Whether you’re a beginner or stuck in an idea rut, sometimes it’s best to go back to the basics. Simple acrylic paintings span a range of art styles from traditional still lifes to massive abstract works. Working on a fast, easy painting is a chance to let creativity flow, practice new skills, and maybe remember some old ones you lost too! Here are five acrylic painting easy ideas you can whip up in no time.
Easy Acrylic Painting Ideas for Beginners
Acrylic painting is a wonderful hobby for novice artists. Acrylics are inexpensive, easy to work with, and fairly forgiving. They dry fast, allowing you to paint over a mistake after just minutes. They wash out with water. They’re widely available in every shade your little heart could desire and don’t need to be mixed, minimizing the time you need to create your desired color palette. Acrylics aren’t too picky about what brush or substrate you use either, so with a quick trip to your local art store (or even Walmart) you can be painting in no time!
1. Easy Acrylic Pour Cactus
These adorable acrylic pour cacti were created by our resident painting guru, Nerissa. They are cute, help bring in the outdoors to your interior, and they can be created by just about anyone, in just a few minutes. In this tutorial, Nerissa will walk you through the process step by step, showing you how to fashion these beauties with some basic acrylic pouring and a balloon!
Pro Tip: If you have a large space to fill, on a budget, a tryptic is a fantastic option. With three smaller, cheaper canvases, you can maximize your visual impression without spending big bucks.
Pouring for the first time and need more explanation on materials, processes, and terms? Head on over to our Beginner’s Guide to Acrylic Pouring.
2. A Cozy Cup of Coffee
There’s something special about a warm cup of coffee on a chilly day. Snuggling up with a soft blanket and a good book creates the perfect setting for relaxation. The only more relaxing is creating your own coffee house scene.
I’ve chosen this piece because it’s basically a semester’s worth of practice in drawing 101 all-in-one painting. You’ll work on perspective getting the tile lines right. There’s a chance to practice shading in the coffee cup and background both, and composition with the placing of the cup (which you could work more on by adding a plate with pastry or a vase of flowers. It’s a fantastic painting to practice these essential elements and advance your craft.
Pro Tip: There is a perspective problem with this painting, which may be the artist’s intention. To make the painting appear more realistic, the coffee drops should curve and fall against the cup. Real coffee drips don’t dangle off the cup into the air, they flow down the curve of the cup to the base.
3. Geometric Paintings
Geometric art is one of the best acrylic painting easy ideas because it makes a huge visual impact with little to no technical skill required. You really just need an eye for detail and some patience.
This set of paintings above are some I created when I had a 14-foot tall space above a fireplace to fill. I was able to create this set with scrap pieces of wood in my garage, the wall paint, and some good painter’s tape.
Pro Tip: Take some time to envision your piece and tape out your plan, paying close attention to symmetry and angles. After your tape is set, and you’re pleased, put a thin swipe of paint in each space to remind you what color that shape will be.
If painting on wood or canvas, I like to seal the edges of my painter’s tape with the background color before adding my accent colors. This prevents leakage and keeps your lines sharp.
4. A Hot Air Balloon Adventure
At first glance, this painting looks a bit more advanced, and in some ways it is. However, if you take a closer peak, you’ll see that much of the painting is actually an acrylic pour. With some basic acrylic pour techniques, you can create the grass, the sky, and even the trees and flowers without picking up a paintbrush.
The whimsical nature of this painting mirrors the feeling of an Impressionist painting. From far away, it looks beautiful. You get the full effect, but as you look closer, it’s anything but perfect. That means you can make a myriad of “mistakes” and still come out with a beautiful piece in the end!
5. A Vibrant City Skyline
The city skyline glows brightly as the sun sets, painting the sky in stunning shades. The tall buildings reflect the vibrant lights, creating a lively scene that captures the essence of urban life. This view is perfect for those looking for acrylic painting easy ideas, as with the balloon picture above, you can achieve much of this look with acrylic pouring techniques.
You will need to draw the buildings, however, if you look closely, these again are not perfect. The lines aren’t straight. The proportions aren’t perfect. It’s wonky, on purpose, and it works. Now, I don’t want to insinuate this level of mess (that still works) is easy. You still need to pay attention to perspective and shading. It’s not slapping paint on a canvas, but with a little time and thought, most novice painters could pull this one off.
Quick Tips for Acrylic Paintings
If you’re just starting your adventure in acrylic painting, here are a few suggestions to keep you organized and ensure your success.
- Start with cheap paints as you learn. The bottled acrylic paint aisle at Hobby Lobby is perfectly fine. The paints are pre-mixed, ready to use, and around $1 a bottle. Your hobby should be affordable and enjoyable.
- Acrylics are not too picky about paintbrushes, so grab a set of synthetic brushes with a variety of shapes. I like this one.
- Buy a larger bottle of black and white, you can use it to shade and tint other colors or as the background of your paintings.
- Use preprimed canvases. If you want a smoother surface, give your canvas a coat of Gesso before painting.
- Many artists prefer to sketch their ideas on the canvas before painting, especially if doing a portrait or still life. Use a lightweight pencil that’s easily erasable.
- Keep your failures and old paintings. You can always reuse the canvas.
- If you get stuck, and you hate everything you’ve done on a canvas…walk away! Leave it on the floor or the easel. Shut the door, and come back to it with fresh eyes when you’re ready.
- Take time to prep! If you ruin your floors, multiple sets of clothes, and multiple canvases in a short amount of time, it will have an undesired effect on your motivation and your budget!
Easy Acrylic Painting Ideas-Final Words
I hope you were inspired and encouraged by these acrylic painting easy ideas. I know some of them look a bit complicated, but trust me, you can do them! Take that trip to the art supply store, lay out an old sheet or paint blanket, and get started on one of these awesome options today, or let your imagination run free and see what transpires!
