Ever have one of those days when you find yourself Googling "what should I draw?" Or perhaps you’ve been working on line art, realistic portraits, or urban sketching, and you’d like to try a new style. These days, you might even be looking for cool drawing ideas to host a Zoom drawing party. 

Whether you’re an accomplished artist trying to hone new skills or a parent looking for cool drawing ideas for teenage girls or boys, get your creative juices flowing with this list of easy and cool drawing ideas for beginners and experts alike. 

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35 Cool and Easy Drawing Ideas

1. Draw a Face With One Continuous Line

Without taking the pen off the page, draw all the shapes that make up your subject.
Without taking the pen off the page, draw all the shapes that make up your subject.

The most important part of this kind of drawing is to keep the tip of your pen touching the paper at all times. The end result won’t be realistic, but your creativity may surprise you! 

2. Draw Lines Within Shapes

By simply using lines within shapes, you can create a series of cool easy drawings. 
By simply using lines within shapes, you can create a series of cool easy drawings. 

Making cool drawing ideas easy isn’t hard at all. Start with a circle shape, then create simple patterns by adding a few strategically placed lines.

3. Draw Patterned Leaves 

Practice drawing patterns inside a simple shape. 
Practice drawing patterns inside a simple shape. 

Draw the outline of a leaf, then make a series of repetitions that you can fill in with all sorts of patterns. 

4. Sketch Trees

Trees can be conveyed with a few strokes. 
Trees can be conveyed with a few strokes. 

Drawing trees might seem daunting if you focus on each little leaf, so instead, use quick, basic strokes to convey their overall shape. 

5. Draw a Taxonomy of Your Collections

Use drawing to keep a record of your most loved objects. 
Use drawing to keep a record of your most loved objects. 

Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification of things or concepts. Take your collection of pins, mugs, or caps, and draw them to make your own illustrated taxonomy. 

6. Draw Your Brain

Drawing can also be a tool for self-discovery. 
Drawing can also be a tool for self-discovery. 

How are you feeling right now? What do you spend time thinking about? Is anything worrying you? Use your answers to visually depict your brain as it is right now, or as you would like it to be. 

7. Draw Your Fears

An example of drawing your fears by Skillshare student Jorinde Van den Bosch. 
An example of drawing your fears by Skillshare student Jorinde Van den Bosch. 

Some people say that naming your fears is the first step towards overcoming them. What if you draw them instead?

Use Drawing as a Tool for Self-Discovery

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8. Draw What You Eat

Draw ingredients, produce, desserts, breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks.
Draw ingredients, produce, desserts, breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks.

Just like drawing your fears might help you banish them, drawing your food is a cool drawing idea for nurturing your relationship with food.

9. Draw Things Around the House

When using drawing prompts you can relax and draw without worrying about the outcome.
When using drawing prompts you can relax and draw without worrying about the outcome.

You don’t need to go far to find inspiration. Take this list of prompts, or just look around you, for plenty of cool easy drawing ideas.  

10. Draw a Monster From a Drop of Ink

An ink blot space dog by Skillshare student Larissa Colijn
An ink blot space dog by Skillshare student Larissa Colijn

Create a blobby shape by putting a drop of ink on the paper and blowing on it, moving the sheet around, or blotting it with a piece of paper. You can then add eyes, legs, antennae, or teeth to bring your monster to life. 

11. Create a Tiny World

Tiny worlds can be real or imaginary.
Tiny worlds can be real or imaginary.

Make up your own little worlds by adding a few extraterrestrial elements inside a triangle or circle. You can make as many of these as you’d like, finding new worlds to explore each time. 

12. Draw Your Dream Holiday

Skillshare student Yi Lin Cheng captured her dream holiday to Korea. 
Skillshare student Yi Lin Cheng captured her dream holiday to Korea. 

Create an original work of art inspired by a place you’ve visited in the past or want to in the future, and use drawing as a way to travel. 

13. Draw Your Ideal Cafe

A cafe can be a great source of inspiration.
A cafe can be a great source of inspiration.

What does your ideal cafe look like? Who goes there? What do they serve? When stuck for ideas, a cafe (real or imaginary) can be an excellent source of cool drawing ideas. 

14. Make a Creative Banner

Choose an inspiring word to create this illustration. 
Choose an inspiring word to create this illustration. 

Pick a word that brings out positive feelings within you, and then brainstorm images that remind you of that word. With those objects in mind, draw your word inside a banner and then build a composition around it. Positive state of mind: guaranteed. 

15. Draw Faces Using Simple Shapes

Using basic shapes, you can create all sorts of faces. 
Using basic shapes, you can create all sorts of faces. 

Create an endless array of characters by using just nine basic shapes. 

16. Draw a Self-Portrait

Skillshare student Poppy Rosselot captures herself in this lovely self-portrait. 
Skillshare student Poppy Rosselot captures herself in this lovely self-portrait. 

Limiting your palette to three colors, try to capture your essence by focusing on your most defining features. 

17. Practice Drawing Eyes

You can add an infinite amount of variations to your eye drawings, as shown by Skillshare student Pam Martin. 
You can add an infinite amount of variations to your eye drawings, as shown by Skillshare student Pam Martin. 

Power up your character illustrations by learning how to draw all kinds of different shapes and styles of eyes. 

18. Sketch Manga Faces

Examples of manga faces from Sensei ’s Skillshare class for beginners. 
Examples of manga faces from Sensei’s Skillshare class for beginners. 

Calling all anime fans! If you’ve always wanted to learn how to draw like your favorite artists, practice drawing the perfect manga face.  

19. Fill a Page With Doodles About Yourself

Fill that dreaded blank page with some doodles about yourself. 
Fill that dreaded blank page with some doodles about yourself. 

This is a great way to start a new sketchbook. Start by drawing yourself in the center, then fill the page in with doodles of your favorite objects, hobbies, pets, or anything else that makes you, you. 

20. Draw Cute Animals

A cute bat by Skillshare student Anne-Lieke Struijk.
A cute bat by Skillshare student Anne-Lieke Struijk.

According to artist and Skillshare instructor Yasmina, you can make any animal cute by exaggerating and simplifying its features.

21. Mix Up Your Animals

Draw the head of one animal and add other animals’ body parts to make up a new creature. 
Draw the head of one animal and add other animals’ body parts to make up a new creature. 

Instead of just drawing your favorite animal, take parts of different animals and come up with a world of fantastical creatures!

22. Hand-Letter Your Favorite Animal 

Cats Are Cool”, by Skillshare student Denis S. 
Cats Are Cool”, by Skillshare student Denis S. 

Trace the outline of your favorite animal and fill it up with a word or phrase, making sure the letters fit snugly into the shape. 

23. Draw a Sea Monster

Skillshare teacher Ira Marcks shares his “Allimingo” sea monster. 
Skillshare teacher Ira Marcks shares his “Allimingo” sea monster. 

Sea monsters were all the rage in the early 15th century maps. Create your own by thinking of its personality, location, and abilities, and determining how to best express them. 

24. Draw a Simple Comic

Student Huong Vu used the improv techniques from John McNamee’s Skillshare class to make a comic.
Student Huong Vu used the improv techniques from John McNamee’s Skillshare class to make a comic.

Create your own comic by coming up with a funny situation that can be told in four panels. 

25. Draw a Skull

Skull sketches by student Lola 232, from Skillshare instructor Jon Brommet’s class.  
Skull sketches by student Lola 232, from Skillshare instructor Jon Brommet’s class.  

If you learn the basics of how to make a skull, you will have endless possibilities for cool drawings: realistic, scary, stylized, sugar skulls, comic-style, and downright silly!

26. Turn Fashion Into Art

A drawing inspired by a real fashion collection, by Skillshare student Kara Endres. 
A drawing inspired by a real fashion collection, by Skillshare student Kara Endres. 

Fashion illustration is an artistic way to interpret and portray garment designs. Practice drawing your own clothes, your dream wardrobe, or your favorite designer’s latest collection.   

27. Draw a Botanical Mandala

Finished project by Skillshare student Laura Pearson. 
Finished project by Skillshare student Laura Pearson. 

Despite its apparent complexity, you can create beautiful mandalas by following a pattern based on shapes from nature. 

28. Make a Floral Composition

Practice drawing nature while improving your eye for composition. 
Practice drawing nature while improving your eye for composition. 

Make floral ink drawings from reference or from your imagination, and cut out the pieces to play around with creative composition. 

29. Experiment With Flourish

Enhance your designs and lettering with traditional flourish techniques. 
Enhance your designs and lettering with traditional flourish techniques. 

One cool and easy way to transform your doodles into design and lettering tools is by practicing basic flourish techniques. 

30. Draw Letters

A snapshot of Skillshare instructor Rylsee ’s sketch work from his hand lettering class.
A snapshot of Skillshare instructor Rylsee’s sketch work from his hand lettering class.

Lettering is also a form of drawing. Get creative and try hand lettering as a fun way to communicate with the world. 

31. Make Season-Themed Drawings

Think of objects, places and feelings related to a season and fill up the page. 
Think of objects, places and feelings related to a season and fill up the page. 

Spring, summer, fall and winter. So many cool drawing ideas from four simple words. 

32. Create a Personalized Greeting Card

Use old books, magazines, and paper cuttings to make a personalized greeting card.
Use old books, magazines, and paper cuttings to make a personalized greeting card.

Think of your favorite person and make them a special drawing using materials, images, and words that remind you of them. 

33. Build a Doodle Library

Student Shweta Pathak’s doodle library
Student Shweta Pathak’s doodle library

What better way to find cool and easy drawing ideas than by creating your own doodle library? Not only will you improve your skills, but you’ll also have an endless supply of inspiration for future drawing projects. 

34. Transform Your Sketch Nine Times

Find new compositions by transforming your original sketch a few times. 
Find new compositions by transforming your original sketch a few times. 

Start by sketching any object you like and proceed to make nine iterations of it, where you focus on patterns, details, or shapes to end up with something completely unique each time.

35. Draw With Your Friends 

Drawing can be a fun activity to do with friends. 
Drawing can be a fun activity to do with friends. 

Drawing doesn’t necessarily have to be a solitary pursuit. Host a drawing party, and ask each participant to share their own cool and easy drawing ideas!

Bonus: Try Creative Drawing Prompts

Whether you just want to keep drawing or you're looking to level up your skills, here are five prompts to spark your inner artist and keep the drawing inspiration going.

Want More Drawing Ideas?

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Written By

Maria Elisa Gómez

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