About this puzzle
This puzzle fills the art room with words: the supplies kids reach for first, like crayons, charcoal, pastels, and a paintbrush, the tools of a working artist, like an easel and a palette, and the kinds of art they can make, from portraits and landscapes to mosaics, collages, pottery, and origami. A few big ideas, such as texture, shading, and the color wheel, round out the list.
This art word search makes a calm start or finish to an art class, a handy sub plan, or a quiet activity at an art-themed birthday party. Early grades can play on easy mode and practice spelling the supplies on their tables, while older students and grown-ups can try hard. When the grid is done, invite everyone to color it in or sketch one word from the list.
The 28 words in this puzzle
Every word, with a short note. Handy for teaching the vocabulary before or after solving.
In every version (12)
- Artist
- An artist is someone who creates art, such as paintings, sculptures, or photographs. Many famous artists filled sketchbooks with practice drawings before making finished works.
- Canvas
- A strong woven fabric stretched over a wooden frame for painting. Many famous oil and acrylic paintings were made on canvas.
- Clay
- Clay is soft, sticky earth that can be shaped by hand and hardened by drying or firing. Air-dry clay and modeling clay are favorites in school art rooms.
- Collage
- Art made by gluing pieces of paper, fabric, photos, or other materials onto a surface. The name comes from the French word for gluing.
- Crayon
- A stick of colored wax used for drawing. Crayons are often a child's first art supply because they are easy to hold and do not smudge much.
- Easel
- A stand that holds a canvas or drawing board upright while an artist works. The word comes from a Dutch word for donkey, since it carries a load.
- Glitter
- Glitter is made of tiny shiny flakes that catch the light. In craft projects it is usually sprinkled onto wet glue, and the extra is shaken off once it sticks.
- Marker
- A marker holds ink in a soaked core that feeds a felt or fiber tip. Washable markers are made so the ink rinses out of skin and most clothing.
- Paintbrush
- A tool with bristles on a handle, used to spread paint. Brushes come in many shapes, such as round, flat, and fan, and each makes a different kind of mark.
- Palette
- A flat board or tray where artists set out and mix their paints. The word can also mean the group of colors used in one artwork.
- Sketch
- A quick, rough drawing used to plan an idea or practice. Artists often fill sketchbooks before starting a finished piece.
- Watercolor
- Paint that is mixed with water and goes on in thin, see-through layers. Watercolors are known for soft edges and glowing, light colors.
Added in Medium and Hard (8)
- Color Wheel
- A circle that shows how colors relate to each other. It places the primary colors red, yellow, and blue with the secondary colors made by mixing them.
- Mosaic
- A picture made from many small pieces of tile, glass, or stone set close together. Ancient Romans decorated floors and walls with detailed mosaics.
- Mural
- A mural is a large painting made directly on a wall or ceiling. Michelangelo painted the famous ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.
- Origami
- The Japanese art of folding paper into shapes like cranes, boats, and frogs. Many origami models use one square sheet with no cutting or glue.
- Pastel
- A stick of powdery color held together with a small amount of binder. Pastels can be blended with fingers, and the word also describes soft, light colors.
- Portrait
- A picture of a person that shows what they look like and often something about their personality. A portrait an artist makes of themselves is a self-portrait.
- Pottery
- Bowls, cups, and other objects shaped from clay and hardened by heat in a very hot oven called a kiln. Many potters shape clay on a spinning wheel.
- Stencil
- A stencil is a sheet with shapes cut out of it. Paint or color dabbed over the openings leaves a clean copy of each shape underneath.
Added in Hard (8)
- Charcoal
- A dark drawing stick made from burned wood. It makes rich black lines that can be smudged with a finger to create soft shadows.
- Gallery
- A gallery is a room or building where art is displayed for people to see. Some galleries are part of large museums, while others sell artwork.
- Landscape
- Art that shows natural scenery, such as mountains, fields, rivers, and skies. Landscape painting became especially popular in Europe in the 1800s.
- Masterpiece
- A masterpiece is an artist's greatest work. Centuries ago, an apprentice made a masterpiece to prove they had mastered a craft and could join a guild as a master.
- Sculpture
- Three-dimensional art that can be carved, modeled, or built. Sculptors work with materials like stone, wood, metal, and clay.
- Shading
- Adding darker and lighter areas to a drawing so shapes look three-dimensional. Artists shade with pencil, crosshatching, or smudged charcoal.
- Still Life
- A picture of objects that do not move, such as fruit, flowers, or bottles arranged on a table. It is a classic way to practice drawing shapes and light.
- Texture
- How a surface feels or looks like it would feel, such as rough, smooth, or fuzzy. Artists can show texture with brushstrokes, lines, or real materials.
A few facts to share while you solve
- The Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci, hangs in the Louvre museum in Paris.
- Crayola crayons were first sold in 1903, in a box of eight colors that cost a nickel.
- Some of the oldest known paintings are on cave walls, like the animals painted in Lascaux Cave in France about 17,000 years ago.
Four versions of this puzzle
Pick a version with the buttons above the grid. Each one has its own grid and answer key, and your progress on each is saved separately in this browser.
| Version | Words | Grid | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 12 | 12 × 12 | The 12 most familiar words, reading forward across and down. |
| Medium | 20 | 15 × 15 | Twenty words across, down and diagonally. No backwards words. |
| Hard | 28 | 16 × 16 | Every word, in all eight directions including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. |
| Large print | 12 | 11 × 11 | The 12 most familiar words on a small grid with big letters. No backwards words. |
Hard and large print versions
Hard art word search: all 28 words on a 16 × 16 grid, hidden forward, backward, up, down and along both diagonals, with filler letters borrowed from the word list. Print it without the word list for an extra challenge. Play the hard version, or see all hard word searches.
Large print art word search: the 12 most familiar words on a 11 × 11 grid, printed with big letters and a big word list, and no backwards words. Play the large print version, or see all large print word searches.
Printing this word search
Press Print / PDF above the puzzle. You get a clean one-page sheet with the title, the grid, a word list with tick boxes, and optional name and date lines. The answer key prints on a second page. Prefer a file? Download it as a PDF or an image to print later or drop into a worksheet. Whatever version is showing on screen is the one that prints, and the large print version prints with bigger letters.
How to play online
- Find a word from the list in the grid. Scanning for its first letter is the quickest way.
- Drag across the word from its first letter to its last. On a phone, you can also tap the first letter, then the last.
- Found words get highlighted and crossed off. Stuck? Hint circles the first letter of a word you haven’t found.
Read the full guide to solving word searches, with tips that make big grids much faster.
Questions and answers
What words are in the art word search?
Easy and Large print use 12 words, Medium 20, and Hard all 28. Supplies include the Crayon, Paintbrush, Clay, Marker, Glitter, Easel, Palette, Canvas, Charcoal, Pastel, and Stencil. Kinds of art include Collage, Mosaic, Mural, Sculpture, Pottery, Origami, Portrait, and Landscape, and art ideas include Shading, Texture, and the Color Wheel.
What grade is this art word search good for?
Students in about second grade and up can solve it on easy mode, and the word list matches what many elementary art classes teach. Middle school students and adults will find medium and hard more satisfying. The notes make a good mini glossary for art vocabulary.
How can art teachers use this puzzle?
It works as an early-finisher activity, a substitute teacher plan, or a warm-up before a new unit. Try having students pick three words from the list and use them all in one small drawing, or match each word to a supply in the room.
Is there an answer key for this art word search?
Yes. Choose Print / PDF above the puzzle and keep “Add an answer key page” ticked. The key prints on its own page, with every word highlighted. While playing online, Show answers outlines any words you haven’t found yet.
Can I print copies for my class or group?
Yes. Every puzzle on BetterWordSearch is free to print for personal, classroom, library and homeschool use. Print as many copies as you need. To change the words or make several different versions of the grid, use the word search maker.
What changes between Easy, Medium, Hard and Large print?
Easy hides the 12 most familiar words, reading left to right and top to bottom. Medium uses 20 words and adds diagonals. Hard hides all 28 words in every direction, including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. Large print uses the same words as Easy on a small grid and prints with big letters.
