Skip to Content

Cute Things to Paint for Beginners

If you’re looking for cute things to paint, here are over 40 ideas on a variety of surfaces! These are easy enough for kids or adults – great for beginners.

Skills Required: Beginner. Most of these projects require very basic painting skills. Surfaces range from paper to canvas to wood to cloth. There is a little bit of something for everyone here.

Cute Things to Paint you'll love

Embarking on a creative journey often starts with a blank canvas—or in this case, a variety of canvases!

From the cozy corners of your home to the unexpected surfaces you’ve never thought to decorate, the world is your oyster when it comes to painting. And what’s more fun than filling these spaces with cute things to paint?

Today, we’re diving into a treasure trove of over 40 adorable and easy painting ideas that promise to bring a dash of whimsy and a whole lot of color to your life.

The beauty of these projects lies in their simplicity. They are perfectly suited for anyone who’s ever held a paintbrush and thought, “What now?”

Whether you’re looking to decorate your living space, craft a heartfelt gift, or simply enjoy a peaceful afternoon indulging in the art of painting, there’s something here for everyone.

If you’re just getting started with painting, these ideas are a great place to start. There are options on wood, fabric, metal, canvas, terra cotta, stone, clay, and more. Everyone will find something here.

So welcome to the ultimate list of cute (and fun, and easy) things to paint, where every idea is a stepping stone to your next artistic endeavor. Let’s get those brushes ready and dive into a world where creativity knows no bounds!

Important Painting Tips

If you’ve never painted before, I’m going to give you some tips and a little introduction. If you’re already familiar with paint then you can skip this section. Hopefully these help you get started.

Paint to Use

The first thing you need to paint is – paint! I use acrylic craft paint, and my favorite brands are Martha Stewart as well as FolkArt. Love the quality, the pigmentation, the color selection, and the price. The craft store has every color you could ever imagine.

Martha Stewart Satin paint - Deep Sea

I use the multi-surface version of both brands on just about everything. The only exceptions:

These are also available at the craft store. Multi-surface craft paint still works great on both of those surfaces, but the paints made for those surfaces work better. Why? Because they are specifically made to bond with those surfaces.

You might be wondering about chalk paint.

Yes, I use that too on occasion. In simplest terms, chalk paint is an acrylic paint with an ultra matte finish. My favorite brand is FolkArt Home Decor Chalk. It works amazingly well. It sticks to just about any surface, many times with no prep.

Other Tools

Besides paint, I always have on hand:

bottles of folk art multi surface paint

Surfaces to Choose

Cute things to paint can happen on just about any surface! Let’s just say this – if you go to the craft store, then pretty much everything you see can be painted on with craft paint.

What you’ll find: wood, ceramic, paper mache, canvas, metal, stone, glass, fabric, clay, and more. My advice? Just experiment. If you’ve never painted before, obviously start with one of these ideas below and an inexpensive surface.

I highly encourage you to jump in! Once you get a little practice with a brush and some paint, you won’t be able to put it down. Scroll down to get some great ideas to try. Enjoy!

Cute Things to Paint

Get tons of ideas for cute painting project ideas! Even if you've never crafted before, you'll want to try these unique ideas. Scroll down to get them all.


I’d love to know which of these fun things to paint you’ve tried – or which ones you’d like to try! If you enjoyed this post, you might also like these others:

Tamara Murphy

Wednesday 12th of May 2021

I am looking for animal paintings like a frog or a lady bug.

Amy

Wednesday 12th of May 2021

Tamara I would look on Pinterest! Look for "how to draw a frog" or same with ladybug . . . then you can translate this to a canvas!