22 Creative Thanksgiving Painting Ideas for You and Your Kids to Try Together

Did you know that painting with watercolors is also a great way to create Thanksgiving decorations? While it might seem strange to spend the lead-up to one of the busiest times of the year in your home creating new artwork, these Thanksgiving painting ideas are perfect if you’re looking for something fun and creative to do as a family.

Conducting DIY crafts on Thanksgiving day has its perks. You don’t have to spend hours scouring shops for decorating materials and worrying about how everything will come together in time. Instead, by just an hour or so prepping beforehand, you can all get involved with this activity and produce some beautiful results.

If you’re interested in trying out one of these terrific Thanksgiving painting ideas with your kids, read on for our tips, tricks, and suggestions.

Grab your supplies

You’ll need several materials to get started. If you’re planning to paint a canvas or a board, you’ll need that too. You’ll also need paints in autumnal colors such as reds, oranges, and yellows, as well as a range of brushes.

Some stencils are also useful for painting food items on the table.

For example, if you want to paint a turkey, you can use a stencil to create it. You could also opt to paint a cornfield with a combination of blue and yellow. And you can use a mix of red, yellow, and orange for potatoes if you want a more autumnal look.

Make a stencil of the Thanksgiving Feast

You can easily create a Thanksgiving feast stencil using items you’d otherwise throw away. For example, you can use these pieces to create fun stencils instead of discarding the tops of the watermelon, cucumber, and zucchini that you chop off.

Simply stick them to a piece of paper and cut around them, then use them as stencils when you paint. If you have some spare cardboard lying around, you can also create a stencil of the dinner table.

Draw the table layout on the cardboard, cut it out, and then use it as a stencil when you paint.

Paint with gold leaf

If you want to create a piece of art that will catch the eye, try painting with gold leaf. You can find gold leaf at most arts and crafts stores. You’ll also need a brush holding the gold leaf and a small water container.

To start, dip your brush in the water, then paint over the board or canvas with the water. Once it’s wet, place the gold leaf on top. When it’s dry, peel the leaf off, and you’re done!

Once your work is dry, you can mount it as you wish. You can either frame it or mount it on a piece of wood. You can also paint on top of it by simply applying a layer of paint and letting it dry.

Create a canvas of falling leaves

For this painting idea, you’ll need a board or canvas, a variety of paints, a paintbrush, and a couple of leaves from a tree. To start, paint your canvas to create a background. When that’s dry, paint the leaves with the opposite color.

For example, use blue for the leaves if you painted your background yellow. When the paint is dry, place the leaves on the canvas. When the painting is completely dry, you can display it on a wall in your home. You can also use it as a gift by framing it, perhaps with a piece of blue ribbon.

Decorate an urn or vase with markers and paint pens

To create something quick and easy, you can decorate an urn or vase with markers and paint pens. Simply select the colors of markers and paint pens that you’d like to use, then decorate your chosen item.

You can use these decorations in many different ways too. For example, you might want to put them on a table for guests to use as a place to write messages or draw pictures. You can also use them as decorations for the table during Thanksgiving.

Other fun painting ideas

Create a painting of an autumn scene by sketching it on paper and then painting it. You can use nature for inspiration and create a painting of a field full of trees, perhaps with some leaves already falling from them.

You can also opt to create a painting of a sunny day in the park full of people or a cloudy day with a rainbow in the sky.

If you have some spare corkboard, you can also paint a mural on it. This can be a great project with your children as you can let their imaginations run wild and create whatever they want.

If you aren’t confident enough to create your own painting, you can buy pre-made decorations. Some shops sell ready-made canvases, boards, and other decorations you can paint.

Some other thanksgiving painting ideas

• Paint a portrait of a loved one surrounded by fall leaves.
• Paint a still life of autumn fruits and vegetables.
• Paint a landscape of rolling hills and mountains with bright fall colors.
• Create an abstract painting with fall colors.
• Paint a cityscape with buildings decorated for Thanksgiving.
• Paint a turkey or other Thanksgiving food.
• Paint a picture of a family gathering for Thanksgiving.
• Paint a picture of a Thanksgiving parade.
• Paint a picture of Black Friday shoppers.
• Paint a picture of people taking a post-Thanksgiving nap.
• Paint a picture of people shopping on Thanksgiving weekend.
• Paint a picture of people decorating for Christmas on Thanksgiving weekend.
• Paint a picture of people volunteering on Thanksgiving.
• Paint a picture of people helping others on Thanksgiving.

Final Thoughts

These are just a few painting ideas to get you started. You can use these as inspiration to create your own paintings. You can also try painting with different materials, such as crayons, or on surfaces like glass or tiles. Once you start painting, you will likely find it quickly addictive.

Even if you’ve never tried painting, there’s no better time to start than the run-up to Thanksgiving. You can let your creativity flow and produce some truly spectacular art pieces.