Art Merit Badge Helps and Documents

Pencils, paints, chalk, paintbrushes, and an image of the Art merit badge emblem.

Scouts working on the Art merit badge learn to express themselves using media such as pen and ink, watercolors, pencils, pastels, oil paints, and more.

This merit badge focuses on two-dimensional art. There is also a merit badge for Sculpting.

Art is an elective merit badge.

Help with Answers for the Art Merit Badge Requirements

Find specific helps for some of the Art merit badge requirements listed below. Some of these resources will just give the answers. Others will provide engaging ways for older Scouts to introduce these concepts to new Scouts.

Ask Scouter Mom a question or share your ideas with others

Art Merit Badge Requirement 1: What Is Art and Why Does It Matter?

What Is Art?

It is difficult to define art. It is a creative work of a human being. It stimulates and inspires thoughts, emotions, beliefs, or ideas through the senses. It expresses the opinions or feelings of the creator. It is often beautiful, but it can also disturb.

What Are Some Forms of Art?

  • drawing
  • painting
  • sculpture
  • prints
  • pottery
  • weaving
  • theater
  • architecture

How Does Art Make You Feel?

Art can bring forth a number of emotions. It might make you feel happy, joyful, energized, creative, relaxed, or calm. But it can also make you feel sad, uncomfortable, or motivated to change society. It depends on the art you are interacting with.

Art Merit Badge Requirement 2: Terms and Elements

What Is a Line?

A line is a point moving through space. It is a continuous mark. It can be thick, thin, straight, curved, zigzag, spiral, etc. The line is one of the most basic elements of drawing and painting.

What Is Value?

Value defines how light or dark a given color or hue can be. Using light and dark values can give a sense of three-dimensionality. Values can be visualized on a scale or gradient.

When used in the context of the elements of art, value has nothing to do with the monetary worth of a piece of art.

Color

When light waves strike an object and reflect back to the optic nerve in a human’s eyes, the sensation they perceive is called color. In works of art, artists use color to depict and describe the subject.

Art Merit Badge Requirement 3: Six Principles of Design

What are the 6 Principles of Design?

  1. Rhythm
  2. Balance
  3. Proportion
  4. Variety
  5. Emphasis
  6. Unity

Rhythm

Rhythm refers to the movement within a piece of art that helps the eye travel through the to a point of focus.

Balance

Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If the design was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable.

Proportion

Proportion is the relationship between one part of the design and another part or the rest of the design.

Variety

An assortment of things which are different in some way.

Emphasis

Emphasis is used to attract a viewer’s attention to the focal. point, or main subject, of an artwork. For example, in a portrait the artist usually wants you to see the subject’s face first, so the artist will use color, contrast, and placement to direct where your eye is attracted.

Unity

Unity is the sense of all elements of a piece of artwork working together. Art which has unity feels balanced and complete.

Art Merit Badge Requirement 4: Render a Subject

Art Merit Badge Requirement 5: Communicating Through Art

Art Merit Badge Requirement 6: Visit a Museum or Gallery

Requirement 6 Helps and Answers

How to Visit an Art Museum

Art Merit Badge Requirement 7: Careers in Art

Requirement 7 Helps and Answers

Career Opportunities in Art

The Art Career Project

Career Opportunities in Art

  • Illustrator
  • Graphic Designer
  • Painter
  • Sculptor
  • Museum Curator

The Art Career Project

This site has lots of information about all sorts of careers in art. Click on any of them to learn about the education requirements and what working in that career involves.

Other Resources

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Comments

3 responses to “Art Merit Badge Helps and Documents”

  1. Tylene Byrd Avatar
    Tylene Byrd

    Is there a printable checkoff sheet for this merit badge? They are amazing!

  2. Debra Daughtrey Avatar
    Debra Daughtrey

    Printable checkoff sheet missing.
    This merit badge instructor Loves your checkoff sheets &
    the typed requirement sheets (Not the merit badge book cover ones,
    this scout is thrifty & does not want to print the photos)
    for GROUP instruction.

  3. Julisa Joaquim Avatar
    Julisa Joaquim

    I am teaching an Art Merit Badge this summer and would love some ideas and information.

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