How to Paint a Rainbow
Have you ever wanted to paint a rainbow? In this acrylic painting tutorial for kids, ages 7 and up learn how to paint a rainbow. Try this cute Boho rainbow painting today by reading more on this blog post for watching the video linked below. This rainbow painting is an easy and cute painting for kids to do and hang in their bedroom!
Paint a Rainbow - Kids Painting
Supplies Needed:
Acrylic paint - red, yellow, blue, white and black
I also used Naples yellow for this painting - you can choose any colours for the rainbow
Round number 6 paint brush
Flat one inch brush
Small detail brush
Palette
Container of water
Rag
Piece of coloured chalk
White Posca pens - can use small and medium size
Something round to trace the rainbow shape like a bowl
Canvas, canvas board, or watercolour paper
You can click on the video below to watch the tutorial! Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss what’s happening!
How to Paint a Rainbow - Steps:
Step 1: Plan the Rainbow Design
You can use a piece of coloured chalk to trace around a bowl, or a round object, to create the arch of the rainbow. Then you can add some smaller arches underneath that first arch to create the different rings of the rainbow and the different colours of the rainbow that you will be painting later. You can position your rainbow anywhere you would like on your painting surface. I chose the middle.
Step 2: Paint the Background
Next, you can paint the background, you can choose whatever background colour you would like. If you want more tips for how to paint a background, you can click here to learn about how to paint three different background styles.
It helps to decide what colour your rainbow will be first and then choose a background that will make your rainbow stand out. I chose a neutral, grey colour for my background and I mixed gray by mixing titanium white. Add bars black together on my palette.
You can download my FREE resource about how to mix the green and grey by clicking here. Make sure to leave a review and let me know that you have liked that free resource.
When I painted my background, I used my flat 1 inch brush, and I did a mixture of horizontal and vertical brushstrokes to create a textured cross hatching background. You could also choose to use smooth, horizontal strokes, and create a background with no texture. You will want to cover your background with two coats of paint to make sure that the surface is properly covered. You don't need to paint where the rainbow will be; you can leave that white for now.
Step 3: Paint a Rainbow
Next, you can choose the colours for your rainbow. It's good to choose colours that go well with each other and are part of the same colour family. I chose analogous colours which means they are side-by-side on the colour wheel. I chose warm colours like oranges, reds, yellows, and pinks for my rainbow to give that cute Boho rainbow feel. You could also choose traditional rainbow colours or cool colours like blue, green, and purple. The choice is up to you. You can start painting in your rainbow. I used my number six round brush to paint the rainbow. Each ring on the rainbow I painted a new colour. I did two layers of paint per colour on the rainbow.
Step 4: Paint Designs on Your Rainbow
Using either a small or medium size, white Posca pen, you can then add designs on top of the rings of the rainbow. Make sure the paint on the rainbow is fully dry before adding a design on top. You can also choose to leave some of the rings of the rainbow, the plain color, and not have designs on them.
If you have never used Posca pens, you can watch my tutorial about how to use Posca pens below.
Standard designs that you could add, could be stripes and polka dots, zigzags, stars, etc.. You can explore different zentangle designs. You can check out my zentangle resource by clicking here.
Resources Mentioned:
How to Mix Green/Grey - FREE resource
Conclusion:
Learning how to paint a rainbow is a fun activity for kids ages 7+ to do. If you are a new beginner painter, you could also try this very fun, Boho acrylic painting. Remember to have fun with this painting tutorial you can choose any colours for your rainbow painting.
If you want to improve your painting skills, you can download my FREE beginner painting guide by clicking on the button below.
Please make sure to subscribe to my acrylic painting YouTube channel and comment on any video and let me know which tutorial you would like to see next from me.
