sketchbook drawing assignments

THAT ART TEACHER

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Step by Step Sketchbook Drawing Prompts

Practicing basic drawing techniques can help artists of all ages build confidence and sharpen their technical skills.

I love having my students keep a sketchbook. It’s a great opportunity for students to practice foundational skills, brainstorm artwork ideas, and write and reflect about their own artwork and the artwork of others.

It’s a great place to hit all of the standards of teaching that are NOT about producing finished artworks! I think creativity and self-expression are the pillars of a quality art education, but sometimes it’s time to focus on those drawing basics!

Here is a list of my go-to drawing sketchbook assignments. These are step by step video guided tutorials that are classroom ready or can be done at home! I love doing these in the classroom, but they are perfect for distance learning in our new reality of Covid-19.If you’re not an art teacher or in an art class, draw along with me in your sketchbook to grow your artistic skills.

How to Shade Water Droplets

Facial Proportions for Beginners

Two Point Perspective

One Point Perspective 3-D Letters

Value Scale Zentangle

Contour Drawing

How to Draw an Eye

Value Scale & Sphere Shading

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Sierra machado.

HI! My name is Sierra Machado and I am an art educator in Oklahoma. This is a creative space dedicated to the craft of teaching and art making. My goal is to inspire young artists, encourage and support fellow art educators and to push myself to create more art. View all posts by Sierra Machado

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365 Drawing Ideas For Your Sketchbook: A Year of Daily Drawing Prompts

Boosting your drawing skills requires consistent practice, but all aspiring artists know this. To make this daily commitment easier, I present a curated compilation of 365 doodling, sketching, and drawing ideas . Whether you’re a novice or an experienced artist, this list will help drawing become a seamless and fun part of your routine!

Ever find yourself eagerly opening a sketchbook only to be greeted by a mental block? That frustrating moment when you crave inspiration to put pen to paper but end up with NO IDEAS?

I hate getting sidetracked by these creative roadblocks, so I’ve brainstormed a variety of sketchbook ideas, ranging from simple to advanced. Each suggestion is adaptable to your skill level, the time you have available, and even your mood on a given day. Say bye-bye to the struggle of facing an empty page and embrace the inspiration these ideas bring to your artistic journey.

How to Use This List

You can approach the drawing ideas in different ways. Here are two approaches, but you may have a different plan in mind, so don’t feel like there are set rules.

Some artists use idea lists to stay in the habit of a sketchbook practice, to challenge themselves to draw things they wouldn’t have thought of, or to push them out of their comfort zone.

These are perfect for high school or college students who need to keep a sketchbook practice going for class.

Or you may simply not want to deal with coming up with ideas every day to draw. It’s so nice to look at a list and have someone else tell you what to draw!

Good Idea: Click this box to print out 80 silly drawing prompts for kids and have your wee ones draw along side you.

A Daily Sketchbook Practice

I challenge you to carve out a little time each day for drawing. The consistent practice will blow your mind at the end of the year when you see how far you’ve come with your drawing skills. (Take a moment to picture how proud of yourself you’ll feel after you’ve completed this awesome challenge. Don’t worry if you miss a day here and there; pick up the next day where you left off!)

Try your hand at different drawing styles and subject matter to figure out what you like to draw, what you need to practice more, and even what your drawing style is.

Push yourself to go beyond drawing the same, easy, go-to things you usually draw, and you will advance to higher and higher levels of drawing!

Draw Just For Fun, Or When You’re Bored

Here’s an idea: Keep your sketchbook nearby at all times. That way when you have a little down time, you can train yourself to reach for your sketchbook and do a little drawing instead of automatically phone-scrolling. You’ll be amazed at how much drawing you end up doing when your sketchbook is readily available.

If you’re feeling bored or antsy, it’s so fun to immerse yourself in drawing, and you can simply choose any idea from this list that pops out at you. Some of them are intentionally more vague than others; interpret these however you wish, and I encourage you to do a few different drawings based on the same prompt.

For most of the prompts, you choose what supplies you want to use, but a few of them do specifically ask you to use a certain tool. If you want to skip or modify these, feel free. If you are being faithful to the list, or just want a more varied sketchbook experience, make sure you have on hand:

Drawing pencils

Erasers – these are my very favorite erasers

Good sharpener

Black drawing pens

Colored pencils

Small stick erasers with holder – for detailed erasing

Tortillon smudgers

Related: What is the best drawing pencil?

365 Drawing Ideas For a Daily Sketchbook Practice

1. draw each of your hands, using the opposite hand.

It’s fun and rather funny to attempt to draw using the non-dominant hand. When I do this I notice that I am concentrating harder on drawing, and I can feel a different part of my brain waking up.

2. Cover a page in pencil and erase a plant drawing out of it

Cover the page using the edge of your pencil to lay down a graphite layer. Erase-drawing is fun because you can be very loose and painterly with your drawing. It’s definitely a different way to draw since you’re drawing the highlights instead of the shadows.

3. Eyeglasses

You can draw regular glasses or sunglasses. Set them up at an interesting angle, maybe take into consideration the reflection in them, or add your own made-up reflection.

4. Your face, but from looking at an upside-down photo of you

This taps into the same part of your brain I mentioned in prompt #1 – drawing from an upside down reference makes you realllly look at the image and draw what you SEE, as opposed to the preconceived ideas you have in your mind of how to draw a face.

5. A scene from a favorite book

Hunger Games, anyone? Or maybe you are a Catcher in the Rye fan. Heck, pick a scene from The Very Hungry Caterpillar if you’d rather.

Eggs are the perfect little items to draw. Not only are they beautiful, there aren’t any harsh lines to them, so you are forced to focus on all of the subtle shading that goes along with drawing an egg.

7. Illustrate a dream you’ve had

Pick out a moment from a dream you’ve had – that split second you just can’t seem to forget – and see what comes out when you go to illustrate it.

8. Money – watch this video for inspiration:

9. A video game or cartoon character

This could be a simple drawing or something much more complex, depending on if you want to draw an entire background as well. Your choice!

10. The contents of a backpack or bag

Draw all the fun items you carry around every day, either with or without the bag.

11. Design some new pants

Pants are the coolest. Even if you hate to wear them, you could learn to love to draw them.

12. Perspective drawing looking down a road

Find a road, any road, snap a photo, or sit and draw right there. I wouldn’t recommend sitting in the middle of the road. I guess I’d be a little nervous to sit and draw right next to the road as well. Maybe if you can pull off into a little pulloff area, you would be safe. I’ve put far too much thought into this one. BE CAREFUL. Drawing can be deadly.

13. Draw a page of overlapping quick sketches of people moving

Hey this is fun! Quick, light gesture drawings overlapping all over a page looks really cool.

14. A bunched-up paper towel or piece of paper

Get ready for some good shading practice with this one!

Make up your own UFO or go the traditional route – you know, with the lights and beam sucking something up into it.

16. Feathers

Feathers are great to draw from life, so if you happen to find a big old goose feather lying around, grab it.

17. Organs in cross section of human body

I’m picturing a medical drawing sort of thing here – like you see in anatomy books, but go for however you want to interpret this one.

18. Design a playing card (or a whole deck!)

I’ve seen a drawing assignment where you draw a self portrait as a playing card, so that’s an option here if you want.

19. Your hand in a fist

Hold your fist in any direction you want to draw it. You could even do a series of drawings on the page of different angles of your fist.

20. A terrifying monster

Make it cartoony terrifying, or actually horrifying. Make this monster the best monster you’ve ever drawn.

21. Arrange a piece of fabric on a surface to make lots of folds

Set a bright light on the fabric at an angle to give you good shadows to draw.

22. Draw 9 circles on a sketchbook page, and fill each one in with a drawing of an animal portrait

Make the circles fancy or 3-d or designy if you want. Draw the animals realistically, abstractly, comic style. Artist’s choice. Actually all. of this is artist’s choice, you powerful artist.

23. A hoodie hanging from a hook or the back of a chair

Grab a hoodie, hang it from a hook, over the back of a chair, or even from a corner of a chair, and just draw that beautiful thing.

24. Your reflection in a window at night

This was one of my favorite drawing assignments at RISD. Even though I stayed up all night doing it and may or may not have started to hallucinate because I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, either.

25. A glass of water with a straw or utensil in it

Drawing water is challenging, my friends! Especially when you add something into it so you get that fun refraction.

26. Many quick sketches of birds on one page

27. a forest, but using only straight lines.

I am curious to see how people interpret this one, so tag me on Instagram @artmakespeople if you post yours. That goes for any of these, I want to seeeeee them.

28. A corner of your home

Pick a corner, plop yourself down, crank the jams, draw away.

29. Balloons

Draw some balloons in a bunch, separate, flying away, popping, barely hovering over the floor, whatevs.

30. The view out of one of your windows

What goes on out there? Draw it.

31. A still life of shoes, either arranged or tossed into a pile

Shoes are the classic items to draw. Here’s your chance to draw several.

32. Design a candy bar wrapper

What would be your ultimate, amazing tastiest candy bar ever? Design its wrapper. Mine would be dark chocolate, peanut butter, a cookie almost as crunchy as a biscotti, and probably 3-4 peanuts under the top of the chocolate.

33. Find images of beetles and draw a page of them

Aren’t beetles so cool looking? There are some stunning beetles out there, just begging to be drawn.

34. A scene from your favorite movie

I guess this will look a lot different if your favorite film is animae opposed to Pulp Fiction.

35. Octopus

Draw yourself a fantastic octopus. If you haven’t watched the documentary, My Octopus Teacher yet, do so. It’s so good.

36. A page of robots

Robots are just always fun to draw. I mean, you can go regular old beep boop robot, or you could make up your own.

37. Illustrate a favorite song

That’s all.

38. A plate of tacos (or another favorite food)

Tacos just have that fun shape that makes you want to eat them AND draw them.

39. A quick, light sketch of a human figure, with a more detailed drawing over it

I was thinking another human figure over the first one, but really, you could draw anything you want. A face, an animal, a building, flowers…

40. Flowers, either from observation or memory

Get in there and draw those beautiful, fascinating odiferous wonders.

41. Doodled, abstract flowers

Now focus on lines and shapes and even colors if you want to.

42. I love those drawings that look like they are defying the rules of lined paper! Try this one:

Chairs are the perfect drawing models since they tend to not move on their own, they come in all sorts of shapes, and you can arrange them however you want before you draw them. Set a few up, or just draw one at a table.

44. Tattoo designs

Come up with brand new tattoo designs. Make a page of drawings, or draw a human figure and tat it up.

45. A house – as simple or detailed as you want

This is a fun one – draw your dream house, sit and draw your own house, or sit in your front yard and draw the house across the street.

Buy 2-3 lemons, set them on a surface and draw them. Or! Draw a whole bowl of lemons. Or! Or! Buy a couple lemons, chop them up, and draw the wedges or slices. So many lemon options here.

47. A flat lay of some of your favorite treasures

Fun! Gather a few of your favorite things, and spend some time arranging them into a flat lay – probably on the floor – and draw away.

48. Roses in a bunch

You can either splurge on a dozen full, sumptuous roses and draw them, or draw from a photo, but get in there and spend some time rendering these beauties. Short on time for this one? Try a blind contour drawing of roses, or even a quick sketch using as few lines as possible to get the point across.

49. A page full of a pattern

Aimlessly doodle a pattern, or go research patterns and find a favorite to draw.

50. A cell phone

Ya got a cell phone? Draw that bad boy.

51. Draw the cover art from an album you love

Scroll Spotify or the Googles for some cover art to draw. Reinterpret it if you like.

52. Microscopic items

53. Magazine Transfers

Using pencil, trace images from book or magazine covers (or elsewhere) onto tracing paper (printer paper works fine for this in some cases), lay your drawings face down onto a sketchbook page, and go over the lines with your pencil to transfer them to the page. Shade or add lines or erase to create new sketchbook drawings. Tip: Softer, darker pencils transfer more easily than hard pencils.

Clouds. Have fun turning them into cloud creatures or recognizable objects in cloud form if you so desire.

55. Your pet

If you don’t have a pet, draw someone else’s or an internet pet. I highly recommend Boobie Billie, both to draw, and to follow on Insta. 💙

56. Draw a hanging piece of clothing and shade using crosshatching

Do you love crosshatching? Now is your time to practice the hatching.

57. Toothbrush and toothpaste

Another classic duo to draw, since most of us own these items.

58. Snowflakes

Draw some snowflake doodles or cut some out and draw them from observation. Or even shoot some snowflakes with a macro lens and draw your own!

59. An undiscovered sea creature

Make up a sea creature even weirder than everybody’s favorite Angler Fish.

60. A bike or closeup on a bike part

A cool wheel close-up would be fun to draw, or turn this into a long drawing by drawing the whole bike in an environment.

61. Draw frames in your sketchbook and fill them with portraits

Fancy, ornate frames, or simple ovals – your choice.

62. Your hand flat on the table

More hand-drawing practice! Don’t skip the hand drawings!

63. The silhouette side view of an animal with its skeleton drawn over it

Draw the outline of an animal, and draw the skeleton inside. Or shade a very loose pencil shadow of an animal and erase or draw the skeleton inside. Or ink a dark silhouette and draw the skeleton with white pen.

64. Your bed

65. 1 cow, 2 pigs, 3 goats.

Ha ha, I’m picturing them in a stack for some reason. You definitely DO NOT need to draw them in a stack.

66. Copy a Degas painting

Any time you copy a painting by a master like Degas, you’ll get a lesson in light and composition. So good.

67. Draw the passage out of a book

Draw the actual words. Try to copy the typeface perfectly or use your own style of letters.

68. Stack objects from your home into a tall tower and draw it

Here’s where I make you actually draw a stack of items.

69. Fill an entire page with one long, slow scribble

This is fun and relaxing. Listen to music or a podcast, and draw the scribble as slowly as you want.

70. A celebrity portrait

Who will you choose?

71. Make up a comic book page

Just one page – the comic can be a scene from your own life, a dream, a story you heard, have fun with it!

Draw bowls set up on a table, in your cabinet, in the sink, the dishwasher. Find the bowls and draw the bowls.

73. A quote or word in bubble letters and then doodled in

I mean, bubble letters are super fun, but if that’s not your thing, block letters will suffice. And if doodling isn’t your thing, practice drawing textures or shading.

74. Your bathtub or shower

Preferably not while taking a shower. Come to think of it, a relaxing bath while drawing might be fun.

75. Equipment from your favorite sport or activity

Anything goes here. If your favorite activity is meditating, use your cool imagination for what to draw here. 🙂

76. Magazine Starters

Cut out parts of humans from a catalog or magazine, glue them into your sketchbook and draw back in any parts you cut out. You can make this funny or realistic.

77. A skeleton from memory

Try to draw al the bones in a human skeleton, without looking at any references.

78. A skeleton from a photo

Now you can look a skeleton up and draw it.

79. Candy hearts with messages

Draw some of those cute Valentine’s hearts with any little messages you like.

80. Draw your grocery list

Draw all the things you need to buy at the grocery store. If you don’t do the grocery shopping, make up a quick list without overthinking whether or not you want to draw it.

81. A landscape drawing without lifting your pen/pencil from the paper

No cheating! Don’t let your drawing utensil leave the page.

82. A stairway

Going up or going down; draw a stairway.

83. Design a new automobile as cool or wildly unrealistic as you like

You could even reimagine the Batmobile. That would be fun.

84. Wrapped gifts

You can save this one for a holiday, draw from imagination, or actually just wrap up some items for the sole reason of drawing.

85. Write a letter to a friend using only drawing – don’t forget to mail it!

You could draw out interpretations of words, draw scenes, ideas, feelings, or even drawn words.

87. Draw the first image you see when you Google ‘beautiful mountain’

There are some beauties to draw.

88. 3 different pieces of food with bites taken out of them

I mean, you can take bites out of as many different foods as you feel you need to to find those perfect 3.

89. Any type of boat

Anything from a tiny rowboat to a grand cruise ship!

90. Watch a show, and every once in a while pause it to do a quick sketch of a scene

I immediately just thought of Dexter, but that could be a little intense for some people. Blues Clues, anyone?

91. Make a t-shirt design that you would actually want to wear

Bonus points if you actually scan it, clean it up, and make a real t-shirt for yourself.

92. Drop 3 raw eggs onto a table (or a tray 🙂 – protect the surface) and draw them

You thought you got a thrill from drawing whole eggs. Broken eggshells and innards are a whole new ballgame.

93. A person diving

You could even make a series of little sketches of different diving positions.

94. Vegetables

Draw. a vegetable still life, patterns, personified veggies, spiralized, whatever floats your veggie boat.

95. Look up prehistoric tools and draw them

There are some really beautiful old tools to be drawn.

96. Draw a scene in the style of a 6 year old

Just try to make a drawing as cool as 6 year olds do.

97. Design a new book cover for a book you love

This could be super fun. You can go minimal or throw in all sorts of references to the story. ooh – maybe your favorite book is a comic or a cookbook!

Got any Amazon boxes lying around? I know you do. Draw them either arranged neatly, or kicked into a random setup.

99. A favorite toy from childhood

Mr. Bunny Boo Boo Face needs you to immortalize him on paper.

100. Tree branches

Yay! Branches are so beautiful. draw them spooky, draw them full of leaves, draw them broken, hanging, full of birds, or even in a big old vase.

101. A lamp or hanging light

To make this extra challenging, you can draw the light on in a semi-dim room. Or even draw it with light shining on some objects.

102. Slice an apple in half and draw it by only shading with the edge of a pencil (no actual lines)

Let’s practice shading spheres with this apple drawing prompt.

103. Combine 2 animals

Draw one or several of these; they’re fun to create!

104. Create a fantastical underground world that you might see if you could lift a slice out of the earth

Oh my goodness. Let your imagination run wild with this one.

105. Vines taking over a tree or another object

You’ll get your leaf-drawing practice in with this one.

106. Makeup

Draw different makeup containers, from life or from photos

107. Design a dress

Channel your inner fashion designer and design a knockout dress. For a guy or a girl. For a kid or an adult. For a human or an animal. Or an alien.

108. Grab your HB and 2B pencils and follow this video on drawing 3 different textures:

109. A page full of fish

Fish are absolutely wonderful to draw. Go black and white and focus on your linework, or go all full, beautiful color.

110. Separate your page with 8 lines, and draw patterns in each section

Lines can be wavy or straight, all across the page or not.

111. Your keychain and everything on it.

I have 2 keys on mine, so it’s pretty boring, but I know people who have TONS of keys, little toys, id’s, etc.

112. Do a pointillism drawing of your foot in any position

POINTILLISM! FOOT!

113. Snap a photo of the inside of your refrigerator and draw it – Bonus points for full color

Refrigerators hold so many secrets. This will be fun to look back on in a few years to see what was in your fridge.

114. Draw some snacks like pretzels or potato chips – Pringles would be fun, or Cheetos

Snacks are good drawing practice, and you can munch while you draw.

115. A stack of books

Books are good drawing practice. You can focus on the stack of books as a color study, hone in on the lines, treat them as an object in a larger scene, or go abstract with them.

116. Draw just the tops of trees

I saw a cool photo of only the tops of trees popping up through the bottom of the print, and thought this would be a great drawing challenge.

117. A person tripping over something

If you look up ‘people tripping’, you will get some really funny images to draw.

Sushi is just a perfect, beautiful food to draw.

119. A Halloween scene, or just a jack-o-lantern setup

So many options here. Halloween is fun to draw.

120. A campsite

You either love camping or hate it. Your campsite could be all fun and perfect, or maybe it’s a horror scene?

121. The profile of a horse drawn with scribbles

Just a side view of a horse – or even a horse’s head, maybe – but you can only use scribbles.

122. Runway Fashion

Design something over-the-top that you might see on the runway, but that no one would ever wear in real life. Need some inspiration?

123. Draw donuts

Either a page full or stacked on a plate. MMMMM you might have to go buy some, you know, for observational purposes

124. Something in motion

Like a frog jumping, a top spinning, a person dancing. Try to show the motion.

125. Earthworms

Ew, worms. These things are quite interesting when you look closely at them.

126. A Recipe

Write out a simple recipe (can be extremely simple) and add little drawings of the ingredients to the page.

127. A baseball cap

Do what you will with this one.

128. Negative Space

129. Things that fly – all together

Butterflies, birds, dragons, insects, planes, etc all together in a very crowded sky.

130. A tea party

Tea parties are fun! Draw one of your choosing.

131. Make up some new emojis

There are plenty of emojis that we don’t have the pleasure of being able to use. What are some that you can think of that you would like to design. Or redesign a current emoji you feel could be improved upon.

132. Someone laughing

This will give you practice drawing the face when it’s not at rest. Listen to some comedy while you’re drawing!

133. A whole bunch of hairstyles

Draw from hairdo pictures or make up your own.

134. A city scene of skyscrapers

Again, follow a photo, draw from life if you live near a city, or make up a fantastic city, full of the tallest skyscrapers ever.

135. A leopard print or zebra print design

Who knew drawing animal prints could be good drawing practice? Try your hand at different animal prints if you enjoy this one.

136. A sleeping baby

Draw a sleepy little baby. That cute little drooly mouth will be fun to draw.

137. A lizard tank

Complete with lizard(s) of your choice, and all decked out with lizardy toys, etc. Sub a snake or turtle if you prefer those reptiles. Heck, if you really want to, make a tiny dinosaur or dragon tank!

138. Smudgy Marks

Make marks and lines with your pencil and smudge them with your finger. Go massively smudgy or just smudge little bits here and there, but have fun experimenting with moving the graphite around the page.

139. Shopping carts

Shopping carts are intricate and interesting – draw them however you see fit.

140. An African mask

Draw more than one if you get inspired – there are some beautiful examples of African masks to get you started here.

141. Turn 3 everyday objects into living beings

Personifying inanimate objects is fun!

142. A cake

Draw anything from a simple cake to a decked out wedding cake masterpiece.

143. A balloon animal

This will be a good way to practice highlights feel free to twist up your own balloon creations if you want to draw from life.

144. A seahorse

Seahorses are so fascinating, and you can get really detailed or just make a few line drawings.

If you’re drawing from life, really pay attention to the subtleties in shading here.

146. A front door to a building

This would be a fun one to scout out and draw from life.

147. Someone crying

I don’t recommend making someone cry just to draw them, but do what you gotta do.

Hand-letter your family’s names in different styles – or all the same if you would rather.

149. Turtles

Lots of turtles, a few turtles, turtles swallowing turtles, turtles breakdancing. Anything turtle.

150. Tree stumps

This could be a good one for practicing colored pencils.

151. A mandala design or doodles in a bullseye

152. cute wrapped or unwrapped candies.

This one practically demands you use color, but could also be a really interesting pencil study.

153. A page full of bubbles

Enjoy drawing bubbles.

154. Old fashioned roller skates

You know, the old metal kind that you needed a key to expand. Or you can go with the cool sneaker-style 1980’s skates like these. (I may or may not have owned a pair of these, and totally rocked them.)

155. A page of leaves

Leaves of all shapes and colors, or just keep it simple with one leaf style.

156. Tools and screws or nails

Make a little still life if you have these items in your home.

157. A paper airplane

Ya gotta fold your own planes for this drawing prompt.

158. Funny characters

Dive into your imagination and draw some characters of your own design.

159. Seashells

There is endless visual inspiration to be had with seashells.

160. Tiny Square Numbers

Separate your page into a grid, and in each square draw a number in different styles.

161. Draw a long, winding river or stream

Draw a real one if you have one near you.

162. Logos for cars, sports apparel, or other businesses

Draw existing logos or make up brand new cool logos.

163. Ribbons or rope or string

Try your hand at drawing undulating ribbons, a coil of rope, or a messy pile of string. This is definitely good observational practice.

164. Impromptu Still Life

Grab 5 things you see just by looking around, place them together in front of you, and draw them.

165. A train

Choo! Choo! Feel free to give your train a face. You know, sometimes it needs to happen.

166. Illustrate a children’s song

Listen to a happy kid’s song over and over and over again at full volume while you draw. Or save your sanity and listen once or twice before drawing.

167. Take an old electronic item apart and draw the innards

Got anything old and broken to take apart? There are some fun things inside to draw.

168. Scissors, slightly open, pointing toward you (that’s a challenging angle!)

This is good foreshortening practice. Plus, scissors are fun to draw.

169. A pile of pencils or pens or markers or paint brushes

Drawing your drawing tools is so meta.

170. A big, wide open mouth

Discover the mysteries of the wide-open mouth while you draw. Don’t hurt your jaw if you are drawing your own mouth. Maybe alternate between life and a photo…

171. A page full of connected triangles

This is very doodly. Keep it simple or vary your shading, triangle sizes, etc.

172. This is so cool! Draw this ladder optical illusion:

173. Water droplets

Try dripping water on different surfaces to see what makes them look best.

174. Draw a whole playground

Draw the playground from one point of view, or split it up and draw the pieces separately.

175. Make a toilet tube drawing

Draw a little scene as seen through a toilet paper tube.

176. Draw a map

Of your neighborhood, school, or workplace, complete with little illustrations.

177. Design a postage stamp

Draw it the size of a real stamp or enlarged.

178. Set up a scene of different bottles and draw them

Focus on the shadows and highlights, and set the bottles up in an interesting composition. You can even crop in on the bottles so parts of them are off the page.

179. Popcorn

Either in a bowl or closeups of a few popped kernels.

180. Design an ugly Christmas sweater

Pet ugly Christmas sweaters are not off limits here. 🙂

181. Draw a fancy Polynesian drink

This is your chance to draw a tiny, colorful paper umbrella.

182. Underwear! Draw underwear!

Nothing more fun than drawing a page full of undies.

183. Your hand, palm up, fingers curled slightly

Another hand pose to give you more practice.

184. Your favorite stuffed animal

Yours from childhood, a child’s, or make up your own brand new super stuffie.

185. Open an umbrella and draw it

You can do a few sketches of the umbrella in different poses if you’d like.

186. A page full of mushrooms or other fungi

There’s a whole world full of interesting mushrooms and fungi to draw.

187. Larger-than-life fingernails

Draw some or all of your fingernails enlarged.

188. Drip Drawings

Drip ink, coffee, any drops onto your page and make a design from it.

189. A room framed

190. An open banana

Peel it mostly or just part way and draw that yellow fruit.

191. A hanging towel

More fabric folds to draw!

192. Draw your toilet

2 days in a row spent drawing in the bathroom.

193. Strangers in public

Go to a coffee shop or park and draw a person (or people).

194. Spaceships and planets

Draw space. The final frontier.

195. A doorknob

Feel free to draw your self portrait in the doorknob if you can see it.

196. Sports balls – one or different kinds

Sporty still life

197. You as a child

Draw yourself from a photo, a video, or draw a strong memory of yourself doing something from your childhood.

198. Stonehenge

Look up Stonehenge and practice drawing that cool, mysterious monument.

199. Write an outlined word and doodle/Zentangle around it on the page

If drawing letters isn’t your thing, you can washi tape a word to tangle around.

200. Marbles

Marbles are a nice little challenge to draw.

201. A pine tree

Or lots of pine trees.

202. Tablescape

Set a table and draw it – or just one place setting.

203. Follow this drawing video:

204. An open book

Face up or face down, or one of each.

Boots are good to draw – try a single boot, part of a boot, or a boot pile.

206. Doodle Tracing

Trace around some random objects, overlapping them, and doodle in the spaces. Again, if you hate doodling, try to perfectly draw a pattern, or make the objects look like they are 3d.

207. Half leaves

Cut some leaves in half and lay them on your page. Draw the other half of the leaves – you can then draw the first half if you wish, or not.

208. Elephants

All that amazing wrinkly skin will push you. Unless you go the cartoony, flat grey illustration route.

209. Copy a Rembrandt painting using pencil

I had this as an assignment in college, but we had to draw it larger than life with charcoal. It was a mess, but really fun.

210. A plastic grocery bag

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag? Draw one doing something.

211. Lily pads

Such great shapes- just draw the pads themselves or in a pond.

212. A person from the back

No faces to distract you, but you can still challenge yourself to find a really interesting pose.

213. Car tires

Super close-up car tire texture would be cool, or maybe a pile of tires.

214. A close up of a jeans pocket

Any jeans pocket, full or empty, color or not.

215. A tree, but only using short flicks of a pen or pencil to make your lines

This will give you license to be expressionistic with your tree drawing. Have fun with the marks.

216. A dinosaur

217. a cowboy hat.

Cowboy hats are a great shape – feel free to draw it on a head if you wish.

218. A favorite cartoon character from childhood

Who was your favorite? How old are you? Are you the Jetsons generation, Spongebob, or all about Paw Patrol?

219. The end of a plug cord

Draw the cord, too, but the focus should be on the plug.

220. A broken pencil

All those shards will look lovely in a drawing.

Draw as many or as few as you want. Draw them on a game board if you want.

222. Be inspired by this artwork by Willie Hsu:

223. a self portrait filled with patterns or shapes.

So many opportunities for this one. I’m picturing going in lots of different directions – have fun!

224. A small, secret fairy door at the base of a tree

This can be really cool and mysterious.

225. A bird skull

Skulls and skeletons are just good to draw.

226. A very loose landscape sketch from memory

Or just make one up. Make it loose and easy.

227. Butterflies

You have so many butterflies to choose from, flying or at rest.

228. A Halloween mask

Will you go terrifyingly scary or cutey cute?

229. A page full of circle doodles

Loops and circles all over the page.

230. A scene with a horizon line very low on the page, and the sky full of clouds

This can look beautiful and serene, or really ominous, or even puffy and adorable.

231. A person from the shoulders down

No neck, no head!

232. A truck

Draw a truck, any truck.

233. A hand holding a piece of fruit

Photo your hand at different angles holding fruit and see which one you like most.

234. An item from a celebration from another culture

Have you been curious about Dia de los Muertos? Or maybe some Thai lanterns seem more interesting to draw.

235. A funny selfie with a Snapchat filter

Don’t forget to actually get off of Snapchat and draw…

236. A close-up of an animal’s eye

Get really detailed with this one and then make everyone you know guess the animal.

237. An animal dressed in human clothes

Ah more fun with personifying non-human things. Or this can be a dog dressed up in your t-shirt.

238. An abstract shape tower

Play with shapes and forms.

239. Draw the side view of someone’s face

Look for different interesting photos or draw from life.

240. Sharks

Sharks are fascinating creatures and you can draw all sorts of different types if you want.

241. Flowers in the ground and show the roots underground

Imagine the roots of the flowers underground – what might they look like?

242. A sandwich

Any kind of sandwich you want to draw.

243. One object morphing into another object (source: Eddie Kisosondi)

244. a crowd of people.

This one can be as detailed or as loose and sketchy as you want.

245. Draw what’s on your nightstand

Mine is a mess. Feel free to make yours look lovely if you want to, before you draw it.

246. Draw something that symbolizes a place you want to visit

An object, a building, nature. Your choice.

247. Dried pasta – preferably different shapes

These are great to eat draw.

248. A bear lying down

Big old sleepy bear wants you to draw him.

249. A page of succulents in pots

Succulents make amazing drawing subject matter.

250. A restaurant

From a scene in a busy restaurant to a server serving someone to people leaving, or people at the bar.

251. A page full of 3-d cubes

Remember learning to draw 3-d cubes? Perfect them.

252. A movie screen with a movie scene on it

Will you draw the movie of your life? Or a movie you’ve seem before?

253. Skateboards

Skateboards being used, propped up against the wall, in a shop, what else can you think of?

254. Street signs or traffic lights

Either or both.

255. A Greek God

Yeah! Take some time to draw from a statue or a photo, or from your imagination.

256. Someone blowing a bubble

A small bubble will give you more face practice, or you can hide the face with a giant bubble. Fun!

257. A scene through a rain storm

Day or night, wherever you want, but focus on making it look like rain.

258. Ducks on a pond

Want to try color? Or black and white for this one?

259. Blind contour drawings of objects around you

Really look at what you are drawing and concentrate on drawing what you see.

260. Design a cereal box

I feel like it wouldn’t be that hard to design a much better cereal box than what is currently out there.

261. The Impossible Rectangle!

Foxes are lovely little creatures. Draw one.

263. Paisley designs

Practice your paisley.

264. Glue a few fragments of magazine images to a page and incorporate them into a drawing

This can be an abstract drawing or something recognizable.

265. Draw a large spiral on your page and make a little creature journeying through the whole spiral

Eek, what will happen during the journey to the center of the spiral?

266. Your feet

Draw both of your feet propped up and crossed at the ankle in front of you

267. Listen to your favorite music and doodle aimlessly

268. a stack of plates.

From above, straight on, or maybe draw them from slightly below them, looking up at them.

269. Sketch everything you eat for an entire day on one page

These can be quick sketches if you want.

270. Shadow drawings

Hold up items between your sketchbook and a bright light (try your cell phone flashlight) and trace the shadow outlines.

271. Draw your couch

Then sit on it for a while. You’ve earned it.

272. A pinecone

Pinecones have all those cool darks and lights and so much great texture.

273. A page full of quick little faces with different expressions

Practice drawing expressions.

274. Make a maze

It doesn’t have to be a regular old maze….

275. An ear

Aren’t ears weird looking? Draw one.

Draw many bats or just a few.

277. A brand new superhero

Ooh, what sort of superhero will you make up?

278. A castle

I immediately think of a Medieval castle, but maybe you’ll want to draw another castle entirely.

279. Pots and pans

All that metal will be fun to draw.

280. A stack of rocks

See how high you can make the stack.

281. Geometric Animal

An animal face or the entire animal made up of only geometric shapes

282. A watch

There are so many shapes, surfaces, materials that can go into one watch.

283. A page full of rocks or crystals

Set them up however you want, or scatter them around a table.

284. The inside view of a car

If you sit in a car and look around, there are endless views to draw.

285. A view from a drone

What could a drone see? Draw whatever you can imagine, or of course, photograph if you have a drone of your own.

286. A large ant

You can make it simple or cute if you’re grossed out by ants, or very detailed and realistic.

287. An arm in a cast

I have no idea why I thought this one up, but I guess it sounded like an interesting subject.

288. A flower in a vase

This is a good excuse to go buy flowers – or nab them from your neighbor. No, jk, I don’t condone that.

289. A volcano

I’m sure an exploding volcano would be fun to draw, but you can draw a sleepy quiet one if you’d rather.

290. A plate of french fries

Buy one to eat, and one to draw 🙂

291. Items flying around in a tornado

Cars! People! Furniture! Hats!

292. A tardigrade

293. fill the page with small squares and connect as many corners as you can with any kind of lines.

This is one of those mindless drawing prompts where you can end up with a really cool design.

294. Draw a recurring dream

I love dreams as drawing prompts – if you have a recurring dream, draw it out. Otherwise, any dream will do.

295. Grab the items you use to style your hair and draw them

Not much of a hair stylist? Draw any other tools. Or your shampoo.

296. The entire alphabet, and play with different letter designs

Alphabet letters are great little starter shapes that can take you in a million different directions.

297. A plant growing out of a sidewalk

Don’t you love when little plants just decide to shoot up through sidewalk cracks because they are awesome? Draw it.

298. Combine a flower pattern on the page with a lettered quote or saying

Maybe this is overdone nowadays, but feel free to put whatever twist on it you want to. Make it as lavish and lush or as minimal and stark as you like.

299. Draw a self portrait, but give yourself completely different hair

Now is your chance to play hair stylist.

300. A person on stilts

Stilts always seem to add a surreal twist to people, so se what you want to do with this drawing idea.

301. Heads of garlic

Garlic is beautiful, really. The shape, texture, matte silvery whiteness.

302. Paper lanterns

Choose what kind of paper lanterns you want to draw, and whether you want to draw them in the day or night.

303. Easter Island heads

These heads are so cool, and must be drawn.

304. A view through a window, including the window

Windows make lovely frames to the outside world, so find an interesting scene.

305. Shading practice

Separate your page up into many random, slightly undulating lines, then shade in some of the spaces to make it look like they are recessing, to different degrees

306. A jar full of something

Lights? Worms and dirt? jellybeans? Moonshine? Sand and shells? So many options.

307. 2 Hands holding

308. use a page to try to draw a perfect circle – freehand.

If you get a perfect circle, I must see it. @artmakespeople

309. Family portrait

Have fun and be creative with interpreting this prompt.

310. Different types of bees

There are so many bees. Bees are cool. Let’s celebrate bees by drawing them.

311. A person floating on water

Ahhhh I first thought of this as a soothing, relaxing water-floating pose, but get all dark and murdery if you’d rather.

312. A fence

Yes. A fence.

313. Draw siphonophores

Do we know what siphonophores are? No? Go look here.

Aren’t cacti weird and interesting? They’ll be fun to draw.

315. An empty country road

Draw all kinds of country road emptiness.

316. An empty city road

Draw all kinds of city road fullness.

317. An ant’s view looking up at something

I mean, anything bigger than an ant is fair game.

318. A plaid design

There are so many plaids- they’re actually really interesting. Just choose your favorite and emulate it.

319. Your favorite junk food

French fries, onion rings, Doritos, Funyons?

320. Blind contour drawings of your face

Blind contour drawings are the best.

321. Brooms

Draw brooms in utter detail or simply the outlines.

322. Pick one object and draw it in pencil and then in ink

How does your drawing differ with different media?

323. Spider web(s)

This will be an exercise in patience. Spiderwebs are perfect little gossamer creations, aren’t they?

324. An egg carton

(Feel free to drop some more eggs on the table), but just draw the carton. 🙂

325. Pants laying flat on the ground

Choose your angle. You can draw them from any perspective.

326. Rolls of toilet paper

Make a toilet paper still life and draw away.

327. Design an interesting barcode for a product

328. make a google doodle.

Go check out previous Google Doodles for ideas.

329. Circle art

Draw overlapping circles on your page using a drinking glass and doodle or color in spaces.

330. Swapped Sizes

Draw a large object and small object next to each other, but make the large object tiny and the tiny object HUGE.

331. Paper Curl

Cut a piece of paper into a strip, curl it around something, set it on the table, and draw it.

332. Draw your hand with fingertips coming at you

Okay, last hand-drawing prompt, I promise. Drawing from this perspective is a great challenge!

333. Smudgy Portrait

Draw a portrait in pencil or charcoal and the make tiny smudge marks in the whole thing with an eraser.

334. Layered Drawing

Do a texture-rubbing on your page and draw something over it (you can draw the textured object if you want, or an animal, something in front of you, even yourself.)

335. Negative Space Creatures

Draw a big, full-page scribble and then turn the negative spaces into creatures.

336. An old, wrinkly face

Practice drawing those beautiful skin wrinkles.

337. Muffins

Muffins are a fun food to draw – shoutout to those people who bake their own first.

338. The bottom of a shoe

Draw the bottom of the shoe straight on, or at an angle. You can choose one perspective, or a few sketches.

339. A spoon, a fork, and a knife

However you want to set them up.

340. A scene from your favorite vacation

Got a favorite vacation? What do you want to remember by drawing it?

341. Something on fire

I don’t recommend actually lighting anything on fire here, unless you are at a bonfire, and you’re the edgy person with the sketchbook.

342. Comic Panel

One square from a comic strip – make up your own or copy one.

343. Close your eyes and draw slowly and deliberately on a page

This is a cool way to draw by simply feeling and thinking about where your pen(cil) might be moving.

344. Ancient symbols, real or imagined

Look them up or create your own.

345. Yourself as a vampire or werewolf or Frankenstein

Reimagine yourself as a classic monster.

346. The inside of a box

It might be fun to play around with pointing a bright light at the box the see what kinds of shadows you get.

347. A backhoe

Big old trucks are so interesting-looking.

348. Lie on your back and draw your view in front of you

I’m just assuming here you can find something above you to draw besides the blank ceiling…

349. The floor plan of your dream home

Ahhhh grab a ruler and plan out your dream home.

350. Exercise equipment

Treadmill, weights, medicine ball, you choose.

351. Wrappers

Unwrap some things and draw the wrappers. I would personally choose candy.

352. Your initials as different animals

Turn you initials into animal friends.

353. Crushed cans

Try to get cans in different levels of crushedness, so you have some variation to draw.

354. Calendar Doodles

Draw this calendar month on a page and fill in each square with a tiny drawing.

355. Gloves

Draw some gloves off or on hands.

356. A weapon from history

It doesn’t necessarily need to be from far off history, but there are some fascinating Medieval weapons that would be fun to draw.

357. A giant ground sloth next to a tree (image source: Sci News )

358. cookies.

Practice cookie drawing. You’ll obviously need several packs of cookies for this, or make your own.

359. A lifeguard in a lifeguard chair

Drawing by the pool sounds fun.

360. Puddles

Hopefully you’ll get some good reflections to draw.

361. Personify a food or product

Pick a favorite food or product to turn into something living.

362. Peanuts in the shell

Draw that peanut shell texture while snacking on peanuts. If you have a nut allergy, draw from a photo or sub out for something else to draw.

363. Baskets with things in them

Prop baskets with interesting items and draw.

364. A treasure map

Arrgh, will your treasure map be detailed or simple?

365. 2 puppets talking to each other

What would puppets look like if they were having a conversation?

Once you’ve made your awesome drawings, why don’t you share them on social media with these arty Instagram captions! (Don’t forget to tag me @artmakespeople)

Want more drawing ideas? My lists of drawing prompts are here.

What Sketchbook Should I Buy?

Oh, goodness. I love sketchbooks with my whole heart. There’s nothing better than cracking open a fresh sketchbook and running your hands over that blank page. Especially when you have all these cool drawing ideas to choose from!!

For now, here’s a list of the best sketchbooks based on different criteria. Look for a whole deep dive sketchbook post coming soon!

Inexpensive sketchbook for sketches – this is perfect for students or someone who just wants to dash off pencil sketches to keep warmed up. This links to the 2-pack of this sketchbook.

Good everyday sketchbook for mixed media – This is a hardbound, 8.5×11 sketchbook with paper that is more heavyweight than the first sketchbook. It’s a great book if you want to be able to draw in different media, although I wouldn’t go all watercolory with this one.

High end sketchbook for serious drawings – Moleskine of course is an artist favorite, and has been for years. Moleskines are super high quality and contain some magical dust that makes you draw better. Or maybe not. But every artist should try a Moleskine once to see if you love it or not.

This is the “large” size, which is 5″x8.25″, and what many artists prefer to carry around with them.

Another wonderful sketchbook choice would be from Fabriano – I like this 9×9″ square sketchbook , but I really want to try out this one, it’s adorable!

Related: Gift guide for your favorite artist

• Image #26 credit: Alex Stanton
• Image #64 bed drawing credit: Todnar Bonya
• Image #86 credit: Deposit Photos
• Image #97 credit: The Arty Teacher – this is a wonderful post on looking at negative space in drawing.
• image #151 credit: Rishi Kasingh
• Image #189 credit: Popham Designs – See my post featuring them here.
• Image #222 credit: Willie Hsu
• Image #292 credit: The Guardian
• Image #327 credit: D-Designs

This post was updated 11/21/23.

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Doodle something odd if you’re stuck. Draw an unusual form or squiggle to use as inspiration. Another option is to use colored paper as a starting point and rip or cut it into random shapes. Then, on one page of your notebook, scribble two or three forms. I often do this, and I frequently like the results so much that I had them made into temporary tattoo patterns

I haven’t really sketched anything since I was in H.S.. At that time, I used to do it daily. I miss it, and have tried to get back to sketching over the years, but life gets in the way. Now that things are not so busy, I will try it. Thank you for this challenge! I needed it.

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101 Drawing Ideas for Your Sketchbook

I decided to do some of the brainstorming for you and create a list of 101 drawing ideas that you can include in your sketchbook or turn in to finished works. The items on this list are meant to challenge you a bit, but can still be completed in a short amount of time – making them perfect subjects.

Easy Drawing Ideas

• Drawing from Imagination
• Challenging Drawing Ideas

Remember, we can always use the ideas that we conceive in our sketchbooks and turn them into finished works of art. A sketchbook is great place to practice, but it’s also a great place to plan and find some inspiration.

We’ll begin with the easy subjects. Defining what’s considered easy will be different for everyone. It all depends on how much time and effort you want to put into your work. These items are considered “easy” simply because the shapes used to sketch them are rather simple.

Here’s a list of easy drawing ideas…

• An old pair of shoes – Look no further than your closet to find a weathered pair of shoes – the older the better.

• A stack of books – Find some old books lying around and stack them up. Try to configure them in an interesting way.
• An open book – Now take one of those books and open it. Sketch it from an interesting angle.
• Wine bottles – A classic subject. Look for an interesting label for an additional challenge.

• A wine bottle cork – Does that wine bottle have a cork? Use that too as a separate exercise.
• A stapler – A stapler is made up of simple shapes that are very easy to draw. Once the shapes are in place, then it’s just a matter of adding the details.
• Several eggs on a table – Line up a few white eggs allowing them to overlap. When you look at the eggs, pay close attention to the gradual changes in tone and shade accordingly.
• A hammer – Tools make great subjects for drawings. A hammer is rather simple and should be fairly easy to pull off.
• Game pieces – Pull out a board game and check out the pieces. Some of them may make a nice subject for sketching.

• Sea shells – You may find some inspiration in the form of a sea shell.
• Objects in your pocket – Got stuff in your pocket? Pull it out and sketch it.
• A thumb drive – Like the stapler, a thumb drive is made of simple shapes.
• Children’s toys – Most toys are designed with simple forms, making them an easy subject. Plus, most are brightly colored.
• Fruits – Fruits are great subjects for practice. Any fruit will do – a pear, a banana, or a strawberry. For an added challenge, slice it open.

• An apple – Okay, I know an apple is a fruit but apples are great subjects for exploring different mediums. Try the same apple with colored pencils, pastels, graphite etc. This lesson may help you – how to draw an apple with pastels .
• Vegetables – Just like fruits, vegetables are great for sketching practice as well.

• Candy – When it comes to food, you don’t have to just stick with the stuff that’s good for you. Here’s a lesson that may give you some inspiration – how to draw a piece of candy .
• Items in your refrigerator – Close your eyes and reach in. Use whatever you pull out.
• A pair of socks – Find a pair that’s clean please.
• An old chair – A chair may seem complex, but it’s really just a few simple forms pieced together.

• A doorknob – This is a more of a challenge than you may think. Pay attention to the changes in value.
• A video game controller – Even everyday items like this make great subjects for your sketchbook.

Drawing From Your Imagination

I should point out that the best way to get better at drawing from your imagination is to spend a good amount of time working from observation. When you practice working from observation, you learn how to translate what you see into a work of art.

When you’re working from imagination, you have to rely on what you’ve learned from your observational practice.

Here’s a list of drawing ideas when working from imagination…

• A person from history without a photo reference – Imagine what a person from ancient history would have looked like and sketch your vision.
• A scene from history – Think back to some of the events in the history of the world and envision the scene as if you were there.
• A person peeling off their skin – Make this one as gory as you like or make it funny – let your imagination go where it likes.
• Design a typeface – Design a few letters and try to create a brand new font.
• Simple forms – Imagine a small still life made of cubes, cones, spheres, etc. Think about the light source and keep it consistent. Here’s a lesson that may help you – how to draw basic forms .

• A Cubist portrait – How would Picasso interpret someone that you know?
• Yourself as a cartoon – What would you look like if you were a cartoon?
• A fictional woodland character – Draw a woodland creature that doesn’t actually exist.

Up for a Challenge?

Here’s a list of ideas designed to challenge…

• A glass of water – Reflection and transparency are some of the hardest things to master. Here’s a lesson that will help you out – how to draw a glass of water .
• A pile of unfolded laundry – Folds and values galore. Throw those clothes up in the air and draw them how they land.
• Use with your non-dominant hand – If you’re right-handed, sketch an object with your left hand.
• A scene in a restaurant – Most restaurants are fairly dark so noticing the values will be a challenge. Set up in the corner and start sketching.
• Your hands – There’s a great subject waiting for you at the end of your arm. You always have it with you, so there’s no excuse here. Here’s a lesson that may help you out – how to draw hands .
• Your art supplies – Brushes, paint tubes, etc. are also great subjects for practice.
• A person laying down – You can always sneak up to someone sleeping to pull this one off.
• A person sitting in a chair – Grab a friend to pose for you.
• Different types of trees – Get outside with your sketchbook and find a nice shady spot. Here’s a lesson that may help you out – how to sketch trees .

• A caricature of yourself – This one is a little different from drawing yourself as a cartoon. You’re going to need a mirror.
• The same object with different techniques (hatching, cross hatching, stippling, etc.)
• Your favorite pet – If you haven’t got a pet, then here’s a good reason to get one.
• A copy of your favorite master’s painting – What artists inspire you? Find one of their artworks and make a sketchy copy.
• A crumpled piece of paper – What a great challenge! Look closely for all of the tonal changes. This one is sure to help improve your shading skills.
• A brown paper bag – Think the crumpled piece of paper was a challenge? This one is even tougher!
• An old person’s face – Find an image of an older person that you know. All of those wrinkles should be a challenge, but oh what character and interest!
• An old car – I’m talking really old here. If you see one out in a field – even better. Take photos whenever you come across a subject that may make a great piece of art.

• An old camera – And speaking of photos, why not an old camera? The buttons, ellipses, and text should give you a nice challenge.
• A pair of glasses – Just like the glass of water, there’s plenty of reflection and transparency here.
• A bicycle – The circles, spokes, handle bars etc. make this a classic subject for your sketchbook.
• Anything made out of metal – Metal objects are usually reflective and present their own set of challenging textures.

• Tree bark up close – All of those wonderful textures!
• Ocean waves – Anything in constant motion is going to be a challenge. You might want to work from a photo on this one. Here’s a lesson that may be helpful – how to paint waves .
• A pile of rocks – Look for the basic shapes first and then add the values and textures.
• A cup of pencils – Put at least three pencils in a cup and start sketching.
• A reel mower – Now this is tough one – but first you have to find one. Take your time and try to be as accurate as possible.
• A pine cone – A simple object from nature with all kinds of complexity.
• Your favorite sea creature – What’s your favorite creature that lives in the deep? Here’s a lesson that may help you out – octopus with ink and watercolor .

• An old cabin – Work on your linear perspective skills and draw an old cabin.
• An old factory – If you live in the city, grab your sketchbook and venture out in search of an old factory. Try to capture the years of aging.
• Flowers in a vase – Another classic subject for practice.

• Old farm equipment – Much like the old car idea, old farm equipment is often weathered by the elements and features wonderful textures.
• A sailboat – If seascapes are your thing, then why not include a sailboat. Here’s a lesson that may help you out – how to draw sailboats with mixed media .

• People standing in a line – The human figure is the quickest way to improve your skills. The human figure is perhaps the most complex subject out there.
• A bowl of peanuts – Any repetitive subject will prove to be challenge. Why not start by with a bowl of peanuts?
• A bowl of nails – Peanuts too easy for you? Try drawing nails.
• A bowl of popcorn – Nails too easy for you? How about a bowl of popcorn?
• Bushes or shrubbery – Bring me a shrubbery!
• Your favorite insect – Insects are quite complex. Even the most simple insects are more complex than they seem. Here’s a lesson that may help you – how to draw a beetle .
• A flower up close – Once you’ve drawn a vase full of flowers, pick one out and sketch it from the perspective of a bee. Here’s a lesson on this subject – how to draw a rose .

• An exotic fish – Well, any fish really. Here’s a lesson – fish with pen and ink .

• A feather – Light in weight, but heavy in challenge. Sketch a feather as realistically as possible. Here’s a lesson on this subject – how to draw a feather .
• Any detailed machine – Machines these days have become more sleek in their design. If you want a real challenge, think in terms of an old typewriter. An antique shop is a great place to look for inspiration like this.
• The insides of a watch or clock – Sticking with the detailed machine theme, perhaps you have an old watch you can pop open.
• A skull – When it comes to portraits, you must have a strong understanding of the structure of the head. A great place to start is with a skull. Here’s a timed sketching exercise on this subject – how to sketch a skull in 30 minutes .

• A portrait of someone that is a different race from you – This one is self-explanatory.
• Water coming from the faucet – A moving subject is always a challenge.
• A creek in the woods – Be sure to include the elements that surround it as well like perhaps a grassy bank.
• An object that is moving – This can be anything that moves like a motorcycle, airplane, or car. Try to draw it from observation without the aid of a photo.
• A view from a window – Look outside, there’s lots to see out there.
• A candle in the dark – The key to being successful with this idea is all in the value. Try to create a lot of contrast.
• A set of keys – This subject may see rather easy, but it’s more complex than you think.
• Your hand holding an apple (or other object) – The way we approach hands changes dramatically when we put objects in them.
• Your feet – They’re easier than you think, but if you need a little help, check out this lesson – how to draw feet .

• A patterned cloth on a table – Set up at an angle and try to capture the pattern in a sketch.
• A face in profile – Drawing a face from the side is a little more difficult than sketching one from straight on. Here’s a lesson that may help – how to draw a face .
• Your eyes – Get that mirror out again and draw your eyes from observation. Here’s a little help – how to draw eyes .

• A close up of grass – Why not try this one with colored pencils or another colored medium.
• An object three times in different lighting – Set up a still life with only one object. Sketch the object three times, changing the direction of the light source each time.
• A pile of jewelry – Make sure that you own it.
• Someone’s hair – Leave the spaghetti for dinner. Hair as a form, not a collection of lines. Here’s a lesson – how to sketch hair .
• A bird in flight – Might want to use a photo for this one. Here’s a little help – how to draw a bird .
• A pile of yarn – Talk about a challenge!
• A stack of dinner plates – This is another idea that may seem easy at first, but once you start dealing with all of the ellipses, the challenge is realized.
• A trompe l’oeil image – Trompe l’oeil images are designed to fool the eye in believing that what you see is real and not part of an artwork.

• Hung drapery – Take a sheet and hang it from a door or wall and set up a strong light source. Get lost in all of the folds.
• A water sprinkler – As an added challenge, sketch it with water coming out.
• Water that is reflective – The key here is the elements around the water. They should be reflected in your image.
• A person falling – This one is really better suited under the imagination section, but it’s also a wonderful challenge!

• Just sketch something!

Deciding What to Draw

Hopefully you’re now filled with inspiration and you’re ready to get started. Each of these subjects have been carefully thought out and were chosen for specific ways that they’ll help improve your skills. So you may be wondering, which of these should you tackle first. This will depend on where you are currently in your artistic journey. We’re all at different skill levels.

I may suggest making a game out of your sketching practice. Why not think of these suggestions in terms of a scavenger hunt? Instead of just picking a few, why not tackle them all. Grab a sketchbook with at least 100 pages and draw each idea one by one until you’ve filled it up completely. Then compare your first sketch to your last. You’ll notice a huge difference. You will be get better over time.

More Places to Find Ideas for Drawing

So maybe you’ve scanned the list here and you don’t see anything that appeals to you. Maybe some of the subjects sound too difficult or perhaps you’ve already drawn them before and you don’t want to revisit them. (Revisiting subjects is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, when you revisit a subject for the second time, you find that you’re more successful.)

Fortunately, there are other places to look for drawing inspiration other than this list you may have just stumbled upon. Here are a few more places to look for inspiration and activities that may spark your creativity…

Go For A Walk and Get Ideas

It also helps to change our environment. It’s great to get outside and take a look around. This also helps to get our creative juices flowing. I often get my best ideas when I’m out on a jog or just walking around the neighborhood.

Going for walk does two things for us. It changes our environment and also gets us moving.

Look At Other Drawings – Get Inspired By Other Artists

The internet is a wonderful resource, but looking at art in a physical book or better yet – a gallery or museum is the best option.

Listen to Music Without Lyrics to Get More Ideas

Some people are inspired by other forms of art outside the realm of visual art. Music can be a great source of inspiration and may give you some ideas for your drawings. I’ve found that music that has lyrics is often too literal and is less inspirational. But music without lyrics allows you to paint a scene in your mind and may lead to more than just a quick sketch. You may find that the right music gives you an idea that you can build on and you end up creating a work that is well beyond a simple sketch.

Lesson Discussion

Dear Matt, Thank you for the suggestions. I’m sure they will be of use.

I was just looking for some ideas for sketchbook assignments for my students. It was like you read my mind…and this popped up. Awesome!! I wanted my students to write about their drawings as well…do you have any suggestions? I have all levels from beginners to advanced. I also wanted to know how you would divide your list of assignments according to experience levels.

Thanks so much for this! I’m gonna make sure i do everything on this list !

Thank you Matt, you blessed my day!

Matt, this was especially good for me. I used to draw and love it but that was 4 decades ago. Now as a retired 62-year-old, I’m looking at doing some of things I used to love but I live in a place (south central KY) where local art stores are about an hour away (oh voila, internet!) and drawing lessons are non-existent, except for yours online. I plan to use many of these to practice blind contour drawing (very good for an older mind)and then translate them into more. Thanks!

Thanks Matt for the sketching ideas. I find that when I sketch I tend to put too much detail in to try to make the drawing perfect. I am going to limit myself to 5 min a sketch to try to improve this habit.

Hey..don’t reduce the time…instead after doing a sketch,find a distraction and afterwards look at your sketch..even then,if you feel any detail is missing,then you can add them..by this, we also understand what needs to be changed..

there are several things that i have wanted to get into. photography is one of them and art is another. i have absolutely no talent. i knew someone who was very talented and she said it was just a matter of drawing all the time and getting better as she went along. it seems that you are offering exactly what i need and was looking for. i used to live in new york city where there were plenty of art schools but was not interested at the time. was working and had 2 small children. no time and no money. i still do not have money and i no longer live in new york and do not know of any art schools in my area. i think if i manage my time a little bit better with your teaching i should be able to achieve my goals. life without the internet is no life at all. you came into my life at just the right time. thank you in advance. i hope to learn and have fun.

This list didn’t help me at all, its dump and not useful in anyway. Thxs for notin.

Wow-what a jerk you are. Your just jealous of this awesome dude who made this website. I’d like to see you try to do the same-and fail.

gave me tons of ideas! THANKS A BILLION!

My life has been art! But things changed a few years ago. I’ve been away from drawing and art in general for 10 years because of having several little strokes. My doctor assured me that my art would come back, he said, “Don’t worry, your art will be back in 5 years or so. The brain will re-route around the strokes, it will be back!” I know he was trying to help, but when you spend a lifetime doing something creative everyday and then they tell you it will be back in 5 years, I was devastated! Well, 5 years came and went. This is year 10, I did my first drawing in July! A fawn in grass in the woods surrounded by trees. I had a blast doing the face of that fawn, and the bark of the trees! I’ve been following you for at least a year. You have been a source of inspiration! THANK YOU MARK!

I have this very same problem Fiona !!

Well this didn’t help because I tried for 1 to draw a soul and I ended up crying my eyes out and I’m only 15

Thank you, Thank you!! This really did get me drawing! Thanks a ton.

Thanks for the ideas, if was such a help to me instead thinking of the ideas myself

WoW! this helped so much. Thanks Matt

Comments are closed.

Artjournalist

365 Drawing Ideas for Your Sketchbook

Need some ideas for what to draw in your sketchbook? This list of 365 drawing ideas is sure to inspire you to doodle, draw, or sketch something every single day of the year!

This list of 365 drawing ideas is sure to inspire you to doodle, draw, or sketch something every single day of the year! You can choose whether to draw one drawing a day, go in the list in order, or simply skip around and choose the ones you like best!

Here are 365 Drawing Ideas to Inspire:

1. view from the park.

Parks are great sources of inspiration for drawing. Snap a few of your own reference photos of monuments, benches, and scenes that capture your eye or spend some time in the park with your sketchbook drawing the different scenes you notice.

2. Hot Air Balloon

Hot air balloons are mesmerizing to watch in the sky and can be a beautiful and whimsical thing to learn how to draw. While it’s not too common anymore to see one floating past you in real-life, there are MANY photos out there that you can use as a reference.

Snap a photo of yourself or try drawing yourself while you look in a mirror.

You might see leaves on the ground during autumn or notice them on trees in the spring and summer. Choose a few different leaf shapes to draw.

They say once you learn how to ride a bike you never forget – so why not try the same thing with learning to draw a bicycle? You can make it realistic or simply create a fun doodle.

6. Hedgehog

Hedgehogs are adorable spiny creatures most commonly found in Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand. Draw one today!

7. Baseball and/or Baseball Glove

This was actually an assignment we had in high school to practice realistic sketching and shading using nothing more than a #2 pencil!

8. Fruit Bowl

The classic fruit bowl still life might not sound like the most creative idea for drawing, but have you tried it? You might just be surprised. You could also draw a still life of bananas, oranges, apples, or grapes.

9. Tropical Fish

There are so many types of tropical fish to consider as an idea for things that are easy to draw – choose from an angel fish, a clown fish or even maybe a butterflyfish!

10. Skyscrapers

We see so many great examples of skyscraper architecture in our cities that there are endless sources of inspiration for types of skyscrapers you could draw. Take your sketchbook out locally to a city near you, or spend some time drawing iconic skyscrapers such as the Bank of China Tower, the Taipei 101, or the Chrysler Building.

Dragons are mythical creatures that have been a drawing subject since ancient times. Draw a dragon with a knight in shining armor, a Chinese dragon, or maybe even a friendly dragon that helps you roast marshmallows.

Unlock the power of your creativity by drawing some keys! You can choose to draw old fashioned skeleton keys or draw a sketch of the keys out of your purse or your house key.

13. Volcano

Have you ever seen a volcano in real life? Even if you’ve only seen one in movies or in photographs they can be fascinating subjects for art and sketching.

14. Sail Boat

Sailboats are often see on lakes and at marinas and can have all sorts of beautiful designs on the sails.

Draw a teddy bear, a brown bear or a grizzly bear – your choice!

Lay down on a blanket in your yard or at a park and spend some time cloud-gazing for inspiration on what to draw.

17. Family Member

You can have a family member pose while you create a portrait sketch of them, or draw a portrait based on a photo of someone you know.

What can I say about sharks? They have big teeth, they live in the ocean, and they can be very fun and popular to draw.

19. Feather

Birds of a feather…are a great thing to draw! You can make them icon style, or try to recreate a realistic feather on paper.

20. T-Shirt

Surely you have a t-shirt in your closet that would make for a great subject for drawing.

21. The Kitchen

Kitchens are where food is made and are often overlooked as the perfect place to sketch to get a glimpse into your everyday life.

22. Satellite:

Satellites are constantly in orbit around our earth, and they are very interesting looking items with many different geometric lines to use to build your drawing skills.

23. Penguin

Penguins are seabirds that live in mostly cold climates. They don’t fly but they sure do love to swim!

24. Fashion Sketch

What’s trending in the fashion world? Come up with your own fashion designs or take inspiration from some of the leading fashion designers to create your own fashion sketches.

The best part about aliens as a drawing idea? You can make them look like almost anything your imagination can think of, since it is very rare to actually see them in real-life.

26. Pirate Ship

Ahoy Matey! Pirate ships are a great thing to draw in your sketchbook and can be realistic or make your own cartoon.

27. Skateboard

The nice thing about drawing a skateboard is its not nearly as intimidating as trying to actually ride a skateboard.

Celebrate today by drawing a beautiful cake! You can choose how many layers, what kind of icing, and what type of topper fits the occasion. There are so many ideas to draw for what kind of cake you make!

29. Butterfly

There are so many different kinds of beautiful butterflies you could draw, such as monarchs or swallowtail butterflies.

30. Race Car

Vroom vroom, race cars are designed for speed. Draw your favorite kind of race car, whether it’s an old fashioned derby style car or a racecar fit for Nascar tournament.

If you have a cat you can draw a portrait of your own pet or of course you could make a cartoon cat – we all know and love Garfield the Cat and his affinity for lasagna.

With over 190 registered dog breeds by the American Kennel Club you could almost make it a daily challenge just to draw a different type of dog.

33. Super Hero

It’s a bird, it’s a plane…it’s super man! Draw one of your favorite super heroes or create your own!

34. Cup of Coffee or Tea

If you’re going to drink coffee or tea every day, you might as well sketch it, right? Not a coffee or tea drinker? You can always sketch a glass of water.

35. Dinosaur

Dinosaur…roar! Draw a T-rex, a brontosaurus, a triceratops, pterodactyl or a velociraptor if you wish – there are so many great dinosaurs to choose from as sketchbook inspiration!

36. Web Icons

Web icons have become so common place we see them everywhere online. Sketch some icons for your favorite social media channels or visit a site like flaticon.com  for inspiration!

Pizza can be a lot of fun to draw, especially because you get to choose the toppings! Will you make it a veggie pizza, pepperoni pizza or maybe a Hawaiian pizza with pineapple and ham?

38. Dandelions

Every kid knows if you blow on a dandelion and make a wish your wish will come true, much to the dismay of gardeners everywhere who view them as weeds. These edible flowers make for a great easy drawing idea.

39. Hair Styles

Draw a braid, an up-do, or even crazy Medusa inspired snake hair if you wish.

40. Necklace, Bracelet or Rings

Jewelry can be a very interesting thing to sketch or draw, especially if the jewelry has special meaning to you, such as a necklace or ring passed on through your family or given to you by someone special.

41. Ice Cream Cone

Ice cream comes in all sorts of different flavors, and of course there are many different shapes and sizes of cones to choose from, whether its a cake cone, a sugar cone or a waffle cone!

42. Aquarium

Aquariums are beautiful habitats for all sorts of fish and can include plants or even decorative items.

43. Haunted House

It doesn’t have to be Halloween to enjoy drawing a spooky and haunted house. Don’t forget details like cracked windows and bent railings – and maybe even a few spirits peeking through.

Whether you draw a beautiful covered bridge scene or a bridge that goes over a river or harbor through the city, bridges give you plenty of architectural inspiration to use as drawing ideas!

45. Crazy Hats

Go ahead, give yourself permission to be a mad hatter and design as many crazy hats as you can think of!

46. Chevron Patterns

Chevrons are fun to draw and there are so many different pattern variations you can try!

You could draw a chandelier, a bedside table lamp, or maybe even a lava lamp!

48. Cruise Ship

Cruise ships are designed to take tourists to view the sights and scenes along the ocean coast. Draw the view from the deck or draw the view from one you can see passing by on the coast.

49. Planets in Outer Space

Draw a single planet like Mars, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Neptune or Jupiter – or draw the whole solar system!

They say eyes are the window of the soul, and it’s true you can learn a lot about a person’s feelings and thoughts based on how their eyes look. Draw your own eyes or draw the mesmerizing eyes of different animals.

51. Caricature

A caricature is a type of cartoon drawing where something about the subject is exaggerated to be funny. For example, if your friend loves to knit or crochet, you might exaggerate the ball of yarn in their hand. Use this drawing idea to make a funny sketch of your friends, family members or even a pet or celebrity.

Everybody needs shoes to walk around, so go ahead and grab the pair of shoes you wear everyday and sketch them!

53. Dream Catcher

Dream catchers are designed to catch bad dreams and keep nightmares away. They are a lot of fun to draw!

54. Rocket Ship

Fly to the moon or a distant galaxy far, far away in your very own rocket ship you can design with this simple idea for drawing.

55. House Plants

Whether it’s a succulent, an aloe vera plant, or a terrarium, if you have anything green growing in your house it can be an excellent source of inspiration for drawing ideas.

56. Inspiring Quote

Practice your hand-lettering by illustrating one of your favorite quotes, sayings, or verse from a poem.

Guitars are stringed instruments that can instantly make us tap our feet and sing along. You can choose to sketch an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar.

58. Deciduous Trees

Deciduous trees are the type of trees that lose their leaves in the winter. Examples include oak trees, maple trees, cherry trees, and ash trees. You can choose what season to show the tree – is it spring, winter, summer or autumn?

59. Circus Clown

Clowns can be funny, happy, sad…or even scary! You get to decide which you wish to draw with this drawing prompt.

60. Fairy Tale

Illustrate a scene from your favorite fairy tale. Some examples include Snow White and the 7 Dwarves, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, or Hansel and Gretel.

Bottles come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. You could draw a message in a bottle, soda bottles, apothecary bottles and more.

62. What You Last Ate:

What you last ate for breakfast, lunch or dinner is a simple and obvious drawing idea, but so few people think to actually do it and is a great idea for something to include in a sketchbook.

63. Parrot:

Parrots are colorful and tropical birds, so pull out the colored pencils or some inks to make this come alive in your journal.

What is your favorite book? You could choose to draw a stack of books or draw the cover of a recent book you’ve read and enjoyed. 

65. Elephants

They say an elephant never forgets, and if you draw one you will have a picture to remember an elephant by forever!

66. Camping Scene

Whether you want to draw a travel trailer or a tent, sketch a camping scene. Don’t forget the campfire and marshmallows!

Tigers are big cats with interesting black and orange striped patterns, making them the perfect subject for a page in your sketchbook.

Cartoon-like roses can be easy to draw – they are just a spiral and a circle. Or, challenge your skills to draw a life-like rose complete with petals and stem – just watch out for those thorns!

Zebras are native to Africa and are another interesting animal to draw that are best well known for their black and white stripes.

70. Monster

Could there be a monster hiding under your bed, or in your closet? Probably not, but you never know – which is why you should draw a bigger, more friendlier monster to protect you and scare away all other monsters.

You might remember globes from school and they make for fantastic drawing objects, especially if you are a travel or geography buff.

72. Staircase

We see steps everywhere in regular life, whether it’s in your house, in a park, or maybe even a spiraling staircase along a water tower like in the photo above I took at a nearby park by my house.

73. Peacock

My grandparents used to have peacocks when I was a kid, and they are absolutely beautiful and incredible birds with detailed feathers that are perfect for drawing!

74. The Ocean

You could create an under water scene complete with coral and sea creatures like whales, an octopus and more.

75. Crocodile or Alligator

Crocodiles have a longer, V-shaped snout, while alligators have broad U shaped snouts. Either way, you could draw a snapping good crocodile or alligator in your journal – maybe even both!

76. A Clock

What’s the time? There’s always time to draw something daily! Draw a clock tower, a grandfather’s clock, or an alarm clock.

77. Gumball Machine

A gumball machine can be a lot of fun to draw, and of course there is no rule you have to fill it with gumballs – you can always choose to fill it with a different type of candy, it is your drawing afterall!

78. Giraffes

Known for their long necks, make sure you don’t forget their third horn at the top of their heads. We love visiting the giraffes named Louis and Socks at the local zoo where we live.

79. Bubbles

Bubbles make for a great ideas for what to draw, especially because they are relatively easy for beginners and you could fill a whole page with bubbles in no time!

80. Sports Player

Do you have a favorite sport? Sketch a player in action whether its soccer, baseball, football, hockey or badminton.

81. Airplane

There are so many options for what you could draw with an airplane, whether its the plane’s exterior, the interior, the view from the window, or even possibly the pilot’s cockpit.

82. Sunflowers

Sunflowers are bright, cheerful, and one of my favorite flowers to see standing tall in the summer sun.

83. Mountains

Try your hand at this idea for drawing mountains by sketching a Rocky Mountain or Appalachian mountain landscape.

84. Bath Tub

Rub-a-dub Dub, draw a bathtub! Don’t forget your rubber duckie!

There are so many great herbs that you can use for drawing. If you grow your own fresh herbs, set them up in a way you can sketch them as a real subject or use reference photos for herbs like basil, rosemary, and thyme.

86. Family heirlooms

Family heirlooms are always special, and what better way to preserve them than to sketch them in your art journal?

If you’re a lucky duck, you might even be able to see these water birds at a nearby park or lake by you, but plenty of reference photos abound – you can even use the photo I took of a duck here if you’d like as inspiration!

88. Wildflowers

Draw a beautiful landscape meadow of wildflowers, or take inspiration from botanists through history who meticulously sketched and documented wildflowers in the field.

Someone once told me I didn’t draw a very serious spider, so I gave this spider a briefcase, neck tie and his own private office with a certificate just to prove how serious he was.

90. Drawing Supplies

You already have the perfect subject for drawing in your hand – a pen, pencil, bottle of ink or charcoal set all make for great things to draw.

Fairies are enchanting, tiny human-like creatures that have wings and can fly.

92. Woodland Animals

Draw a deer, a raccoon, a fox, a squirrel, or other woodland animals with this drawing idea.

93. Hippie Van

While you may not be able to actually own and live in a hippie van, you can draw one and that’s the next best thing.

94. Ostrich

Ostriches are fun to draw – and you can decide whether or not it sticks its head in the sand! {Of course, they don’t *actually do this* but that’s the nice thing about drawing, you can use your imagination!}

Whether it is just a slice of your favorite kind of pie or the whole thing, your mouth will be watering by the time you are done drawing this one!

Eggs are a great way to practice your shadowing and depth in drawing. And don’t think you’re limited to just plain white eggs like you get at the grocery store – you can always make them different hues and sizes or decorate with patterns and shapes!

Grab a dollar bill or some loose change and try drawing it. This is a great way to practice shading, depth and more if you want to create realistic drawings.

98. Cooking Utensils & Kitchen Gadgets

Don’t use your blender that often? It’s the perfect opportunity to finally put it to use as a drawing subject! You could also sketch your pots and pans, eating utensils, or other kitchen gadgets you have around the house.

99. Your House

Where we live makes for an excellent idea of what to draw, and you can choose whether to draw the interior or the exterior.

Old fashioned radios are fascinating objects, and many times they still work even in today’s world of digital media. Go for a classic vintage radio, or maybe even draw a 90’s style boombox.

101. Fast Food

You know the drill: soda, burger and fries.

We have smart phones with us almost every day – why not draw it in your sketchbook and document that? Or, draw an old rotary phone for a throwback to the days before cell phones existed.

You could draw a hammer, screw driver, drill, saw, wrench or draw the whole toolbox.

104. Arrows

There are so many different styles of arrows you could try drawing, whether you make arrow doodles or draw a realistic bow and arrow set.

105. Jelly Beans

Known for their unique shape, multiple colors and best found in Easter baskets, jelly beans are a great idea for something to draw!

106. Game Controller

Are you a gamer? Whether it’s Play Station, X-Box, a Gaming Keyboard, or an old school Atari controller, draw a game controller that reminds you of your favorite video games.

107. Soup Can

Take inspiration from Andy Warhol and try your hand at drawing a soup can.

108. Fireworks

Let your paper be the sky for a colorful display of patterns of light.

109. Forest Scene

Think trees, moss covered rocks and maybe even a stream winding through a forest scene perfect for a landscape sketch.

110. Astrological Signs & Symbols

What’s your sign? You could draw a Pisces fish, the Scales of Libra, the Scorpion of Scorpio or the Archer of Sagittarius for example.

111. Banners

Banners are a lot of fun to draw and you can make them as whimsical as you wish. I love drawing banners in my art journals!

112. Wristwatch

Do you wear a watch? Whether its a smartwatch or a classic watch you wind up, draw a wristwatch in your sketchbook.

113. Nuts, Bolts & Other Hardware

Take a walk down a hardware aisle or go through your garage to find nuts, bolts, and other miscellaneous hardware to sketch and draw.

114. Typewriter

There is something cool about a typewriter, even if they don’t make much sense in today’s digital age…they are definitely fun to draw!

115. Bunnies or Rabbits

Bunnies and rabbits are cute, soft and fluffy. I used to have one as a kid!

Ivy is a plant that spreads, often times along a wall, window or trellis and is best known for beautiful leaf shapes – perfect for drawing in your sketchbook!

117. Machines

We see all kinds of machines in our daily lives – from the washing machine, to the dishwasher to the furnace that keeps our homes warm. You could also invent your own machine!

118. Garden Tools

A garden shovel, gloves, trowel etc are all examples of common garden tools that make the perfect subject for still life drawing ideas.

119. City Skylines

Draw a silhouette of a city skyline, whether it is a local city where you live or one you want to visit someday.

120. What’s on your desk?

Take a look at what is on your desk today and sketch it – no matter how messy your desk may be!

121. Pineapple

Pineapples were named pine apples because of their exterior resembles a pine cone. Often viewed as a symbol of friendship, these tropical fruits are the perfect thing to try drawing!

122. Hearts

You can choose to draw doodle hearts, or draw an anatomically correct depiction of a human heart.

The first steam train was invented in 1804 and many people were afraid to ride them. Today, trains are still used for transportation and shipping. You can make a passenger train or a cargo train. Draw a single box car, the engine, or the caboose!

124. Lawnmower

My husband is always talking about fixing his broken lawnmower, so I had to include it on this list. You can draw a riding mower or a push mower or even a commercial lawnmower.

125. Hourglass

An hourglass is a type of sand filled timer which you’ve probably seen more often in board games.

126. Scissors

A basic and important office supply, drawing realistic scissors can be more challenging than you might think!

127. Mailbox

Everybody gets mail, so why not sketch your mailbox?

128. Ticket

Have you recently gone to an event where you needed a ticket? Draw or sketch that ticket in your sketchbook.

129. Circles

Circles might seem like a mundane drawing idea, but there are so many great ideas for drawing circular patterns and different circle sizes!

If you are lucky enough to have a grape vineyard nearby, you can find a LOT of inspiration to sketch and draw vines! Many different types of vines also grow on trees.

X-rays allow us to see inside someone or something. You can draw an X-ray view of a person or an object.

132. Tunnels

Tunnels are a great way to practice drawing perspective, especially if you are drawing the view from the beginning to the end of a tunnel.

133. People at Work

Millions of people go t work every single day. This could be construction workers, people in your office, or even the cashiers at the store.

134. Ladders

Ladders are another great exercise for drawing perspective. There are also many different kinds of ladders – from step ladders to paint ladders to imaginary ladders that climb all the way to the clouds.

135. Playground

Draw a swingset, sliding board, the view in the sandbox at a nearby park or playground where you live.

136. Swirls

Swirls are fun to draw and can be highly meditative and addictive! Fill a page with swirls or practice drawing some swirly flourishes.

137. Dancing

Draw people who are dancing, and be sure their clothes and dance moves reflect the type of music they are dancing to!

138. Sunglasses or Eyeglasses

Set up a pair of your sunglasses or eyeglasses on a table and start sketching them.

139. Hills & Valleys

Rolling hills and valleys can give a typical landscape sketch a lot of visual interest.

140. Rocks & Stones

Are you a rock collector? Have you ever been to a rocky beach or noticed rocks along the shore of a river? Take some time to draw the details of rocks or stones.

Good fences make good neighbors, according to poet Robert Frost. They also make for great drawing subjects, whether it’s a white picket fence, a split rail fence or a wrought-iron fence.

142. Triangles

There are so many different kinds of patterns you can create just with a simple triangle!

Moo! Cows can be found on farms around the world and are a great animal to try drawing – this sketch of a baby calf is so cute!

There are over 6,300 known species of frogs in the world, which means you have a lot of choices on what kind of frog to draw! Draw a tree frog, a bullfrog, an African claw frog, or other frog of your choosing.

145. Spool of Thread & Other Sewing Notions

Do you have a sewing box? A simple spool of thread and other sewing notions can make for a great still life.

146. Tomato

Some people love tomatoes, others could leave them. Either way, they make for a n excellent drawing subject.

147. Squares and Rectangles

Drawing squares and rectangles gives you plenty of opportunities to discover new patterns in your doodles. Tip: For straight lines, use a ruler!

148. Tea kettle

How about a nice relaxing cup of tea? Sketch a tea kettle in your journal.

149. Lightbulb

The symbol for creativity and ideas, light bulbs are an invention we still rely on heavily today. Try drawing something inside of a lightbulb for an illuminating challenge.

150. Party Supplies

What do you need to throw a party? You could draw party hats, noise makers, or keep it simple with just party foods.

151. Railroad tracks

Railroad tracks are very dangerous to be around, so I do not suggest trying to go near them for sketching, but there are many pictures you can use as reference and they are great practice for perspective.

Porches are welcoming gathering places for company and the perfect scene to sketch.

153. Rainbow

Rainbows are easy to draw and a great excuse to pull out the colored pencils. An easy way to remember the order of the colors is the acronym Roy G. Biv: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.

154. Lemonade Stand

Every kid dreams of having a lemonade stand someday, and now is your chance to finally design the lemonade stand of your dreams.

Do you play piano? You can choose to draw a close-up of the keys, someone playing the piano, an upright piano, or a baby grand piano.

156. Hallways

Interior hallways can be a great way to practice drawing perspective, especially if the hallway has a lot of doors or wall decor.

157. Watch Gears

What’s inside a watch? Lots of little gear parts that make for fun and easy drawing ideas.

It doesn’t have to be taco tuesday to draw a taco. Fill up that shell with all your favorite ingredients and toppings!

159. Paint & Paint Brush

Pull out your paints and paint brushes to set up a still life scene of an artist at work.

160. Faces With Different Emotions

So often in portraits we see people happy – try drawing faces with different emotions such as angry, sad, frustrated, or calm.

161. Dishes

Dishes can have all sorts of different patterns and styles that can make for fantastic creative inspiration.

162. Fountain

Whether its an outdoor or indoor fountain, there are all sorts of interesting details to capture when drawing a fountain.

163. Puzzle Pieces

Puzzles are always entertaining. Grab a puzzle off your game shelf and scatter a few pieces around to sketch and draw.

164. Monkey

You probably can’t have a pet monkey like Curious George in real life, but you can always draw a character of your own.

165. Angels

Angels are majestic divine beings of light, and a fantastic source of inspiration for sketching and drawing.

One of the nice things about drawing hands is you always have a realistic model attached to you! Try different poses or holding different objects.

167. Pair of Socks

Do you have a pair of crazy socks? You can sketch a pair of socks you already own, or make your own crazy sock designs.

168. Bag or Purse

We use bags all the time in our everyday life, whether it’s a shopping bag or a purse where you keep your keys, wallet and more. Draw the bag itself or draw a fashion sketch of a person wearing a bag.

169. Umbrella

Rainy days are a lot more bearable when you have a good umbrella to keep you dry!

170. Beach Scene

The beach is a relaxing and serene place to sit with a sketchbook and sketch the sights.

171. Bowling Ball and Pins

Bowling can be a lot of fun, and drawing a bowling ball and pins makes for a good drawing exercise.

172. Roller Coaster

Do you have a favorite rollercoaster ride? You can draw a lifelike imitation of a rollercoaster you love, or design your own with plenty of ups, downs, twists and turns.

We often associate witches with mean and scary looking old ladies, but Glenda the Good witch from the Wizard of Oz reminds us that not all witches are bad.

174. Headphones

Love listening to music? Don’t forget to sketch your headphones.

Are ghosts real? What do they look like? Now is your chance to draw one!

176. Paper Clips

Pull out a handful of paper clips from your office desk and sketch them.

177. King or Queen

You can draw a king or queen from history, or even imagine yourself as king or queen for the day.

178. Graffiti

Graffiti is a unique form of art and perfectly legal when done on paper.

179. Ladybugs

Ladybugs are cute beneficial insects in any garden.

180. Abstract Line Art

Use this as a chance to draw stripes or have fun with experimenting with different line angles on paper.

181. Mermaid

Fictional characters that live under the sea, mermaids have captivated the imagination of sailors and storytellers for ages.

Do you have any toys from your childhood? Pull them out and sketch them.

183. Junk Drawer

Everybody has a junk drawer – that place where stuff just ends up somehow. Go through your junk drawer and pick a couple of random objects to draw.

184. Highway road

Have you been on a any recent road trips lately? Highway roads are always an interesting thing to draw.

185. Backpack

What’s in your backpack? Whether you’re a hiker or a student or carry your laptop in a backpack, there’s plenty of different styles and shapes to choose from to draw!

186. Mushrooms

Did you know there are over 10,000 different types of mushrooms? That gives you a LOT of options for what to draw, whether you draw realistic mushrooms or fantasy style mushrooms in an enchanted forest.

187. Cactus

Whether you have a cactus growing at home or want to take inspiration from a desert landscape, cacti make for excellent drawing subjects.

188. Turtle

Don’t be shy – draw a turtle! You can make it realistic, cartoonish, or somewhere in between.

189. Seashells

Seashells are abundant in the world and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, giving you plenty of creative options to explore when it comes to drawing them.

190. Photo Frames

Every piece of art needs a good frame, and this is a great prompt to make doodle frames or draw ornate frames inspired from vintage and antique photograph displays.

Where does the gate lead? You can draw a garden gate, a gateway to a new portal or maybe a gate to a haunted and spooky hollow.

192. Vegetables

Don’t want to eat your vegetables? Draw them instead!

I am always fascinated by the details in patchwork quilts. You can try drawing different quilt block designs, or even take inspiration from a crazy quilt with elaborate stitching and embroidery embellishing each patch!

194. Sunrise/sunset

The sun rises and sets every single day and that itself is pretty amazing! What’s a drawing prompt list without a sunset or sunrise?

You can draw your state or country’s flag, or choose to draw different flags from around the world.

There are many different types of bells, from bell towers to school bells to jingle bells.

197. Potato Chips

Are you in need of a snack? Next time you reach for that bag of potato chips, sketch it!

198. Your Closet

Open up your closet doors and sketch a scene of your current wardrobe. Hopefully you won’t find too many skeletons in there!

199. Vintage Photographs

Old vintage photos make for great drawing reference photo idea, especially when they feature historical lifestyles.

Heat things up by drawing flames or fire. You can draw a campfire, a fire in a fireplace, or flames surrounding another object.

201. Raindrops

Raindrops are their very own shape, and there are so many different ways you could interpret this! You could make raindrop patterns, or try to realistically capture what raindrops may look like on a pane of glass or when they fall and hit the ground.

Your choice – make a map of where you live, somewhere you’ve visited, or maybe even a map of a completely fictional and imaginary fantasy world.

203. Optical illusions

Optical illusions play with lines, shadows, and depth to create images that aren’t always what they appear to be. Play around with different ideas until you get a drawing that makes you look twice.

204. Snowman

Do you want to draw a snowman? You can make your snowman as elaborate or as simple as you’d like!

205. Steampunk

Steampunk is a type of science fiction where everything is steam powered. Think gears, flying contraptions, and all sorts of odd inventions. Prefer figure drawing? You could also draw people in steampunk attire!

206. Seagulls

These birds may be noisy, squacky, and annoying to deal with at the beach, but they are still beautiful to look at and the perfect subject for drawing.

207. Computer

We spend enough time at the computer, so take a break from the digital world and get out that sketchpad!

208. Chickens

Chickens come in all sorts of varieties – the American Poultry Association recognizes over 50 different breeds of chickens. You can choose to make this as simple or as complex as you wish!

209. Historic Scene

Scenes from history are always fun to illustrate, especially if you choose to depict a time before cameras were invented, which was in 1816.

210. The library

Go visit your local library and bring your sketchbook! You can choose to sketch the outside of the building or sit at a table where you can get a good view of the rows and rows of books.

211. Your grocery store

Shopping for food is an everyday necessity, and chances are you’ve been to the grocery store at least once in the past year. Draw some of the aisles, a grocery display case, or draw the exterior of the building.

212. Jar of Something

Everything in mason jars is all the rage in decor, or maybe you’re like me and love a jar of bread and butter pickles or homemade jam.

213. Numbers

You don’t have to be a mathematician to appreciate there are so many different ways to draw numbers! Practice hand-lettering in different styles or use basic numbers as a base for more elaborate doodles.

214. Your Bed

Researchers estimate the average person spends about 26 years of our lives in bed…which is a LOT of time sleeping! Give your bed its proper tribute by illustrating it in your sketchbook.

215. Impossible World

Maybe there’s an imaginary world where fish fly in the sky, or the moon is underwater…invent an imaginary fantasy world and draw it!

216. Speech Bubbles

How do you convey spoken words in your drawings? With speech bubbles of course! You can draw them comic book style or practice creating new patterns using a basic speech bubble shape.

217. Farm or Barn Scene

The Barn is an iconic image of the countryside, and no wonder – these giant buildings serve as a place to store farm equipment and provide shelter to animals. Draw a barn!

218. Labyrinth

A labyrinth is a meandering path that leads to the center of a shape. Traditionally circular in nature, they are often used in common times for reflection and meditation.

Go fly a kite! And if there’s no wind or you don’t have a kite, you can always draw one! Again, there are so many different shapes and types here to choose from!

220. Astronaut

Remember that rocket ship you drew in prompt number 54? What about the person flying that thing? Draw a picture of the astronaut brave enough to travel in your spacecraft.

Balls of yarn can be a fun challenge to draw, especially when you get into different types of hand spun yarns or art yarn!

Go ahead, take a chance…and draw some dice! Did you know there are more dice than just the average 6-sided dice? They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, as I learned from playing Dungeons & Dragons.

223. Pumpkins

You can draw a pumpkin patch, a fall themed still life display, or maybe even carve out a face on your pumpkin and create a jack-o-lantern!

224. Flooring

Have you ever spent time staring at the floor? I know that sounds sarcastic, but you might just be surprised how many different textures and patterns exist on what we walk all over every single day.

225. Scene from a Dream

Have any crazy dreams lately? Illustrate a scene from a dream in your sketchbook. Bonus? You can interpret what that dream means based on the image you drew!

Imagine a bench. Who is sitting on it? Draw it!

227. Garden

There are so many different things you can draw for a garden, whether its a vegetable garden or a flower garden or maybe just a peaceful place outside surrounded by plants.

228. Blue Jeans

Get a pair of blue jeans out from your closet and try putting them in different poses on a table or the floor and draw what you see.

229. Wild West Scene

Cowboys, outlaws, and a good saloon make for the perfect backdrop for a wild west scene you could draw.

230. Children playing

Kids are always a source of inspiration to draw, especially when they are playing.

231. Silhouette

Silhouettes are outlines of an object, person or place. Try drawing silhouettes of people in different poses, or draw silhouettes of everyday objects around the house.

Hopefully there are no mice in your house – but they are cute, when they don’t sneak up on you! You could draw a realistic mouse, or draw personified mice characters who live in their own burrow in a meadow.

233. Baby/Infant

Like kids, babies are another great source for portrait photos. You can use a baby you know as inspiration, or dig out those old photos of you as a baby when you were new to this world.

I’d never want to see a hippo close in real life {I hear they can be very aggressive and dangerous!} but I’m definitely okay with drawing them!

When the cold wind blows you get ice! You can draw icicles hanging from the eaves of a roof, or maybe even ice cubes that are guaranteed not to melt.

236. Favorite Animated/Cartoon Character

When I was in the second grade I was so lucky to take a cartooning class where I learned to draw Mickey Mouse, Snoopy, and more. Do you have a favorite cartoon character or anime character? Try to draw them as close as the original as you can.

237. Camera

So often as artists we use reference photos to inspire our work, but we forget the camera itself can be a great drawing idea!

238. Mad Scientist’s Lab

Think bubbling potions, beakers, and oh my, what’s that monster doing under the sheet over there in the corner?

239. Wood Texture

Wood grain can be a beautiful texture to draw, especially in pencil, ink, or charcoal. There are so many options for patterns and shading!

240. Gnomes

Who doesn’t love garden gnomes? Maybe they’re tacky, but I think they’re the perfect thing to draw – especially if you draw them in different clothes and styles.

241. Life Underground

Most of the time we think about life on the surface of earth, but there’s all sorts of things that happen underground, from coal mines to subway train stations to fault lines and magma…what world do you imagine? Draw it!

Ever hear the phrase, I’m all ears? Now’s your chance to illustrate it!

We drive in cars every day and there are so many different types we see on the road. You can choose to draw your first car, your current car, or the cars you see passing by on the street near where you live.

244. Holiday scenes

There’s so many holidays we celebrate around the world – you can choose from Easter, Halloween, Christmas, Fourth of July or maybe even St. Patrick’s Day.

245. Song Lyrics

Do you have a favorite song? Illustrate a scene from the song, or practice your hand-lettering by drawing a quote of the lyrics.

246. Parking Lot

Parking lots might not sound like that exciting of an idea for drawing, but you can be surprised what happens in them! They are great places for people watching, or you could sketch the scene of one to continue a series of drawings of places around where you live.

247. Movie Scene

What’s your favorite movie? Draw a scene from a movie you love or have watched recently.

248. Xylophone

Xylophone is pretty much the only word we could think of that begins with the letter X, so it made our list. 🙂

249. City Street Scene

Walk around the city and sketch the sights on the street.

250. Award or Trophy

Have you ever been given a trophy or award for an achievement? You could also draw trophies or awards for your pets or friends, like “Best Listener” or “Most Furry”.

Look up to the night sky and draw the stars. You could also research and draw different constellations.

From dump trucks to tractor trailer trucks to pick-up trucks, there are all kinds of trucks you can draw. Above is a picture of a pick-up my brother drew.

253. Skeleton or Skull

Skeletons and skulls might be creepy to some, but they can be a lot less scary if you opt to draw a sugar skull from the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday.

Bird watchers know there are thousands of different species of birds, which means you have a lot of options here! To keep things simple, try drawing birds that are native to where you live and can be found regularly in your backyard and parks.

255. Friend

Ask a friend for a photo or see if they would be willing to pose while you draw a portrait of them.

256. Cleaning Supplies

Fact: It’s more fun to draw cleaning supplies than it is to actually do the laundry, dishes, and other household chores.

257. Wheels

From wagon wheels to car rims, there are all sorts of different types of wheels you could draw. You could also use wheels as a base for making repetitive patterns.

258. Sled Ride

Have you ever been on a sled in the winter? You can draw kids sledding or draw an old fashioned Christmas sleigh!

What’s behind that door? You can draw the door of your house, or draw a door that captures your eye and makes you want to open it…or avoid it.

260. Diamonds

Diamonds are easy things to draw and you can play with all sorts of different patterns and repetitions with them.

261. Favorite Things

What are your favorite things in the whole wide world? Draw them!

Waves are a very cool thing you can draw, whether its realistic waves in the ocean, or simply waves of lines that create a pattern.

263. School

Draw a picture of what you remember school looked like when you were a kid, or draw all the school supplies you remember needing.

264. Abandoned Warehouse

Abandoned warehouses are cool architecture places to draw, just remember that you shouldn’t actually go into an abandoned warehouse without proper permission and safety clearances – it can be VERY dangerous!

265. Cooking Spices

What’s on your spice rack? Draw it!

266. Favorite Place From Your Childhood

What is a place you remember from your childhood? It can be any place you visited that brings back happy memories.

267. Vase of Flowers

The classic still life is the perfect opportunity to practice drawing!

268. Vacation Spot

Think back on all of the places you’ve visited and vacationed at over the years. Draw a scene of one of your favorite spots!

269. News Headline

Look to the news today and draw a headline from the current events.

270. Village

Draw a whimsical village of cute little houses.

Artists like Van Gogh are famous for painting a chair, so get your start by drawing one!

Horses are incredible creatures admired for the beauty and strength. Draw wild horses or someone riding a horse.

273. Drum Set

Not everybody has room for a drum set in their house or the talent to play one, but you can always draw one!

274. Exercise Poses

Draw a figure in different exercise poses, such as yoga or aerobics.

275. Something That Smells Nice

What’s your favorite smell? Draw something that you think smells nice.

276. Illustrate Onomatopoeia Words

Onomatopoeia words are words that are spelled exactly like they sound – and they can be fun to illustrate. Some example words are splash, buzz, pop, fizz, and swish.

277. Detective

Take inspiration from Sherlock Holmes and draw a detective on the case to solve the next mystery.

278. Mythological Creatures

Centaur, griffins, and manticores are all examples of different types of mythological creatures you could draw in your journal.

Draw a game board, game pieces or make up a design that could be used on your very own deck of illustrated cards.

280. Picnic

Set the scene for the perfect picnic lunch – hopefully there won’t be any ants to ruin the fun!

With over 200 owl species to choose from, you could draw a barn owl, a snowy owl, or great horned owl. The above picture my daughter drew when she was six.

282. Your Favorite Decade

Draw a scene from your favorite decade, whether it’s the roaring 1920’s or the fun and colorful 1980’s.

283. Flash Light

No need to stay in the dark – you can draw your own light with a flash light!

284. Bathroom Cabinet

Draw your toothbrush, a bar of soap, or anything else you may regularly keep in your bathroom cabinets.

Idioms are expressions and phrases that generally don’t make any literal sense in the real world…one example being it’s raining cats and dogs. Illustrate a silly idiom or other expression that we don’t take literally. You can find more idioms at the Free Dictionary Idiom Search .

286. Rock Star

Everybody thinks about becoming a rock star at some point, take inspiration from one of your favorite artists or bands or draw yourself rocking out to your favorite kind of music.

287. Party Animals

Draw animals going to a party. Don’t forget their party hats!

What’s hiding up in the attic of that old house? Draw it!

289. Happy Couple

Draw a couple that is happy and in love together.

290. Neighborhood

Sketch a street scene from your local neighborhood.

291. Bar or Restaurant

Where’s the last place you’ve eaten or gone out to? Draw a picture of the exterior or interior of the building.

292. Time Machine

Time machines don’t exist yet, but here’s your chance to design one that will help you travel back and forth in time.

293. Runner

They say life is a marathon and not a sprint…unless a lion is chasing you. Draw someone who is running from something, or maybe they are competing in a 5k or marathon.

294. Treehouse

Wouldn’t it be great to live in a treehouse for a day? Design and draw a Pete Nelson worthy treehouse for you to escape to.

295. Museum

Museums are full of interesting artifacts from history. Visit a museum near you or do a virtual tour of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History online here .

Boxes can be empty or they can be full of surprises. You can draw just one box or a whole stack of them!

Draw a humanoid-like robot, or draw a robot straight out of a science fiction movie. Cartoon robots are also always fun!

Drawing glass can be a fun way to explore drawing reflections and shadows.

299. Mechanic’s Garage

Draw a mechanic’s garage with cars needing repaired.

300. Helicopter

Did you know the fastest speed of a helicopter ever recorded is 248 mph? That’s crazy!

301. Brick Wall

Brick patterns are a great idea for something to draw.

302. Lighthouse

Lighthouses help keep sailors and ships safe while out at sea. They are also beautiful tourist attractions all around the world.

303. Gifts and Presents

Did you receive any gifts or presents recently? Draw them! You could also draw wrapped presents.

304. Christmas Tree

Deck the halls and put up a Christmas tree, in your art journal or sketchbook at least! Not Christmas time or don’t celebrate Christmas? You could always decorate your tree to be more to your liking.

Towers have been used historically for many different reasons, and they stand tall along the skyline. Draw one!

There are so many famous hotels you could choose to draw, or draw the outside of the last hotel you stayed at.

307. Ant Farm

Ants build the most fascinating tunnels in ant farms. Illustrate an ant farm to show their secret lives in their homes.

308. Battle

You could draw a historic battle or you could draw a fantasy battle between an ogre and a dragon.

309. Waterfall

There are so many waterfalls in the world, experts can’t even agree how many there are! They are beautiful cascading natural elements perfect for sketching.

310. Remote Control

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a remote control that does everything? Take inspiration from the remote control you have for your TV or design your own with custom buttons you could use in your life.

311. Bakery

Cakes, cookies, bread…mmmm…all of my favorite foods can be found at a bakery, so draw one!

312. Suitcase

Packing to go somewhere? You could draw a suitcase ready to travel the world, or draw yours.

We live on this great big earth, so draw it.

314. Mandala

A mandala is a geometric figure that represents the universe. They are often used for meditative purposes and can be so relaxing to draw.

315. Cassette Tape

Am I showing my age here? Even if everything is digital today, cassette tapes are still cool to draw in my book.

316. Antique Car

Cars from the 1900’s look a lot different than the ones we drive today! Draw an antique or classic car that was manufactured before 1970.

317. Castle

You drew the queen and king in prompt number 177, now where are they going to live? Draw a castle fit for royalty, or take inspiration from one of the famous 500+ castles that already exist in the world.

318. Lightning

Lightning can be mesmerizing and the earth is struck by lightning an estimated 1,400,000,000 times a year – now that’s electrifying!

319. Snakes

Some people are scared of snakes, but the best way to overcome that fear is to draw one on paper. Besides, it’s your imagination – you can make the snake a friendly, non-biting one!

I heard you can really draw a crowd…haha…I know, that’s a terribly punny joke but I couldn’t resist.

Swords are often seen in coats of armor and in historical fiction stories like the sword in the stone…try drawing one!

322. Compass

Which way north? Draw a compass rose.

Pigs are very intelligent creatures…and they are cute!

Be careful if you drew three pigs in the last prompt, this could get hairy and become the story of three little pigs quick, which doesn’t end too well for the wolf.

325. Anchor

Anchors are symbols of strength and safety and often used in logos and tattoo designs.

Who doesn’t love a good donut? Draw your favorite flavor donut.

327. Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are very fast to see in real life, but they are beautiful birds to draw.

328. Statues and Sculptures

Draw your own life-like statue or sculpture, or try to draw a realistic rendition of a famous statue such as The Statue of Liberty or the sculpture of Discobolus .

329. Zipper

Zippers are something we use all the time, and they are fun to draw! You can also use the basic shape of a zipper for all sorts of pattern drawing ideas!

330. Television Set

You can draw a retro TV set or draw a more modern day version of a smart TV.

That alien that you drew in prompt #25…what kind of spacecraft were they flying? Draw an unidentified flying object.

332. Scarecrow

Scarecrows are not really all that useful for scaring away crows, but they have become an iconic decoration around the fall and autumn season.

One of the popular games for kids to play in the woods is to go snipe hunting…of course you never find one because snipes don’t exist. No one knows what a snipe really is, but this is your chance to imagine what one would look like if it were real.

334. Chameleon

Chameleons are best known for being able to change their colors to blend into their environment. This is a great opportunity to practice shading or draw with multiple colors.

335. Jellyfish

The nice thing about drawing a jellyfish on paper is they can’t sting you! While you’d never want to get too close to one in real life, they are beautifully amazing creatures of the sea.

336. Unicorn

A unicorn is a mythical creature that looks much like a horse with a single horn on its forehead. They are often depicted in art and folklore, making it the perfect drawing prompt.

Tulips mean spring is coming, and they are fun beautiful flowers to draw in any weather or season. Because they are bulbs, you can even force them to grow in the winter like I did with my flowers. See my post on the seasons of being an artist .

338. Pinwheel

Pinwheels are toys that twirl around when someone blows on them. They are symbolically seen as a way of “turing one’s luck around” and often signify playfulness and happiness.

339. Palm Tree

Did you know palm trees are actually evergreen trees? They are characterized by broad fan-like leaves and usually found in tropical regions around the world.

340. Rainforests

Rainforests are home to thousands of exotic plant species and animals and are typically found around the earth’s equator.

341. Deserted Island

What would you do if you were stuck on a deserted island? What would it look like? I hope you brought a notebook and pencil!

342. Snowflakes

No two snowflakes are alike, and you can have so much fun drawing different patterns and designs of snowflakes.

343. Ball or Sphere

Balls and spheres are a great opportunity to play around with drawing different shadow angles and light sources.

344. Goldfish

Goldfish are easy to draw and are a favorite pet for many people.

345. DNA Helix

It’s crazy to think we have DNA and I even recently just did a DNA test on Ancestry.com – it’s so fascinating to me to trace back all of my ancestors. Drawing the helix is a great way to practice different shading techniques as well.

One of my favorite songs is You Are the Moon by the Hush Sound , and I can’t think but illustrating a beautiful moonlit landscape everytime I hear it.

347. Trapeze Artist

Trapeze artists are highly skilled entertainers who perform all sorts of aerial tricks on ropes. Often seen at circuses, many modern artists can be seen in cities and other places.

348. Atoms and Molecules

You don’t have to be a chemistry major to recognize that atoms and molecule diagrams can be fascinating subjects for drawing ideas!

349. Carousel

I’ve always loved merry go round carousel rides and still ride them even now whenever I get a chance. You can choose to draw the whole carousel or just draw a carousel horse.

350. Cabin or Cottage in the Woods

Draw your own artists retreat place in the form of a cabin or cottage in the woods.

351. Buttons

Buttons make for great doodles, or you can always draw a magic button that you can push for when things go awry.

352. Pot of Gold

What’s at the end of your rainbow from prompt #153? Shamrock optional.

353. Doctor’s Office

Have you ever noticed all the different things they have at the doctor’s office when you go in for a check-up?

354. Panda Bear

Panda bears are just cute and that is why you should draw one.

355. Building Blocks

Building blocks are a great way to play with different angles, lines, and shadows.

356. Ferris Wheel

Ferris wheels are popular carnival rides and a great thing to draw.

357. Turkey

You can draw a turkey – it’s as simple as tracing your hand. Of course, you could always opt to draw a turkey that’s a bit more realistic.

358. Lollipops and Candy

Craving something sweet? Draw a lollipop or another favorite type of Candy.

You could draw a city bus, a school bus, or even a double-decker bus.

360. Flamingo

Flamingos are graceful birds most well known for their ability to balance on just one leg.

361. Ukulele

Ukulele’s only have 4 strings and are smaller and higher pitched than a guitar. Both of my daughters play the Ukulele!

362. Strawberry

Strawberries are amazingly detailed when you look at one up close, making them a great option for a close-up sketch.

363. Sandcastle

Did you know people build sandcastles at a competitive level? It’s amazing what architects, engineers, and creative designers and make out of sand at sand castle competitions!

364. Record Player

We may not play records that often anymore, but they are still a totally fun vintage thing to draw.

365. Magic Wand

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a magic wand? Well, you can always draw one!

I hope you enjoyed this list of 365 Drawing Ideas and of course if you create any of these things to draw I would love to see it in our Artjournalist Facebook community group !

Do you have any ideas for things to draw that I might have missed? I’d love to hear your ideas and how you will use these drawing prompts – tell me in the comments below!

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19 Comments

How about flowers

she said sunflowers which are technically flowers

great list of inspiration

This was a wonderful list

i like these thanks for curing my dreadful boredom 😃😄😊

I’ve read a lot of lists for drawing prompts, this one is by far the best! Thank you so much! I’m sure it took some time to come up with all of these!!

I’m glad you’re enjoying them!

Can you please share some painting ideas?

Sounds like a great idea Amy, I will get on it 🙂

great list i cant wait to fill lots of sketchbooks up with ideas oh also how about fidget toys they are great to draw

Hmm cant think of any! It sure helped me. I run art contests every week and like gettin opinions from people on themes, seeing this I may never have trouble picking a theme again! lol😂

I was stuck trying to think of ideas of what to draw during a pandemic. Thanks for all the great ideas. I better get started, I have hundreds of drawings to do. Joyce

Glad it inspired you Joyce!

I actually had a drawing competition in my school and the topic was “dreaming with eyes open” and this really helped thanks!

thanks for this great list of inspiration. defiantly cured my boredom. I really liked the coffee idea. i made a really good painting for my kitchen with it. it says: “Key To My Morning. it is is painting of a blue coffee cup, with i red back round. my parents drink coffe every morning so i made it for them.

you should add hallway

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Art Sketchbook Ideas: creative examples to inspire students

Last Updated on February 2, 2022

This article contains a collection of sketchbook pages from art students around the world, including those who study IGCSE / GCSE Art, A Level Art, VCE Studio Arts, NCEA Level 3 Scholarship, and IB Visual Art. Many of the sketchbook pages shown below are from projects that achieved full marks. These examples illustrate the wide range of possible approaches to sketchbook content, annotation, and page layout.

You may be interested in our new book: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks . This book has high-resolution images so that fine details and annotation are clear, making it an excellent resource for students and schools. Learn more !

Examples of great art sketchbooks

This sketchbook page collection features work from students who specialize predominantly in drawing, painting, mixed media, and Fine Art. The examples cover a wide range of presentation techniques and layout styles. It is worth remembering that these represent only a fraction of what is possible.

READ NEXT: How to make an artist website (and why you need one)

Need more art sketchbook ideas?

This article is part of a series showcasing and celebrating outstanding sketchbooks by students, artists and designers. You may also be interested in viewing our other sketchbook resources:

• Photography sketchbooks
• Graphic design sketchbooks
• Textile and fashion design sketchbooks
• Sculpture, architecture, and 3D Design sketchbooks
• Digital sketchbooks
• Tips for producing an amazing high school sketchbook (this was originally written for A Level Art and IGCSE/GCSE Art students, but is relevant for students creating a sketchbook, art journal, or visual diary as part of any high school art qualification)
• How to annotate a sketchbook : a guide for art students

This sketchbook collection is continually updated. Please bookmark this page so that you can return to it when needed! If you would like to submit your own sketchbook page for inclusion, please contact us . 🙂

Amiria has been an Art & Design teacher and a Curriculum Co-ordinator for seven years, responsible for the course design and assessment of student work in two high-achieving Auckland schools. She has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching. Amiria is a CIE Accredited Art & Design Coursework Assessor.

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Sketchbook Basics

Introduction

What is a sketchbook and why is it necessary for an artist to have one?

A sketchbook is simply put, a book with empty drawing pages in it.

This book is however your personal growth factory because you are going to sketch, draw, write, paint, experiment, mess and make mistakes in it.

Generally you never even show anybody your sketchbook. It is your private art journal in which you, and you alone, can document and watch how you progress.

As only you will see the inside of your journal, there is no pressure on your part to perform or get anything perfect. Nobody will see your mistakes so you can lose your abandon and play to your hearts content.

In the process you will improve your art beyond anything you ever imagined.

Then in a few years time you will be able to page back through your sketchbooks and relive your artistic journey and see how far you have come.

In my opinion every artist should first be given a sketchbook and a pencil (no eraser) and be sent out to sketch at least 10 pages full before they ever follow a single tutorial or buy any more art supplies. That way they will always have some before sketches to look back on - something very few artists have.

Sketches from my Sketchbook

Sketching Equipment

Let's start off by looking at the equipment you will need to start your sketchbook.

1) Sketchbooks

They are available in a variety of sizes, paper types and makes. I will mention a few, but in the end, you will have to make your own choice depending on what is available in your area and to suit your own pocket. I always recommend that you try to buy the best you can afford.

Things to look out for when purchasing a sketchbook are:

a) Sturdy : You will be taking your sketchbook with you everywhere you go. In the car, on holiday, hiking, you name it so ensure the cover is sturdy enough to handle the rough and tumble it is going to endure.

b) Paper Thickness : You don't want the pages to be too thin for two reasons. The first is that you don't want any of your harder pen / pencil strokes to score the sheet of paper below it. The second is the problem of bleeding. If you are using inks or paints and the paper is too thin it can bleed through the sheet onto the one below. I recommend ensuring the paper is at least 160gsm thick.

c) Size : The size sketchbook you buy will depend on where you are going to use it. If you going to only use it in the studio then one with larger pages will allow you the freedom to either make multiple sketches / studies of the same subject on the same page or one larger study per page.

Smaller sketchbooks (A4 / 9" x 12" or smaller) are better for working outdoors as you generally need to hold the sketchbook in your hand as you work so anything larger tends to be unstable in your hand.

d) Paper Colour : Most sketchbooks come with white paper inside, but you can also get ones where the paper is off white, as well as coloured. (Strathmore have a good variety of paper colours from tan to grey to cream)

If you are wondering why you would want to use off white or coloured paper then here is your answer : To save you adding a heap of colour / tone to the paper you choose a paper that is already the base colour you need. You then only need to add the shadow and highlight colours to complete the sketch.

Standard Sketchbooks

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(This tutorial contains affiliate links to products we recommend you use when sketchbooking. If you purchase through our affiliate link we will get a small percentage of the purchase price for the referral. This helps us to create more tutorials. It will however not affect the price you pay. All products are the ones we personally use. To purchase the product you can click the photo of the product.)

Standard sketchbooks normally come in three different styles.

• Hardbound Similar to a hard cover book these sketchpads are very sturdy. You will however find that they often want to close on themselves while sketching because of the stiff cover. Open it in the store at a variety of places (front, centre, back) to make sure the cover will remain open while drawing.
• Paperbound This type does not have a hard cover. Generally the cover is little more than a thin cardboard which does not give much protection to the papers inside the book. Only use these sketchbooks in light duty situations, like in studio.

The advantage of wirebound sketchbooks is that you can flip the whole book open and back on itself. This takes up less space and is easier to hold than a glue bound book.

Using these are also recommended if you want to remove the pages for framing, etc. later as individual pages can be removed without affecting the integrity of the rest of the book.

I like the mixed media sketchbook shown above because you can use it to add watercolour, acrylic, gouache and a variety of other media over your sketches to give them colour and make them look interesting. The pages will however not bleed through like many of the other sketchbooks do.

Moleskine Sketchbooks

These sketchbooks are normally made from quality heavy paper that is perfect for outdoor handling.

The paper is suitable for pencil, pen and ink washes and gouache. Many are reasonably priced and have special hard covers for durability. They are available from large to convenient pocket size.

Moleskine sketchbooks are very popular with Urban Sketchers who like to use pen and ink for the sketch and then add colour over it using watercolor washes.

When sketching we don't need a lot of pencils. You basically need only 3 pencils - one hard, one medium and one soft. I recommend a 2H, B and 6B.

If you are working outdoors and have more space in your bag, then by all means take more with but I seldom use more than these three, In fact I will often use only one pencil.

The pencils I recommend and use are the Tombow pencils shown above. I have also successfully used and can recommend the Faber-Castell, Staedtler and Derwent brands. I just find the Tombow pencils have smoother lead so they glide better over the paper.

The set shown above also comes with a Mono eraser which I constantly use for erasing fine detail into a sketch.

2) Sharpener

You will also need something to sharpen your pencils with. For this a simple little sharpener will do.

If however you want different shaped tips to your pencils, then a carpet knife works well to trim them.

There are many other bits of equipment you can use, but they are not required in order to start sketching so let's move on to learning how to sketch. We will then revisit the equipment later to see how we can expand our options beyond the basics.

The Rules of Sketching

Rule #1 - only you see your sketchbook.

As you are allowing yourself to make mistakes and experiment inside your sketchbook, your sketchbook is a place for your eyes only.

There must never be a penalty for what is inside your sketchbook. You don't want people to see your sketchbook and you feel bad or them judging you for some horrible artworks inside.

Your sketchbook is a place where you are allowed to create horrible artworks, and believe me in the beginning there will be many of those. These horrible artworks will allow you to later create the amazing artworks that will stun the world.

Rule #2 - There are no art rules in your sketchbook

Your sketchbook is your play area where you mess around with ideas, practice and learn without abandon or restriction.

If you want to doodle, then doodle.

If you want to do a super accurate drawing of a local landmark, then do it.

If you want to test out a new paint colour by making a few swatches, then do it.

If you want to practice freehand sketching, then go ahead.

Heck, if you want to see what happens when you mix acrylic and oil paint together, test it in your sketchbook.

In your sketchbook you follow the rules when you want, break them when you don't and sometimes even make your own rules.

Rule #3 - No Fear

Take all the preconceptions, misconceptions, misguided road blocks that people have drilled into your head about how you are supposed to do art and throw them out the window.

Free your mind and allow yourself the space to make mistakes, flops and outright disasters inside your sketchbook.

Out of these flops and disasters you will learn something every single time. Each flop and disaster is a stepping stone along the way to becoming the artist you envisioned when you first started.

Rule #4 - Sketch Often

Drawing and experimenting inside your sketchbook is going to allow you to grow incredibly fast as an artist, but only if you are consistent.

Let's look at an analogy – driving a motor vehicle.

For the beginner there are many things to remember, do and to look out for when learning to drive.

The big L plate displayed on the vehicle warns other drivers to be cautious as anything can unexpectedly happen. It is so easy to become mixed up trying to do many things at the same time, such as engaging the proper gear, pulling off correctly, watching the traffic in the front, sides and rear, traffic lights, pedestrians, etc.

Fortunately, the time arrives when all these actions become so natural that you do them automatically without even thinking about them.

What has happened? Without you realizing it, the subconscious mind has conveniently stored all the relevant information in order to do the thinking for you.

How has this happened? By repeating the actions over and over again. Repetition is the key to success. I cannot stress his enough.

The more you practice the easier drawing becomes. Repetition is a large factor, so sketch regularly.

The Basics of Sketching

In the beginning start off by drawing simple things. Whatever is around you.

Draw your watch for example. Don't even bother with shadings, just draw the outline and add the numbers and the hands.

As an example let's draw the watch above:

Use your B pencil only. Gently sketch a circle. Correct the circle as you go along until you are happy with the shape. Don't bother erasing the wrong bits, just leave them there.

Now indicate the 12, 3, 6 and 9 marks on the watch face.

This makes it easy to judge the marks indicating rest of the hours so add them in.

Next draw the watch straps. Roughly indicate the stitching.

Finish off by adding the numbers and arms.

Well done, you have just completed your first sketch.

You will probably end up with something like this:

Does it look like the photo?

Probably not because your judgement is well off, but it doesn't matter. You have started to train your eye and hand co-ordination.

Do the same for many more seemingly simple items around you.

Concentrate on getting the shapes and proportions correct.

Don't be shy to use whatever means you need to help you - like using your pencil to estimate lengths or using a proportional divider or redrawing using common shapes. There are many methods like this to help you.

I recommend you follow the How to Draw Quick Sketches Class to learn all the methods.

When you are starting to feel confident that you are estimating the shape and basic features correctly start to add some cross hatching or scumbling to the sketch in order to show some shading and depth.

Hatching is when you use a series of parallel lines to indicate shading. The closer the lines are to each other, the darker the area appears. The further apart the lines the lighter the area appears.

Cross hatching is when you add multiple series' of parallel lines in different directions. You can see examples of hatching and cross hatching below:

Scumbling is when you use random scribbles to create a shading like in the example below.

To the left you can see a single scumble. Your scumble technique will differ, but it gives you a good idea of how I do it.

Continue practicing this for a few weeks.

After a few weeks come back here and redraw the watch above.

It will now probably look something like this then because your eye hand co-ordination will have improved dramatically:

As you gain more confidence start to draw more complex subjects, like your portrait in the mirror or venture outside to sketch objects in the garden.

What to Sketch?

Anything. Anything you see, or imagine, can be sketched.

There is no need to stare at a blank piece of paper. There is more than enough inspiration around you to last for years of sketching. Even the most mundane of objects make for excellent sketching practice.

Just look around you. What do you see? Kitchen utensils, flowers, ornaments, trees, animals, birds, hills, mountains, furniture, clothing, clouds, buildings, rocks, workshop tools, and thousands of others. Even a simple feather has much to teach you about drawing.

Try different angles of the same object, from the side, from slightly above and so on. You will be amazed how drawing the same object from different angles can pose completely different challenges.

Monotone sketch of an ostrich

The Secret to Good Sketching

What is the biggest key in drawing?

Observation.

Most see an object, but they don't look at it. What do I mean by that?

You see a mug on a table. So what! But have you really studied it? Have you observed it properly?

What type of lettering is printed on it? How large are the letters? What other features are there? What type of flowers are printed on it. How about their colours?

What shape is the mug and is the ear large or small? What are the different textures on it and how will I represent it on the paper?

So often we just glance over an object. Oh! It is only a mug. As an artist you need to look and observe all the details that make up the object more carefully than the average person would.

Train your mind to look at the object, and not just see. Get this right and you will be well on your way to excellent sketching.

Make Sketching a Habit

Some sketches I did in 1952

We have already discussed why you need to sketch often, now let's take a look at ways that you can turn sketching into a habit.

The most important thing is to :

Make time for sketching.

No matter how busy your lifestyle, if you look at your schedule you will find intervals where you can slot in a quick sketch or two. For example on your lunch break, while waiting for the bus, while on the bus, while watching TV and so on.

Once you have found the time in your schedule, stick to. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you so that you don't get carried away with other things. This is your sketch time. Your time to relax.

In an ideal world you would give yourself at least half an hour to sketch in the beginning as you are not as proficient at judging accurately yet, but if you only have shorter spells available, don't let that stop you.

Choose a subject to concentrate on.

I find that if you concentrate on one subject at a time you learn quicker than when you jump around.

You could for example start by drawing small common items and only worry about sketching the proportions correctly. Once you feel you are happy with your proportions, you may decide to concentrate on your shading work and do a series of shading exercises.

After that you may decide to do a series of hand studies, then figures and so on.

You will find that as you start to gain confidence in a subject you not only work quicker and more accurately, you start to enjoy it more so look forward to your next sketch session, which is a great motivator to keep it a habit.

Carry a sketchbook with you.

No matter where you go make sure you have some form of a sketchbook with you or within easy reach.

It could even be something a small as a notebook and pen carried in your shirt pocket or handbag which you can whip out when the opportunity presents itself and do a quick sketch or doodle.

You could keep a small bag with some sketching equipment permanently in your car so that you have them available wherever you are.

Challenge yourself.

Keep challenging yourself when you start to become too comfortable with a subject. You don't want sketching to become boring or you will lose the habit.

There are endless ways in which you can keep things interesting. Start by changing the subject you are concentrating on. You could add a new medium to the mix like sketching with a pen instead of a pencil. You could start to add colour to your sketches. You may decide to set yourself a time limit on the sketch and so on...

Take Your Sketches to the Next Level

Line and Wash Sketch

That brings us nicely to taking your sketches to the next level and the optional equipment I mentioned earlier.

Starting off with simple little pencil sketches opens up the door to an incredible array of new opportunities for you to grow as an artist.

You will find that you will be able to transition to more intricate forms of drawing like photorealistic or pen and ink drawing.

You can start to add colour to your sketches by adding watercolour washes, gouache or acrylic paints.

Your sketches can become the study used to design a more complex painting or drawing done in the studio.

It can open up the door to en plein air (outdoor) drawing and painting.

The easiest and most common add on to sketching is usually pen and ink with watercolour washes, also called line and wash, so let's have a quick chat about that.

Line and Wash

With line and wash you will initially sketch your drawing outlines lightly using pencils. Once you are happy with your sketch, you will go over the lines using ink pens to establish the drawing. You can also add shading and detail using the pen.

With the drawing finalised you then whip out your watercolour paints and a basic brush and add lose layers of colour over the drawing to suggest the colours.

This style is fabulous as it lends itself perfectly to indoor as well as outdoor work on any scale.

You can take a look at our Pen and Ink Lessons for more info about this fabulous method.

To get started with line and wash all you need to add to your equipment are a few different size Felt Tipped Pens and a portable watercolour set like the one shown below.

Click to purchase this set

I hope this tutorial has given you a good feel for what is involved in sketching and wet your appetite to give it a go.

You will not regret making sketching a habit. Good luck.

About Dennis Clark

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10 Sketchbook Prompts Your Students Will Love!

Wooo! You decided to (or at least thinking about) start bringing in student sketchbooks in your art class! In my previous blog post, I talked about the many benefits I have found from having students work in sketchbooks every single day. These range from enhancing creativity, improving drawing skills to building classroom communities. I genuinely cannot say enough positive things about the possibilities they can create. But the burning question is always: What the HECK do we draw in them? The short answer is- a variety of different things. With prompts I try to find ideas that are simple enough for a beginning artist to complete, but broad enough that an advanced student can expand upon and add lots of details. I also try to give prompts that require them to put their own interests into to allow me to learn more about them. I also open up my supply cabinets and let them experiment with whatever medium they choose- charcoal, watercolor paint, markers, color pencils, gel pens, etc. I have found by giving them a range of options and choices they feel more inspired to actually *do* the assignments. I also try to find time during the week to do the prompt with them during class. This is just a fun thing to do. It gives me an opportunity to make art with them and they see me modeling what I want them to do. With that being said- here are some of my all time favorite prompts I have done with my students throughout the years. These are all images of my students’ artwork! Feel free to check out the packet of these prompts and others in my TPT shop if you are interested in trying them out with your students!

Circle Challenge

“Fill a page in your sketchbook up with circles and decorate each of them however you want. No less than 45 circles.” Why it’s great: This is a great prompt that pushes their creative skills. What are all the different ways you can take a circle and turn it into something else? How many things can make up a circle? (Donuts, fruit, planets, pizza, peace signs, emojis, more..) It’s also a great exercise to create variety in artwork.

Design a skateboard.

Why it’s great: This is the first prompt I give every year. It’s simple and easy for the students to come up with different ideas. Who doesn’t love a good skateboard design??

Watercolor Doodle Strokes

My students love working with watercolor paint. And the ones that are a bit iffy with it, this is a great way for them to get their feet wet in it (no pun intended). Why it’s great: There’s very minimal drawing needed for this one! They pick a color scheme, fill their pages up with watercolor strokes and fill them in with fun doodles. The doodles can be simply line designs or patterns- or they can be detailed little drawings that advanced students will enjoy doing.

Arrows Challenge

Similar to the circle challenge except it’s “fill up a page with different arrows”. Once they have them all sketched out, they pick a fun color scheme. Why it’s great: One of the biggest challenges with my students and their sketchbooks is making sure they utilize ALL their page space. This prompt is a great way to practice overlapping, variety and space usage.

Song Illustration

Everybody and I mean eeeeeeeverybody loves music and has that one song that speaks to them on so many levels. I love seeing what my students’ favorite songs and music groups are. Why it’s great: The majority of this prompt can be text from the lyrics with a smaller, simpler drawing to compliment the design. Good for beginner art students but your advanced kids will come up with a plethora of creative ideas!

Draw something inside of a jar/envelope.

These are 2 different prompts with the same idea. It’s basically a “free draw” prompt but in a more enclosed space. Why it’s great: These give the students a lot of freedom to draw whatever they want but they don’t have to worry about filling up the *entire* page.

Favorite Decades

Dedicate a page in your sketchbook to your favorite decade. You can include everything from music, toys, fashion, fads and trends to celebrities and movies/TV shows. Why it’s great: This is another prompt that allows you to see your students’ interests. It always warms my millenial heart when someone does a 90s spread!

Keyhole Bedrooms

For this, I recommend they look up photo references (you can also show them a few from the internet). Pinterest (if it’s not blocked from your school server) tends to have the best pictures of bedrooms. I recommend dorm room photos as well because the furniture tends to be very simple and not elaborate. I tell the kids to not worry about achieving a realistic perspective on this one… just try and design a really cool looking room. Why it’s great: This prompt is challenging for many students! It definitely pushes them but they usually end up really enjoying it in the end. If you want to incorporate writing, have them write a story about their room on the back of their sketchbook page. 

Rubber Duck Challenge

I did not even know this was a thing until I saw it in one of my many art teacher facebook groups. It’s definitely being used by many teachers everywhere and for good reason. Ya’ll. They are HILARIOUS. I was seriously wheezing laughter when I was flipping through grading them. It makes me want to turn it into a full blown project- which I may actually do in the future. Why it’s great: This prompt is so freaking weird. And the kids LOVE. IT. They come up with SO many great ideas and it always ends up being a class favorite.

I hope these prompts give you a good place to start with your students. Feel free once again to check out my prompt packet on TPT if you would like to try them out with your students. Happy Art Making!

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How to Inspire Students to Use Their Sketchbooks in a New Way

Note: Be sure to review all resources and preview all artists before determining if they are appropriate to share with your students.

Many of us have students work in sketchbooks. Students might be completing prompts or points for daily assignments. But, how many of us have students actually using their sketchbooks as a powerful tool spilling over with ideas?

Designer, Pep Carrio ,  has this to say about how he works in his sketchbook:

For me, a sketchbook is like a kind of portable laboratory, a space to mark with references, to capture the immediate, to experiment; a memory warehouse to which I can return whenever I am searching for an idea or when I simply want to remember an instant, a time in the past.

When students move from begrudgingly completing a sketchbook assignment each week to working as Carrio does, the results can be profound.

It’s time to help students learn to use their sketchbooks as an endless tool for exploring and recording ideas.

To get started, you’ll want students to collect their sketchbooks.

If they only have one, that’s fine, but the more, the better. Remind students to think about doodles or sketches in other notebooks. For example, they may have great ideas scribbled in the margins of their algebra notes.

Next, you’ll want a supply of sticky notes in at least two different colors. If sticky notes are not in your budget, you could use strips of colored paper as bookmarks or have students dog-ear some pages.

Once all supplies are collected, explain to your students they’re going to spend time looking through their sketchbooks.

As they browse, have them reflect on what’s on each page. Use one color sticky note or bookmark to mark the pages with ideas that still interest them, but not yet explored in their work. With the other color, have students mark the page they love because they’re visually appealing.

If you’re having students dog-ear the pages, you might have them do the top corner for pages with ideas to explore and the bottom corner for pages they love.

Once students finish looking through their sketchbooks, discuss how to organize their ideas.

Start by showing students examples. Explore how artists use their sketchbooks by reading the article, The R&D Lab of Creativity: Inside the Sketchbooks of Beloved Illustrators and Designers.

As students work to organize their ideas, remember, there is no right way to do this. Have students reflect on what interests them the most.

Here are 3 ways to organize sketchbook ideas.

1. Build a new book.

Students who are open to the idea of tearing pages out of their sketchbook should tear out marked pages. They might select to organize those pages in order of interest. As students build a new book, consider having them insert a blank page next to each old idea, giving them space to further develop and explore new ideas. The easiest way to do this is to have students hole punch their pages, and organize them with binder rings.

2. Edit their current sketchbook.

Students may choose to leave the marked pages in their sketchbook, instead, ripping out the others.

Getting rid of old unwanted ideas, or pages students no longer like can feel liberating. The process of getting rid of pages also helps to remind students their sketchbook isn’t precious. It’s a place to explore and make mistakes.

Again, once students have removed unwanted pages, they may wish to add in some blank pages for further exploration. Do so by stapling in some blank pages or use sticky notes to add new ideas on top of the old.

3. Leave the book intact.

You may have some students who don’t like the idea of tearing pages from their sketchbook at all, and that’s okay. Encourage these students to leave their book intact. Remind them to continue to go back and review the pages they’ve marked. When they’re feeling stuck, refer them to their marked pages.

Depending on the time you have with your students, you may choose to skip the reorganization step and dive right into creating. Remember, the goal of this process to have students begin to think of their sketchbooks as a resource.

Here are 3 ways to encourage your students to continue making in response to their sketchbook.

1. Create a Collage

It’s likely that your students have interesting elements throughout their sketchbooks. Using collage techniques allows students to take the parts they like, combine them, and create new and interesting spreads.

If your students are exploring collage, you’ll want to make sure to have glue sticks as well as tape available. While colored and washi tape is fun, it’s not essential. Scotch tape and masking tape will also do the trick.

Turn this into a project by teaching students about how to lay out images and text on a spread for a book or magazine.

2. Make a New Piece

Have students select one of their old ideas and think about how they can turn it into a new piece. Ask students to reflect on what stopped them from taking the idea further in the past. Are there resources or supports they need to help them move forward?

3. Recycle Pages

Recycle pages students no longer like. This process is not only fun, but it can also be a way to save money. It also helps students think about reworking old pieces instead of just throwing them out.

Encourage students to paint or draw over pages they don’t like. Or, cut and fold old pages, transforming them into something new.

Sketchbooks are a powerful tool for problem-solving, idea generation, and experimentation. While we often have students use sketchbooks, we can push them further when sketchbooks become a reference tool. They should be a resource students revisit when they’re feeling stuck or uninspired.

Sketchbooks are also a great place for students to learn about the art of failing and starting over. Tearing out pages, collaging over old ideas, or covering pages with paint helps students get into the practice of starting over. For even more ideas, check out the Sketchbook Ideas that Really Work PRO Pack. Look for this Pack and many more in PRO Learning.   Connect today to learn more about how to get PRO Learning in your school or district.  

What is one new idea you were introduced to today that you want to try in your classroom?

What is your favorite way to use sketchbooks in your art room?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Amber Kane is AOEU’s Director of K–12 Curriculum and a former AOEU Writer and high school art educator. She believes questioning and a focus on the creative thought process helps students uncover their personal voice and impact others.

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The Sketchbook Project: The Beginning

THE SKETCHBOOK PROJECT: THE BEGINNING

This was my question:

Would a self-guided approach to art-making work with my 6th grade class?

I always wanted to offer my students their own sketchbooks to bring to art class. They could be used for practice drawing, experimentation with paint-mixing and free choice. But when you have a small art program (15 weeks a year), there isn’t enough opportunity to justify the purchase of a product that would consume a third of your art budget.

But, what if the sketchbook was the only thing you offered the students? Then it began to make sense.

After discussing the idea with the 6th grade teachers, they agreed to partially fund the sketchbooks. This was huge. I could now proceed with the Sketchbook Project without compromising the art budget for the rest of the grade levels.

The idea was for each student to have his own sketchbook but they would leave the sketchbook in the art room. I cleared a few drawers to make room for the 75 books and dove into creating a few starter projects to engage the kids.

This is the brand of sketchbooks I used: Sketch for Schools

THE BENEFITS:

If a student owned his own sketchbook, my hope was this:

• Take more pride in their work
• Be able to see their efforts throughout the year
• Have a place to record art observations
• Work on past projects

Would students like a sketch book compared to a larger piece of art?

Turns out they did. At the end of the year, after we filled up the pages in the sketchbooks, most students reported that they enjoyed working on their own sketchbooks compared to the larger format papers that we typically used in art class.

Some students missed the larger pieces of art (I know I did) and some students were non-committal with their opinions. The classroom teachers were the ones who reported the biggest benefit: they claimed the students talked about their sketchbooks and art class more than in the previous year.

Over the course of 15 weeks of art (50-minute classes) these are the projects we did:

Each week I will post the lessons above so that you have the opportunity to see how I approached the lesson, what the children experienced and how I might approach a lesson differently.

To received notification when each post is published on the blog, make sure you are signed up for my weekly newsletter:

The 6th grade teachers encouraged me to store the sketchbooks in the art room as they suspected that if the students were expected to bring them to art class every week, they might forget them. I agreed.

When the students entered class, I had the sketchbooks on a table in the back of the room. They would find their book and sit at their table. The art supplies that we would need for the particular lesson would be on each table with one exception. I would add the supplies needed for previous lessons on another table in case students finished the current project and wanted to work on an old project.

I soon got tired of this extra prep and trained the students to get their own supplies and put away the supplies. Most of the class LOVED this self-serve approach. I found that although many art projects weren’t the frame-worthy finished art piece, most children took a great deal of pride in their pieces and were thrilled to be able to use whichever art supplies they felt they needed.

The drawbacks to this approach is that there is no specific steps for each art project. I would outline a technique, drawing concept or guidelines, but the students needed to be self-guided and motivated to complete their own art subject. This didn’t happen for every lesson, but for the most part, I needed to be very active making sure that each child was progressing forward.

Often a child was stymied with having to choose what subject he wanted to use. If I noticed this happening, I would sit next to the student and work through a few solutions or starters just to get the ball rolling. I’ll talk more specifically as I work through the lessons each week.

Do you use sketchbooks in your art room or home art studio? Do you use them exclusively or for another purpose? I’d love to hear how you use them. Leave a comment in the section below and share your thoughts and ideas.

Next week: Project #1-Creating Value 

Missed the last installments of the Sketchbook project?

Intro :  The Sketchbook Project:  The Beginning 

Week #1: The Sketchbook Project: Creating Value + Free Worksheet

Week # 2 The Sketchbook Project: Atmospheric Perspective (Landscapes)

Week #3 The Sketchbook Project: Tree Line Drawings

Week #4 The Sketchbook Project: Sonia Delaunay Circles

Week #5 E xpressive Self-Portraits

WEEK #6  Line Drawings

WEEK #7  Farm Animals

WEEK #8  Animal Eyes

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Patty, I’m along time follower and love DSS lessons.This is a great post about sketchbooks. I have always used sketchbooks/ journals with my upper grades 6-8. The kids love them. It gives them a sense of personal space. We not only use it to draw and have small projects for art elements and design principles but for artist statements, doodling, weekly art quotes, poems, writing thoughts, planning outlines, etc… It is usually a 5×7 (50lb) paper book, what size and paper weight do you prefer? Thanks again. Thanks.

Hi Laurie, My vision was that the sketchbooks would be filled with all that you said above but I don’t see the kids often enough. I love what you are doing! Sounds exactly what art class should be like. I have only used the 8 x 10 size. The larger format works best for elementary as we did all of our projects in it. 5x 7 would have been too small for my use. Perfect for yours though, right?

At times the 5×7 Is limiting. I’m liking the bigger size idea! And la great idea using a bubble wrap envelope for backpack trips!

My daughter is in 8th grade and her art teacher had her students purchase an 8X10 sketchbook with a bubble wrap mailer (to protect it on trips home in backpacks) at the beginning of the school year. It’s been a great way to see progression in their observational drawing skills.

At our K-8 school our students get a 5×7 sketchbook in 4th grade, and they use that same book for two years. Then in 6th grade they get an 8×10 sketchbook that they use for 6th, 7th, and 8th. The books mostly live in the art room, but sometimes teachers take them on field trips for journaling and outdoor sketching. We are making an effort to do more with sketchbooks with our middle school kids. I really like the idea of emphasizing an art that is personal and easy for the kids to continue with at home and after they graduate.

I’m a Kindergarten teacher and try to incorporate art in any way I can during the school year. I also teach an art enrichment class after school for first through fifth graders. I have been using your wonderful lessons with all of these kids. I love everything that you do! I have a question, what is the name of the book that is partly showing in Lesson #8? Thanks for all you do! Kim

Ho Kim, It’s called Eye to Eye by Steve Jenkins.

I’m piloting using sketchbooks in my 4th grades this school year. Due the fact I don’t have the money for bought journals we made our own. I purchased .17 pocket folders this past summer. The kids designed their front covers, they helped to 3-hole punch 10 sheets of copy paper for each of their folders and secured them using brass fasteners. This allows us to add more pages if we need to. We are keeping practice and brainstorming sheets in one pocket and an envelope with their Artist trading Cards in the other pocket. Each month they have a journal drawing assignment to do. So far the kids love them! The journals are working out so well I am going to be introducing them in my 3d and 5th grades next year! Good luck with yours! 🙂

This is very resourceful! I was trying to figure out a way use a sketchbook and still use a variety of mediums. This will allow me to use different types of papers as well. Thanks for sharing.

This year was the first year I was able to purchase sketchbooks for my art majors class (mixture of 4th and 5th graders). I had big dreams to use them as extension activities from our main project connecting to the elements of art. As the year began I realized time was not allowing us to complete our project and the sketchbook activities. I have a few early finishers that do get to both but now most students use it to sketch in when they finish. I am okay with that because they are using their own imagination which can be hard for kids these days. I did notice when our school was able to purchase a nice sketchbook the students took pride in it and love having them. I would just buy a spiral notebook but they didn’t treat it as a sketchbook and never really used it. I would live to have small sketchbook challengers as bell work but since it’s my first year incorporating sketchbooks I will do what I can do.

I love this idea!

I’ve been using sketchbooks with 4th and 5th grade for a while now. We make them from legal paper folded in half. I make a different colored construction paper cover for each class and the kids put them together with a long arm stapler. I would love for the kids to use them for their own ponderings, but we rarely have time for that. At this point, we just use them for sketching our ideas before starting a project – either thumbnail sketches or actual size if we’re doing smaller works. A parent artist gave her son’s class of 2nd graders a class set of sketchbooks. It is so wonderful to see those kids take their sketchbooks out to recess! It would be great for all students to have them in class for when they finish other assignments, but I don’t know how to get them from their classrooms to the art room without losing way too many precious minutes of instructional time. It so often comes back to time, doesn’t it?!

I have grades 1-5 create a sketch book from a 1″ three ring binder. They have three sections: Art Starts; Sketches and Notes. They bring them to class each art day. My classes are 45 min. each with about 25 in each class! I see each class 4 days in a row on a 4 week rotation (so every 4 weeks they come back to art). The 1st 10 min. is an art start: I select a piece of art for discussion. They write about the art (encouraging art terms) and then a few read out. Some sketch the art I put up. They must include the title; the artist; the year; the medium. Grades 3-5 are asked to do 3 sketches a week that I look at in class. I am looking for growth, but often only a handful are serious and give some good drawings but it sets a standard. Then there are those who really take off, and never thought they would love drawing. It’s a lot of work, but worth it.

Our Principal ordered enough sketch books for all our 5th graders this year! We love them! We are using them to record important information about famous artists with samples of art inspired by that artist, made by the kids. We have also used them to do observational drawings in our very own school Pumpkin Patch. I am excited to see where the sketch books will take us. It will serve as a record of how much we will have learned, been inspired by and be a wonderful art keepsake!

hi patty, i’m a long time follower of your site as well. i started off as an architect and grew to love sketching and conceptual thinking and planning and experimenting [with a pencil on your hand]. as i grew into being an art teacher [K-8] i brought this idea with me. i give my 4th-7th graders a 9×12 sketchbook and most project start with one lesson having them experiment with the idea, concept and making mistakes. i see the kids every week and really want to drive home the idea of slowing down and engaging with projects. when i started i wanted to teach tehm everything immediately, now i try to push the idea of slowing down, experimenting adn accepting mistakes as part of the growing process. some projects i do ‘double-time’ ie. a simpler version, and then a very similar more complicated one. the only rule i have for the sketchbooks is “you are not allowed to tear out any pages”. thank you for your amazing contributions to all of us!

This is wonderful. I am a K/8 teacher and my 6th grade seems to get lost in the shuffle. They need something of their own and I am going to start this asap. I’m curious about the content the students can put in there. Sometime things are turbulent and kids have some negative ideas they want to put down in their art. What do you think about that? Thanks!

Great question. If art is the way kids need to express their emotions (both good and bad), I say we let them. Encourage, in fact. It’s really not for us to control their creative energy. That is really the reason we do art. However, we can monitor what they do and if (and only if) there seems to be a serious issue, then it’s something to bring to the attention of parents/admin, etc. But if the child is drawing negative things to get attention (you know what I mean)…then gently put a stop to it then refocus on the lesson.

Hi: I made sketch pads for 100 students from very large die-cut shapes and stapled drawing paper and writing paper inside. We had School houses for Sept, pumpkins for Oct/Nov, gingerbread houses for December/January and etc. They worked very well but were very time consuming to make. This year I was lucky enough to get sketch pads for all of my 100 6th graders. I use them for multiple things. As an opening for the beginning of class with a drawing prompt, thumbnail sketches for larger ideas, and practice drawing of an idea. I also keep them in the classroom so they always have them.

So glad you were able to purchase the sketchbooks. I cannot imagine making them! You are wonderful for doing so.Thanks for sharing!

Hello. I just discovered your wonderful site and it’s exciting to know that you’re local too! I am a newer homeschool mom to three and I love your idea of the sketchbooks. This could help reduce our paper clutter. I noticed that the projects are using various mediums. Which paperweight would you recommend while taking into consideration watercolors, chalk pastels, and the other sketchbook projects, etc? I would like to purchase the sketchbooks for the kids for Christmas along with some of the other recommended supplies. Thanks in advance for your help.

I’m not sure of the weight of the paper. I included a link to the sketch book I used in the first post of the series. I think it must be about an 80 lb. Certainly good enough for watercolor and tempera.

how long does it take things in this book to dry…canthey be closed and tossed in the drawer right away?

A few hours should do it!

Hi Patty I teacher 10 year olds in NZ and have been using a visual diary/journal this year. I started this as parents were concerned when my class began working on Chromebooks and this was a way to be using their fine motor skills and at the same time they have learnt some art and presentation skills – from zentangles to exploring colours and simple journal pages. My hope was that they would end up with a ‘taonga’ which means treasure – something they would be really proud of. I think we have mostly achieved this and I will certainly continue this with my class next year. Thanks for your lessons – they will be a great help.

Retired this school year. I so admire your site and tecniques, lessons, I want to follow your suggestions for my own pleasure. Always put my art desires on the back shelf, but I am taking my inner child on your art voyage. I enjoy everything about your site and your creative ideas! Thank you so much for sharing. Irene S.

Love this — The kids at my school (1-6) all have visual diaries on their booklist at the start of the year. The kids were SO EXCITED to get them back at the end of last year, particularly if they had some pages left! I use it mostly for visual research (grades 5/6, looking for ideas in books and online) and trialling guided ideas before making a good copy. I’m trying to train the kids to not be so anxious about getting ideas on paper and not being too fussed about making mistakes. Most of the younger kids will ask for their visual diary as a reminder of what they’re doing whether they’re just starting their good copy or not.

for my years 1-6 the students buy a $1-2 scrap book which has 64-72 pages . The paper is a bit like what we call butchers paper or slightly heavier that photocopy paper but it works works for the children to do drawings add notes glue in work sheets . i use small pieces of drawing paper or cartridge or coloured card for the wet on wet work samples so they can glue them into the scrap book / visual diary. The back of the book is for them to do their free drawing in if they finish early. Given that the year 4-6 do 3 major projects and and a couple of small ones there is sufficient pages for them to do a Full years work and less heavier- less bulky to get out and storing them . the typical art sketch book is a minimum of $ 10 -20 . I had upset parents when i changed them over but when i explained the savings it meant they could get items like crayons oil pastels etc with the savings . As my parents supply certain items in their book list . I was able to save quite a bit of money for them.

Patty, I love the Sketchbook Project! Where can I find the available lessons that are posted? For instance the ‘Eye to Eye’ close ups. I’ve been wanting to do a project of close up animal eyes! Is there a way to get all the lessons in this project? I am a member and a Sparkler and love your beautiful website, projects and creative ideas! Thanks for all you do!

I didn’t do any extended lessons of this project. Everything is posted here. No plans yet to offer full extensions but you never know!

Great! Thank you for your quick reply! I think the Sketchbook Project would make a great packet or individual lessons! ? ?

What type of paints did you use on the value sheets? Thanks in advance.

Liquid tempera 🙂

Don’t have money for sketch books but have made them from wallpaper books…Wallpaper books for the cover ,copy paper for the pages..then I take the sewing machine and sew down the middle. I also have had the students make them from cardboard ,two page sizes and a small one for a spine, cover with fabric, glue a piece of paper over the folded raw edge of the fabric. Tie a string or yarn around the spine . Kids slip their work under the yarn. They decorate the outside with buttons etc. Look quite artistic.

If one were using this for also notetaking, etc., and say taking notes on an artist, you want to give the students a sample of the artist’s work, would you have them glue it in?

Do you have an updated list of sketchbook list. I saw you mentioned adding it to the store when it was updated but I wasn’t sure how to search for it in the shop. Thanks.

I have visited the site linked for your sketchbooks. Can I ask which book specifically you purchased (ie. beginner, intermediate, etc)?

I love the Sketchbook Projects. Thanks!

I love it! I will be teaching art again next year , and I will be a Sparkler.

We look forward to having you in The Sparklers’ Club! You can join the waitlist now https://deepspacesparkle.lpages.co/the-sparklers-club-waitlist/

amazing art lessons! thanks

Patty I need a shopping list to set up an art camp and I thought you had one at one time if you could look around and see if you do that would help me by product so that we’re not wasting money

I do use sketchbooks at home. I like to sketch random things that turn out to look awesome.

I think this is awesome.

I would like to implement this and had some questions. What paper did you use in the sketchbook? did you go with a mixed media or keep it to a sketch book quality? specifically what paperweight would you use? With that in mind when you did watercolor or painting skills and projects did you simple staple in the sheet once you were done?

I am a first year art teacher and love your site and have found valuable insights and ideas. Also just bought one of your PD course- excited to get started.

Hi Heidi! Mabre with the DSS Creative Team here. First of all, so glad that you are teaching art and are enjoying the site. We know you will love the course and can’t wait for you to get started! In regards to the sketchbook project, some teachers have a budget and are able to buy sketchbooks for students with mixed media paper, which can be nice, but it can also be nice to have students get involved and make them, instead. We have found that a 12″x18″ colored piece of sulphite with 12″x18″ white sulphite paper stacked on top and a long-arm stapler can do the trick. Students end up with a 9″ x 12″ sketchbook. The white sulphite will hold up well to a decent amount of water-based media but you can always staple or tape special, extra pages (like watercolor paper with technique examples) in too. Your choice! 🙂 Hope this helps!

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Top SketchBook Pro Tutorials For Beginners

The Autodesk SketchBook Pro software is a fantastic alternative to Photoshop and other painting programs. It’s a cheap yet usable program that runs on all platforms including tablets.

Learning the SketchBook interface comes with time and practice but tutorials can really speed up that process.

So I’ve curated the absolute best tuts online both free and paid options. If you’re looking to dive right into SketchBook then this guide is sure to have everything you need.

Free Tutorials

It makes sense to start with free video lessons because not everyone wants to invest time into learning a program. But free lessons can also feel limited so they should be just the beginning.

These are some of my top recommendations if you’re unsure of where to start and don’t have a budget for learning.

Basics to SketchBook Pro 6

I’m a big fan of all the Toonboxstudio videos and this one offers a complete basics intro guide to SketchBook Pro 6.

As of this writing the current version is SketchBook 7 but all the lessons still apply.

It’s a one hour video and it covers a lot of material. You’ll learn how to edit preferences, rotate the canvas, and work with all the various tools along with some handy keyboard shortcuts. Definitely keep this one saved if you’re looking for a strong start.

SketchBook Pro For Beginners

Concept artist Trent Kaniuga teaches this detailed guide to the SketchBook software. It’s also a fairly lengthy video totaling just over 30 minutes with plenty of visual guides for beginners.

The goal of Trent’s video is to teach SketchBook from a practical perspective. You’ll learn how to use the software for real-world situations and it’s a fantastic exercise for getting into the details.

You can find lots of similar videos on Trent’s YouTube page and they’re all pretty detailed too.

Coloring A Character

For a much more specific tutorial check out this tut explaining how to color a character design using SketchBook.

Note this starts with a digital sketch and the whole hour-long tutorial explains how to color that sketch. It’s not a complete guide from scratch so it helps if you already know how to sketch and have some ideas down in B&W.

The techniques are fantastic and should apply to pretty much all coloring projects from cartoons to concept art.

SketchBook Pro 7 Coloring

Wacom’s YouTube channel actually has a few guided tutorials and lessons on popular painting software. This one covers tips & tricks for artists just starting to learn the SketchBook Pro 7 software.

It’s a quick video only 11 minutes long but it’s a great resource once you know the basics.

The video instructor Kevin Mellon is a storyboard artist on the animated show Archer. He covers a lot of the best tricks for coloring accurately and getting the most out of this software.

SketchBook Blend Modes

Here’s one other Toonboxstudio video and this one goes a lot further into detail on coloring. It talks about blend modes for artists and how to use these blend modes to your advantage.

Artist Paris Christou shares real-world ideas and even uses sample artwork to show how blend modes fit naturally into an artist’s workflow.

Honestly not a super long tutorial but it’s just one of many in the series of SketchBook Pro videos on their channel.

Sketchbook Pro 7 FlipBook Tutorial

This one is probably a lot better for animators than concept artists but it’s still a fantastic guide.

The flipbook tutorial video teaches how to work with this new feature in SketchBook Pro 7. It’s a great skill to pick up if you can learn to master and put it to good use. But of course this will take time.

Premium Tutorials

To get real detailed with Sketchbook then you’ll want to premium lessons. There aren’t too many paid courses out there but I usually recommend the ones from Pluralsight because they’re detailed and very easy to understand.

Feel free to check Google and see what’s out there but these are my top picks and they’re all fantastic.

Professional Tips for Creating Thumbnails in SketchBook Pro

The process of thumbnailing is crucial to concept art, animation, and really all forms of visual art.

In this video course you’ll learn how to create thumbnails rapidly for all types of projects. SketchBook Pro has some great features for this and since you’re working digitally it’s a lot easier to fix mistakes.

It lasts about 2 hours long and contains a bunch of tips for sketching creatures, characters, and lots of unique ideas visually.

Drawing Character Model Sheets in SketchBook Pro

All entertainment artists use model sheets from 2D animation to 3D character modeling . But artists usually start with drawings because they’re easier to craft and they work as a base idea for designers.

Digital artist Eddie Russell explains these concepts in his premium course on designing model sheets with SketchBook Pro.

It has a ton of video content totaling over 3 hours of lessons and guided exercises. You’ll learn how to create different views for models and how to best showcase your character model designs visually.

Creating Rapid Character Concepts in SketchBook Pro

Looking for a great course on designing character concepts from scratch? Then this one is a great place to start.

It comes with the Pluralsight package so if you sign up for a free trial you get access to this course along with all the others.

It’s an intermediate-level course so it helps if you already know how to draw/paint and maybe know your way around the SketchBook software too. But you’ll learn a lot about rapid prototyping and working fast, two things you’ll need if you want to go pro in the concept art industry.

Creating Copic Marker Illustrations in SketchBook Pro

SketchBook Pro has features that let you transfer your digital designs into traditional mediums and in this course you’ll learn to master that process.

It’s not a classic course but it’s perfect for anyone who likes to draw manga or create their own cartoony character styles.

Anyone who loves traditional art will enjoy this course. And it’s a great resource because you’re learning about shadows, lighting, and color selection along with SketchBook Pro’s many tools.

Creating Automotive Concepts in SketchBook Pro

Vehicle designers are in high demand for quality concept art. If you love vehicles or props in general then it helps to specialize and build your skills.

This video course spans 3.5 hours long and teaches you step-by-step how to design auto concepts in SketchBook Pro. It’s not meant just for concept artists but it works incredibly well for anyone in that field(or anyone hoping to break in).

It claims to be an intermediate course but the early videos teach a lot about the basics of the software, so really I think anyone could follow this and learn a lot.

SketchBook Pro 7 Essential Training

I wanna make one honorary mention to this Lynda.com course because it really is fantastic for beginners.

All of their “essential training” videos cover a lot of ground and this one’s no different. It’s over two hours long and focuses on the most recent version of SketchBook Pro.

The only trouble is that Lynda’s library does not have many other SketchBook tutorials. Since you’d be paying for monthly access to the whole library it makes way more sense to go with Pluralsight because they offer so much more.

Still if you’re already in Lynda or if you might want to study other Lynda courses then totally give this one a chance.

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DIGITAL DRAWING AND SKETCHING SOFTWARE

Get access to fast and powerful creative sketching tools. Uncover digital drawing and sketching software for concept artists, illustrators, designers, architects, and painters.

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What is digital drawing?

Digital drawing is when a drawing is created using graphics software. Instead of using a pencil and paper, digital artists draw with a tablet or a computer, along with a device such as a mouse or a stylus. Digital drawing programs offer features such as layers, brush sets, color palettes, rulers and guides, and pressure-sensitive strokes.

Image courtesy of Luis Peso

What's the difference between digital art vs. traditional art?

Traditional artworks have two elements in common: it can be touched (made of physical materials) and it is “one of a kind" (can’t be copied without recreating it). Traditional artworks can be created with a variety of mediums and tools, including drawing, painting, and sculpting.

Unlike traditional art, digital art is not bound by the limitations of the material world. You can get all the colors the human eye can see, change the vividness and brightness, and erase without a trace, all via a graphics tablet and stylus.

Image courtesy of Monika Zagrobelna

Types of digital drawing

DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION

Artists set their stylus to a shape similar to a pencil or a marker. The artist uses the same techniques from traditional illustration but can sketch with layers and tools to assist with perspective, resizing, and reshaping.

CAD DRAWING

Drafters use computer-aided design (CAD) software to create 2D drawings more quickly and with greater precision, without using stencils and technical drawing instruments.

CONCEPT DRAWING

Concept drawing is used by industrial designers, architects, engineers, and artists to create a quick sketch in order to visualize an initial design.

TECHNICAL DRAWING

Primarily used by architects and engineers, technical drawing refers to the the use of drawings or schematics to visually communicate how something is constructed.

Drawing and sketching software

Download the free version of SketchBook (US Site)

Pair Autodesk drawing software together

Turn your concept into creation

Use SketchBook to sketch ideas and iterate quickly. Easily import your sketches into AutoCAD and turn them into engineering drawings.

Watch video (1:48 min.)

Use sketching and CAD together

Explore the strength of sketching and CAD working together and learn about the symbiotic relationship between SketchBook and Fusion 360 .

Transforming designs from sketch to render

See how Alias , SketchBook, VRED , and Dynamo (US Site) work together to create the conceptual design of a track shoe.

Creature modeling and sculpting

Explore creature concept techniques in SketchBook Pro and examine a modeling and detailing workflow using Maya and Mudbox (US Site) software.

See how customers are using drawing software

JAY SHUSTER

Finding inspiration in industrial design

Pixar Production Designer Jay Shuster uncovers pieces of industrial design inspiration in an airplane graveyard and captures them with SketchBook.

Watch video (2:36 min.)

ESG ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Drawing digitally enables rapid ideation

ESG Architecture and Design accelerates projects by sketching concepts in SketchBook.

TESLA MOTORS

Sketching for automotive design

Electric car maker Tesla streamlined design and engineering processes by using Alias Surface for visualization, rendering, surfacing, and drawing.

Digital drawing and sketching tutorials

Get started with Autodesk drawing and sketching software with these tutorials and lessons.

SketchBook Basics

Get started with an introduction to the SketchBook interface and the most basic interactions, including how to use layers and customize brushes.

SketchBook tutorials

The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD

Take a tour of the interface and learn the basic commands that you need to create 2D drawings.

AutoCAD tutorials

Fundamentals of Alias

Learn how to use SketchBook and Alias to facilitate fast creative techniques, create concept sketches, and develop impactful 3D visuals.

Alias tutorials

Get started with FormIt

View these FormIt tutorials to learn how to sketch, collaborate, analyze, and iterate early-stage design concepts.

FormIt tutorials

Digital drawing and sketching resources

Improve your drawing and sketching skills with these tutorials, tips, and guides.

SketchBook Official Blog

Stay updated with the latest SketchBook news and get access to free brushes, tips, and guides.

SketchBook YouTube channel

Uncover Autodesk SketchBook video tutorials for beginners and advanced users.

Fundamentals of SketchBook

Learn the basics to get started and then master techniques that help you get the most out of SketchBook.

Digital painting in SketchBook Pro

Uncover the basics of the SketchBook Pro painting and drawing software for desktop computers.

Communicating through drawings

Turn simple drawings into effective tools of communication with SketchBook.

Product design sketching

Learn the tips and tricks to speed up the render process without sacrificing quality.

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