Sketchbook Prompts

Using Your Sketchbook Correctly

The most successful products will come from students who sketch and practice at home.  As with any knowledge or skill, practice is fundamental to success.  This is especially true of learning to see and deal with value because everything the student has learned previously is working against them.

As with all of our drawing exercises, this product requires that the student deal with reality.  The greatest difficulty will be in avoiding replacing observable facts with memorized notions.  Draw what you see, not what you remember.  Use your artistic license to make creative changes as needed.

Follow these tips for successful drawing from life:

• Draw what you see, not what you know (Most drawing mistakes are made by drawing from memory, not from observation)

• Look at things in the world (The information isn't on the paper)

• Control your marks (Don't let your hand outrun your brain. Think about pressure, smoothness, where you're going, and how the edge relates to others in space)

• Focus on what you are doing  (If you are talking you aren't thinking about what you are doing at all, you're just reusing kindergarten memories) 

• Have realistic expectations  (Magic is for people who are living in a dream, not those who are pursuing one.  People pursuing a dream WORK on the difficult things and practice, practice, practice.)

Follow these tips for successful drawing from imagination:

• Draw from what you see (You can use what you see as a base to jump start your creativity. For example, draw a portrait of yourself as you would look in 50 years.  Your own portrait is based in reality, the addition of age is from the imagination)

• Draw many ideas (Take one idea and change it many times, see how many different creative changes you can make)

• Don't be afraid to get weird (Some of the greatest artwork was looked upon with confusion at first)

• Use your emotions to influence your artwork (Feeling sad?  Draw it!  Feeling angry?  Draw it!)

• Use your artistic license to the fullest (That's a really great drawing of your best friend.  Wouldn't they look even better sitting in front of a landmark in their favorite foreign city?  Just because two things aren't together in real life doesn't mean they can't be.)

Sketchbook Prompts

Always try to draw from observable life unless otherwise noted.  Learning to see what you're drawing is as important as learning to draw.  Use these prompts to get your ideas flowing.

People

• Draw someone you sit by in an odd pose.

• Draw family members with things that are important to them.

• Draw yourself (or someone else) painting toenails.

• Find a quiet place in a crowd. Draw the crowd.

• Draw a relative by the light cast from a TV/Phone/Computer or other screen.

• Make a portrait of yourself in twenty years. Or in fifty years. Or both.

• Draw a masked man (or woman) that is not a superhero.

• Draw the ugliest baby you can imagine.

• Draw two sports figures–one in a dynamic pose, one in a static pose.

• Draw two self-portraits with odd expressions.

• Draw something or someone you love.

• Draw hair. A lot of it.

• Take a picture of someone near you on a bus or in a car. Draw them.

Animals

• Draw your art teacher in a fight with an animal.

• Draw an animal playing a musical instrument.

• There is an animal living in one of your appliances. Draw it.

• Draw a dead bird in a beautiful landscape.

• Draw something from a pet’s point of view.

• Draw an animal taking a bath.

• Draw an animal taking a human for a walk.

• Combine 3 existing animals to create a completely new creature.

• Draw a family portrait. Plot twist: It is a family of insects or animals.

• Draw the most terrifying animal you can imagine. Or the most adorable.

Food

• Draw a pile of dishes before they get washed.

• Squish a banana. Draw it.

• Draw a slice of the best pizza you have ever seen.

• Draw junk food and the wrapper.

• Draw your favorite food.

• Create your own restaurant. Draw the restaurant, your executive chef, and a 12-item menu.

• Draw the ingredients or process of your favorite recipe.

• Draw salt and pepper shakers.

• Draw fresh fruit or vegetables, or something fresh from the oven.

• Draw a salad.

• Draw the oldest thing in your refrigerator.

• Draw a piece of fruit every day until it becomes rotten.

• Draw everything on a restaurant table.

Objects

• Draw what is in the rearview mirror of the car.

• Draw moving water. Draw still water.

• Draw an object floating.

• Make a drawing of all of your drawing materials.

• Find a trash can. Draw its contents.

• Draw tools that belong to a certain profession.

• Draw three objects and their environments. One of the three should be in motion.

• Draw the interior of a mechanical object. Zoom in, focus on details and shading.

• Create three drawings of messes you have made.

• Draw five objects with interesting textures: wood grain, floors, tiles, walls, fabric, etc.

• Draw a collection of purses, wallets, or bags.

• Draw your favorite well-loved object or childhood toy.

• Draw a watch or another piece of jewelry.

• Draw something hideous that you keep for sentimental reasons.

• Draw something with a mirror image.

Technical Skill/Skill Development

• Draw all the contents of your junk drawer with one continuous line.

• Make a detailed drawing of a rock.

• Draw a dark object in a light environment.

• Draw a light object in a dark environment.

• Make a detailed drawing of five square inches of grass.

• Draw a transparent object.

• Draw a translucent object.

• Do several studies of eyes, noses, and mouths in a variety of poses.

• Draw an interesting object from three different angles.

• Value Studies–Draw three eggs and part of the carton with a strong light source.

• Draw three metallic objects that reflect light. Focus on highlights and reflections.

• Refraction–Create two drawings of separate objects partially submerged in water.

• Make three drawings (your choice of subject) using materials with which you are not familiar.

• Draw a piece of patterned fabric with folds.

• Draw a bridge and all of its details.

Creativity/Originality

• Draw yourself as an original superhero.

• Make a drawing that looks sticky.

• Draw a mysterious doorway or staircase.

• Draw an empty room. Make it interesting.

• Draw a flower. Make it dangerous.

• Draw an object melting.

• Draw an imaginary place, adding all kinds of details.

• Draw a gumball machine that dispenses anything but gumballs.

• Danger! Draw yourself in a dangerous situation.

• You are on the back of the bus. Figure out who is with you, where you are going, and why. Illustrate and explain.

• Draw what’s under your bed (real or imagined).

• Draw the most incredible game of hide-and-seek you can imagine.

• Create a new sport. You can improve an existing sport, combine two existing sports, or come up with something completely new.

Open-Ended Themes

• Make a drawing that is totally truthful.

• Make a drawing that lies all over the place.

• Make a drawing that is completely and utterly impossible.

• Story Illustration: Fix a story that you don’t like, or reflect/improve upon one you do.

• Let someone else choose your subject and tell you what to draw.

• Draw your greatest fear.

• Use song lyrics, quotes, or poetry to inspire a drawing.

• Find the three most useless objects you can and draw them.

• Draw an interesting form of transportation.

• Draw something for which you are thankful.

• Go somewhere new and draw what you see.

• Draw something that can’t be turned off.

• Draw something soothing.

• Draw something you think sounds or smells incredible.

• Draw something that needs fixing.

• Draw something you’ve always wanted.

• Draw something out of place.

• Draw something that should have been invented by now.

• Draw something you keep putting off, or something that causes you to procrastinate.