26 Amazing and Gorgeous Tote Bag Painting Ideas

Tote bags are a great way to express your style and add a touch of color to your outfit. They can also make a great and useful item to carry your stuff while you are out running errands. With the right design, they can become a fashion statement on their own. However, the design of most tote bags can look boring sometimes. Therefore, if you’re looking for a creative way to add some flair to your tote bag, why not consider painting it instead? Painting your tote bag is a fun and easy way to customize the look and feel of the bag, and it gives you a unique opportunity to express your artistic side, too.

With a few touches and colors, you can create a tote bag that stands out from the crowd. From simple tote bag designs to more intricate artworks, there are endless possibilities for canvas tote bag painting. To help you find the best recommendations on how to make your tote bag stands out, here we have some stylish tote bag painting ideas that you can use to create a one-of-a-kind tote bag look.

What Kind of Paint Do You Use on a Tote Bag?

Acrylic paint is the most popular paint for tote bags. It is easy to work with and it also provides a permanent, waterproof finish. Moreover, spraying paint or fabric paint can also be used to create a stylish tote bag.

What is the Easiest Way to Decorate a Tote Bag?

The easiest painting technique to decorate a tote bag is to use iron-on transfers. They are easy to apply and can be found at most craft stores. You can also use fabric paint, fabric markers, fabric glue, and other embellishments to create a unique design. For more unique tote bag ideas, you can read in the article above.

Easy Tote Bag Painting Ideas

If you’re looking for a creative and fun way to show off your style, look no further than painting a tote bag. With the right supplies and a little bit of creativity, you can paint a tote bag that is unique and beautiful. Here are some easy tote bag painting ideas to get you started.

1. Colorful Flower Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@zazzle.com)

Having some flowers on your canvas bag is one of the easiest ways to make yours stand out. Start painting a simple flower with five petals and a pistil in the middle. Use different colors for each flower. You can draw only white color for all the petals, or you can also be different and draw it with multiple colors like red, green, blue, yellow, purple, pink and orange flowers.

In addition, in order to make neat and clean painting results, you can use a flower stencil. Many people say that it will be really helpful for beginners to create the chic canvas tote bag.

2. Heart Pastel Color Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@laurascraftylife.com)

If you prefer soft and pastel colors, we think you might want to consider painting with this DIY tote bag design. All you have to do is to paint some heart shapes with pastel tones. Use heart stencil to make your work easier. Also, we recommend you to arrange the hearts’ colors into three different sections. Start from the pink shades at the top, soft green tones in the middle, and the blue colors at the bottom.

3. Minimalist Geometric Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@zazzle.com)

Do you know that sometimes the simple and minimalist design will make an aesthetic tote bag in your life? To find out whether it’s true or not, try to experiment with simple geometrical shapes for your canvas bags. Simply paint a black circle, pink square, and a red rectangle on your tote bag. You may use stencil to create the precise shape and angle. In addition, you can play with different painting strokes to give some textures.

4. Heart Dots Outline Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@clumsycrafter.com)

Next up we have an easy craft idea to paint your tote bag, and this is a creative way to make an artistic design. Instead of painting the design into a full colored heart, you can create a unique dots heart outline instead. To make this design, cut cardboard into a heart shape and place it into the center of the tote bag. After that, use a painting brush to create dots around the heart cardboard. And, your gorgeous heart design is ready!

5. Boho Desert Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@opalcrown.com)

Who says you can’t paint beautiful scenery for your canvas design easily? Well, let us give you some tips on that. To create a neat and clean square frame, you can cover the outer area with tapes or plastics. After that, simply paint the desert view using different brown shades. You can also add a full moon above the desert using brown paints. Last but not least, to make a perfect moon, you may also use circle stencil.

6. Rainbow Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@favecrafts.com)

Inspired by the innocence of kids, let your tote bag be a beautiful rainbow painted canvas to treasure. In order to create a colorful tote bag like this pretty one, you can use acrylic paint to draw a kids-style rainbow look in your tote bag. After that, stick the cloud fabric on the edge of the rainbow for an extra charming touch. In our opinion, this is also an easy and great DIY painting activity you can do with your kids.

7. Lemon Summer Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@zazzle.com)

Suppose you want to make a simple summer tote bag, we think a lemon design would be perfect. It looks simple, sweet and adorable at the same time. To create this sweet looking tote bag, simply prepare painting tools such as acrylic paint and lemon stencil. We highly recommend acrylic paint because it will give a thick and bold color on your lemon design.

Start by painting the leaves part first, and then continue to the lemons. We can assure you that having some lemons on your tote bag will make a statement that you are so ready for summer vacation.

Hand Tote Bag Painting Ideas

Today, everyone can make their own beautiful bag with their hands. Whether you’re looking for a fun activity or want to make a statement piece for your wardrobe, hand painted canvas bags are a great way to show off your artistic skills. Let us give you some ideas about hand painted tote bags for your inspiration below!

8. Sunflower Hand Painted Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@discover.hubpages.com)

Sunflower painting tote bags are a popular design, especially during Mother’s Day. With your bare hands and yellow acrylic paint, you can create the beautiful sunflower petals on your tote bag. Simply dip your hands into the yellow paint, and then stamp them on the tote bag. Create small dots in the center of the sunflower to make the pistil. After that, you can draw the flower’s stem using a painting brush in green color. However, make sure you are ready to get dirty in paint before you start. We believe without a doubt, it would be a fun activity to do with your little ones.

9. The Queen Cubism Art Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@society6.com)

If you love cubism art, then we can guarantee you will this tote bag painting design. It offers more than just amazing design, but it may also enhance your style and make a fashion statement. You can start drawing the whole structure of objects. After that, paint the design in bright and vibrant colors such as red, yellow, blue, and green. Moreover, you can also give shades to each object, which will create an artistic design. In our opinion, instead of just showing how things appear, this design also depicts them as they actually are.

10. Aesthetic Zodiac Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@honeyglossy ♡ ˚✧ . ˚)

One of the advantages of having hand tote bag painting is that you can put your own personalized fashion items on it, too. You can combine your zodiac with your favorite color to make the aesthetic tote bag that will look perfect for daily fashion. Just like our idea above, choose some aesthetic shades such as dark green, mint, and turquoise paint.

Then, draw your zodiac with a simple flower at the center, color them with these paint shades, and then continue by outlining them with black paint. In addition, we also recommend you to paint a wavy pattern on each corner of the tote bag with the same shades, because they will make the bag looks even more adorable.


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11. Tribal Dreamcatcher Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@society6.com)

For those of you who want to challenge their painting skill, we believe creating the tribal dreamcatcher design might be worth trying. It has a certain level of difficulties that will train your painting skills, while at the same time, guarantee an amazing looking tote bag as a result.

You can use watercolor to make a dreamy feel with sharp lines. Start by drawing the dreamcatcher outline, then continue to paint the tribal pattern. After that, you can fill each part by using a small painting brush carefully. Last but no not least, don’t forget to double outline to finish your watercolor tote bag.

12. Botanical Earth Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@redbubble.com)

Earth tones for your tote bag will work well on any outfit, making it the perfect tote bag for any occasion. Therefore, how about creating this aesthetic botanical art tote bag painting design? In our opinion, it would be a great idea, plus it’s easy to create, too.

You can begin by creating abstract irregular shapes in cream, min, pink, and baby blue color just like the image above. Then, continue painting a twig with a few leaves in brown color as the focal point of this design.

13. Artistic Blue Leves Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@society6.com)

If you think that using watercolor may be a great option to create a soft and smooth design, we are on your team. Take this tote bag for instance. To create this tote bag and to make this artistic and gloomy blue leaves with watercolor, you should draw the sketch first with pencil. Draw tree branches with some leaves, and then carefully paint the branches with dark brown watercolor and a bit of black.

Moreover, you can also use light blue to paint the leaves and add dark blue paint to give shades on the leaves. In addition, you may also splash the blue paint onto the canvas, which we think will give it an artistic effect.

14. Pink Butterfly Tote Bag

Pink Butterfly Tote Bag
Source: Pinterest (@media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com)

A great symbol of hope and positivity, painting a butterfly on a tote bag will definitely be a gorgeous addition to your fashion item! Especially if you want to upgrade your old tote bag, you can consider painting this adorable pink butterfly. As for the color of choice, a sweet pink touch in your tote bag will give a playful, fun, and feminine appearance. To create the amazing butterfly image, we recommend you draw the butterfly sketch first, then color it with acrylic paint.

Spray Tote Bag Painted Ideas

From abstract art to personalized messages, let your imagination run wild and create a one-of-a-kind spray tote bag that is sure to be a conversation starter. With our spray tote bg painting ideas, let your creativity shine and create a unique and stylish tote bag that you’ll be proud to show off. Let’s check them out!

15. Spray Tote Bag with Positive Quotes

Spray Tote Bag with Positive Quotes
Source: Pinterest (@mamookids.com)

Spreading positive messages in a fun way is surely an amazing activity you can do with spray paint. If you are interested in having positive quotes on your tote bag with spraying technique, we are happy to give you some tips.

The first thing you need to do is to prepare some cardboard letters that made up the quote. After you arrange the cardboard letters on the tote bag, you can spray the tote bag freely. And, you will get the fantastic result if you remove the cardboard. In our opinion, creating a tote bag with positive quotes would be a wonderful idea to spread some positivity to your surroundings.

16. Swirl Spray Paint Tote Bag

Source: Pinterest (@redbubble.com)

Spray paint is also a simple tool to make an aesthetic abstract tote bag, especially if you use two contrasting paint colors. In order to apply this idea to your tote bag, simply use two different spray paints to create the wonderful swirl art. For instance, you may combine purple and black paint to make the swirl. You can start to paint the tote bag in purple color, then create the swirl with the black paint. Or, you can also do the opposite, we would say that it’s up to you who’s making the art and you can be creative with it.

17. Summer Love Flower Tote Bag

Summer Love Flower Tote Bag
Source: Pinterest (@Marianne Belhumeur)

Besides the abstract design, you can also use the spray paint to create the smooth gradient background. In this design, we recommend you to prepare some summer color themed spray paint such as green, blue, and yellow. Simply spray them horizontally to create the green yellowish grass with a blue sky background. After that, use a flower stencil and pink color for painting the main design. Once you’re done, you will have a wonderful tote bag that looks like summer!

18. Spray Paint Cats Tote Bag

Spray Paint Cats Tote Bag
Source: Pinterest (@society6.com)

If you look at the design closely, you may spot cute cats on this tote bag. For those cat lovers, we believe that you will fall in love with this awesome design the moment you lay your eyes on it. Even better, you can actually create it yourself!

First, you can freely spray paints on your tote bag for the background. Use cream, light brown, dark brown, and black colors to create the abstract spray paint pattern. To create the adorable cat pattern, you can use stencil and fill the outline using white paint.


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19. Neon Spray Paint Tote Bag

Neon Spray Paint Tote Bag
Source: Pinterest (@zazzle.com)

Turn your old tote bag into a fantastic brand-new fashion item with a simple spray painting technique. The key of this design is to us bright and neon colors. You might need to prepare three to four paint colors, and you can use the blue neon spray paint for the base color. After that, spray some neon red colors and a few neon green paints to have an amazing result. Our advice for this one, let your sense of art create a unique final look.

20. Urban Spray Art Tote Bag

Urban Spray Art Tote Bag
Source: Pinterest (@zazzle.com)

If you want to have abstract colorful designs, we think you might want to consider the urban spray art tote bag painting idea! Show your creativity and sense of art with spray paint to create the abstract design. Start by spraying some colors randomly, then choose which one for the main colors and the supporting ones. Moreover, you may also add the splashing technique and abstract signs to give the urban art feel.

21. Misty Tribal Spray Paint Tote Bag

Misty Tribal Spray Paint Tote Bag
Source: Pinterest (@joannfabricandcraftstores.blogspo…)

Who says you can’t have a sharp and thin design using spray paint? For those who want to get a detailed design with spray paint, we highly recommend you to try this idea. Prepare a tribal stencil and place it on your tote bag. After that, choose your favorite spray paint color to paint the design. For instance, a single blue color in the white tote bag will give a dreamy and smooth atmosphere. In addition, you can choose other colors based on preference, too.

22. Rainbow Heart Watercolor Painting Tote Bag

Rainbow Heart Watercolor Painting Tote Bag
Source: Pinterest (@zazzle.com)

This next idea is the perfect definition of ‘Simplicity as the ultimate sophistication’ described in a sweet looking tote bag. To create this simple yet stunning tote bag you can use a watercolor painting method and create a heart shape by drawing round shapes in various colors using watercolor paints. A little advice for this one, you can also use round molds to create the perfect round shape, too. Also, instead of painting it on one side, we think it would be best to paint the shape on two sides of the bag.

23. Blue Whale Watercolor Painted Tote Bag

Blue Whale Watercolor Painted Tote Bag
Source: Pinterest (@zazzle.com)

Next up we have one of the most recommended tote bag painting ideas for whale lovers out there! If you happen to adore whales as much as we do, then we’re pretty sure you will love this Blue Whale watercolor painting idea for your tote bag. However, to be able to create the perfect image of the blue whale, we believe you need extra attention to details and skills, too! But as a result, it won’t be disappointing and that we can guarantee.

24. Watercolor Camera Illustration Tote Bag

Watercolor Camera Illustration Tote Bag
Source: Pinterest (@redbubble.com)

An SLR camera is one of the items that will always bring out that nostalgic and vintage kind of feeling out of many people. Therefore, if you are one of them then we believe this tote bag painting idea will catch your attention right away. First, you can create a drawing of an SLR camera and color it with your favorite watercolor paints to make it an eye-catching image on your tote bag.

25. Blue Abstract Painting Tote Bag

Blue Abstract Painting Tote Bag
Source: Pinterest (@society6.com)

This simple abstract looking tote bag will make a great everyday bag to accompany your days while running errands. It is very easy to make and you will only need one shade of paint, and for this one, it’s blue. However, feel free to pick other colors based on your preference, too. But in our opinion, it would be best to pick one color shade only, because it will make the bag look more artsy.

26. Fun and Colorful Watercolor Painted Tote Bag

Fun and Colorful Watercolor Painted Tote Bag
Sorce: Pinterest (@zazzle.com)

If you prefer to cover your plain white tote bag with colors all over it, then we believe that you cannot go wrong with this idea. You can have as many colors as you like and just create a continuous pattern just like this one. We have no doubt that your tote bag will be everyone’s favorite and make your friends envy, for sure.

Final Thoughts

When it comes tote bag painting ideas there are no limitations and you can let your creativity go wild. However, in the end it comes back to your preference and taste. Since a tote bag is an item that you will carry with you wherever you go, it is best to paint a design that perfectly represents your personality and character. From abstract to sweet and natural design, we have all tote bag painting ideas for you on our list. So make sure you check them all out before you start with your own bag painting art work.


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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

What kind of paint do you use on a tote bag?

Acrylic paint is the most popular paint for tote bags. It is easy to work with and provides a permanent, waterproof finish. Moreover, spraying paint or fabric paint can also be used to create a stylish tote bag.

How do you put art on a tote bag?

Start by washing and drying the tote bag so it’s clean and wrinkle-free. Use fabric paint or markers to add your desired art onto the fabric and let it dry. Once it is dry, place a sheet of parchment paper or cardboard inside the tote bag to prevent the paint from transferring onto the other side. Press the iron onto the fabric for about 10 seconds to set the paint and let it cool. When the fabric is completely cool, you can use the tote bag.

Can you wash a painted tote bag?

Yes, you can wash a painted tote bag, but it is best to hand-wash it to avoid damaging the paint. Use a mild detergent and cool water, then let the bag air dry. The bag maintains its shape and experiences less shrinkage when washed in cold water. While drying, you should also try to reduce the centrifuge’s speed to make it less harsh on the bag.

Does acrylic paint wash off with water?

Yes, acrylic paint can wash off with water, especially when wet. If the paint dries out, it turns into a stain and resembles something that looks like plastic. When using acrylic paint, it’s best to use a sealant to make the paint more durable and permanent.

How do you put pictures on a tote bag?

First, gather your supplies: a tote bag, a fabric marker, an image printed on paper, an iron, and an ironing board. Place the tote bag on the ironing board and lay the printed image on top of it. Use the fabric marker to trace the image onto the tote bag. Once you have finished tracing, place a thin cotton cloth over the image and press the iron over the image for a few seconds. Then, let the image cool and remove the cloth. Finally, your image is now permanently transferred onto the tote bag.

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