21 Day Painting Challenge – Daily Prompts
Keep the momentum going!
New Year's Painting Challenge
Join me for a guided 6-week practice of playful painting, January 4 – February 12.
Early price $197 (regular $247) through November 30.
Jump to: Day 1 · Day 2 · Day 3 · Day 4 · Day 5 · Day 6 · Day 7 · Day 8 · Day 9 · Day 10 · Day 11 · Day 12 · Day 13 · Day 14 · Day 15 · Day 16 · Day 17 · Day 18 · Day 19 · Day 20 · Day 21
Welcome painters!
This challenge is all about showing up daily, playing with paint, and discovering the magic of a consistent, low-pressure creative practice, with others painting right alongside you.
How it works
- All 21 prompts are below. Work through them at your own pace.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes and paint the prompt.
- Share your work on Instagram with #PaintPlay21. I'll share some in my stories!
- Start with Day 1, or jump to any prompt that calls to you. Either way is perfect.
What you'll need
- Watercolor or acrylic paints
- A few brushes and a pencil or pen
- Small mixed media or watercolor paper (about 8"×10"), or a sketchbook
- Water and a cloth or paper towel
- Optional: markers or colored pencils
You don't need anything special. Use whatever paints you have! My favorites are below if you'd like some inspiration.
Some links on this page are affiliate links, so I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this free challenge!
Day 1 – Grid of Color
Before you begin: Set up your space. Have your paints (watercolor and/or acrylics), brushes, a pen/pencil, water and a cloth set on a protected surface.
Take a small sheet of paper (8"x10" or smaller) and loosely draw a few vertical and horizontal lines to create a grid of squares/rectangles. No rulers, let your lines be imperfect.
Put a few intuitively chosen small dollops of paint on your palette. Now fill the squares/rectangles with a mix of colors in whatever way you feel: one at a time, in sections, layered or not.
Don't overthink your choices. Just begin putting paint down, loosen your expectations and see how the colors interact.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Below are four paintings by Paul Klee for some inspiration.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 2 – Blotch Bouquet
Set up your space. Have your paints (watercolor and/or acrylics), brushes, water and a cloth set on a protected surface.
Put a few intuitively chosen small dollops of paint on your palette.
Within the top two thirds of the paper, make a bunch of paint blotches in various colors and sizes. Create the blotches by simply pushing the brush onto the paper and picking it up. No need to give the blotch any specific or intentional form, just squish the brush onto the paper and pick it up, repeat.
Once you have a bunch of blotches, see them as flower blooms and buds. Give them stems, leaves and a vase if you'd like.
I encourage you to avoid trying to draw flowers with your paint, but rather allow the blotches of color, in all of their variety and whimsy, to magically turn into flowers as you add lines for stems.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspirational paintings, from top left to bottom right, by Jay Harper, Cy Twombly, and two by Odilon Redon.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 3 – Scribble Session
Get ready to loosen your grip and brave a messy scribble!
Set up your space and put a few intuitively chosen small dollops of paint on your palette.
Start on any part of the paper: a corner, an edge, the center... wherever. Pick one color and begin to scribble.
Continue to add various colors in a scribbly, scratchy way and at a quick pace.
This one may be harder than it seems, especially for those of us who like precision and control. The idea is to be very active when your brush is on the paper as you make quick, messy paint strokes. This way you can observe the default beauty that appears even when you're not trying to create it.
If your piece becomes a muddy puddle at times, keep going and observe what is happening. Your eye will naturally see moments of interest and vitality amidst the mess.
Try to stay with it for the fifteen minutes and enjoy this wild practice.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Below are four inspirational paintings for our Scribble Session by artist Joan Mitchell.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 4 – Color Fields
Choose a few colors and put a small dab of each on your palette.
Pick your first color and make a square or rectangle anywhere on your paper, but have it cover at least half of the space. The square/rectangle can be rough with imperfect edges or straight edged.
Now add another square or rectangle of a different color, or a different tint of the first color you chose (change the tint by adding a bit of white). Layer at least a portion of this second square or rectangle over the first one.
Continue with a few more layered squares/rectangles. You can work on a wet surface with watery paint or not, and you can make translucent or opaque layers. Just experiment and observe how the colors interact as you layer.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration: four paintings by Mark Rothko, and below those, a group of paintings by Josef Albers.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 5 – Fish!
Paint fish like a kid! One fish, many fish, detailed fish or washy fish...
Let this be playful. Quick. Uninhibited.
In this exercise you are creating form (the shape of the fish), but the idea isn't to make a realistic fish shape. The idea is to get into a "childlike" mindset and go for it.
Maybe your fish are hardly recognizable as fish, or maybe they look like a little kid painted them...
The point is to play: use fun colors, splash water on it, use markers or pens to add patterns or not... Play!
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration: the top piece is by artist Johanna Gaudeau, and the next four, from top left to bottom right, are by Kiah Kiean Ching, Yusei Nagashima, Laurence Leccia and Sue Graef.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 6 – Splash & Scratch!
Choose a few colors to work with and put a small dab of each on your palette.
Water down a couple of your colors, either on your palette or in cups, and leave a few colors not watered down.
Start by dripping or splashing the watery paint onto your paper, and intuitively put a few dabs of the colors you did not water down on the page.
Use either the back end of your brush or a cut-up piece of postcard (one of my favorite tools) to drag and scratch the paint, mixing the watery paint with the thicker paint. You can add more colors and use your brush as you go along... or not. Use a cloth or paper towel to dab away excess watery paint.
The aim of this exercise is to observe how texture is created as you play with the various densities of the paint, from thicker to very watery.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration: the top left painting is by artist Rowen Murphy, the next two are by Greet Helsen, and the bottom right is by Jean Kenna.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 7 – Line-scapes!
Today we will create a few small, very simple, minimal landscapes that begin with a line of wet paint across your paper.
Put a few small dabs of paint on your palette and have water on hand to mix in, as you'll want some very thin paint for these. This exercise is also perfect for watercolor. I used a mix of watered-down acrylic gouache, acrylic ink and watercolor.
You will see in my example that I have divided my paper into four sections by putting tape across the paper. Feel free to do the same. You can also simply divide the paper by sight or pencil in dividing lines. Alternatively, you can use a few small sheets of paper (I suggest working on them all at once, so lay your sheets out in a grid in front of you).
Start by painting a line of wet paint (straight, wobbly, angled, a mix... your choice) across the bottom third of each of your painting sections or sheets. This line is your horizon line.
Now give your painting land or water and sky. Less is more for this exercise, so see if you can use very little paint. Watch how the wet paint of the horizon line bleeds into the land and sky.
I suggest working on your group simultaneously. Try different colors and marks for each landscape to see what happens.
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration, from top left: M Gloria Hunter, Grace Popp, Nancy Smith and Chris Carter.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 8 – Circles!
Today we're painting circles, and it's all about variety!
Big circles, tiny circles, overlapping circles. Thick or thin, washy or bold, textured or smooth. Make them wonky or perfectly round (try tracing a cup or paint cap).
Play with color, size, layering, and texture. Mix things up, experiment, and see where it takes you.
Have fun!
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration, from top left: Susan Simonini, Lourdes Sanchez, Christine Moor and Dena Ann Adams.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 9 – Plants!
Today we're painting plants! If you have a plant nearby to use as inspiration, wonderful! If not, let your imagination take over.
Think about all the interesting shapes plants make: long, slender leaves, big rounded ones, broken stems, clusters of foliage...
There's no need to stick to realistic colors or shapes. The idea is to create a quick, loose painting that is unmistakably a plant, without getting caught up in making it look realistic.
Enjoy!
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration: the top two pieces are by artist Elizabeth Becker, the bottom left is by Moira Firth and the bottom right is by Marielle Robichaud.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 10 – Colors in Curves!
Today we are doing a different version of our first prompt, the color grid, but instead of creating a grid of squares and rectangles, we are using mainly curved lines.
Within the rectangle or square of your paper, draw curved lines to fill the area with curvy shapes, OR don't start with lines and simply paint in curvy shapes.
This is an opportunity to experiment with color in a very simple and satisfying way. Try incorporating colors you don't typically reach for. Try working with a larger or more limited number of colors than you used for the square/rectangle grid prompt.
Go a little out of your color comfort zone and see where it takes you.
Enjoy!
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration, from top left to bottom right: Berit Mogensen Lopez, James Wyper, Sonia Delaunay and Christopher Kennedy.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 11 – Monochromatic Painting!
For today's challenge we are working with only one color plus black and white.
Choose your one color!
Put a dab of that color on your palette along with a dab of black and white.
You can work in patches of color or a landscape, or whatever you choose. The idea is to create various shades and tints using just one color plus black and white.
As you mix and paint, notice the vast possibilities that this limited palette offers, and play!
I will remind you that this exercise is all about exploring. There is no aim to create anything specific, just play!
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration, from top left to bottom right: Pablo Picasso, Joana Hamrol, Vincent van Gogh and Lucia Diris.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 12 – Non-Dominant Hand Painted Flowers!
Non-dominant hand painting exercises are one of my very favorite practices! They are a fantastic way to relinquish control and maybe laugh and spill your rinse water (I suggest rinsing your brush with your dominant hand ;-) ).
Add a few dabs of paint to your palette, put your brush in your non-dominant hand and attempt to paint flowers.
If you notice you're gripping and stressing your non-dominant hand (trying to force it to be steady), loosen your grip. If you notice that you subconsciously switched the brush to your dominant hand, just switch back and keep going. Let these flowers be wild.
This exercise helps to quiet your inner critic and frees you up to take risks and break habits. It also just feels strange and liberating, so have fun with it!! You will notice a lively quality that comes from letting go!
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
I don't think these were painted with non-dominant hands, but they serve as inspiration of how loose, "imperfect" painting creates a lot of life and beauty! From top left to bottom right: Cathy Denis, Hope Olsen, Stephanie Schoenhals and Henri Matisse.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 13 – Pour Paintings!
Today we are pouring or dabbing very wet paint onto wet paper. Watercolor, ink and watered-down acrylic gouache are great for this exercise.
If you have little cups to mix some paint with water, you can do that; otherwise just keep mixing water into your paint on your palette to thin it out as you use it.
If you only have heavier paints on hand, water them down a bit and let there be chunks of unmixed paint (I think it can have a really beautiful effect, so play with that).
Dab some clear water onto your paper and brush it around or let it pool a bit. Now begin to add your watery paint. You can be very free with the composition and play with blending some areas and leaving others be.
This exercise can go quickly, so feel free to use a couple of sheets of paper if you don't want to muddy up what you're creating. If you don't mind playing in the mud, experiment with going the whole 15 minutes on one sheet.
Do not worry if your paper buckles, curls and warps. It will, and that is fine. You can tape it down if you want to keep it flatter. It will settle as it dries, and you can always spritz the back with water once the front is dry and leave something heavy on it overnight to flatten.
This one requires letting go :-) The color is on the loose and can be hard to get ahold of, so be an observer and play!
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration, from top left to bottom right: Violeta Maya, Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis and Tina Marrin.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 14 – Eyes Closed!
Today we're making self-portraits with our eyes closed!
Here's how:
- Place the tip of your pencil near the top center of your paper.
- With your other hand, place a finger at the top center of your forehead.
- Close your eyes!
- Slowly begin tracing your face with your finger, moving over your forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, lips, chin, and ears.
- At the same time, let your pencil follow the movements of your finger, drawing what you're feeling onto the paper.
Keep your eyes closed the whole time you're using your pencil, and don't worry about what your drawing looks like. Just let your pencil follow along as your finger explores your face.
Open your eyes when you're finished and you'll see a wonky and very imperfect self-portrait.
Now, with your eyes open, fill the portrait with color.
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration, from top left to bottom right: Magaly Ohika, Emily Ball, Lynn Whipple and Natasa Kekanovic.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 15 – Negative Space Painting!
- Start with painted paper that's dry. You can use one of the paintings from the last two weeks of this challenge, or something from your scrap pile.
- Lightly draw a few simple shapes on top: leaves, trees, a vase, etc. (I did trees.)
- Paint the background around your shapes with an opaque color or two, leaving the paint inside the shapes uncovered. If you'd like to touch up the painting by adding a few marks, go for it, but let it be mainly created by the negative space.
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration, from top left to bottom right: Martine Caron, Hope Olsen, Charlotte Hardy and Jen Garrido.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 16 – No Peeking!
- Choose an object you can see from where you're painting. It could be a plant, a mug, a lamp, a vase, or anything that catches your eye.
- Get your paintbrush ready with a color of your choice and look closely at your object.
- Start painting without looking down! Keep your eyes on the object as you paint its outline and make a few initial detail marks. Try this for 2–3 minutes, resisting the temptation to peek at your paper. You may need to glance down to make sure you're painting on your paper and not on the table :-)
- Now take a look and see what you've created. Don't worry if things are wonky or out of proportion. That's part of the fun!
- Switch your brush to your non-dominant hand and continue painting your object. You can look back and forth between your object and your paper now. Add colors, shapes, details, or whatever feels right.
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration, from top left to bottom right: Florence Hutchings, Jean Gauthier, Guy Lyman and Carla Sonheim.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 17 – Dollop Drip Drag!
Today we're going to play with dragging paint across the paper to create interesting layers of color and texture.
Start by placing a dollop, a few drips, or a little puddle of paint onto your paper. Using a paint scraper, palette knife, or even a small piece of cardboard or postcard (I use cut-up pieces of postcard), drag the paint across the surface.
Now choose another color, add a little more paint, and drag again. Keep repeating, experimenting with different colors, directions and amounts of paint.
Try using some paint thick and some thinned with water. You can let the colors overlap, blend, and sometimes reveal the layers underneath.
The interest is in discovering what happens as you build up the surface. Enjoy the colors, textures, and combinations!
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration, from top left to bottom right: Judith Vivell, Robert Langford, Stephen Stilgenbauer and Jenny Westenhofer.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 18 – Light Over Dark!
Today we're exploring what happens when we layer light colors over dark ones.
Start by painting a few abstract shapes or a simple, recognizable form using only dark colors. Keep it loose and don't worry about accuracy or details.
Once your dark paint has dried a little, begin adding lighter colors on top.
Play with different kinds of marks: dots, lines, patterns, highlights, or shapes. Notice how the lighter colors pop against the dark background and how the colors interact.
The idea is to explore contrast and discover how dark can make your light colors brighten!
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration, from top left to bottom right: Andy Dixon, Henri Matisse, and the bottom two are by Hope Olsen.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 19 – Small Marks!
Today we're going to create a small painting using little marks!
This can be a bit more time consuming so either use a smaller piece of paper or only fill a portion of your paper with these marks (I cut a painting from my scrap pile in half and started with that).
Use dots, dashes, short brushstrokes, and tiny blobs of color, inspired by the impressionistic way of painting.
You can create something abstract or choose a subject like fruit, a landscape, or a simple object. Don't worry about being accurate or even clear in what you are representing. The idea is to play with these small marks and get a feel for it.
Play with different colors, sizes, and directions as you build up these little marks.
Keep it loose, don't overthink it, and enjoy the rhythm of making one little mark after another!
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Inspiration, from top left to bottom right: James Gahagan, Gustav Klimt, and George Shipperley.
The one below is mine. You'll find a video of me creating it on Instagram.
Day 20 – My Color Study Exercise!
Today we're going to make a color study. This is my favorite practice, and I do them almost daily!
Technically, a color study is a small, fast sketch to explore colors for a larger, more in-depth painting, but I love them as paintings in themselves.
For this one, take a look at your paints and gather a few colors that you'd love to see together.
I usually start by painting a rough rectangle of the first color, then add another rough shape of another color next to it, and repeat.
I play with letting the colors bleed into each other if the paint is wet enough. With heavier paint, I scratch the paint with my postcard or blend the colors a little with my brush where two colors meet.
I continue to add colors to see if I can create a combination that speaks to me. I certainly don't always achieve this. I have piles of color studies that I recycle... but others will sing!! And there is so much value in the practice either way!
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Here are a bunch of examples of my color studies for inspiration!
Day 21 – Gratitude & Intentions!
Our final prompt!
Grab your art paper, but before you paint, use a pen or pencil to write a note of gratitude to your art practice: what it means to you, how it makes you feel when you make time to create, how it feels to give yourself permission to play and expand through courageous exploration, and how making art serves your life overall.
Before you get to the bottom of the page, write an intention for your evolving art practice. What do you want to do more of? What are you letting go of...?
Now choose a few colors and seal this note with layers of paint in whatever way you choose. You could repeat your favorite prompt or just paint freely.
This is an opportunity to express gratitude to yourself for showing up to honor your desire to make art, and to put an intention for your art practice down in writing.
When you paint over your words, it's like planting a little seed.
I so appreciate you participating in this challenge, for sharing your work and for supporting and inspiring one another. It is a big deal to take even a few minutes a day to paint, but it has such an impact! ❤️
Looking for suggestions on colors and brands? See my Favorite Painting Supplies list.
Set your timer for 15 minutes and paint!
Here's mine. 🎨
Keep the momentum going!
New Year's Painting Challenge
Join me for a guided 6-week practice of playful painting, January 4 – February 12.
Early price $197 (regular $247) through November 30.
Jump to: Day 1 · Day 2 · Day 3 · Day 4 · Day 5 · Day 6 · Day 7 · Day 8 · Day 9 · Day 10 · Day 11 · Day 12 · Day 13 · Day 14 · Day 15 · Day 16 · Day 17 · Day 18 · Day 19 · Day 20 · Day 21 · ↑ Back to top
I'd love to see your creations! Add #PaintPlay21 to your Instagram post caption, or tag me @sarahmartinezart in your stories, and I'll share it in my stories. 💛
If your Instagram account is private, I'm not able to repost your work, but I'm still happy to see it!
