What is 2026's wilderkind trend, and how can artists and designers use it?

Ready to inject some natural influences into your art in 2026? While Pantone's colour of the year 2026 has been dubbed the hue of existential dread, an art trend prediction from Pinterest offers a much lusher prospect.

The social media platform has identified an emerging aesthetic for 2026 that seeks to capture Gen Z's desire to reconnect with nature. But what is wilderkind exactly? And how can artists create it? (for more on what we expect to see in the year ahead, see our roundups of digital art trends in 2026 and 3D art trends in 2026).

What is the wilderkind trend?

Wilderkind is one of Pinterest's 2026 trend predictions. The term describes a nature-driven aesthetic that often blends woodland motifs, wildlife-inspired patterns and soft, tactile organic textures.

With earthy palettes, the style is grounded in realism, but it also conveys a sense of whimsy and dreaminess. It's a kind of forest-core fantasy, you could say. Think fawn-inspired freckles, butterfly-wing patterns and lots of moss, bark and leaves.

Pinterest's trend predictions for 2026, range from 'poetcore' to 'cabbage crush' (yep, 2026 will be the year that “Boomers and Gen X say goodbye to their cauliflower obsession and crown cabbage the new kitchen champ,” apparently).

The platform insists that it doesn't just make this stuff up. It's all based on hard data derived from what people are searching for. I have to admit that cauliflower-core passed me by, but the wilderkind trend seems to be gaining traction, and it's a trend that could offer opportunities for artists.

Searches for “bug jewellery” on Pinterest are up by 60%, while “deer aesthetic” is up by 55% and “animal-inspired outfits” by 90%. The reason these are trending, Pinterest thinks, is due to an urge to return to nature identified among Gen Z.

The platform sees the core idea as rooted in nonconformity, self-preservation and escapism, which it says will be the driving forces of the year ahead. I suspect the renewed interest in the natural may also be part of the reaction against AI, which has seen big brand Christmas ads roasted while a French supermarket triumphed with an animated advert about a wolf.

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This wilderkind trend is already influencing fashion, lifestyle and even tech accessories. We can see that in CASETiFY’s Wilderkind collection of phone and MacBook cases.

The accessories were illustrated by Cornwall-based husband and wife art team Zanna and Harry Goldhawk AKA Papio Press. The couple paints traditionally by hand using gouache and watercolours to achieve lovely organic textures.

They describe the wilderkind trend as “soft, delicate, a little bit magic. Forest creatures. Gentle details. That quiet kind of wonder.”

How to use the wilderkind trend in your art and design work

You can think of wilderkind art as like painting a dreamy forest diary. A big part of the trend is in the types of motifs chosen. These can be animals, from mammals like deer and foxes to owls and butterflies, or they can be plants like trees, ferns and wildflowers, or fungi.

Examples of wilderkind art range from the figurative – say, a fox curled up under ferns with butterflies fluttering above – to more abstract patterns inspired by bark, moss, and wing textures.

While it's whimsical, wilderkind shouldn't be cartoonish. Its soft dreaminess should be grounded in real nature. And while some artists use patterns with multiple elements, it's usually best to avoid clutter too: focusing on a few motifs per piece can help keep it cohesive.

The colour palette should generally revolve around earthy tones: moss green, muted beige and the brown of tree bark. Soft pastels in lavender, sky blue and blush pink can also work, with more vibrant hues like golden sunlight yellow or deep fox-red for accents.

The aim is to create atmosphere – think mist, the glow of twilight and forest shadows. To create the texture of a misty woodland air, you could try layering washes, while you could try speckling to create for fawn freckle patterns or dappled sunlight, and dry brush strokes to evoke bark or feather textures.

You could also experiment with mixed media, incorporating natural textures like pressed leaves, sand, or fabric to give your art a tactile feel.

Let me know in the comments section below what you think of the wilderkind trend and whether you have other ideas of how to create it, be it in traditional or digital art.

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