Drawing ideas

440 Things to Draw

Every idea on this page was written by a person, sorted by how long it will actually take, and grouped so you can go straight to the kind of thing you are in the mood for. Nothing here is a stock-photo list of nouns — a few of them will take an evening.

And under every heading there is a button that picks one for you, using only the ideas in that section. Reading a list of 440 things is its own kind of procrastination.

Easy 187 ideas ·Medium 154 ·Hard 99

Easy Things to Draw

Easy does not mean childish. It means the shape is simple enough that you can finish it before you start judging it — one object, one clear outline, five to ten minutes. If you have not drawn anything in months, start here and start today rather than well.

Sleeping cat
Puppy in a basket
Goldfish
Ladybug
Slice of watermelon
Cupcake
Doughnut with sprinkles
Ice cream cone
Sunflower
Daisy
Cactus in a pot
Leaf
Mug
Pencil
Key
Balloon
Smiling cloud
Cat wearing a bow
Cupcake with a face
Chubby bee
Wizard hat
Magic wand
Crown
Potion bottle
Stick figure family
Face with a big grin
Pair of eyes
Hand waving
House with a chimney
Tent
Lighthouse
Windmill
Paper plane
Hot air balloon
Sailboat
Bicycle
Crescent moon
Rocket
Planet with rings
Star
Ghost in a bedsheet
Jack-o'-lantern
Black cat with an arched back
Bat

Four from each of the eleven categories below — there are 187 easy ideas in total on this page.

Cool Things to Draw

“Cool” is not a category, it is a feeling — and in drawing it almost always comes from three things: a strong silhouette, a bit of danger, and something you are not quite able to do yet. These are the ideas that take a whole sitting and are worth photographing afterwards.

Dragon curled around a tower
Elf archer
Troll under a bridge
Mermaid combing her hair
Talking tree
Underwater kingdom
Duel between a knight and a wyvern
Sky city hanging on chains
Violinist mid-note
Firefighter carrying a hose
Dancer in motion
Cyclist in the rain
Child building a sandcastle
Pair of hands holding a mug
Market vendor mid-argument
Old pair of working hands
Greenhouse full of plants
Narrow alley with laundry lines
Old library
Cabin in the snow
City skyline at dusk
Abandoned amusement park
Castle courtyard
Vintage camper van
Submarine
Cable car
Ice cream van
Hovercraft
Biplane doing a loop
Tall ship under full sail
Space shuttle on the launch pad
Space station
Eclipse
Control panel of a spaceship
Alien pet on a leash
Signal dish on a hill
Cockpit from the pilot's seat
Diagram of the solar system
Alien city under a dome
Hand reaching out of the ground
Ghost ship
Skeleton playing a piano

If one of these defeats you, draw it again a week later instead of moving on. The second attempt is where the improvement actually happens.

Drawing Ideas for Beginners

Twenty ideas in the order a person should actually meet them. Each one adds exactly one new problem to the last: a closed line, then a repeated shape, then an ellipse, then symmetry, then a whole object seen from an angle. Do one a day and by the end you will be drawing things you would have called impossible on day one.

Cloudone closed line, no corners
Leaftwo curves and a stem
Starfive points, all the same size
Crescent moontwo circles, one taken away
Balloona circle that is not quite a circle
Cherrytwo of the same thing, different sizes
Mushrooma dome sitting on a stalk
Socka tube that changes direction
Mugyour first ellipse — the rim is not a straight line
Cupcakea shape stacked on another shape
Pine treerepeat the same triangle three times
Snaila spiral drawn in one go
Ladybugsymmetry, and spots that are not evenly spaced
Sunflowerpetals around a center, all leaning outward
Paper planestraight lines and your first folded plane
Sailboattriangles on a rectangle, sitting on a line
Penguinone body shape, two colors, no outline needed
House with a chimneyyour first two-point object
Sleeping cata whole animal drawn as one soft curve
Hot air balloona sphere, a basket, and the gap between them

One rule for all twenty: no erasing. A wrong line you leave in teaches you more than a right line you arrived at on the fourth attempt.

Drawing ideas by category

All 440 of them, in eleven groups. The color of the dot is the difficulty:easy, medium,hard.

Animals to Draw

The safest bet in the whole list: everyone already knows what a cat is meant to look like, so a wonky one still reads as a cat.

Sleeping cat
Puppy in a basket
Goldfish
Ladybug
Snail
Bunny
Duckling
Owl
Penguin
Turtle
Bumblebee
Butterfly
Frog on a lily pad
Fox
Hedgehog
Panda
Caterpillar
Otter floating on its back
Chameleon
Seahorse
Red panda
Raccoon raiding a bin
Koala
Sloth hanging from a branch
Flamingo
Hummingbird
Crab
Jellyfish
Axolotl
Toucan
Alpaca
Octopus
Wolf howling at the moon
Horse mid-gallop
Peacock with its tail open
Elephant
Tiger
Giraffe
Dragonfly
Swarm of bats

Food to Draw

Food is forgiving. A lopsided doughnut is still a doughnut, and you can eat the reference when you are done.

Slice of watermelon
Cupcake
Doughnut with sprinkles
Ice cream cone
Cherry
Strawberry
Cookie with a bite taken out
Banana
Pineapple
Slice of pizza
Hot dog
Fried egg
Lollipop
Carrot
Mushroom
Cup of coffee
Bowl of cereal
Stack of pancakes with syrup
Bowl of ramen
Taco
Sushi roll
Birthday cake with candles
Burger with everything on it
Melting popsicle
Bubble tea
Picnic basket
Jar of honey
Croissant
Bunch of grapes
Hot chocolate with marshmallows
Corn on the cob
Cheese board
Market stall of fruit
Trifle in a glass bowl
Plate of spaghetti
Seafood platter
Teapot pouring
Wedding cake
Bakery window
Still life of bread and cheese

Nature to Draw

Leaves, clouds and rocks have no wrong proportions. Perfect for practicing texture without anyone spotting a mistake.

Sunflower
Daisy
Cactus in a pot
Leaf
Acorn
Cloud
Rainbow
Raindrop
Snowflake
Pine tree
Mushroom on a log
Seashell
Pebble
Dandelion
Tulip
Fern frond
Puddle
Bonsai tree
Waterfall
Mountain range at sunset
Wave curling over
Field of lavender
Cracked desert floor
Tide pool
Spider web with dew on it
Pile of autumn leaves
Moss-covered stone
Hanging plant
Beehive
Coral reef
Lightning bolt over a field
Old oak tree with its roots showing
Forest in fog
Canyon
Aurora over a lake
Storm cloud
Glacier
Kelp forest under water
Volcano erupting
River delta seen from above

Everyday Objects to Draw

Most of these are within arm’s reach right now, which makes them the fastest way to draw from life instead of from memory.

Mug
Pencil
Key
Balloon
Umbrella
Sock
Light bulb
Paper clip
Envelope
Teapot
Alarm clock
Pair of scissors
Hat
Sneaker
Toothbrush
Wristwatch
Flip-flop
Camera
Typewriter
Hourglass
Chess set mid-game
Record player
Backpack stuffed full
Tangled pair of headphones
Sewing kit
Toolbox
Stack of books
Pocket knife
Lava lamp
Rotary telephone
Wind chime
Grandfather clock
Chandelier
Sewing machine
Espresso machine
Bicycle leaning on a wall
Pipe organ
Motorcycle helmet
Watch with the back open
Cluttered desk seen from above

Cute Things to Draw

Big head, small body, two dots for eyes. Cute is a formula, and once you know it you can make anything cute.

Smiling cloud
Cat wearing a bow
Cupcake with a face
Chubby bee
Tiny mushroom house
Penguin in a scarf
Sleepy moon
Star with rosy cheeks
Bunny holding a carrot
Duck in a rain hat
Avocado with a smile
Kitten in a teacup
Puppy in a raincoat
Snowman with a striped scarf
Boba cup with a face
Hamster holding one seed
Chick hatching out of an egg
Cat loaf on a windowsill
Fox curled into a doughnut
Frog under a tiny umbrella
Corgi sitting in a bread basket
Panda eating a rice ball
Hedgehog carrying an apple
Shiba inu wearing a scarf
Sea otter holding a shell
Turtle with a plant on its shell
Bear cub in a honey pot
Raccoon with a stolen cookie
Axolotl in a jar
Sheep made of clouds
Narwhal in a party hat
Cat cafe on a rainy day
Shelf of tiny succulents
Row of animal-shaped bread
Pile of sleeping kittens
Cluttered hamster apartment
Vending machine full of plushies
Picnic with six animal friends
Cat riding a scooter through town
Bakery run entirely by mice

Fantasy Things to Draw

Nobody can tell you your dragon is anatomically wrong. That is the entire appeal of this section.

Wizard hat
Magic wand
Crown
Potion bottle
Treasure chest
Shooting star
Castle on a hill
Sword in a stone
Spellbook
Unicorn
Mermaid tail
Genie lamp
Fairy door in a tree
Crystal ball
Ring of toadstools
Flying carpet
Shield with a crest on it
Dragon curled around a tower
Knight in dented armor
Witch stirring a cauldron
Elf archer
Griffin
Phoenix rising out of ash
Troll under a bridge
Wizard's messy desk
Floating island with a waterfall
Mermaid combing her hair
Giant reading a tiny book
Goblin market stall
Talking tree
Ghost knight
Dragon in mid-flight
Underwater kingdom
Map of a world you invented
Wizard's tower cut in half
Duel between a knight and a wyvern
Throne room
Forest guarded by spirits
Sky city hanging on chains
Library with impossible staircases

People to Draw

The hardest category and the one that improves your drawing fastest. Start with hands and eyes, not whole bodies.

Stick figure family
Face with a big grin
Pair of eyes
Hand waving
Person under an umbrella
Self-portrait
Chef in a tall hat
Baby in a stroller
Kid on a swing
Person reading in bed
Clown
Pirate
Astronaut waving
Ballerina
Footballer mid-kick
Grandmother knitting
Skateboarder
Barista making latte art
Violinist mid-note
Surfer riding a wave
Detective in a long coat
Firefighter carrying a hose
Person walking six dogs at once
Street musician
Dancer in motion
Chef flipping a pancake
Librarian up a ladder
Cyclist in the rain
Boxer between rounds
Gardener with muddy hands
Child building a sandcastle
Crowd at a concert
Portrait in three-quarter view
Pair of hands holding a mug
Person seen from behind at a window
Family photo that went wrong
Market vendor mid-argument
Close-up of one eye
Person caught mid-laugh
Old pair of working hands

Places to Draw

Buildings teach you perspective by force. Begin with one small hut before you try a whole skyline.

House with a chimney
Tent
Lighthouse
Windmill
Bus stop
Front door with a wreath
Garden gate
Treehouse
Barn
Bridge over a stream
Beach hut
Corner shop
Park bench
Mailbox
Playground slide
Wishing well
Church steeple
Cozy bedroom corner
Bookshop from the inside
Greenhouse full of plants
Diner at night
Train platform
Narrow alley with laundry lines
Rooftop garden
Harbor full of small boats
Old library
Market street
Kitchen in the middle of cooking
Cabin in the snow
Attic full of boxes
Arcade lit by screens
City skyline at dusk
Cathedral from the inside
Canal in Venice
Abandoned amusement park
Village on a hillside
Subway station at rush hour
Castle courtyard
Airport terminal
Street corner in the rain

Vehicles to Draw

Wheels, boxes and cylinders. Vehicles look intimidating and are secretly the most geometric things on this page.

Paper plane
Hot air balloon
Sailboat
Bicycle
Skateboard
School bus
Tractor
Rowing boat
Wheelbarrow
Scooter
Canoe
Toy train
Roller skate
Kite
Hang glider
Raft
Unicycle
Vintage camper van
Steam locomotive
Fire engine
Submarine
Helicopter
Tuk-tuk
Cable car
Gondola
Food truck
Ice cream van
Monster truck
Tandem bicycle
Hovercraft
Double-decker bus
Motorcycle with a sidecar
Biplane doing a loop
Cargo ship
Race car mid-corner
Tall ship under full sail
Tram climbing a hill
Engine cutaway
Space shuttle on the launch pad
Car rusting in a junkyard

Space Things to Draw

Circles, stars and one very small astronaut. Space is where a black background does half of the work for you.

Crescent moon
Rocket
Planet with rings
Star
Flying saucer
Astronaut helmet
Comet
Satellite
Telescope
Alien with three eyes
Moon rover
Dog in a space suit
Constellation
Sun with a face
Meteor
Helmet with a plant growing inside
Small friendly robot
Astronaut floating on a tether
Space station
Alien market
Rover on red sand
Eclipse
Nebula
Landing pod
Control panel of a spaceship
Asteroid field
Greenhouse in orbit
Alien pet on a leash
Moon base under a dome
Cat in a space suit
Signal dish on a hill
Galaxy seen edge-on
Launch seen from the ground
Cockpit from the pilot's seat
Ringed planet seen from its moon
Derelict ship drifting
Diagram of the solar system
Black hole bending the light around it
Spacewalk to repair a panel
Alien city under a dome

Spooky Things to Draw

Halloween ideas that survive the rest of the year. Shadows hide anything you did not want to finish.

Ghost in a bedsheet
Jack-o'-lantern
Black cat with an arched back
Bat
Gravestone
Spider on its web
Candle burning low
Skull
Witch hat
Door that should stay shut
Cauldron
Mummy
Crow on a fence post
Cobweb in a corner
Eyeball in a jar
Doll with one eye open
Full moon behind clouds
Haunted house on a hill
Werewolf mid-change
Hand reaching out of the ground
Vampire's coffin
Swamp monster
Ghost ship
Scarecrow at dusk
Witch flying past the moon
Skeleton playing a piano
Raven holding a key
Graveyard gate
Monster under the bed
Shadow with nobody attached
Abandoned carnival ride
Crypt from the inside
Forest full of eyes
Gothic cathedral in a storm
Sea monster pulling down a ship
Mad scientist's laboratory
Dragon skeleton in a museum
Corridor that goes on too long
Portrait whose eyes follow you
Creature made of shadows

How to use a list this long without wasting the evening

Long lists have a failure mode: you read all of them, enjoy the reading, and draw none of them. The fix is to take the decision away from yourself. Press one of the buttons above, accept whatever it gives you, and set a timer — ten minutes for an easy idea, thirty for a hard one.

If you want the same thing without the scrolling, therandom drawing generator pulls from this exact list and can staple a silly twist onto the end of it. If you would rather have a fully built prompt — subject, style, mood and setting in one line — that is thedrawing prompt generator. And if there are other people in the room, the same ideas work as a game: someone draws, everyone else guesses.

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