Want to add more color to your board game nights? Try one of our top picks for the best art & drawing board games. This variety of art-based games may have you collecting the most masterpieces or outsmarting your fellow artists.
Don’t worry if you are an ink-credible artist or a struggling one. These games are all about having fun in the name of art. So grab a pencil and get sketchy with it!
🏆 Our Top Picks for Best Art & Drawing Board Games
In a hurry? Take a quick peek before you go.
The Gallerist
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 60-150 minutes
A gallerist is seen as a respectable, fascinating profession. Renowned artists and elite art collectors visit them frequently. Not to mention they manage some precious pieces of art. Every young artist may dream of being a gallerist at some point.
This is your chance to live out that fantasy! The Gallerist allows you to run an art gallery. However, that dream comes with a price, and it’s all about profit in this industry.
Do your best to collect pieces, increase art value, sell, and achieve your goals. All will raise the value of your gallery and help you win the game.
Modern Art Card Game
Players: 2-5
Playing time: 20-30 minutes
Modern Art Card Game is a betting game involving famous artwork.
Played over four rounds, players reveal one card from their deck at a time. The cards display art from modern artists such as Wagner Kuroiwa and Denise Jillian Tan and are worth varying amounts. Unique masterpiece cards allow for extra plays, such as revealing or drawing additional cards.
Once a certain number of cards of the same artists are on the table, the players bid for them. The goal is to get the most assets by collecting famous pieces.
If you enjoy the Modern Art Card Game, you should also try Masters Gallery. It features the same rules but plays with classic art pieces rather than modern ones.
Fresco
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 60 minutes
As master painters, you must restore the frescos in an old Renaissance church. You are in charge of a group of apprentices. You must keep them hard at work and maintain their happiness — or the disgruntled group will lose efficiency.
Score the most points by collecting and mixing paint colors to complete portions of the fresco piece. But you’ll have to race your opponents because the work and art supplies are limited.
Fresco is a juggling act that managers in all fields can relate to — keeping employees content while increasing productivity. May the best boss win!
Want more Fresco? Check out the Big Box version for the base game, a Queenie, and 10 expansion modules!
Kanagawa
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 45 minutes
It’s 1840 in the picturesque Bay of Kanagawa, Japan. As a dedicated art student, you must create a masterpiece to win the honor of being the best painter in school.
Kanagawa is a card drafting game. Cards are laid out on a board, and you must take turns deciding to collect or pass on them. You can use each card as a lesson or add to your masterpiece. Lessons benefit a student by giving them particular abilities such as extra brushes or the ability to draw certain landscapes. When you’ve met specific requirements for a diploma, you have the option to collect it.
The goal is to gain the most points through diplomas, painting continuous seasons, or other card bonuses.
Who will be the most hard-working pupil? Paint a picture to find out!
Bob Ross: Art of Chill Game
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 30 minutes
“We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” That is the easy-going spirit of this Bob Ross-inspired game.
In this card-collecting game, players work to collect the right color cards on their palette to paint target items for each piece they encounter, such as, you guessed it — a tree! If you put brush and paint to canvas to create the tree, you claim that piece on the game board and win points. The person to get 30 points first wins.
The board game comes with clever touches such as an art aisle to display the target pieces of art. Cards also have Bob Ross quotes to get in that chill spirit.
Grab that paintbrush and palette to start. Just remember to keep calm and paint on.
Pictomania (Second Edition)
Players: 3-6
Playing time: 20-40 minutes
Pictomania is a chaotic drawing game. Everyone is doodling and guessing at the same time. How is this possible? Well, it’s exactly as it sounds!
In Pictomania, vocabulary cards have seven words on each. In the original version, six vocabulary cards are displayed. In the Second Edition, only three are shown for faster rounds. Players pull secret numbered cards to see which word they will draw.
Ready, set, go! All players start to draw while keeping one eye on the other artists’ work. If they can identify the other words, they can place bets. When everyone has finished betting and drawing, all will be revealed. Players with correct guesses earn points. Bonus points are awarded to those finishing first.
Pictomania adds extra elements to your average guess-and-draw game. It’s a juggling act that’s a whole lot of fun.
A Fake Artist Goes to New York
Players: 5–10
Playing time: 20 minutes
Head to New York City to live out that artist’s dream. But beware! There are many scammers and imposters in your midst.
This party game is the art version of Spyfall. A Question Master decides what the group will draw and gives cards with the target word to all but one player. The Fake Artist will instead get an X on their card. All players draw their masterpiece, one line at a time. After each line, they debate who might be the Fake Artist in New York.
Will you spot the imposter? Or if it’s you, can you fake it till you make it? Head to the city to find out!
Disney Sketchy Tales
Players: 4-8
Playing time: 20 minutes
Disney Sketchy Tales is a fun, collaborative party game.
The first player is secretly assigned a silly Disney drawing. Let’s say you have to draw “Winnie the Pooh dropping a jar of honey.” Draw the painting and pass it to the second player. This player guesses the drawing Telephone-style and writes it down quietly. The second player then passes the phrase to the third player, who must draw the new target phrase. The play continues in a circle till all players have participated.
At the end of the game, all artwork and phrases are revealed. The group may vote on the best drawings or terms or simply laugh over them.
Pictionary
Players: 3-16
Playing time: 90
Pictionary is a classic that’s stuck around for a reason. It’s a simple yet fun addition to any party.
In Pictionary, players work in two to three teams. One player from the team will draw a target word off a card while the other members try to guess. The target words are grouped by category and vary in difficulty. Your word might be snake, or it might be venom. Extension decks are available if your current Pictionary needs a slight upgrade.
Drawing skills are not as critical as you might think. The ability to get creative and read your audience is the focus. You’re not winning any artistic prizes, but you need your team to guess your clues!
If you feel like your party or game night could use a pick-me-up, look no further than Pictionary. It will have your guests working together, laughing, and maybe even shouting. But it’s all in good fun.
Artsy Fartsy
Players: 4–12
Playing time: 30-60 minutes
Artsy Fartsy is a sillier version of Pictionary. It’ll get everyone laughing and maybe blushing a little, but it’s still wholesome enough for the entire family.
Cards include ridiculous target words such as bad breath, dog farts, and falling off a treadmill. Special cards allow you to steal hints from players and score extra points.
Artsy Fartsy requires more clever thinking and humor than it does drawing abilities. So grab a pencil, flip over that timer, and get silly with it!
Wrap-Up
We hope you enjoyed our list of the best art & drawing board games! If you have a flair for the creative and love to put a pen to paper or brush to canvas, these games will be right up your alley. Have you tried any of the games on this list? Did we miss any of your artistic favorites? Drop a comment below and let us know what you think! We’d love to hear from you.
Cheryl is a teacher, writer, and board game fan. She likes incorporating games into all areas of her life, from classrooms and family nights to lively parties with friends. While she’s played too many to count, her favorites have always been classics like Codenames and chess.