Visual arts allow you to express your ideas, emotions and perspectives through creative forms like painting, drawing, photography and sculpture. It’s also about looking at and appreciating other people’s art.
A beginner's guide to: Visual arts
art, painting, drawing, visual creativity, artistic expression
Want to get into visual arts?
- • Open our free app for step-by-step support. You’ll get guides that help you start and stick with it. You don’t need to be a pro, just jump in and give it a go.
- • You’ll also find other activities, with suggestions that match what’s most useful to you right now. Less thinking, more doing.
- • Track what you do, make gains, and adjust as you go.
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Space, setup, and time. Check the practical stuff so you're good to go.
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Ready to do it right now? Step straight into a fully guided session.
Need a hand getting started? Our app is packed with beginner-friendly Practice Instructions for every activity—and way more where that came from. Hit the button up top and get moving.
What is visual arts?
Ever felt the urge to express yourself in new and exciting ways? Visual arts might be your perfect outlet! Whether it’s painting, drawing, photography or sculpture, visual arts offer a chance to explore your creativity and share your unique perspective with the world. You don’t need to be a professional to enjoy it – just a willingness to experiment and have fun!
Engaging in visual arts can leave you feeling more connected to your thoughts and emotions, while the process itself is both challenging and fulfilling. It could also be that you take some time to watch others creating art or enjoy their finished works at galleries or exhibits. Ready to pick up a brush or camera? Let’s dive into the world of visual arts!
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Why visual arts is good for you
Creating visual art sparks creativity and can help to steady your emotions. Regular artistic expression builds self-belief, enhances emotional expression and improves resilience.
Stimulates creative thinking
Focus area: Creativity (Impact rating: High)
Strengthens self-esteem
Focus area: Identity & worth (Impact rating: High)
Builds stress resistance
Focus area: Resilience (Impact rating: High)
Helps label emotions
Focus area: Emotional awareness (Impact rating: High)
Boosts sense of control
Focus area: Agency (Impact rating: Medium)
People who love visual arts
Bob Ross
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Lady Gaga
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Eric Cantona
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Want a closer look at visual arts?
Ways to try it, what to expect, and how to stay safe. Read on!
The creative urge is biting, we know you’re keen to start getting some paint colours on that canvas. Before you dive in, there are a few more details that could really elevate this visual arts experience for you. Read on!
Common styles
There are many ways to explore creative outlets, from hands-on mediums like painting and sculpture to photography and appreciating art at galleries and museums.
Painting and drawing
Sculpture
Photography
Viewing art at a gallery or museum
What you might experience
🤔
"Where do I even start?"
😊
"I’m enjoying this more than I thought!"
😬
"This is interesting, it's not quite what I had in mind!"
😌
"This is more fun than I expected."
😊
"I made this!"
Start today
- • Open our free app for step-by-step support. You’ll get guides that help you start and stick with it. You don’t need to be a pro, just jump in and give it a go.
- • You’ll also find other activities, with suggestions that match what’s most useful to you right now. Less thinking, more doing.
- • Track what you do, make gains, and adjust as you go.
Explore you options
Whether you go it alone, join a group, or work 1:1 with a teacher, we’ve laid out what each path can look like.
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Recommendation for first-timer
Availability
Average cost per session
Special equipment required
Potential for socialisation & community
Safety & skill building
Space or privacy required
Ease of scheduling
Setup time
Active practice time
Unexpected advantages
Ancestry, history, facts and other trivia
Michelangelo carved the statue of David from a single block of marble that had been abandoned for 50 years.
Vincent van Gogh is rumoured to only have sold one known painting during his lifetime, titled "The Red Vineyard.”
Leonardo da Vinci was ambidextrous and it was rumoured that he could write with one hand while drawing with the other.
Did you know: The Mona Lisa was once stolen from the Louvre in 1911 and remained missing for two years.
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4 facts
Popular memes
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14 memes
Academic research we rate
Does Coloring Reduce Anxiety? Comparing the Psychological and Psychophysiological Benefits of Coloring Versus Drawing
Turturro, N., & Drake, J. E. (2020). Does Coloring Reduce Anxiety? Comparing the Psychological and Psychophysiological Benefits of Coloring Versus Drawing. Empirical Studies of the Arts, 40(1), 3–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/0276237420923290
Task preparation as a mnemonic: The benefits of drawing (and not drawing)
Wammes, J. D., Roberts, B. R. T., & Fernandes, M. A. (2018). Task preparation as a mnemonic: The benefits of drawing (and not drawing). Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 25(6), 2365–2372. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-018-1477-y
A Comparison of the Positive Effects of Structured and Nonstructured Art Activities
Cross, G., & Brown, P. M. (2019). A Comparison of the Positive Effects of Structured and Nonstructured Art Activities. Art Therapy, 36(1), 22–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2019.1564642
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7 research pieces
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