Easy Art Ideas - Art Inspiration Ideas That Everyone Can Try

Maybe some are reluctant to try their hand at creating art, but we are all capable of producing some amazing things. Why not start with simple art projects, something anybody can do, including children. Many easy art ideas also do not take up much time and are fun to do. We have made a collection of art inspiration ideas you and the family can try out.

Ideas for Art

Today, the excuse that you do not know what to do, is not good enough as there are thousands of ideas you can find online. Maybe that is the problem, too much choice, so you do not know what to do anyway. Well, do not stress as we are going to help you out. Below are some easy art ideas, all of which can be done by young and old. You can choose one or try them all out, but make sure you have lots of fun in the process.

Painting With Different Tools

So, we start with some more traditional artwork ideas, but with a twist. Normally, you would paint on a canvas and use a paintbrush to do so. What if we use other items instead, for example, using Q-tips as your paintbrush? You can use these as single applications or group them and place an elastic around them for a larger effect.

If you are at a loss as to what to paint, you can look at nature to inspire you.

If you can, choose some broad, flat leaves. Instead of paintbrushes, you can also use colorful markers, which you then take and gently color the rough and vein-covered side of the leaf. Then simply place the colored leaf side down on your paper and press firmly, pull the leaf away and you should have a colorful stamp of the leaf on the paper.

You can also use different surfaces to paint on, for example, place some foil around a piece of cardboard for a fun, smooth, and reflective painting experience. You can also paint on leaves themselves, or paint on white canvas shoes. Of course, you can paint on other surfaces like plastic, glass, wood, and metal. Below are some more ideas for unconventional painting supplies.

Bubble wrap
Simply use your fingers to paint
Silicone baking spatula
Yarn or string
Combs
Using the bottom end of a coke bottle

Mosaic Art Ideas

Mosaics are quite a popular art form, and you can easily purchase some home kits from the craft store. These usually provide an image, tiles, and other items to complete the project. You could also try creating your own mosaic ideas. For example, draw a rough outline of a landscape or other image on some cardstock. Take some old magazines and colored paper and randomly cut out pieces and stick them over the image, creating a mosaic of the underlying image.

You might want to laminate the piece for protection. When not using the tiles, it can be classified more as collage art or three-dimensional art. Why not try creating a mixed-media collage, which uses different materials, and the final piece can be two, or even three-dimensional. Other items you can use to create collages or mosaics include some of the following:

Bottle caps
Old and worn crayons
Beads and buttons
Old mirrors
CDs
Recycle broken glass
Seeds, beans, and lentils
Pasta in all sizes and shapes
Stones
Drawing pins

Fun Watercolor Art Projects

Watercolor paints are safe to use for children and even though watercolor painting can be challenging, there are some easier artwork ideas. The simplest art idea with watercolors is to apply some of the paint to your paper and use a straw to blow the paint around, creating abstract images.

Another idea is to make paint splotches and let these dry. Once dry, you can use pens or markers to fill in images or faces only you can see to bring the paint splotch to life. In Japan, this is known as “Hirameki”. You can also try this technique with fingerprint painting or hand painting. Of course, there are many more watercolor ideas you can try if this is the medium you wish to use.

Creating With Clay

Creating with clay can be fun, and there are many art projects for you to try. There are different types of clay out there, the most popular being air dry clay and polymer clay. Air-dry clay is perfect to start with as you do not need to heat the clay for it to set, you simply leave it to air dry. You can stick to creating art pieces or figurines, or you can make more functional art like coasters, bowls, cell phone holders, jewelry, and lots more.

Colorful Scratch Art

This is an extremely simple art idea, as you can purchase any number of scratch art options from the arts and crafts stores. Scratch-art is also known as foil art or engraving art as you take a scraper or implement and scratch out a predesigned image. The base is usually constructed of colorful foil with a black ink layer over the top. You can also create your own scratch art with a few basic items, this way it can be more customized. For example, a portrait of a parent or loved one.

Silhouette Art

This is a fairly easy painting idea you can do with acrylic and watercolors. All you need to do is lay down a background and paint in your silhouette images. These are usually profile images of a person, but there are many other ideas, such as creating silhouettes of:

Trees
A city landscape
Seascapes

Birds or any animal
A hill landscape
Flowers

Tessellation Art

This can be quite therapeutic as well as fun to do. This form of art uses various geometric shapes you draw and fit together onto paper. These shapes do not overlap, and they have no space between them. You can then fill the shapes in with color or create a black and white contrast effect. Another simple art idea is to create protractor art or angle art. The technique is quite easy, take a protractor and draw various round shapes, angles, or straight lines, any design that you feel looks good. You can then paint or color the design.

String Art

This is not the pulled string art, where you cover the string in paint and then pull it to form a type of flower pattern. This method does not use paint at all but string and nails. The nails or pins are placed on a board in a specific shape or design. The color string is then wound around the nails to form the pattern. The design can be geometric, in the shape of words, or any image. The easiest idea is to form a heart-string image. The nails are positioned into a heart shape and the string is wound around to form the inside or entire heart shape.

Stained Glass

You can paint on glass with acrylic paint, but this forms more of an opaque look. Although you can create a faux stained glass look with acrylic paints and glue, there are special glass paints available that would do a better job. This is an easier method than your traditional glass staining and only requires your glass pieces, some paint, and liquid leading for the outlines. You can paint windows, glass doors, and any other glass surface.

Easy Paper Sculpting

You can do a lot with paper, besides writing or drawing on it. Paper can also be taken and cut and shaped into sculptures. The final item usually has a three-dimensional effect and can be abstract, geometrical, or in the shape of something familiar. Paper flowers are quite popular and there are many different types of flowers you can make from paper as well. You can add these flowers as décor items or maybe use them in a bridal bouquet.

Another popular and simple art idea is known as quilling, where you roll strips of paper to create various designs. There are many different ways to roll the paper, which can create some amazing paper art pieces. Although a bit more challenging, you can also try layered paper art. This is where you cut paper and form an image in layers, which forms an almost three-dimensional scene that has depth to it.

Painted Rock Art

One of the more popular and easy art ideas is rock painting. It is as simple as it sounds, you paint rocks, from easy dot art designs to family pet portraits. As long as you can get hold of some smooth, flat rocks, and some paint, you are all set to make your own rock art. These can be displayed inside or outside or given as gifts to family and friends.

Simple Marbling Art Effects

This might be considered more of a craft than an art, but it is still fun too and the items you decorate are usually functional as well. All you do is use some nail polish, which is placed in some water that is in a container. A white mug or even a pencil is then slowly dipped into the water and nail polish floats on top. Once the item is submerged as far as you want it to go, lift it out and you will notice that the nail polish clings to the item in a beautiful pattern.

Keeping with mugs, there are other ways you can express your creativity. Consider using sharpie pens to create some artwork ideas on the mug surface. You can also take some polymer clay and sculpt some items to place on the mug, which you then bake and form a textured and three-dimensional effect.

Adult Coloring Books

If you feel intimidated by painting or drawing from scratch, there are other alternatives you can try. There are some amazing adult and children coloring books available and all you need to do is add color to the images provided. Not only can you create some beautiful pictures, but it is also stress-relieving. There are a variety of different coloring books from geometric shapes to animals, flowers, mandalas, words, and more. You can also create your own images and shapes to color in, adding more of a challenge to this art project.

Optical Illusion Art

This can be categorized under cool art projects. Optical illusion art uses various shapes and blocks of color to create depth and exploits the way we see things. In other words, the different shapes, patterns, and colors are placed in ways that look like an image is moving, or three-dimensional when it is not. There are many easy ideas for you to try out the next time you want to amaze your friends.

Salt Painting

When it comes to ideas for art, this might be aimed at the younger generation, but it can be just as much fun for those of us a little older. The technique is simple, you take some normal liquid glue, and you draw a design onto paper. Next, you sprinkle some salt over the design, so the salt attaches to the glue. Finally, you take some watercolor paint and apply it to the salt, which soaks up the paint and forms your spalt painting design.

Smoosh Painting

This is another one of those cool art projects that do not require any skill. A more technical term for this type of art using thick paper and ink is Rorschach art, made famous by those inkblot tests psychologists use. There are different methods for this, but all involve some kind of smooshing.

Start by using a piece of paper and folding it in half. Apply paint or ink randomly on one side of the paper, either by dribbling it on or placing it in splotches all over.

Make sure not to use too much paint as the next step involves folding the paper and squashing or smooshing the paint. If you use too much paint, it is going to ooze out on all sides. Once done, open up the paper and admire the colors and patterns created.

The second technique is similar, as you use some paper and paint. This time do not fold the paper, simply apply your paint in drops or splotches all over the page and then take a piece of cling film or plastic wrap and place it over the paper and paint. Smoosh the paint around to create your art piece. You can use multiple colors and consider squeeze bottles for a less messy application.

Besides smooshing, another simple art project can involve some paper, paint, and a toothbrush. You might want to do this one outside if you want to go wild with swinging a paintbrush instead. For the toothbrush, you pick up some paint and then use your thumb to spray the paint onto the paper or canvas for a splatter art effect.

Half-Portrait Drawing

Portrait painting can be challenging and intimidating for those just beginning to learn how to draw. So, a great way you can learn, and practice portrait or face painting is to do a half-portrait drawing. You can either use a printout for this, or you can use an image or photo of a person’s face. Take the image and cut it in half from top to bottom. You can then glue or stick this onto drawing paper. Even though this sounds simple enough, it will take a bit of practice to get good at it and add all the necessary details.

Doodle Art

If you are not up to portraits, why not try doodle art. This uses all kinds of lines, shapes, and images, as long as it is familiar to you and comes naturally as you draw. The idea is to freely doodle and if you make mistakes, simply cover them up and move on without using an eraser. The whole process should be flowing, fun, and freeing. Much of the doodling is done in black and white, but if you want to add color you can.

Quilting and Weaving

Things like sewing, quilting, and weaving can also be seen as art forms as there are many beautiful designs you can make. When quilting, you can create anything from geometric shapes to images of people, flowers, or colorful abstract designs. Weaving is the same, but here you can even paint or weave scenes or landscapes. Embroidery art is another way of “painting” with thread.

Sidewalk Chalk Art

Professional sidewalk artists can create some amazing and realistic illusions. However, if you want to simply have fun with the kids outside, then sidewalk chalk art is a great idea. You can draw or create anything you feel like. Create fun games or inspiring word art, it is really up to you. The only thing about chalk art is that over the next few days or after the next rainfall, your art pieces will disappear. However, you can always have more fun next time and the memories are priceless.

Crayon Art

This can be another one of those cool art projects, where you do not need any skills and you have lots of fun. There are many ways you can use crayons to create these simple artwork ideas. The first one is to take a set of crayon colors and glue them in a row, with the points facing down onto canvas or a whiteboard. Stand the board upright with the crayons at the top on your work surface, which should be covered as this can make a mess. Then you take your hairdryer and set it on high and move over the crayons. The crayons will eventually melt and run down the surface in multicolor stripes.

Another method you can try is to take your crayons and remove the paper wrapping around the crayon. Setup your canvas or board on your covered work area. Take each of the crayons and hold it over the canvas and use a hairdryer or heat gun to melt the individual crayons. Carry on melting the crayons until the entire surface is covered.

The third version is to use the last of your leftover crayons. You can use a sharpener to create flakes of different colored crayons.

Place the crayon flakes onto your board or canvas in a pattern and then place some wax paper over the flakes. This is to make sure the crayon does not fly off everywhere if you use a hairdryer. Also, you can use an iron to heat and melt the crayon, the wax paper then prevents the crayon from sticking to the iron. When using the hairdryer, also make sure to tape down the wax paper. Since you are using heat, it is best to supervise to not do this with younger kids and to supervise older children.

Glue Gun Art

There are quite a few things you can do with a hot glue gun besides gluing things. Glue gun art is one of them. There are many different ways artists do this, but the main technique involves creating and putting a design down on the canvas and then using the hot glue gun to follow the design.

This forms a type of elevated texture, which can then be painted. You also do not have to stick to canvas, you can also use this technique on other surfaces, for example, a vase. Of course, you can also simply have fun with the different colors of glue sticks you can get nowadays. Below are a few more hot glue gun art ideas.

Glue gun snowflakes
Create sculptures with hot glue, wire, and acrylic paint
Glue gun and glitter art

Painter’s Tape Art

If creating or painting an image seems too difficult for you, there are easier ideas for art while still using a canvas and paint. For this simple art idea, you need some painter’s tape, your canvas, and paints. Take the tape and it down on the canvas in lines, zig-zags, or create shapes. Then use any colors you want to paint the canvas. Once it is dry, remove the tape and you will have some amazing canvas art.

As you can see, all of these simple art projects are easy to do, do not require a lot of materials, and can be done by anybody both young and old. These are only a handful of easy art ideas, but we hope that they will encourage you to be more creative and to have fun while doing so.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Anybody Do Art?

Yes, everybody from young to old can do art. To become good at it does require practice and patience, but if you find something you love doing, it is worth it to pursue it. Art is also a form of stress relief and can be fun to do with the family. There are many easy art inspiration ideas you can start with.

How to Choose Simple Art Projects?

Reading articles like this one can help you to choose an art project, but there are other things to consider. For example, costs and materials, are you going to enjoy doing it, is it something you have never done before?

What Is an Easy Art Painting Idea?

The simplest art projects that involve painting are those that require little skill and mainly fall into the abstract category. For example, the painter’s tape painting or splatter painting art ideas that can be done by anybody.

Charlene Lewis( Content Creator and Creativity Writer )

In 2005, Charlene completed her Wellness Diplomas in Therapeutic Aromatherapy and Reflexology from the International School of Reflexology and Meridian Therapy. She worked for a company offering corporate wellness programs for a couple of years, before opening up her own therapy practice. It was in 2015 that a friend, who was a digital marketer, asked her to join her company as a content creator, and this is where she found her excitement for writing.

Since joining the content writing world, she has gained a lot of experience over the years writing on a diverse selection of topics, from beauty, health, wellness, travel, and more. Due to various circumstances, she had to close her therapy practice and is now a full-time freelance writer. Being a creative person, she could not pass up the opportunity to contribute to the Art in Context team, where is was in her element, writing about a variety of art and craft topics. Contributing articles for over three years now, her knowledge in this area has grown, and she has gotten to explore her creativity and improve her research and writing skills.

Charlene Lewis has been working for artincontext.org since the relaunch in 2020. She is an experienced writer and mainly focuses on the topics of color theory, painting and drawing.

Learn more about Charlene Lewis and the Art in Context Team.