20 Insanely Cute Tote Bag Painting Ideas

Looking for an easy way to get a cute custom tote bag? Here are 20 of the cutest tote bag painting ideas that you can recreate.

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Tote bags are SO in right now, and we’re obsessed! Not only are tote bags super cute to carry around, but they also help reduce plastic waste if you use them when you’re shopping.

If you want to carry around a one-of-a-kind tote bag, I highly recommend painting one yourself. It’s super fun, cheap, and it’ll leave you with a completely custom tote bag that no one else has.

We’ve been seeing so many people painting tote bags with their friends on TikTok lately. If you want to get in on this trend, we’ve got you covered. We found 20 of the cutest painted totes that you can recreate.

So let’s get into it! Here are 20 super cute tote bag painting ideas to give you a little bit of inspiration.

[RELATED: How To Do The Viral Painting Swap Challenge (With Examples)]

What You’ll Need

Painting a tote bag is super easy, but you will need some supplies before you get started. Here’s everything you need:

  • Plain tote bags
  • Cardboard – you’ll need to put a piece of cardboard in the middle of your tote when you’re painting. This will prevent the paint from bleeding through to the other side.
  • Acrylic paint (or some fabric paint)
  • Cup with water – to wash your paint brushes in between colors.
  • Paint brushes
  • Pencil – to sketch your design ahead of time.

How To Paint A Tote Bag

This craft idea is one of our favorites because it’s so easy that anyone can do it! To guarantee success, we’ll lay out all of the steps you need to take to make your own custom painted tote bag.

  1. Figure out what design you’re going to be painting onto your tote bag. If you’re not sure yet, check out the rest of this post for some painted tote bag inspiration.
  2. Start with a clean, blank tote bag. Stick a piece of cardboard in the middle of the bag to ensure that you don’t get any paint bleed-through.
  3. Lightly sketch out your design on the tote with a pencil. This will help ensure that you have clean lines and fewer mistakes when you start painting.
  4. Paint your tote with the acrylic paint and paint brushes.
  5. Allow to dry for a few hours. And that’s it! You now have the cutest custom painted tote bag.

* Keep in mind that your painted tote bag will not be machine washable. If you want a bag that you can throw in the washer, you’ll need to use a high-quality fabric paint like this set from Amazon.

Tote Bag Painting Ideas

If you’re stuck on what to paint on your tote bag, you may just need a little bit of inspiration. Here are 20 of the cutest painted tote bags that we’ve seen. Hopefully these give you some ideas for what to put on your own tote!

Cute Patterned Tote Bag Painting Ideas

butterfly painted tote bag idea
Source: Etsy
sunshine painted tote bag
Image Source: Redbubble
smiley face painted tote bag idea
Source: Redbubble
cloud tote bag painting idea
Source: Redbubble
mushroom tote bag painting idea
Image Sourced: Redbubble

Cow Print Painted Tote Bags

cow print tote bag
Source: Pinterest
pink cow print tote bag
Source: Twitter (@kyeremaaaa)

Flower Tote Bag Painting Ideas

floral painted tote bag
Source: Pinterest
dainty flower tote bag painting
Image Source: TikTok (@aggiezta)
floral tote bag
Source: Etsy
pink floral tote
Source: TikTok (@aggiezta)

Fruit Print Tote Bag Designs

strawberry painting tote bag
Source: TikTok (@aggiezta)
painted fruits tote bag
Image Source: Pinterest
oranges tote bag
Source: Redbubble
strawberries and cherries printed bags
Source: Pinterest

Painted Tote Bags With Words

painted tote bag that says take care of yourself
Source: Pinterest
tote bag that says you are doing great
Image Source: Pinterest
tote bag that says good things are coming
Source: TikTok (@aggiezta)
tote bag that says take care of yourself
Image Source: TikTok (@hannahdrapinski)
tote bag that says the greatest of all things
Source: TikTok (@aggiezta)

This post was all about the cutest tote bag painting ideas.

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