50 Drawing Practice Prompts to Beat Artist's Block

How to use these prompts

Prompts remove one of the biggest obstacles to practice: deciding what to draw. Treat them as invitations, not assignments. Skip any you dislike, change them freely, and use whatever materials you have. If you want to try something new, our guides to the best pencils for drawing and colored pencils can help you choose.

A few ideas for getting more from them:

• Set a short timer, such as 10 minutes, so the task feels light.
• Pick one thing to practice, such as line control or proportion. Our guide to how to improve at drawing suggests several.
• Date your pages so you can look back later.
• If a prompt feels hard, shrink it. Draw one part rather than the whole.

Warm-up and skill-building prompts

1. Fill a page with straight lines drawn from the shoulder, elbow and wrist.
2. Draw rows of circles, aiming for consistent size.
3. Draw a dot, then draw lines that pass through it from different directions.
4. Draw a cube, a cylinder and a sphere, then rotate each and draw it again.
5. Do a continuous-line drawing of a mug without lifting your pen.
6. Draw your hand using only contour lines.
7. Make a value scale with five steps from light to dark.
8. Fill a grid of small squares with different marks and patterns.
9. Draw a simple object using your non-dominant hand.
10. Draw the shapes of the empty space around a chair.

Observation and everyday-life prompts

11. Your breakfast, as it is on the table.
12. The view out of the nearest window.
13. Your shoes, from two different angles.
14. A single leaf, drawn carefully.
15. The contents of your bag or pocket.
16. A houseplant, focusing on the overall shape first.
17. Your desk exactly as messy as it is.
18. A piece of fruit, then the same fruit cut open.
19. A kitchen utensil in an interesting position.
20. Three small items from your day, as a mini visual diary.
21. A person reading, in quick gesture sketches.
22. A pet or a bird, in several 30-second poses.

Imaginative and playful prompts

23. Combine two animals into one new creature.
24. An everyday object with a surprising extra feature.
25. A house for a very small character.
26. A door that leads somewhere unexpected.
27. Make a scribble, then find a picture hidden in it.
28. A robot designed to do one ordinary chore.
29. A tree with a secret.
30. Your favorite food as a character.
31. A city on the back of a large animal.
32. A fantasy character’s accessories, such as a hat or boots.
33. A creature from a story you loved as a child. Try elf ears if you want a small fantasy detail to practice.

Mood, place and story prompts

34. How a rainy day feels, without drawing rain.
35. A cozy corner you would like to be in.
36. A quiet street at night.
37. The place you feel calmest, drawn from memory.
38. A weather scene using only five lines.
39. Something you are looking forward to.
40. A scene from a dream you remember.

Challenge prompts

41. Draw the same object in three different styles.
42. Redraw your favorite page from an older sketchbook.
43. Draw something using only dots.
44. Limit yourself to three marks per object and see how much you can suggest.
45. Draw a still life with a pen. If you need subject ideas for that, see our pen drawing ideas.
46. Pick a random word from a book and draw it.
47. Draw a familiar object from memory, then check it against the real one.
48. Spend 20 minutes on one small subject, adding detail slowly.
49. Draw the ugliest page you can, on purpose, to loosen up.
50. Make a list of your own five prompts and draw the first one.

Where else to find ideas

• Keep a running list in your phone of things that catch your eye.
• Use a dice or random word list to choose subjects.
• Look through your own photos for references.
• Try a themed month, such as plants for a month or hands for a month. Painters can take a similar approach with daily painting challenges.

What should I draw to practice?

Anything you can observe directly is good practice, because drawing from life trains looking. Beyond that, choose what you enjoy. A habit built around subjects you like is easier to maintain than one built around subjects you think you should draw. If drawing feels discouraging, our article on why drawing feels so hard may help.