Rainbow Giraffe Painting Canvas Art Idea

Learn how to make this easy rainbow giraffe painting for kids – a fun art idea that all ages will love.

This is a great painting project if you are learning about acrylic painting for beginners, quite similar to the butterfly painting tutorial we shared a while ago.

*This article contains affiliate links*

Getting your kids to do some canvas painting at home is a fun way to incorporate some art into your routine and allow them to be creative. Teaching them to think outside the box is part of the idea behind this design, with rainbow flecks on the giraffe.

Whether you decide to just paint this rainbow giraffe painting with one or two kids, or teach it to a whole group, this is a really fun painting for everyone, and you can also let them choose their own colors for their spots, if they don’t want to paint in the rainbow style.

What you need to draw a rainbow giraffe

• 11” x 14” or 12” x 16” canvas
• Water cup and plate or palette
• Tissue
• Brushes come in a variety of sizes, from small for detail work, to about ½” for background work.
• Disposable tablecloths
• Easel if desired
• Acrylic paint comes in colors: black, white, flesh, red, orange, green, blue, purple, yellow and any color you like.
• Pencil and eraser

Optional: Transfer sheet and tracing paper if making multiple copies for easy copying

How to draw a rainbow giraffe

This rainbow giraffe painting is suitable for both young and old children.

The first thing you need to do is draw a very light version of the giraffe on the canvas.

We’ve shown you our version and if you need to use it to copy, feel free to do so. The best way to do this is to keep the pencil very light and erase as needed, just applying very little pressure to the fabric as you do so.

How we drew ours

Leave room around the giraffe on all sides except for the mane running down its back. Draw the top of the head in an upside down U shape and the snout roughly in a heart shape.

Then add the smaller parts like the ears, horns, nostrils, mouth line, and then add the neck line.

Draw a rough line for where the mane will end and draw that line extending around the outer edge of the canvas. Do the same for the bottom of the neck.

The eyes should be the right size and draw the lower part of the eye in a flatter shape. Don’t add too much detail as it will be painted over. The idea is to create the necessary shapes but not necessarily perfect.

They are there as a guide. Finally, draw the spots. We drew small spots on the face, to look more like freckles, and larger spots on the neck and down, but you can do them any way you like. They can all be large if you like them better.

Draw them in wavy lines and don’t repeat the same shape if you can avoid it, to make them look more realistic. Try not to think too much about this part, just add them for fun.

Need to do more than one canvas painting? This will help

Now we are ready to paint, unless you are doing more than one canvas painting. In this case, the easiest way to replicate the painting process is to use a piece of transfer paper and tracing paper and copy it. It is really easy and extremely useful!

First, using a decent amount of parchment paper (In our case, we glued 2 pieces of paper together since they were a little smaller than the canvas.) place it over the giraffe shape and trace over all the lines you drew on the paper.

Then, place that paper on the next piece of fabric in the position you need it, place the transfer paper underneath the tracing paper, and trace over those lines with a drawing tool or pencil. Make sure the ink side is facing down on the transfer paper, and you’ll have a quick copy of your giraffe. Repeat as needed for all of the fabric panels.

Prepare work area

Lay down a disposable tablecloth on the painting surface for easy clean up later, and then add any easels you may be using. Give each person a canvas, brushes, paper towels, palette, water in a cup, and paint. If other colors are available, just ask before you dump all that rainbow on them. Everyone will definitely need black, white, and flesh.

We are ready to paint our rainbow giraffe picture.

The first step in the painting process after choosing a paint color is to apply a base coat.

Using a small to medium brush, paint the outline of the giraffe in black until the entire animal is completely outlined.

Then paint in the middle of the eyes, ears, and nostrils. The black will need 2 coats, so be aware that it won’t cover perfectly on the first try.

Now, once you have outlined the giraffe, take a large brush and paint the entire background black. Make sure to also extend the paint around the edges of the canvas where needed.

You can turn the fabric over during this process or later at the end to finish the bottom.

Now the skin color is the next color to complete. Use a medium to small brush for this part. Paint down the middle of the face, around the black middle of the ears, muzzle, collarbone, and where the mane has this color.

The first coat may be enough, but when it dries, if you see any white fabric showing through, reapply.

Another coat of black paint

Now go back and do a second coat of black before moving on to white. You want the white to overlap the black, not the other way around.

The black background is just as important as the giraffe. It helps it really stand out and look clean, so make sure you don’t see any white in it. It will look sloppy and unfinished if you cut it short.

Allow to dry completely before moving on to the next white section. You can always use a hair dryer on low if you need to speed this section up.

Continue with white paint

Once the black is dry enough, use a medium to small brush and use white to fill in all the areas around the flesh.

Paint a little on the ears to finish the fur, on the spine to lighten them a little, around the eyes and down the cheek area and down the neck.

You can go around or over those points since they will still be somewhat exposed anyway.

Let the white layer dry and this is a good time to touch up the meat if needed.

Draw rainbow spots

The final step is to do the spots and mane. The easiest way to do this is to do it one color at a time. Choose the color you want to be the most dominant first. Paint the spots you choose, then paint some random stripes on the mane. You will layer the colors on top of each other on the mane as you add color.

I like to sketch out the point with a small brush and then paint it all over. This helps keep the point in the shape you want it to be. Most colors will then need a second coat, so make sure you clean your brush between each coat as you apply each color so they don’t mix. Repeat the steps of applying and then painting the mane with each color you choose until you’re done.

Now, to really make the giraffe’s face stand out, take a thin brush and draw black lines here and there around its face. Draw the mouth, eyelashes, and loosely outline the bones, back of the neck, ears, snout, and face to create shadows.

Then, use a small brush and add a little white shadow to each eye.

And that’s it, you’re done. Check your work for any changes and add your signature!

There are many animals you can draw this way – you can draw tigers, cheetahs, zebras and many more. Let your child explore the possibilities.

Want instant access to all of our printable crafts, activities, and resources?

With thousands of printable crafts, activities, worksheets, coloring pages, and drawing tutorials, you’ll always have the resources you need at your fingertips. Perfect for parents and teachers alike!

Sign up now and start printing!

Categories: Activities for Kids
Source: fetb.edu.vn