62 Painting Prompts That Spark Creativity

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking on an affiliate link, Nevue Fine Art Marketing may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships include, but are not limited to, Bluehost, Tailwind, Skimlinks, SareASale and StudioPress. To learn more visit Affiliate Link Disclosure Policy

How To Become A More Creative Artist

Everyone starts on the same playing field when they first learn to draw and paint.

Learning how to draw and paint is a skill that can be learned with practice, like playing the piano.

Practicing painting techniques repeatedly, like a guitarist practicing scales, will make painting a subject more enjoyable and rewarding.

However, painting the same subject will become dull, just like playing “On Top Of Old Smokey.” for a year on guitar.

The first step is to decide what paints you will use, oil paints, acrylics, or watercolor paints.

Related post – How To Make Acrylic Paint More Vibrant

The next step is to develop a plan that will prevent you from getting a creative block to prevent you from practicing different painting techniques.

When you first start, you are excited and eager to go.

After about a month of painting the same subject, you might become bored, which will prevent you from working on different painting strokes and working with different colors.

You need something that will spark your creativity to keep you going so you don’t sit there asking what should I draw and paint.

To help you stay motivated, we have come up with a large variety of painting prompts you can choose from. For more ideas, visit 50 Painting Ideas That Will Inspire You To Paint.

When scrolling down the list, decide on a subject that will be fun to paint or challenge yourself with a more complicated painting prompt.

Are there any subjects you would like to experiment with using different colors or textures?

Are there any subjects you would like to practice a specific painting stroke?

Maybe you would like to paint the same subject but try experimenting with different paints like watercolor, oil, or acrylic paints.

It is common to hit a wall when working on a repetitive technique.

The good news is that the drawing prompts list below will inspire you to keep working on your techniques until you have mastered them.

Now that you have a post that focuses on getting art ideas, it is time to schedule thirty minutes every day for painting.

Painting Prompt Techniques

The first part focuses on techniques. We recommend working on all different painting techniques with the same subject matter.

The objective is not to learn how to paint different subjects; rather, the goal is to master the painting techniques to easily paint what you see.

Pick one subject to paint for thirty days. Every day paint the subject from a different angle.
Use a different color palette that you usually use and paint a subject you feel comfortable painting with new colors.
Paint a subject with a different size brush every day for a week.
Practice mixing colors for a week
Practice a more realistic painting one day, then paint the same subject the next day with a more loose feel
Paint the same subject three times using analogous color schemes, complementary and achromatic
Place a reference image upside down and paint what you see
Take a reference image and grid the image into four sections. Zoom in on each grid and paint what you see
Recreate a scene from your favorite artists. The techniques you learn will help you to create your unique painting style

Event Theme Painting Prompts

The next art challenge is a list of things related to world events.

There is an endless amount of possibilities for each event.

Be creative and pick subjects you have a passion for.

Paint a current event you are passionate about
Paint a current sport-related theme
Create a special memory from your childhood
Paint the first thing you drew or painted as a child
Create a contemporary holiday-themed scene
Paint a seasonal theme scene
Paint something that happened ten years ago, twenty years ago, and 30 years ago.

Real Life Painting Prompts

The next section is to help you to enhance your painting skills by painting different subjects.

You can create many paintings with each subject outlined below by changing the subject’s light direction or angle.

Mugs – Paint a cup at a different angle for a week. The next week change where the light is coming from.
Glasses – Paint a different type of glass for seven days.
Wine glasses – Paint seven different size wine glasses.
Silverware – Toss some silverware on a table and paint them how they land.
Fruit – Pick a different fruit for the next thirty days.
Vegetables – Pick a different vegetable to paint for the next thirty days.
Flowers – Pick a different colored flower for the next seven days.
Domestic animals – Paint your favorite pet.
Wildlife – Paint your favorite wildlife animal.
Birds – Paint a different bird for the next seven days.
Lake scene – Paint your favorite lake scene.

More Art Inspiration Ideas

Ocean scene
Field
Old barn
Mountains
Trees
Houses
Streets
Clouds
Leaf
Cloths draped over a bead
Chair
Vase
Bouquet of colorful flowers
Sailboat
Bowl of fruit
A bowl of harvested vegetables
A fish underwater
Seashells
Different shoes
Go outside and paint en Plein air
Paint a morning sky
Paint a night sky
Paint a sunset
Paint a sunrise
Paint storm clouds

Imagination Ideas

Create a character from a favorite book
Create a favorite scene from a favorite book
Create a scene inspired by your favorite song
Paint your dream home
Paint your dream vacation

Illustration Prompts

Paint your favorite cartoon character
Paint your favorite comic character
Paint your favorite superhero
Paint your beloved cartoon pet
Study Norman Rockwell

Art Prompt Generator

Here is a list of sites that have art prompt generators for even more painting ideas.

These sites make it easy to discover new creative prompts for artists.

Art Prompts For Beginners

Here is an art prompts list to help you enhance your painting skills.

The best subject matters to start painting are simple still-life compositions. They might seem like easy art prompts, but they can be very challenging, depending on the lighting angle.

Start by painting each painting prompt individually, then try to stage and create different compositions.

Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Strawberries
Watermelon
Lemons
Grapes
Cucumbers
Yams
Guards
Carrots
Radishes
Wine bottles
Wine glasses
Books
Lamps
Baskets
Bowls

This is a great list of painting prompts for beginners. Take your time learning how to paint them at different angles and in different lights.

Top Picked Online Painting Courses For Beginners

Final Thoughts On Fine Art Prompts That Spark Creativity

You are visiting this post because you would like to become a better painter.

There is no questioning the importance of practice.

The artists you watch on YouTube that make it look easy to paint an animal or an ocean have spent a great deal of time practicing their painting techniques.

With practice, you will become as good as they are.

We also recommend practicing your drawing skills.

Drawing and painting go hand and hand.

The better your drawing skills become, the easier it will be to paint what you see.

If you are interested in some drawing challenges, visit Free drawing tutorials.

Oil Painting Supplies: What All Beginning Oil Painters Need

So you’ve decided that you want to learn to paint with oils. Great decision! But what oil painting supplies do you need to get started? Oil painting is a great way to express yourself and become a better overall artist but the first thing you’ll want to do is make sure that you have the right … [Read more…]

Oil Paints Or Acrylic Paints Which Is Better

Are you interested in learning how to paint, but you do not know if you should start with oil paints or acrylic paints, which is better for artists? I remember watching Bob Ross every weekend as a child, and it is nice to see that he is becoming mainstream again. Bob showed you how easy it is … [Read more…]

Acrylic Paint Supplies: Complete Guide

Acrylic Paint Supplies – What You Need To Know Before Purchasing. What would a painter be without their paints? Obviously, it is impossible for a painter to paint without their set of paints. Even more than that, however, just as different writers use different styles and vocabularies, so … [Read more…]