Art Merit Badge
Seven requirements, with the four-media rendering, the three project routes and the permission-first visit marked as the parts that need materials or arranging.
8 steps (3 parts inside them). 3 parts depend on questions you have not answered yet. · Version 1, published 8 October 2026 · About Art Merit Badge
No questions answered
This is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering the question at the address above takes out the parts that are not for you.
Which of this applies to you
You have not answered anything yet, so this is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering one question will take out the parts that are not for you.
Your progress
9 steps can be started now; 1 is waiting on something else.
Clear ticksYour ticks are kept in this browser, so they will still be here next time. They are in the address as well, so a link to this page carries them to another device.
The steps
Stage 1 of 8
1 step
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1. What art is, and what it means Requirement
Its forms, its importance to people, and what it means to you. Three points in one discussion.
Stage 2 of 8
1 step
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2. The seven elements of art, with examples Often forgotten Requirement
Line, value, shape, form, space, color and texture. Show an example of each.
Stage 3 of 8
1 step
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3. The six principles of design Requirement
Rhythm, balance, proportion, variety, emphasis and unity.
Stage 4 of 8
1 step
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4. Render one subject in four media Requirement
A subject of your choice, four ways, from pen and ink, watercolors, pencil, pastels, oil paints, tempera, acrylics, charcoal, and computer drawing or painting.
Stage 5 of 8
1 step
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5. A project. Do ONE Requirement
The badge states the choice: a useful design with a promotional piece, a story in pictures, or a logo.
3 parts, 1 ticked
Stage 6 of 8
1 step
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6. Visit a museum, exhibit, gallery, co-op or workshop Often forgotten Requirement
Find out about the art there and discuss it with your counselor. Permission and approval come first.
Get your parent or guardian's permission and your counselor's approval before the visit, not after. An artists' co-op or a working artist's workshop counts as much as a museum.
Stage 7 of 8
1 step
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7. Three careers in art, one researched Requirement
Education, training and experience for one, and why it might interest you.
Stage 8 of 8
1 step
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Counselor signs it off Milestone
The completion date is the date you met the requirements, not the date of the signature.
Usually comes after 1. What art is, and what it means, 2. The seven elements of art, with examples and 5 others.
Merit badge requirements are republished annually. A Scout beginning work uses the requirements as they stand then; a Scout already working may finish under the ones they started with. Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.3 governs which applies. This page records the date its copy was read. Check it against the official page before relying on it.
This plan is a planning aid: the current Boy Scouts of America publication is always the authority, and the sources used here are listed in full. Each step names its own.