Creative Prompt: Paint a Candle
There’s something powerful about painting around the light instead of painting the light itself. This simple practice helps you remember that some things are best shown by making space: rest, presence, God’s nearness, hope.
Today, you’ll paint a candle but the flame stays unpainted. Let the blank space shine.
Step-by-Step (Watercolor)
Start with a light sketch of a candle: a simple rectangle for the candle and a small teardrop shape for the flame.
Do not paint the flame. Leave it completely white, untouched paper.
Paint the candle body in soft, warm colors. Let the paint be loose, imperfect, maybe dripping a little like wax.
Around the flame, add gentle washes of color that grow lighter and lighter as they reach toward the flame.
Imagine the flame pushing the color outward.
Let the white space do the work.
Add optional details once the paint dries (a wick, shadows, edges) or leave it simple and quiet.
This practice becomes a reminder that the most luminous things in our lives often come from the spaces we keep open.
Colored Pencil/Crayon Option
Draw a candle and flame, leaving the flame uncolored, or use this coloring page.
Color the candle in your favorite warm tones.
Around the flame, press lightly with your pencil or crayon.
The closer you get to the flame, the lighter your pressure.
The farther away, the deeper and richer the color.
If you want, outline the flame very gently with a soft yellow pencil, but keep the inside white.
Even with crayons, the uncolored flame becomes the brightest part of the page.
Wondering Questions
I wonder what the unpainted flame makes you think of?
I wonder if there is a space of light in your life right now?
I wonder what the blank space invites you to notice or remember?
I wonder how it feels to not fill something in?
Kid-Friendly Version
Draw or paint a candle: tall, short, silly, colorful, whatever you want but don’t color the flame.
Leave it white, as if the paper itself is glowing.
Then ask:
What do you think the light is for?
What makes you feel bright inside?
Who brings light into your world?
You can even draw little things around the candle that your light helps or warms, like tiny creatures, stars, or cozy objects.
Closing Thought
Leaving the flame unpainted becomes its own kind of prayer, an open space for God to shine, a reminder that not all light is ours to create.
Sometimes the most sacred thing we can do is simply make room for it.
If you feel comfortable, I’d love to see what you create. When I share these prompts, I’ll always try to share what I’ve made too. Tag me on Instagram or comment below with a photo or reflection.