Things to Draw

Things to Draw – Best Inspirational Tips 2021

We’ve collected our favourite Things to Draw in one article so you don’t need to go looking or wait for the Muse to visit you! We’ve made sure that each drawing idea has multiple options so you’re really getting lots of value out of your drawing ideas!

Please enjoy, go create, and don’t forget to sign up to our email list so we can let you know about our new blogposts!

Table of Contents

Things to Draw

1 Your Mobile Phone

2 A Dog

3 A Cat

4 A Shoe

5 A Mug of Coffee

6 A Glass of Wine

7 Candles

8 Something Jazzy

9 Flowers

10 Beaches

11 Tin Cans

12 Stringed Instruments

13 Clothing

14 Horses

15 Cars

16 Different Hairstyles

17 A Coin

18 A Gun

19 A Sword

20 A Monster

21 A Skull

22 A Chair

23 Birds

24 Jewellery

25 A Bar of Soap

26 A Bicycle

27 Vintage Photos

28 Old Toys

29 Old Portrait Photos

30 Cartoon Characters

1 Things to Draw – Your Mobile Phone

This is a really easy one to start with, as few of us are ever without our phones. You may even be reading this post on your phone, so why not put it down and draw it?

The reflections on the screen alone are an interesting challenge, and you can draw the back or the front. Or both!

2 Things to Draw – A Dog

If you have your own dog then this is a no-brainer. Even if you don’t all you have to do is get a cute picture of one from Pinterest or Google Images. It can be a cartoon one or a more realistic one if you’re up to the challenge.

Things to Draw – A Dog

Getting the proportions right will improve your skills no end.

3 Things to Draw – A Cat

This leads us on naturally to drawing a cat. Again try a cartoon cat or a more real life drawing.

Things to Draw – A Cat

4 Things to Draw – A Shoe

A great way to challenge yourself is to try drawing a shoe. It isn’t as easy as it sounds. You could try one that you are wearing or someone else’s. It can be trainers, boots, high heels or whatever footwear you like!

5 Things to Draw – A Mug of Coffee

For many of us a morning coffee is a crucial part of the day. Why not draw it? Especially if you have a cool favourite mug.

6 Things to Draw – A Glass of Wine

This leads on very naturally to drawing another beverage, hopefully one you drink in the evening this time! A wineglass, empty or otherwise is great drawing idea.

Trying to capture what the light does on the glass and what you can see through the other side in a distorted way, is brilliant practice.

Things to Draw – Wine Glass Drawing

7 Things to Draw – Candles

Candles are another fantastic drawing idea, especially in a dark room allowing you to draw the light around the candle as well. This one is particularly good if you have an attractive candle holder or can find a nice picture of one. Perhaps even an antique one.

8 Things to Draw – Something Jazzy

This is one of our favourite drawing ideas. Jazz and art have always enjoyed a close relationship so why not draw a jazz instrument? A saxophone or trumpet are the most obvious but a trombone could work really well too.

Another idea could be something abstract based on jazz – think Kandinsky, musical notes and abstract instruments here.

9 Things to Draw – Flowers

Obvious for sure but still a great drawing idea. Obvious ideas would be peonies, roses and chrysanthemums but we would encourage you to think beyond and perhaps try something a little different.

Things to Draw – Flowers

10 Things to Draw – Beaches

Why not try drawing a beach? Beaches come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are sandy, some are made up of pebbles, some have sand dunes. The list goes on. Try drawing a beach near you, or even better imagine your own perfect beach.

11 Things to Draw – Tin Cans

Think about your favourite drink – Coke, Pepsi, Budweiser etc and draw the can crushed in different ways. This is a really personal one as it could be a soft drink can, a beer can, even a tin of sparkling water. Choose your poison. You can have fun with this by crushing the can to left or right, or even squashing it into itself from top to bottom.

Things to Draw – Tin Cans

12 Things to Draw – Stringed Instruments

We’ve already mentioned jazz instruments, but stringed instruments are a great option too. Guitars work really well for drawing ideas, but ukuleles and mandolins create a completely different vibe and are a little more unique. Violins, violas and cellos are excellent drawing ideas too.

Things to Draw – Ukulele

13 Things to Draw – Clothing

Yes we are heading in the direction of fashion here but drawing clothes is excellent practice even if you don’t want to be a fashion designer. Every artist has some sort of clothing that helps define them, be it hats, scarves, shirts, skirts or coats. Getting the shading and shape right takes skill and effort.

14 Things to Draw – Horses

Horses are a really beautiful animal that many an artist has been captured by. There are many options for drawing – a horse running, a horse standing still or a horse and rider. A more abstract drawing is always a great drawing idea too.

Things to Draw – Horses

15 Things to Draw – Cars

Whether you want to do a cartoon car or something more realistic this is a really good drawing idea. You could even draw your perfect imaginary car – perhaps based on an electric car you might drive on the moon, like a Tesla.

16 Things to Draw – Different Hairstyles

Few things define an era like a hairstyle. You could draw the hairstyle of the person next to you on the bus or train, or you could sketch the bob style of the 1920’s. These days the feminist fringe might be more your style. Go crazy with it and have fun!

17 Things to Draw – A Coin

Why not go ahead and draw a coin? It could be a coin from hundreds of years ago or one that has been minted recently. Again, coins define certain eras, as well as countries. Use your own or search up a worthy picture of a coin on Google or Pinterest.

18 Things to Draw – A Gun

Not that we support violence in any way, but a gun is an unavoidable thing to draw for comics, films, novels, and anime to name but a few. You could go crazy and imagine your own futuristic sci-fi gun, or one that a cowboy or cowgirl might happily use. Try a rifle, a revolver, handgun or even ray-gun. You could even invent your own weapon for whatever context suits you.

19 Things to Draw – A Sword

From guns to swords and back again, we would definitely recommend learning how to draw weapons (though not use them in real life!) as they are part and parcel of so many contexts for drawing. No-one can deny the appeal of learning how to draw a samurai sword, or even some sort of dagger. This drawing idea could keep you going for a very long time!

20 Things to Draw – A Monster

Okay so it’s one of the most broad drawing ideas but we all need more monsters to draw in our lives. Consider Frankenstein, Werewolves, Vampires, Bigfoot or whatever works for you!

21 Things to Draw – A Skull

Yes we know it sounds a bit morbid, but drawing a skull is a basic skill for every artist. Find one in Google Images, a museum or somewhere safe… Don’t kill anyone or anything to help with this one! A sheep’s skull, a goat’s skull or something similar is a stable in most Art Departments in school. You could find one prettily easily, or better yet search Pinterest!

22 Things to Draw – A Chair

This one is a favourite with us because it presents lots of possibilities. You could draw an armchair, a fancy dining room chair, a bedroom chair or even a small child’s chair. Go crazy with this and find your own favourite chair to draw, or imagine what your perfect chair might look like – complete with manoeuvrability, drinks holder or whatever suits you.

23 Things to Draw – Birds

This is a really open-ended drawing idea – you could draw anything from a sparrow to an eagle. The feathers are a particular challenge and this exercise will help you become a better artist in so many different ways.

24 Things to Draw – Jewellery

Find a piece of jewellery that you really love and draw it. It could be a ring, an earring, a bracelet, or even a necklace. Imagine where the light source in your drawing might be and showcase that sparkle in your drawing.

25 Things to Draw – A Bar Of Soap

This is a surprising thing to draw but somehow it works. We use soap every day (hopefully!) but it can be an excellent thing to draw. You might even want to include a few soap bubbles too!

26 Things to Draw – A Bicycle

A lot of people love to cycle so don’t miss out on this possibility for drawing. Cycling is great exercise but drawing a bike is also a great exercise!

27 Things to Draw – Vintage Photos

This is a really great way to improve your drawing, and it might even leave you smiling. Find some of your old photos, family ones or if that is too painful, photos of past holidays are perfect. Do your best to convert them into a drawing, and enjoy the nostalgia!

28 Things to Draw – Old Toys

We all have old toys lying around that don’t have any monetary value so why not draw them? From Transformers to My Little Pony, drawing ideas abound.

29 Things to Draw – Old Portrait Photos

One of the best drawing ideas we could think of would be old photos of people’s faces. It could be your grandmother or a famous face from the past. Whatever way you look at it drawing faces is a difficult but rewarding experience, and it will help you improve your drawing no end.

30 Things to Draw – Cartoon Characters

What could be more fun than drawing your favourite cartoon characters? All you need is to find some pictures on Google Images, whether it be Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny or a character from the Simpsons, or Rick and Morty. This is always fun. Every time.