Grown-ups need creative play too: Why adults are getting hooked on painting ducks

When did you last spend three hours doing something purely because it was fun?

No work emails. No doom-scrolling. No washing machine beeping at you from the kitchen. No wondering what’s for dinner, who needs picking up, what you’ve forgotten to do or why you walked into that room in the first place. For three glorious hours, your biggest problem is deciding whether your duck needs spots, stripes… or possibly a tiny waistcoat.

Just you, some paint… and a wooden duck.

At Arty Boat, our independent creative studio in Exmouth, Devon, we originally thought our wooden ducks would naturally be a huge hit with children. And they are. What we perhaps didn’t expect was just how completely and utterly hooked the grown-ups would become.

In fact, some of our most enthusiastic duck painters are adults. Couples come together. Groups of friends make a day of it. Families use it as an excuse to get everyone together. Some people come alone. And plenty come back again…and again.

For some, it’s even become their regular catch-up. And we think we know why.

When did adults stop playing?

As adults, we’re very good at finding sensible ways to spend our free time. We go for dinner. We meet for drinks. We catch up over coffee. All lovely - but sometimes it’s nice to do something completely different.

There’s something rather brilliant about sitting around a table with people you love, putting your phone down and having absolutely nothing important to think about other than:

What on earth am I going to do with this duck?

You choose your colours. You change your mind. You paint over something. You borrow an idea from someone across the room. You add some dots. You decide your duck suddenly needs a superhero cape. And somewhere along the way, the rest of the world goes a little bit quiet.

Perhaps that’s why wooden duck painting has become one of our most popular creative things to do in Exmouth for adults, as well as families.

It isn’t about being good at art. It’s about switching off for a few hours and doing something simply because you enjoy it.

“I’m not creative…”

If we had £1 for every person who walked through our door and announced “I’m not creative”, we’d have retired by now… probably living in the Bahamas with an unnecessarily large family of wooden ducks.

Usually, they’re also the people who spend the first ten minutes staring suspiciously at their completely blank duck as though it’s personally testing them. Then something happens. The paint comes out. An idea starts forming. They get completely absorbed in it.

Three hours later, the person who apparently didn’t have a creative bone in their body is carrying their duck out like they’ve just discovered they’re Picasso. And we love it.

There’s a genuine sense of achievement that comes from creating something yourself, particularly when you genuinely didn’t think you could. And there’s definitely a little dopamine hit when everyone starts admiring the finished result too.

Ducks have a funny way of getting people talking

One of our favourite things about Arty Boat isn’t actually the painting. It’s listening to the room. People arrive as strangers, sit at separate tables and begin working on their own creations. Then someone spots the duck on the next table.

“Ohhhh, I love what you’ve done there!”

Someone else asks how they made their dots so neat. Someone shares an idea. Another person wanders over to get a closer look. Before long, separate tables are comparing ducks, swapping ideas and cheering each other on.

We’ve watched complete strangers encourage one another, share techniques, laugh together and celebrate the finished results. People really do sometimes arrive as strangers and leave feeling like friends. Creativity seems to break the ice without anyone even trying. And it’s one of our favourite things to watch happen in the studio.

So… what do people actually paint?

Absolutely anything. And we mean anything.

We’ve seen superheroes. Football teams. Christmas ducks. Pretty pastel ducks. Dramatic reds and blacks. Characters, animals, intricate patterns and brilliantly simple designs. We’ve had ducks transformed into extremely cute bears.

We’ve seen ducks on ducks. And then there was Dracula. One particularly memorable duck was transformed into the most incredible Dracula, complete with handmade fangs. Quite frankly, he had no business looking that good as a wooden duck.

We’ve learned never to underestimate what can happen when you give an adult three hours, some paint and a duck. Some people arrive with their design practically planned down to the last brushstroke. Others cover their duck in simple dots.

And actually? Some of those beautifully simple designs have been among our favourites.

That’s the joy of the Signature Wooden Duck Painting Experience™ - everyone starts with a blank wooden duck, but nobody knows quite what is going to walk out of the studio three hours later. Give 20 people the same duck and you’ll end up with 20 completely different creations. There really are no rules.

From a quirky idea to an award-winning Exmouth experience

What started with a blank wooden duck has grown rather more than we ever imagined.

Arty Boat has now been named Art Studio of the Year 2026 in the Southwest Awards, featured on BBC Radio Devon and welcomed the GWR Great Escapes podcast to experience the studio for themselves.

We’ve even welcomed Amanda Holden through our doors - proof, perhaps, that nobody is completely immune to the lure of a wooden duck. Those moments have been amazing. But some of the things we’re proudest of are much less glamorous. It’s the customer who travels for hours specifically to visit us.

The person who arrives convinced they can’t paint and leaves ridiculously proud of what they’ve created. The friends who enjoyed themselves so much they decide to make duck painting their regular catch-up. Or the familiar face walking back through the door already announcing:

“Right. I know what I’m doing with my next duck.”

Those are the moments when we realise this slightly unusual idea has become something much bigger than simply painting.

Yes, people really do travel for a duck

This is still one of the things that blows our minds.

Arty Boat doesn’t just welcome people who happen to be visiting Exmouth. We’ve become the reason some people come to Exmouth in the first place. Customers have travelled specifically to paint with us from Bournemouth, Cornwall, Plymouth, Bath and beyond.

And with Exmouth just a short journey from Exeter, we also welcome visitors who make Arty Boat part of a day exploring the coast. But for many, Arty Boat is the reason for the trip.

They book their Arty Boat session first - and then build the rest of their day around us. Once they’re here, they discover Exmouth too. They have lunch, visit the beach, explore the marina, browse the independent shops, walk along the seafront or stay a little longer to discover more of East Devon.

There’s something pretty special about knowing that somebody can spot one of our ducks online, think “I need to do that”, travel across counties to Exmouth and turn it into an entire day out.

All because of a wooden duck. They come for the duck. They discover Exmouth while they’re here. And quite often, they come back.

One duck is apparently not enough

We should probably issue a warning. Duck painting can become slightly addictive. Some customers come once and immediately start planning their next one.

Others return with different friends or family members. Some have made Arty Boat their regular get-together — instead of another coffee, meal or drink, they come back and paint together.

Our reviews tell the same story. Again and again, we hear from people who have visited before, returned for another session or are already planning what they’re going to paint next time.

Seeing familiar faces walking back through the door is one of the loveliest parts of running the studio. Because once you’ve painted one duck, there’s always another idea.

And obviously you need somewhere to put that idea. Preferably on another duck.

Maybe grown-ups just need more play

We spend so much of adulthood being productive. Working. Organising. Driving. Cleaning. Shopping. Answering messages. Remembering appointments. Looking after everyone else.

Even our downtime often involves staring at another screen. Perhaps that’s why something so simple feels so good.

For a few hours, you’re making something with your hands. You’re talking to the people around you. You’re laughing when something doesn’t quite go to plan. You’re concentrating - but on something that really doesn’t matter.

And at the end of it, you get that little burst of pride that comes from looking at something and thinking: I made that.

Maybe adults haven’t outgrown play at all. Maybe we just forget to make time for it.

So, if you’re looking for something a little different to do in Exmouth, fancy a creative day out from Exeter or simply need an excuse to put your phone down for a few hours, perhaps it’s time to find out what all the ducking fuss is about.

Do something different. Do something creative. Do something fun. You might discover a creative side you didn’t know you had. Or you might just discover that you really, really like painting ducks.

Either way… Get ducked!

Arty Boat is an independent creative studio in Exmouth, Devon, and home of the Signature Wooden Duck Painting Experience™. Painting sessions can be booked in advance online.