How to Paint Fire

Reviewed by Jeanine Hattas Wilson

Last Updated: October 7, 2024

Painting fire is a great way to add a dramatic, warm, or interesting feeling to a drawing or painting.

While drawing or painting realistic-looking fire might seem very complicated, it's actually not very difficult once you understand what fire is and see how to capture the movement of flames. This article describes the process as applicable to both a computer-aided drawing program or pencil/paint on paper.

1

Understand the movement of the fire.

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Look at fire or watch videos to get a sense of its movement. Although it might seem challenging initially, movement can be successfully drawn through observation of how the object moves (in this case, fire) and noticing the varying shades and shadows thrown by the movement. Changing perspectives of the movement can also give you a better overall idea of the object's many-faceted moves. Stare at a burning fire for a time before going to your drawing; if you don't have a fire, look at a video of a crackling fire online or simply light a match somewhere safe.
- Common shapes in the fire include teardrops and tendrils^{[1]
  X
  Research source} for the flames and an elliptical shape for the entire space taken up by the fire.

2

Outline the flames and create a background.

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Paint the flames orange and use black or a dark color as the background. A dark color adds intensity to the fire and keeping the background simple to begin with is important to ensure that you concentrate on the fire itself.^{[2]
X
Research source} You can embellish the background more when your fire drawing improves. For the flames, choose a dark orange or reddish color for painting. If you're working on paper rather than on a computer, you can either paint the flames directly or draw them in first and paint next—whichever you're most comfortable with.
- Start to draw or paint in the shape of a fire. It's good to use a reference for the shape, such as drawing an ellipse within which the fire will remain and you can send the flames up to any of the edges of this ellipse.^{[3]
  X
  Research source}
- Use "S" like shapes to form each flame. Join the flames together about a third of the way or midway from the base of the fire and have the flames separated going up from that point.
- Be sure to vary the height of different flames – no flames remain the same height at the same time and the difference in height gives a greater sense of movement.
- See How to draw flames for some clear pointers with step-by-step images.

3

Outline the edges of the flames.

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Then, paint the edges of the fire with it. Doing this gives the fire more shape and smoothness, as well as giving an indication of heat and movement. You can do this later, too, if you want to.

4

Paint the flames light yellow or orange.

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Start to color inside the fire's base, following the shape of the flames. The lighter the color you choose, the more intense (and hot) the fire will appear to the person viewing it.

5

Add white highlights to the flames.

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Take a very small paintbrush or pencil and a light, nearly white color. Again, paint inside the fire following its shape to make it look even more intense and realistic.

6

Add in extra details.

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Change the background or embellish the flames. When you're more comfortable with drawing the flames and fire, consider working in a more detailed background. You could also make the flames appear fancier. The following images suggest different ideas for you to try:
- Fancy flames for a more abstract, funky look.
- Introducing a subject into the picture.
- A larger fire.
- Introducing a character with the fire.
- Rainbow fire.

Community Q&A

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Question

Would this work for paint pens and paint markers?

Community Answer

Yes. Just blend as much as you can. Maybe use something tipped with rubber that won't absorb the paint to smudge it, but not so much that your lines blur and your painting becomes foggy.

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I need my PC drawings to come out more smoothly, what can I do?

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Use Google Drawing or any other program with the S curve tool, as this helps make better lines.

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I want to paint flames on an old, very bright orange blazer. Any ideas on what paints, colors techniques, etc. I could use?

Community Answer

Use fabric paint mixed with acrylics. Make sure to sketch it out first with chalk. Use a thin brush dipped in black to add outlines and such, and maybe try some different blending techniques.

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Tips

Use a real fire for inspiration.

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Don't feel bad if your finished production doesn't look good in your opinion. Few artists create something perfect right away – it takes some practice to get things looking right when creating art.

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This is just one way of drawing or painting fire. It's not necessarily a style everyone should follow and the final images show you the wide range of ways for painting flames.

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