Acrylic Painting Ideas & Inspiration For Beginners
.png)
Whether you’re looking to get inspiration for your next masterpiece or you’re just dipping your toes into the world of painting, Art to Art is here to help. We’ve put together a range of acrylic painting ideas that are perfect for beginners but could also work for other skill levels.
What do you need to start acrylic painting?
What you’ll need:
Primed canvas (double thick or thin) or painting paper
Optional extras:
Palette knives and wedges
Acrylic painting techniques to try
There are a number of acrylic painting techniques that exist – some are great for beginners, whereas others are a little more advanced. We’ve listed some of the most common techniques to get you started.
Check out more: Acrylic Painting Techniques
Easy & fun acrylic painting ideas for beginners
1. Beach
Painting a beach is simple, easy and not to mention, fun! You can also have lots of artistic freedom with this one and add in as much or as little detail as you want. Try adding in little people, umbrellas, sea shells, a sunset, palm trees or even some dolphins. Or if you really prefer to keep things simple, just paint the beach itself.
2. Sunset
Another super simple scenery to paint. All you really need is a mix of oranges, pinks, yellows and a bit of imagination. If you’re feeling up to the challenge, you might even want to add in some trees or buildings.
3. Daisies
Daisies are bright, cheerful and super fun to paint. Plus, you only need a few colours! It’s completely up to you how many daisies you paint – you could just paint one big one in the centre or paint as many as your heart desires.
4. Wildlife
This is an acrylic painting idea where your only limit is your imagination. You could paint an entire African safari, animals in the jungle, ocean animals or just a snoozing sloth.
See more: Acrylic Animal Painting Ideas
5. Bird
Birds are a fantastic animal to paint because you can add in as much or as little detail as you like. Plus, there’s so many different types of birds to get you inspired – you can paint flamingos, penguins, seagulls, parrots, eagles and plenty more.
6. Butterfly
A butterfly is quite possibly one of the easiest acrylic painting ideas. You can opt for a single butterfly or challenge yourself to paint multiple butterflies, all with different coloured wings and patterns.
7. Cat
This is a purr-fect acrylic painting idea. If you’re up to it, try painting multiple cats with different colours and patterns, or just keep it simple by painting one large cat in the middle. You might even want to add in extra details, like a bowl of milk or a ball of yarn.
8. Dog
If you have a dog, why not try to paint him/her! If this is your first time painting, don’t stress over making it totally realistic. Instead, try to keep things simple or even make the painting a little more cartoon-y.
9. Sail boat
We love painting sailboats because they’re made up of easy-to-paint shapes and you only need a few colours. Again, you can add as much or as little detail as you like, and paint one big sail boat or hundreds of them! If you’re up for it, you might want to try painting on some fun patterns on the sails or on the side of the boats.
10. Desert
Deserts are a super easy acrylic painting idea because they only require a few colours and you can be as abstract as you like. If you feel up to it, you can add in cacti, mountains, camels or a sunset.
See more: Acrylic Landscape Painting Ideas
11. Geometric shapes
This is another acrylic painting idea where your only limit is your imagination! To create a geometric painting, you can either stick to one shape or mix things up with a variety of shapes like triangles, circles and rectangles. To create crisp clean lines, we recommend using masking tape or a ruler.
12. Clouds
Though they look a little tricky, clouds are a lot easier to paint than you’d think. The trick is to layer your paint and to use a paint sponge to give the clouds that soft and fluffy texture.
13. Galaxy
Ever wanted to paint the midnight sky? Now you can! While this painting idea does require a little bit of colour blending and shading, it’s easier than it looks. Plus, when you add in the stars, you can either paint them on individually or use your paintbrush to ‘flick’ on the paint which creates a splatter effect.
14. Sunflower
Bright, cheerful and yellow – who doesn’t love a sunflower? Like with the daisies, you can opt for one big sunflower in the centre of the painting or create a whole sunflower field – it’s totally up to you. You might even want to paint the sunflower in a vase!
15. Fruit
Whether you’re into watermelon, apples, pineapple or bananas, painting fruit is super fun and not to mention – easy! We recommend adding in a contrasting colour as your background to really make your fruit pop.
16. Mountains
If you think about it, mountain ranges are really just big triangles stacked upon one another – making them one of the easiest landscapes to paint. If you give this painting idea a go, try adding in extra details like trees, a sunset or snow.
Want to try something a bit different? Abstract Acrylic Painting Ideas
More inspo & helpful resources
Types of paint brushes and their uses
FAQ
How do you start off acrylic painting?
While it can be tempting to jump straight into painting with lots of colours, shapes and patterns, the key is starting simple. This will not only build up your skills but your confidence too. We recommend opting for painting ideas that feature easy objects (like flowers) or simple landscapes, and only using the primary colours. As you get more comfortable painting, you can try blending your colours together and even trying some new painting techniques.
If you’re still feeling nervous about painting for the first time, you can always trace out your design with a lead pencil on the canvas. Then all you need to do is fill in the spaces with your paint!
What is the easiest thing to paint in acrylic?
The easiest things to paint include:
Large shapes and objects, such as a single sunflower that takes up the whole canvas
Simple sceneries and landscapes, such as beaches, mountains and deserts
Animals and insects like cats, dogs, butterflies and birds
