How to Paint a Sunflower for Beginners

Are you ready to learn a simple method for painting a sunflower? This one is perfect for decorating your home for fall dinner parties and more!

This is a part of Craft Lightning week, where we are sharing 15-minute party crafts all week. In fact, you can catch up with the ideas from all week here. But first, grab your supplies to paint a flower in a few simple steps.

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How To Paint A Sunflower

If you have never painted a flower before, our tutorial is a great place to start! I am using this method to create a cute table centerpiece that is perfect for entertaining. However, you can use this method to make some wall art, home decor, or even outdoor decor!

Painting flowers is so much easier than you think it is! So, grab your paintbrushes and a mason jar, and let’s learn how to paint a sunflower!

Supplies For Painting A Sunflower On A Mason Jar

Pint-size mason jar (remove any labels from recycled jars before starting)
Craft paint (in two shades of yellow and two shades of brown)
White spray paint
Fall flowers
Round sponge paint brush
Paint brushes (see below for sizes and shapes needed)

Step 1: Paint Mason Jar

First, you will need something to paint your flower on. I am using a mason jar. To prep the mason jar, I cleaned it and painted it white, and then allowed it to dry completely.

Step 2: Gather Up Paint Brushes

To paint sunflowers, you will need three types of brushes. One round sponge brush, one brush that has bristles shaped like a flower petal, and a fine detail brush to add dimension. You can see two of the brushes that I used in the image below.

Step 3: Make Center Of Sunflower Flower

Start your sunflower by making a center with the round sponge brush and the lighter of the two brown paints.

Step 4: Paint Sunflower Petals

Then it’s time to paint the flower petals. Load up your brush with a darker shade of yellow. Practice on paper until you can use the brush shape to make a petal. Simply apply paint to the side of the brush and lay it down to transfer the shape of the brush to your surface.

Then start adding those petal shapes all the way around your flower center on the mason jar.

NOTE: It is okay if the flower center is still wet when you are doing this step.

Step 5: Add Fine Lines To Sunflower Petals

Use a really fine brush to start adding some shading to your flower petals. Do this with a lighter yellow and a light brown.

painting flowers with really fine paint brush

Just work in both paints on the still-wet flower petals.

Step 6: Add Dots To Sunflower Center

To finish painting your flower, turn one of the brushes around to the opposite end and dip it in the dark brown.

Use that end to make random dots over the top of your flower center.

learning how to paint a sunflower on a jar

When you are happy with your sunflower, allow the entire thing to dry completely before displaying it around your home to add a festive fall flair.

You can also see our technique for painting sunflowers in the Instagram story below!

Now that you know how to paint a sunflower, you can use this same method to make a ton of crafts. Do I see a sunflower-themed party in your future?

instructions for how to paint a sunflower

For this flower mason jar, I added some fall foliage, and now I have a fun party centerpiece that I painted myself. Don’t worry, you will not have to tell your party guests just how easy it is to paint a sunflower!

So, whether you use our instructions on how to paint a sunflower or make one of the other crafts in our Craft Lightning series, we are sure your party will be amazing! Happy crafting, y’all!

Tips and Tricks for How To Paint A Sunflower

Now that you’ve seen how to paint a sunflower, are you ready to paint your own? Here are a few tips and tricks to ensure your project goes as smoothly as possible!

Clean Your Mason Jar – Before painting, clean the glass of your mason jar with rubbing alcohol for maximum success.
Practice First – If you are concerned about messing up on your main surface, practice this sunflower first! You can easily practice this sunflower technique on a piece of paper until you are confident enough to try it on your project.
Change Up The Flower Color – Even though we painted a sunflower, you can change up the colors to paint any color of flower that you like! For example, you can use this same technique to create a daisy!