this. Choose larger elements, less detailed painting style, and simpler geometrical shapes.
  4. Look for silouhettes. Painting a silhouette of an animal or a couple on a sunset beach is much easier than painting photorealistic and full scale bodies.
  5. Follow an easy written or video tutorial but always feel free to add details or remove steps you don’t like/ cannot do yet. You can always come back and do the same painting again once you gained needed skills.

Easy Acrylic Painting Ideas for Beginners FAQ

What is the easiest thing to paint on a canvas?

Abstract painting, simple sunset landscapes, and silhouettes are the easiest things to paint on a canvas. Flowers, starry nights, quotes, and all sorts of symbols are also quite easy to paint. I personally find cool acrylic painting ideas on Google images and Pinterest and almost all of them are easy to adapt to your level, but as I mostly do abstract or pouring I just go with my gut!

Easy Things to Paint on Canvas:

  • Abstract art
  • Acrylic pouring
  • Winter paintings
  • Pop art
  • Northern lights or starry night
  • Quotes, symbols, logos
  • Silhouettes
  • Sunsets
  • Flowers and butterflies
  • Mountain landscapes
  • Trees and Christmas trees
  • Dot paintings and mandalas
  • Geometrical shapes

How do you start an acrylic painting on canvas?

1. Buy a pre-primed canvas that was already primed with gesso or apply 2-3 coats of gesso over your raw canvas.
2. To get the smoothest surface lightly sand the gessoed canvas once it’s dry.
3. Find an idea you’d like to paint and print the reference.
4. Sketch it lightly with a pencil or charcoal and paint with acrylics moving from the background forwards, from darker colors to lighter accents. Always paint in thin layers and let them dry for 30 min in between.
5. When the colors are dry, seal with spray or brush-on varnish.

What is the easiest painting to get into?

Many professionalartists will agree than acrylic and gouache painting are the easiest to learn for beginners. Acrylic paint dries much faster than oil paints, don’t have such a strong smell,easy to blend and apply. Acrylics are also easier than watercolor paints as you use less water and there will be less messy mistakes.

What do you paint a canvas with first?

First, you prepare the canvas and paint it with gesso to assure the paint’s adhesion. Then you paint the background first and let it dry for 10-30 minutes. After it, you can paint the shapes, and figures and at last add light colors for accents.

Where and How to Learn Acrylic Painting?

You can learn acrylic painting technique from the comfort of your home, tons of tutorials available today.

You can also attend online classes like Skillshare or private group classes by an artist you like, depending on the complexity and the skills level such workshops cost from $15 to $150.

At the same time learning acrylic painting can be a fun activity to share with firneds, partner or family,so you can sign up for the next painth and sip event in your town.