6 Inspiring Art Projects for Teens

If teens are looking for an affordable way to make their own flashy jewelry, this art project would be a great place to start. The main component of this bracelet is a series of washers, which are easy to come by and cost next to nothing! Aside from washers, you’ll need jewelry supplies like jump rings to link the washers together and a decorative charm to clasp the bracelet closed. Simply coat the washers in glitter, shake off the excess, punch holes in the washers, and start joining them together. It’s a gorgeous accessory and it barely cost anything!

Melted crayon art has become really popular lately and it’s a fun, colorful craft to make when the weather gets warm. All you need is a box of crayons you won’t be using any time soon and a large piece of poster board. Affix the crayons to the top of the poster board, arranged in a line so that common colors are close to each other. Then, using a hair dryer set to high, start melting your crayons. The color should run down the blank canvas of the poster board, creating a really awesome effect. Once the melted crayons have dried, you’ve got an awesome piece of art to hang on your wall! 

This craft project is an easy and affordable way to decorate a teen’s room. If they’re looking for a fun project to do that will add a fancy piece of decor to their room, this is the project for them. This particular project used a clay pot found at the dollar store, so it definitely wasn’t expensive. Attach a chain to an LED light, then thread the chain through the hole in the bottom of your clay pot, suspending the light inside the pot. And that’s literally all you have to do! Of course, you can decorate the clay pot in whichever way you like. You can paint it in different colors or add beads — there are no limits to your creativity!

Puzzles are a fun pastime to do on rainy, summer days. But if you want to turn those puzzles into an art project, it’s really easy to do. All you need is an old puzzle that you’re not using anymore and a bucket of crafting supplies. Dig out everything you’ve got for this project — glue, glitter, markers, stickers — anything you think might enhance the project. Put together your puzzle and then start decorating! Once you’ve finished decorating, you can take it apart and use the decorated pieces in other projects or frame the puzzle and hang it up. 

As teens get their driver’s license, they might have some more keys to carry around and that means they’ll need a keychain. This crafting project was inspired by a very expensive Anthropologie item, but the DIY keychain is much more affordable for your teen’s budget. You’ll need a keychain, chain, jewelry charms, jump rings and a few other items. Find some scrapbooking paper with your monogram on it to use for the keychain’s charm. Assemble the keychain and you’re good to go!

I know one of my favorite summer activities was reading as much for pleasure as I could before the school year started. If your teen is a reader, too, then they’ll love these paper clip bookmarks. And they can even make the bookmarks themselves. You’ll need some chipboard, some paper scraps, a die cut machine, and — of course — paper clips. Cut some shapes out of the chipboard, and then cut the same shapes out of your scrapbooking paper. Glue the two together and attach the shape to your paper clip. These are really easy to make and are very customizable. Choose any shape you’d like to keep your place in the book you’re reading!