Hand Painted Ornaments: 16 Easy Designs That Look Like European Christmas Market Treasures

Hand painted ornaments are the easiest way to give your Christmas tree that one of a kind, Christmas market look without paying Christmas market prices. Last year millions of people watched short videos of beginners painting tiny snowy trees and cozy cottages onto plain glass balls, and the results looked like something you would carry home from a little shop in Germany. The secret is that most of these designs use only a few simple strokes, a dot or two, and a steady hand you build in about ten minutes. Below are 16 easy designs, from snowy villages and cheerful gnomes to gold leaf stripes and folk flowers. Grab a pack of plain ornaments, a few craft paints and a cup of cocoa, and let your evening turn into a cozy little workshop..

Snowy Village Hand Painted Ornaments

Start with the design that made everyone fall in love with hand painted ornaments: a tiny snowy village wrapped around a glass ball. You only need three shapes, a square for the house, a triangle for the roof and a few dots for snow. Paint the houses first, let them dry, then add white roofs and a dusting of dots in the sky. Group a few of these on one branch and they look like a whole little town. Which village will you paint first..

You will need: Clear or matte white glass ball ornaments, acrylic craft paint in white, red, brown and blue, a small flat brush, a fine liner brush, a cotton swab.

How to make it: 1. Paint a soft blue band around the lower half for the sky and let it dry. 2. Add small house shapes with square bodies and triangle roofs. 3. Top the roofs and ground with thick white paint, then dot falling snow with the end of a brush.

Blue Twilight Cottage Ball

This deep blue ball shows how much a dark background helps. White snow, a frosty tree and two cozy cottages simply pop against twilight blue, and the raised snow texture makes it look carved. You can copy the look at home with puffy paint or a little baking soda stirred into white acrylic. Keep the windows tiny and warm yellow so the cottages seem lit from inside. If you love a softer, touchable look too, our velvet Christmas ornaments pair beautifully with painted glass. Would this look sweeter on a blue tree or a classic green one?

You will need: A navy or royal blue ornament, white acrylic paint, puffy paint or baking soda, yellow paint, a liner brush.

How to make it: 1. Sketch two cottages with a white paint pen. 2. Fill the walls, then build up the roofs and ground with thick textured white. 3. Dot yellow windows and add a frosty tree with quick white flicks.

Buffalo Plaid Hand Painted Ornaments on Wood Slices

Buffalo plaid is the farmhouse favorite, and hand painted ornaments on wood slices are the cheapest way to get it. A bag of wood slices costs a few dollars and gives you a whole tree of rustic ornaments. The trick is painting in layers: a red base, wide black stripes one way, then wide black stripes the other way, so darker squares appear wherever they cross. Add a jute hanger and they look straight out of a cabin. Who on your gift list would love a set of these?

You will need: Round wood slices with holes, red and black acrylic paint, painter’s tape, a flat brush, jute twine.

How to make it: 1. Paint the slice red and let it dry. 2. Tape off a grid and paint black stripes in one direction, then the other. 3. Peel the tape, seal with matte varnish and thread twine through the hole.

Cheerful Gnome Face Ornament

Gnomes are the easiest faces to paint because you never have to paint eyes. A pointy red hat, a fluffy white beard and a round pink nose peeking out between them is all it takes. Dab the beard with a dry brush so it looks soft and fuzzy. Make a whole family with green, gray and red hats, and your tree turns playful in one evening. Is your house a gnome house yet?

You will need: Matte white ornaments, red, pink and white acrylic paint, a stiff dry brush, a round brush.

How to make it: 1. Paint a tall red triangle hat over the top half. 2. Dab a big white beard below it with a dry brush. 3. Add a round pink nose where the hat and beard meet, and a white pom pom on the tip.

Snowy Pine Forest Hand Painted Ornaments

A pine forest is the design beginners nail most often, and it is the same one behind those viral painting videos. Each tree is just a center line with short brush strokes sloping down on both sides. Paint the far trees lighter and the near ones darker for depth, then sprinkle snow over everything. These hand painted ornaments look like mountain souvenirs, and nobody will guess they took twenty minutes. Want to try a whole row?

You will need: A blue ornament, dark green, light green and white acrylic paint, a fan brush or small flat brush.

How to make it: 1. Paint a few light green trees in the back. 2. Add darker trees in front with downward strokes. 3. Load a dry brush with white and tap snow onto the branches and ground.

Gold Leaf Stripe Ornaments

If you want ornaments that look expensive, gold leaf is your best friend. A few bold diagonal stripes of shiny gold on a matte white or deep green ball look like something from a fancy department store. Gold leaf sheets are cheap, and the adhesive does most of the work. The torn, slightly uneven edges are part of the charm, so do not worry about perfection. Which color will you pair with gold?

You will need: Matte ornaments, gold leaf sheets, gold leaf adhesive, a soft brush, painter’s tape.

How to make it: 1. Tape diagonal stripes and brush adhesive between the tape lines. 2. When it turns tacky, press gold leaf on gently. 3. Brush off the extra flakes and peel the tape.

Winter Cardinal Hand Painted Ornaments

Cardinals are a classic winter symbol, and many families see a red cardinal as a sweet sign of loved ones visiting. That makes hand painted ornaments with a cardinal one of the most meaningful gifts you can make. Paint a simple branch first, then a red teardrop body, a pointed crest and a small black mask. A few white dots for snow finish it. Who would you paint one for?

You will need: A white ornament, red, black, brown, orange and white acrylic paint, a liner brush, a round brush.

How to make it: 1. Paint a brown branch across the ball. 2. Add a red teardrop body sitting on it, with a crest and tail. 3. Paint a black mask, an orange beak and white snow dots.

Peppermint Polka Dot Ornament

Polka dots might be the simplest design on this list, and they look as sweet as candy. Use the round end of a pencil eraser or a dotting tool and you get perfect circles every time. Red and white looks like peppermint, while pink and mint feels retro. Work in rows around the ball and let one side dry before turning it. Is this the one the kids can help with?

You will need: Red or white ornaments, red, white and mint acrylic paint, a pencil eraser or dotting tool, a cup to hold the ball while it dries.

How to make it: 1. Paint the ball one base color. 2. Dip the eraser in paint and press dots in even rows. 3. Add smaller dots between the big ones and let dry in a cup.

Red Sky Winter Cabin Ornament

This ornament proves a warm sky can feel cozier than a blue one. A soft red and pink sunset sits behind a snowy cabin, while white frost trees frame the scene. Blend the sky colors while they are wet so there are no hard lines. These market style hand painted ornaments sell for real money at holiday markets, so they make lovely gifts and craft fair pieces too. Would you keep this one or sell it?

You will need: A white ornament, red, pink, brown and white acrylic paint, a soft blending brush, a liner brush.

How to make it: 1. Blend red and pink into a sunset around the top. 2. Paint a small brown cabin with a white roof. 3. Add frosty white trees and snow on the ground with quick strokes.

Dot Mandala Ornament

Dot mandalas are calming to make and stunning to look at. You start with one dot in the center and build rings of dots outward, getting smaller as you go. It works beautifully on a dark ball with white, gold and turquoise paint. Nobody needs drawing skills here, just patience and a few dotting tools. It feels like meditation with a cup of tea. Ready for a slow, cozy evening?

You will need: A dark ornament, white, gold and turquoise acrylic paint, dotting tools or the ends of brushes and toothpicks.

How to make it: 1. Place one big dot at the center front. 2. Add a ring of medium dots around it. 3. Keep adding rings of smaller dots in new colors until the pattern covers the front.

Watercolor Wash Hand Painted Ornaments

Watercolor ornaments look soft, dreamy and very grown up. Clear glass balls take thinned paint beautifully, and you can let colors run into each other on purpose. Pick a winter mix like blush, sage and lavender for a modern tree. Swirl the color inside or brush it outside, then add a few gold dots. These hand painted ornaments look like boutique pieces that cost a lot more than they did. Which colors fit your tree?

You will need: Clear glass ornaments, acrylic paint thinned with water, a soft round brush, gold paint pen.

How to make it: 1. Thin each paint color with a little water. 2. Brush loose patches of color on the glass and let them blend. 3. When dry, add tiny gold dots and lines.

Folk Flower Clay Bells

Folk flowers bring a Scandinavian and Eastern European feel to your tree, just like these cheerful ceramic bells. A red base, a cream band and tiny painted blooms make each one feel handmade with love. On ornaments, start with five dot petals and a contrasting center, then add little leaves with one stroke of a round brush. Repeat the flowers in a ring for a classic folk look. Have you ever tried one stroke flowers?

You will need: Clay or wood ornaments, red, cream, blue, green and yellow acrylic paint, a round brush, a dotting tool.

How to make it: 1. Paint a red base and a cream band around the middle. 2. Dot five petals for each flower around the band. 3. Add centers and small leaves, then seal with clear varnish.

Gingerbread House on a Wood Slice

A gingerbread house painted on wood looks just like a real cookie, and it smells like nothing at all, which makes it pet friendly too. Paint a light brown house, then add white icing lines along the roof edge and windows. Little colored dots become gumdrops and candy buttons. It is a playful design that grandparents and kids both love. Want to make a whole gingerbread street?

You will need: Wood slices, light brown, white, red and green acrylic paint, a white paint pen, a liner brush.

How to make it: 1. Paint a house shape in light brown and let it dry. 2. Draw icing scallops on the roof and around windows with a paint pen. 3. Dot red and green candies along the roof line.

Frosted Winter Tree Hand Painted Ornaments

Sometimes one tree says it all. A bare winter tree with frosty white branches on a pale ball is quiet, elegant and easy to copy. Paint the trunk with a dry brush so the bark looks real, then pull thin branches outward. Puffy white snow along the bottom adds a 3D touch. These hand painted ornaments fit any style, from farmhouse to modern. Is simple your style this year?

You will need: A white or pale gray ornament, brown, gray and white acrylic paint, a liner brush, puffy paint.

How to make it: 1. Paint a trunk up the middle with a dry brush. 2. Pull thin branches out with a liner brush. 3. Add puffy white snow along the ground and on a few branches.

Snowman Belly Ornament

Here the whole ornament becomes a snowman. Paint the ball white, add three coal buttons down the front and a little scarf near the top, and you have the happiest belly on the tree. A simple dotted smile and two dot eyes keep it cute and easy. Add a tiny orange carrot nose and you are done. These are perfect for a family painting night. Who gets to name your snowman?

You will need: White ornaments, black, orange, red and green acrylic paint, a dotting tool, a small flat brush.

How to make it: 1. Paint the ball white if it is clear. 2. Dot two eyes, a carrot nose and a dotted smile near the top. 3. Paint a striped scarf and three black buttons down the front.

Firebird Folk Art Ornament

This dazzling ornament shows where you can go once you get comfortable. A fiery orange bird with long swirling feathers flies across a deep teal ball, surrounded by fine gold curls. It is inspired by classic Russian lacquer folk art. Start small with a simple swoosh body and a few feather curves, then add gold lines with a fine paint pen. Even a simple version looks like a museum shop treasure. Will this be your showpiece ornament?

You will need: A dark teal or navy ornament, orange, red, white and gold acrylic paint, a gold paint pen, a liner brush.

How to make it: 1. Paint a curved orange body and long tail feathers. 2. Add red shading and white highlights on each feather. 3. Fill the background with tiny gold curls and dots.