The artist's studio, in one grid
Painting is one of the oldest and most loved crafts, and this word search gathers the kit. You'll be finding the basics — BRUSH, CANVAS and EASEL — the paints themselves, from ACRYLIC and OILS to WATERCOLOR, and the techniques that bring a picture to life, from SHADING to a smooth blend of MIXING.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the studio changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a fuller palette once the diagonals and backwards words appear on Hard.
Tools, paints and techniques in the grid
The grid lays out a whole studio. There are the tools — the BRUSH, CANVAS, EASEL, PALETTE and a SMOCK to keep clean — and the paints: ACRYLIC, OILS, WATERCOLOR, PASTEL and GOUACHE, made from PIGMENT, sealed with VARNISH and started with a coat of PRIMER. Then there's what you actually make — a PORTRAIT, a LANDSCAPE, a wall MURAL or a FRESCO — built up with a SKETCH, an OUTLINE, SHADING, TEXTURE, a STENCIL and careful MIXING.
Different paints, different magic
The kind of paint changes everything about a picture. WATERCOLOR is thin and see-through, perfect for soft, glowing skies; OILS are thick and slow to dry, so artists can blend them for days and build up rich, deep colour (which is why so many old masterpieces are oil paintings); and ACRYLIC dries fast and bright, making it a favourite in classrooms. A FRESCO is painted straight onto wet plaster so it becomes part of the wall — that's how Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Underneath the techniques is a little colour science. Painters mix the three primary colours — red, blue and yellow — to make all the others, blend in white or black to lighten and darken, and use SHADING to make a flat shape look round and solid. The skills in this grid have barely changed in centuries: cave painters used PIGMENT made from earth and charcoal tens of thousands of years ago. That blend of craft and colour makes painting a perfect fit for an art topic on colour and technique.
Great for an art topic
It's a great fit for a painting project or a colour-and-technique topic — most words are short, and Easy mode uses a small grid with no diagonals or reverse words. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use Make Your Own to build a grid from your own art words.
Frequently asked questions
What's in the painting word search?
Painting tools and techniques — brush, canvas, easel, palette, acrylic, watercolor and more. Each puzzle uses a fresh selection.
Does it cover techniques as well as tools?
It does — tools like the BRUSH, CANVAS, EASEL and PALETTE, paints from ACRYLIC and OILS to WATERCOLOR and PASTEL, and techniques like the SKETCH, SHADING, OUTLINE and MIXING.
Is it good for an art topic?
Great fit for a painting project or colour-and-technique topic. Most words are short, and Easy mode uses a small grid with no diagonals or reverse words.