It may surprise you to know that I do not consider myself artistic. Most of my time spent creating displays for the library bulletin boards or coming up with crafts to do with the teens is actually spent figuring out how to get around my less than mediocre drawing ability and make my vision a reality; and that is why I love process art.

Process art consists of art activities that are more focused on what you did to create the art than what you want the final product to be. Everyone’s project is supposed to be unique and self- directed rather then following a specific set of steps or instruction that’s focused on everyone creating the exact same thing. A lot of the discussion surrounding process art is focused on younger children. Process art is great because it fosters creativity and joy in the process of creating. But process art is great for older kids, teens and adults for the same reasons and because the focus is not on the final project but on the fun of creating can also be very empowering for those that feel like they have no artistic ability whatsoever, like me.

Process art also tends to be a lot less work to set up and usually requires fewer specialized supplies. Check out the tutorials below for some fun process art activities or craft along with me on YouTube; there’s Geometric Art and Monoprinting.

Looking for more great process art ideas? Check out these books from Live-brary. I know they’re pre-school focused but I have had just as much fun (if not more fun) creating projects with these techniques as my daughter and have gotten some great ideas for things to do with the teens as well.

Do you have any favorite process art projects you want to share? Tell us in the comments!