Art-Making for Emotional Well-Being: A Review of Non-Clinical Painting and Drawing Practices

Painting and drawing are often evaluated through immediate changes in mood or stress. This critical narrative review examines whether that emphasis adequately represents their contribution to emotional well-being in non-clinical settings. Twenty-four publications were assembled through targeted searches and bibliographic verification. Experimental findings were compared with accounts of artistic experience, with attention to task instructions, participant choice, comparators and assessment timing. Several studies report short-term affective benefits, but comparisons are inconsistent, follow-up is limited, and activities and outcomes vary substantially. Two hypotheses are proposed: immediate relief and sustained creative agency may favour different practices; and meaningful personal choice within supportive structure may matter more than a named artistic format. Both remain untested. Prospective comparisons and findings that would challenge each prediction are specified. Evaluation should address participants’ decisions, interpretations and continued engagement alongside emotional change. The review distinguishes artistic meaning, physiological responses and causal evidence, and identifies priorities for research on the longer-term value of everyday painting and drawing practices.