25 Fun and Easy Acrylic Painting Ideas for Beginners

You’re inspired to start painting, and yet, that blank canvas feels so… blank. Or maybe you have acrylic painting ideas floating around in your mind, but you’re not quite sure how to bring your vision to life. 

Either way, this list of easy acrylic painting ideas—plus step by step classes to help you create them—will get you out of your head and started on your next masterpiece. 

Before you dive into your first project, you’ll want to gather your materials. While some of the tutorials below require specialty materials, you can make most easy acrylic paintings with a few basic supplies:

Many art supply stores also carry acrylic painting sets for beginners, which come with everything above.

Using masking tape and just a few colors of acrylic paint, you can create this color blocked masterpiece. Follow along the process in Cat Coquillette’s course.

Another Cat Coquillette masterpiece, this simple acrylic painting will help you practice blending and detail work.

File this under “cool things to paint with acrylics:” a trio of frosted donuts on a swirly retro background. Student Jane Malone created this simple acrylic painting in Skillshare’s Modern Acrylic Painting course.

This geometric, boldly colored pineapple, created by student Jessica C in this course, isn’t exactly a realistic depiction of the tropical fruit, but that’s part of the fun. 

Landscapes have always been a favorite subject of the world’s greatest artists, but don’t be intimidated: This course walks you step by step through landscape painting for beginners.

This forest by Skillshare student Supriya J shows that even beginners can create a masterpiece. Create this simple acrylic painting yourself in Debasree Dey’s course.

Looking for fun acrylic paintings to do with your kids? This tutorial by artist Em Winn is easy enough for little ones, but perfect for aspiring artists of all ages to practice blending a rainbow of colors.

This is one of those easy acrylic paintings that looks more difficult than it is. Elle Byers breaks the painting down into simple shapes and instructions, so that even beginners can tackle it with ease.

This acrylic paint design looks like it was done by a professional (and it was—by Skillshare instructor George-Daniel Tudorache). But he breaks it down into steps that he promises are “fun, easy, and intuitive,” even for beginners.

Painting faces can be intimidating for beginners, but this course, complete with a traceable you can download and use to sketch your design before you start painting, makes it easy.

With their dramatically different shapes, leaves, and bark textures, trees are endlessly interesting things to paint with acrylics. Artist and illustrator Meenakshi Chinniah shows you how.

Bright and brilliant, sunflowers make for fun acrylic paintings. From stem to leaf, Meenakshi Chinniah will show you how to paint them with ease.

The door is the focal point of this simple acrylic painting, but this lesson will also show you how to paint leaves, shadows, and tiny details. 

When you’re stumped with easy acrylic painting ideas, abstract art is a great place to turn. Gino Savarino shows students how to create this acrylic paint design with a few simple colors and brush strokes. 

Layering acrylics creates depth and movement in this stormy sea by Elle Byers. 

Got 10 minutes to spare, and a palette knife? Check out this super-quick tutorial by Kuhu Sheopuri and create your own dreamy sunset. 

Working on a smaller canvas can be a wonderful way to practice your detail skills. This course walks you through just how to create these mini masterpieces.

This cheery holiday tree can be as abstract or realistic as you’d like, making it a great project for beginners. Hang it on your wall during the holiday season, or surprise a loved one with a homemade gift.

Still life objects, like fruit, are beloved things to paint with acrylics, as well as great subjects for practicing perspective and shadows. Paint your own with this tutorial.

Using just a few colors and simple detail work, kids and adults alike will enjoy this acrylic painting lesson. 

When you’re searching for acrylic painting ideas, inspiration doesn’t have to come from real-life people, places, or things. In this course, Skillshare instructor Kaitlyn Goodey shows you how to use the “puddle painting” method with acrylic paint. 

You don’t just have to stick to easy acrylic painting ideas for beginners on canvas—painting on wood adds texture and interest to your artwork. Here’s what you’ll need and how to make your own wood creation.

Use tiny brushes and bold colors to create these fun acrylic paintings that would look perfect in a tropical or desert home!

Learn to paint sheep from a variety of angles in this fun landscape.

Skillshare instructor Vered Thalmeier creates beautiful acrylic painting designs—like this comic-style portrait—and you can, too!