I don’t know what to draw!!!
Don’t think you lacking imagination or creativity, if you don’t know what to draw. You simply had other things in your mind. That is why I am happy to share with you some tips on how to get inspired. You will be sketching away in no time!
How to find inspiration for drawing
1. Get inspired by your fantastic Everyday Life
Our Everyday is filled with interesting subjects to draw.
Let’s play a little game… Right now, wherever you are – STOP and get a pen and a piece of paper. ………..Done?
1.Write down the objects that are closest to you. I got my computer, a cup of tea, my wallet, a bit further away and some headphones are spread across the table..
2.Look for some patterns close by. I have a kitchen towel with cat motifs and a table runner with lines on it.
3. Texte – In what mood are you? What day is it? Are you listening to some music? It is a Wednesday afternoon, I am alone at home in my kitchen, it is quiet and the sky is grey. (adding some text could be fun too)
You might read this article sitting in a bus, in front of TV, ..wherever it is, there is a story to tell and great potential for many drawings.
For exampl; You could take your list now and turn it into a simple line drawing, adding some patterns and text, that alone would make a wonderful testimonial of your day and an interesting creation. The point is not to do a masterpiece but to collect ideas!
Drawing everyday life is so inspiring because it makes us pay attention and honor our Extraordinary Ordinary life.
2 . Draw what you love
There are times for me I only wanted to paint faces. At the moment I like to illustrate things. I have a student who could paint horses all the time. We have this obsession and then suddenly we move on to something else. If you do not have a favorite subject yet, just think of something you really love…nature, flowers, people, or your favorite pet, or maybe your mug collection?
3. You have no idea what to draw – Improve your skills
Don’t we all have skills that we want to improve…I would like to learn more about illustration or drawing portraits from profiles for example. You might want to learn more about perspective or how to draw hands…
Be conscious about it and get yourself organised.
- Buy a book
- Print some images
- Find a tutorial on youtube or on a blog
- Take a class locally or online
and start practicing!
Check out the post: Gift for creatives – What artists would like to find under the Christmas tree!
4. Learn from others – The copycat book
Coping and learning from others is very helpful and has been practiced for centuries. (we just have to be fair and credit the artist, if we share our creation)
One of my students LOVES to copy and I am always encouraging her to take it a step further and create something of her own. For her Birthday though, I prepared a ‘Copie Cat Sketchbook’ since she likes it so much. Every double-page had on the left side an image and a free page on the right for her to copy the creation.
I have to admit, when I was done preparing the gift I kind of felt like making one for myself, filled with artist that I admire for their skills. You might want to give it a try as well!
Sketchbook with images to copy and learn from.
5. Collect treasures
Some time ago, after reading ‘Miracle morning’ I decided I was going jogging, first thing in the morning…(what an idea, me and jogging..) and while I was running along my neighborhood street, I started observing the different gardens,… soon I was taking pictures, collecting leaves and flowers and found that so much more interesting than my Sportif activity.
Give it a try, have a walk in your garden or neighborhood, look for some treasures by taking pictures or even collecting leaves and flowers. They can be very inspiring to draw. Check out my post Art inspiration right in your backyard
6. Prepare an inspiration box or board and you will always no what to draw
When I come across something that inspires me (an image from a magazine, a pattern, or simply a photograph) I just pop it into a box and when I need inspiration I go through all the treasure.
Old frames make great inspiration boards as well. You can pin pictures, or whatever you collect on it always ready to bee the muse of the day.
7. What to draw – an image dictation
Let me provide you with prompts below:
A fun way to loosen up is a drawing ‘dictation’. Like teachers would read a text that you would write along let’s do it with prompt. Draw one prompt after another without ever lifting the pencil and never stopping. Another idea is to spread them around the page like a pattern.
a pear – a banana – an apple – a chair – a house – a flower – a tree – a bicycle – an ice cream – a car – a paintbrush – watercolor set – a shirt – a pair of pants – a dress – a computer – a pen – a cup if tea –
8. Silly drawing prompts
Don’t overthink and just draw what you read;
A scared candle – a skinny Christmas tree – a banana talking to an apple – a car full of people – a cat doing yoga – a house overgrown with plants –
If you come up with some silly prompts let me know and I’ll add it to the list!
I WILL KEEP ON ADDING DRAWING IDEAS
