watercolor resist art project

10 Super Easy Art Projects For Adults: Ideas and Resources

The thing that kept popping up for me when I was blogging about kid art projects is that I wanted them to be fun for me. In fact, I didn’t give a rip if my kids thought they were fun because they rejected all of the art projects I set up for them anyway. So! I started focusing on art projects for adults.

Some of the projects were classic kid art projects that just happened to also be fun for adults. But many times I was surprised when I would make something a little more complicated, because that’s when my kids would naturally gravitate over and want to try it out.

If you’re looking to up-level your creative game, this list is bound to hold at least one or two art projects that you adulty-type-people will have fun making.

Why Art Projects For Adults?

Because there is only so much yoga and meditation to do, only so much wine you can drink, and only so much social media you can scroll before you want to find another way relax and unwind (while having fun).

Playing around with art materials really does not need to end when we grow up, nor should it. Creating art as an adult is about dipping back into that ‘play for the sake of playing’ that many of us lost as soon as we got out of school.

Not only can making art be fun, it can also be meditative, challenging, social, introspective, and therapeutic. In fact, I chose the art projects below based on their ease, fun-factor, and total coolness, of course.

Adult Art Projects

When you are choosing an art project, think about why you want to make one. Are you looking for a cheap way to decorate your walls? Are you looking to figure out which art styles and techniques you love to work with the most? Or maybe you you just want to get wildly creative and have fun doing so.

Take some time read through the art project ideas below and see what resonates for you at this point in time, according to your desired end results. Also think about what art supplies you have on hand. I feel it’s important to always have a good core set of art supplies easily accessible!

Resource: the best online stores for art supplies

Process Art For Adults

Process art is huge in kid art nowadays, but when adults make art, they tend to think in terms of finished products, whether or not what they are making “looks good”, whether they are “good” at art, etc.

While process art for kids is a given, it still hasn’t been fully accepted into the world of adult art. I feel like this is a huge loss for adults, as process art can make the creative experience so much more free and enjoyable. While some artists have adopted process – or intuitive art – as a way of creating, I think more adults will brave trying it out as an alternative to drawing or painting recognizable imagery.

What is process art? It is grabbing art materials and making art for the pure joy of it – no end result in mind. It’s about playing, experimenting, mindless creation where you aren’t worried about how it will look, what you are making, and if your piece will be stunning at the end. It’s more emotion and less thought. Ahhh. Yasssssss.

intuitive process art painting by Flora Bowley - teacher of process art for adults

Process Painting

Flora Bowley is the perfect artist to watch if you want some major inspiration and insight into the intuitive art process.

Art Projects That Look Cool as Finished Products

And then sometimes you just want to make something to wrap a frame around and put up on your wall. That’s cool, too. It’s fun when people come over and compliment a piece of artwork on your wall, and you can be all, OH I MADE THAT.

None of these projects is very difficult, but the end results are fantastic.

adult art project: shibori textile dying on a scarf hanging around a mannequin's neck

Shibori dying

Shibori dying can be done on fabric or paper, and to make art or functional objects.

This ages-old Japanese technique gives stunning results and is a must-try art project for everyone. Tutorial and image at Alice and Lois

fish illustration print transferred on wood - example of 1 of 10 art projects for adults

Print Transfer on Wood

I explored 7 print transfer techniques back when this was my blog (sold it) – and I can’t wait to play around with these again.

Print transfer on wood is super duper amazingly fun.

packing tape image transfer used in a collage - art project idea for adults

Packing Tape Transfer

Packing tape transfer! It’s so much fun. These 2 images by Anna Okrasinski Maddox show packing tape transfer used in collage, for which it is uniquely suited.

packing tape image transfer used in a collage by Anna Okrasinski Maddox - art project idea for adults

It’s easy to do: Place a piece of packing tape over your image. Burnish the tape over the image with the back of a spoon, bone folder, credit card ( something like that). Wet the image and rub off the paper from the tape. The image will stay on the tape and you can glue or acrylic medium it to your collage.

a stack of air dry clay bowls showing a tutorial for an adult craft idea

Air Dry Clay Bowls

This is a superb tutorial for making small air dry clay bowls with a cool texture. Once you try these I bet you’ll sign up for a ceramics class.

zentangle doodle drawing for adults - circles on a piece of paper doodled in with black ink - one of 10 art projects for adults

Doodle

I can’t handle that word. It makes me so angry. While I go work through this weird word trigger, you can grab paper and your favorite drawing pen and doodle.

I made this one by tracing around a small bowl all over the paper and drawing in the spaces. That’s it!

colored paper collage on an old book cover showing an example of an art project adults would have doing

Colored PAper Collage

This is a lovely example by Alessandra Weber. Have a seat and spend a few hours making collages with whatever papers and images call to you.

embroidery of botanicals in an embroidery hoop with scissors and embroidery thread - this image is for a Creative Bug class on embroidery for adults

Embroidery

It’s fun to see embroidery blasting out of its old-fashioned, dowdy identity.

I love CreativeBug for elevating crafty practices and offering so many options for adult art projects.

art linocut print of a burst

Linocut Printing

Okay, do NOT be intimidated by this. Linocut printing takes a little trial and error, but if you have an inkling you might like doing this, by all means try it. Here’s a good tutorial to get started, and another to gauge how best to ink up your block.

resist watercolor painting examples showing what you can make in a watercolor resist art class for adults

Resist watercolor painting

The first time you try watercolor resist, your eyes will bug out. It’s so satisfying, and it helps to follow a class or tutorial to get some great ideas and tips.

Read: How to find your art style

I’ll obviously be adding to this post in the future. There are so many more art projects that will appeal to you as an adult, whether you are an artist or just someone who wants more creative play in your life.

What what what what did I miss? What art do you love to make that you are screaming at me through the computer screen right now? Let us all know in the comments.

Check out what these artists are making for inspiration:

Thanks for sharing! 😍

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