Create an easy abstract bird painting in acrylic

In this tutorial, we’ll take you through how to paint an easy abstract bird! This would make a cute Valentine’s craft idea or a fun project to do with the kids. Even if you’ve never picked up a paintbrush before, this is a great painting to help you get started. Follow along with our video and step-by-step guide below.

To get started, transfer the image onto the canvas. You can draw this on directly if you like or download the reference image under “Resources” on the tutorial webpage. To transfer the image, shade the backside with the 8B pencil, lay the sheet shaded side down, and retrace the outline over the canvas.

Next, you can paint the bird with Cerulean Blue so that it looks like a silhouette. You can add a little water to the paint so that it flows a little easier.

While the silhouette is drying, you can paint in the background. Squeeze some Phthalo Blue, Viridian and Purple onto your palette and paint the colours into the background around the silhouette.

Roughly mix the colours while they are wet to help them blend smoothly. Allow the painting to dry thoroughly before moving on to the next step. To speed up the drying process, you can use a hairdryer on a cool setting.

Once the bird silhouette and background are dry, you can start adding more colour. The rule of thumb is to create circular patterns when applying the colour. The smaller the circles, the more intricate the detail will look.

As the set comes with 18 colours including black and white, there are so many options to choose from. You can also add white to colours to create pastel shades that will create dimension in the painting.

To make really vibrant colours, lay down white and allow it to dry before adding your chosen colour over the top.

After we finished the painting, we decided to paint over the background with a textured green to make the bird stand out even more. This step is optional, but if you want to give it a go, mix some Viridian Green, Titanium White, and a touch of Cerulean Blue. Then, paint this mix onto the background. Create the coat so that it’s a little patchy to allow the original background to show through and give more texture.