Are you a beginner artist looking for drawing ideas to help jumpstart your creativity? From characters to animals to still life, there are tons of fun and inspiring ideas for starting or furthering your artistic journey.
Whether you're just beginning or already have experience with art and want new ideas, we've got plenty of inspiration to get you excited about your drawings! Read on to discover some great ideas perfect for beginners!
Simple Ideas for You to Sketch and Draw
When thinking about cool drawing ideas and things to draw, you must decide how you wish to draw and develop your drawing skills and present your subject.
Focus on simple drawing ideas such as basic objects, Drawing prompts, and line drawing. Here is a to-do list you can try straight away.
Still Life Objects
Draw an Egg
Alternatively, draw a set of eggs in a bowl. This is a practical way to draw an egg with a soft-grade graphite pencil. Focus on outlining and representing the three-dimensional form of the egg and developing your graduated shading skills.
Sketch a Feather
Cool drawing ideas of a feather that focuses on detailing the individual parts and details. Use a fine line; they represent the different parts of the feather.
Apple or a Piece of Fruit
An apple can be drawn in several ways. One method is a blind contour pencil drawing of the outline or contour of the apple. An alternative approach is to draw a bowl of fruit where different shapes can be overlapped; I love these ideas.
Create a Cubist Still Life
If you are interested in drawing ideas of still life, consider completing a Cubist drawing of still life. Reduce the subject's basic geometric shapes and draw it from alternative viewpoints.
Drawing ideas for Keys
This is another simple option if you consider developing a range of drawing styles. Continuous line drawing or focusing on the negative spaces within a composition drawing and exploring the subject.
A Pair of Shoes
A continuous line drawing could be used to draw a pair of shoes. Focus on different ways to draw shapes and rhythms created by the shoes' lases and draw the fine detail on the surface of worn leather. Read this drawing tutorial.
Table Lamp or Light Bulb
Learn to draw in your sketchbook a shaded drawing that focuses on dark values of tone created by the cast shadows of a table lamp on a table. Try drawing the form of the objects and the cast shadows formed by a table lamp.
Pair of Boots
This subject can take the form of a complete pencil drawing of the surface of worn leather boots. Center on representing the flaws of the exterior. Or the leather, the cords, and any covering marks when applying the tone in graphite.
Draw a Bookshelf
A bookshelf is a mundane everyday object which could take the form of an easy pencil study. Organize and position the books in various ways to create visual interest. Books can be neatly stacked or leaned next to each other to create rhythm.
Still Life With Bottles
This traditional subject can be developed using various drawing methods and techniques. Using the table's base for stability and organizing the basic shapes of the objects. Contour drawing or tonal sketching can be used to draw this subject. Watch my drawing tutorial in the video above.
Draw Children's Toys
Drawing ideas based on imaginative shapes and bright colors, children's toys are an excellent choice for a drawing that incorporates color in different mediums. Color Pencils or Conte crayons are excellent choices for developing your drawings.
Use Watercolor to Draw a Piece of Cake
Drawing ideas that children love to learn to draw are cupcakes or slices of cake can be created in mixed media and tonal techniques. This is an easy drawing that children will enjoy in a mixed-media collage with colored pencils.
A Pair of Glasses
Mundane and straightforward glasses or spectacles are perfect for producing easy blind contour or cross-contour drawings. Focus on conveying the shape of the frame, lens, and glass. Also, look at the reflections on the lens.
Draw a Table Top
Tabletops are a recurring theme in the tradition of still life.
They are perfect for arranging different objects, from flowers to bottles and jugs. These ideas are suitable for linear drawings in a variety of techniques.
Train
Children's toys can offer great motivation for studies and sketches with color.
Concentrate on rendering with colored pencils. These are ideal as they can be layered and blended to create impressive results if you are new to rendering in color pencil.
Saxophone
Musical instruments are particularly adept at creating excellent drawing compositions acquired from simplified shapes or combinations of forms. This would make great inspiration for flowing linear drawings in pen or ink.
Guitar
Continuing with the theme of musical inspiration and linear drawings. When positioned in various ways, the guitar would make an excellent source of inspiration for a Cubist composition or a tonal drawing. Focus on overlapping shapes and integrated viewpoints.
Volin
Violins are excellent objects for modeling shape and form with shade and tint.
Use willow charcoal or a graphite stick to draw and emphasize the shape and style of the violin from various viewpoints.
Vase with Flowers
Flowers are an excellent subject because you can quickly and readily incorporate ‘mistakes' into your drawing without drastically affecting the result.
Glass filled with Watercolor Paint
As a beginner, you must focus on a basic observational drawing of multiple and observed ellipses.
Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree is seasonal, and many people choose to draw during the festive season.
You can use several basic drawing methods to represent a simple tree.
The simplest way of being a triangle is drawn on top of a tree trunk. Details can then be added to the drawing to enhance its overall appearance.
Paintbrushes
You can focus on arranging the paintbrushes in different positions in this drawing. Upright, flat, or arranged in odd combinations, paintbrushes, both large and small, make an excellent source of inspiration for drawing.
Unfolded Laundry
The creases and the folding of clothing and garments can make it a valid subject to draw. Look at and observe the shadows created by the various layers, textures, and surfaces to create drawings in various media.
Chess Piece
A chess piece is an excellent drawing idea for a tonal-shaded picture. Shade and value can be applied to the chess piece to describe the object's shape.
Dramatic lighting can also create a strong use of directional shadows. You can also juxtapose different parts to create negative space and an interplay between the various chess pieces.
Draw an Old Arm Chair
The character of an old worn piece of furniture will make an excellent choice for a tonal study or a colored pencil drawing. The Details of texture and color can be combined to create a picture from direct observation.
Easy Cupcake Sketch
As a teacher, the subject of cake and sweets can enthuse a class of young children. Make color and decoration the focus of your drawing. This subject is also great for developing mixed media drawings with texture and color paper.
Draw a Hot Air Baloon
This relatively easy drawing idea will allow you to develop skills in basic outline shapes and forms.
Simple Ideas for Beginners: Ideas of People
Drawing ideas for adults looking to develop their portrait drawing skills.
Draw an Eye
Learn to draw the basic underlying form of the eye. Progress on adding more detail on paper or in a sketchbook. Focus on pupils and iris. Practice drawing with a realistic eye by focusing on the details of shading and detail through observation while drawing.
Tear Drop
One of the best ideas and things to draw is a basic drawing of a teardrop. Progress may be on the more complex subject of drawing a teardrop.
Learn to Draw Simple Comic Book Characters.
Create a simple, easy sketch of a comic book character. Begin with a simple character.
Human Head with Hair
Practice drawing hair the right way by drawing the form of the hair. Apply tone, shade, and exceptional detail to create a more realistic effect.
Person Swimming
This is a complex subject for the beginner to attempt, so only do so when you are confident to try it. Focus on the waves, splashes, and water ripples to create the illusion of somebody swimming.
Pop Art Portrait
Look at the portraits of Lichenstein or Warhol and create a vivid portrait. A simple portrait using flat bold primary color with a bold line outline.
Draw a Skull
The human skull can be drawn in many ways. Start to draw basic shapes and apply shading, lines, and tones. The skull is a powerful symbol with connotations relating to life and death. Skulls with flowers, skulls as tattoos.
Cubist Portrait
If you have become competent at drawing portraits from direct observation, an alternative option could be to make a Cubist Portrait. It is a place to start your design by drawing it from different angles, overlaying, and integrating the different angles. Once you are satisfied with the overall design, add tone and shading.
Lips
Easy things to draw include the face, generally drawn and interpreted in various styles.
If you want to develop and create a portrait, it is worth drawing the lips in graphite in isolation. Learn how to draw the underlying form of different aspects of the lips.
Person Writing
Drawing people or figure drawing is one of the more challenging subjects, such as hands and portraiture, for the beginner to master. However, if you are determined to learn to draw the human form, drawing it in different poses and positions is well worth trying.
A Person Climbing a Tree
Furthermore, progressing with your figure drawing should include progressively drawing more challenging poses. Action poses are an excellent way to achieve this, with a person running or climbing offering an ideal subject.
Reclining Figure or Person
The reclining figure is a recurring theme that has been explored in various artistic mediums, from drawing, paintings, and the sculptures and carvings of Henry Moore throughout history.
If you want to develop your figure drawing using different poses, this is another option you should consider.
Figure drawing and drawing people are also ideal for trying new techniques such as pastels or charcoal drawings.
Person Sitting on a Chair
This is another alternative pose that, when broken down and reduced to its purest form, will make an ideal pose for the beginner who is new to drawing people.
Old Person Face
Drawing expressive faces is a great way to add expression to your portraits. Old people, in particular, offer a great subject to draw in terms of the lines of expression and the shape of their facial features. Hackney's portrait of his mother is an excellent example of how to draw an old lady.
Drawing Ideas of People
A Famous Person From History
Continue with the cool drawing theme of portraiture to draw a portrait of any famous person. Your portrait can be stylized, such as a Pop Art portrait using bold lines and vivid background colors.
Happy Clown
Clowns can be a controversial character to draw. As for drawing ideas, people either love it or hate it. One exciting idea here is the draw a self-portrait. Using a mirror and makeup, dress up as a clown and create a vivid depiction of yourself using a colored pencil or watercolor.
Scary Clown
You can take the idea of drawing a clown on a stage further by drawing a creepy clown by changing the appearance of the makeup and the features of the face.
Baby
Learning to draw the proportions of the human body and portraiture is a critical skill that all graphite artists need to become adept at. Illustrating the portions of children, in particular, differs from that of a fully grown adult.
So attempt to draw a cute baby portrait either from direct observation or drawing from a secondary source. Focus on achieving the correct proportions of the head and face and portray this accurately through your drawings.
Draw a Girl
Drawing portraits of children can be great for development as a portrait artist. Again, use this exercise to draw the proportions of the head and face.
Draw a Boy
This could be drawing a young boy's face or a petite boy playing. Focus on portraying the character of the child through your drawing. This can be achieved with a detailed observational drawing or a linear drawing.
Drawing an Old Man
Drawing ideas based on portraiture can be challenging in the level of detail conveyed on the face of an older person.
Focus on the conventional idea of the features and head and concentrate on the character of the face. The personality is expressed through the drawing of peculiar characteristics and wrinkles.
Old Woman
Often the characteristics of the male and female facial features can appear quite different. So in this representation, learn to draw by solely conveying the feminine features of your portrait.
Two People Kissing
Trying to portray two characters instead of one is tricky to draw when sketching portraits. Drawing two kissing people will be challenging if you are looking for a challenge. Think about positioning heads relative to each other and combining characteristics and tone.
Boxer
Action figures and characters are fantastic drawing subjects to draw and generate ideas.
Focus on the location and posture of the figures you have decided to imitate in your sketch to create a more compelling sense of movement in your pictures.
As with all action figures reducing them to their purest basic form and shapes will make drawing the human form much more straightforward.
Learn How to Draw a Judo Champion
If you have attempted to draw an individual action figure, then it is reasonable that you may wish to develop your drawing skills in a more advanced manner.
Drawing a pair of judo figures is just such a challenge. Begin by drawing the contour of each individual character, depending on the level and amount of detail you wish to add tone and value to your drawings.
Finally, drawing draw speed or motion lines to create the illusion of moving action figures. For more information about drawing speed lines, read this post, How to draw speed lines in pen.
Person Running or Sprinting
These action figures concentrate on how to draw action and motion lines step by step. Additionally, you can draw movement by depicting motion shapes and blurs to develop dynamic effects in your compositions.
Native Indian
Drawing figures and portraiture of indigenous civilizations past and present can result in the reproduction of remarkable representations and drawings. Focus on costume, hair, and makeup to create compelling portraits.
Draw Anime male
Look for inspiration from popular anime series such as Demon Slayer or the video game Genshin Impact. Male anime characters you can sketch include Tartaglia or Zanitsu. Read my blog post: 10 Amazing Anime Guy Drawings That Will Inspire You.
Draw Anime Hair
You can instantly recognize bangs in a hairstyle that defines how the front portion of hair covers the forehead. There are many different bangs' hairstyles based on the shape of a person’s head, which can tell a lot about the personality of a drawn character.
Create a blind contour drawing a Hand
To create a simple blind contour drawing of the hand in different positions. You will need to begin a chosen method that will supply you with an uncomplicated process for drawing them. Study this drawing tutorial. For additional information, read my post, How to Draw Hands Step by Step.
Draw a Self-Portrait
Self-portraits can be created in various styles, employing various materials and techniques.
Using a mirror, you can create a unique self-portrait in graphite, colored pencil, or charcoal.
Consider your viewpoint and situation and how this will ultimately affect your completed drawing.
Do you want to draw a close-up viewpoint or the whole face? Mark a point on the mirror to help position your pose when moving away from the mirror.
Draw a Caricature
A convenient way to produce a caricature of a famous person is to find a photograph and practice drawing the features of the face under a strict time limit.
A caricature is usually drawn quickly under a limit of two or three minutes, so you will need to become familiar with your subject before and while drawing it.
Concentrate on illustrating the characteristic peculiarities of the individual, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, on creating the likeness you are trying to resemble.
Develop Your Drawing Skills: Nature & landscape
The Surface of Water
Drawing Water Wave Landscape drawing ideas that can be attempted in several ways. Producing a shaded drawing or an oil pastel are both sympathetic techniques for depicting reflections, waves, and ripples.
Draw a Water Wave
The power of the sea is a subject many artist have depicted through their artwork. Through the drawing of simple waves or multiple wave shapes on paper.
Garden Scene
If you want to represent nature or the scenery through your art but need access to a scenic viewpoint, consider creating an illustration of a garden scene.
Try to combine all of the different components in the garden, such as wildflowers, bushes, and more important details, such as trees, if the garden has them.
Create Drawing of Trees
Deciduous trees during winter offer particular characteristics to draw, with a labyrinth of exposed forks, branches, and twigs contrasting with the stark winter sky.
Here is a subject fitting for portraying in various materials, such as charcoal, graphite, or conite crayon. Watch this tutorial in the video below.
Tree Covered in Snow
Continue with the literal or natural representation of wintertime trees. Consider a dark winter landscape with snow-covered buildings and trees.
A Scene from a Shop or Cafe
Urban scenery or a cityscape gives the artist many choices to work from. A cafe scene is a typical street scene full of various ideas and people going about everyday business.
Scenic Viewpoint
Unearthing great locations to draw is relatively easy for people prepared to visit or access the country. Watch out for scenes that combine the various characteristics of the landscape, the horizon, and streams.
These features can all be orchestrated to create striking compositions. For further information.
The View Through a Doorway
Many accomplished and famous artists have chosen to explore viewpoints through their drawings. Use the doorway as a frame to enclose the contents of the picture space and entice the viewers' eyes to focus on the picture plane.
Shooting Star in Outer Space
The detailed drawing of outer space shooting stars elicits movement and the enchantment of space and the heavens. This is a fantastic subject for younger children to draw and explore, helping them strengthen their creativity and drawing skills.
Palm Tree
Many people frequently search for how to draw a palm tree, as it seems strikingly different from an ordinary tree, especially considering that the tree's crown comprises many-layered slices of leaves.
Animals
Dragon Drawing
Interested in depicting fantasy creatures through art? Dragon in color pencil where specific colors can be layered and blended. Focus on the scales around the dragon's eye and the head of the dragon's eye itself.
Eagle
The eagle is the most popular of all the birds of prey that people choose to illustrate. This is a perfect subject for graphic illustrators contemplating a photo-realistic illustration of a bird of prey.
Penguin
Illustrations of polar scenes are ideal for exploring the visual effects of cool and cold colors in colored pencils.
Horse
The drawing of moving animals is a favorite subject for many people, and if you are looking for a suitable one, a moving horse is an excellent choice.
Pet
A favorite pet, past or present, is also chosen if you want to learn to draw from a secondary source. This is an excellent way to produce an accurate reproduction of a photograph.
Zebra
Zebras make an excellent image of a moving animal. This is also a great way to practice depicting motion or speed lines in your pictures if you want to develop this aspect of your art.
Tiger
Draw a portrait of a tiger's head, and concentrate on the features of the closed head up. Remember to draw from a secondary reference, as depicting a tiger close up from life is probably not advisable!
Monkey
Monkey portrait has a certain charm; you can find many in the national geographic Encylopedia.
Simple drawing of a Lion
The extraordinary grace of the King of the jungle makes it an excellent choice for illustrative artists looking to produce illustrations of animals.
Leopard Face
This is a fantastic idea for a detailed colored pencil image of the leopard's head. Again focus on the proportions of the face and head and progress on applying detail.
Goldfish
Fish and goldfish, in particular, offer an elegant and decorative subject to study and draw. Focus and concentrate on the fish's form as the fish's fins and tailpieces, as these make excellent topics to represent and render in your artwork.
Shark
Staying with an aquatic theme and fish and sharks are favorite subjects which young children. The grid method is easy to draw sharks by depicting the different parts of the shark step by step.
