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Sketchbooks are due every Tuesday at the beginning of class.  Each week you will choose one of the sketchbook prompts from the list below.  You are expected to spend a minimum of 1-2 hours working on your sketchbook assignments.  Sketchbooks are worth 50 points and will be graded on the five following criteria; composition, value/shading, realism/texture, creativity/originality, time/effort.  Late sketchbooks will be accepted on Wednesday with a 5-point late penalty.  Sketchbooks turned in after Wednesday will NOT be accepted.  If you are sick or absent on a Tuesday, your sketchbook must be turned in on the first day back after your absence.  

150+ Sketchbook Ideas

People

  1. Draw someone you sit by in an odd pose.
  2. Draw family members with things that are important to them.
  3. Draw yourself (or someone else) painting toenails.
  4. Find a quiet place in a crowd. Draw the crowd.
  5. Draw a relative by the light cast from a TV/Phone/Computer or other screen.
  6. Make a portrait of yourself in twenty years. Or in fifty years. Or both.
  7. Draw a masked man (or woman) that is not a superhero.
  8. Draw the ugliest/cutest baby you can imagine.
  9. Draw two sports figures–one in a dynamic pose, one in a static pose.
  10. Draw two self-portraits with odd expressions.
  11. Draw something or someone you love.
  12. Draw hair. A lot of it.
  13. Take a picture of someone near you on a bus or in a car. Draw them.​
  14. Draw a picture of someone you would like to visit.
  15. Draw someone you would like to kiss (your girlfriend/boyfriend, a baby, your cat, etc.)
  16. Draw a character from a favorite movie or book.
  17. Draw a man with a mustache or a beard.
  18. Draw your best friend.
  19. Draw a portrait in the style of your favorite artist.
  20. Draw a person dressed in clothing from another era.
  21. Draw a person dressed in native dress from another country or culture.
  22. Draw a person with wings.
  23. Draw someone looking into a mirror and their reflection looking back.
  24. Draw a brother or sister practicing his/her musical instrument.

Plants & Flowers

  1. Make a detailed drawing of five square inches of grass.
  2. Draw a flower. Make it dangerous.
  3. Draw a vase and a beautiful arrangement of flowers.
  4. Draw what you think a garden would look like from the view of an insect,
  5. Combine a plant and an animal.
  6. Draw a picture of the perfect garden for your house.
  7. Draw a magnificent tree.
  8. Draw a picture of person if they grew flowers instead of hair.
  9. Make a detailed drawing of a houseplant or plant in your garden.

Places & Spaces

  1. Draw your idea of paradise.
  2. Draw a view of the jungle.
  3. Draw an abandoned building or house.
  4. Draw a scene from life in the country.
  5. Draw your view from an airplane window (do not include the window).
  6. Draw a picture of place you would like to travel.
  7. Draw a construction site.
  8. Draw your bedroom from an interesting vantage point.
  9. Draw a messy area in your house.
  10. Draw an old house.
  11. Draw a bridge and all of its details.
  12. Draw a crowded elevator on Halloween.
  13. Draw a scene from an ideal wedding ceremony,
  14. Draw what a spaceship commander would see from his command deck.
  15. Draw the a scene that you would see from the deck of a boat.
  16. Draw a sculpture from one that you can observe in a public space.
  17. Draw a landscape from observation.  Show foreground, middle ground, and background.
  18. Draw your home from the street view.

Animals

  1. Draw an animal from life or from a reference photo.
  2. Draw an animal eating another animal.
  3. Draw in a fight between two animals (or an animal and a person).
  4. Draw an animal playing a musical instrument.
  5. There is an animal living in one of your appliances. Draw it.
  6. Draw a dead bird in a beautiful landscape.
  7. Draw something from a pet’s point of view.
  8. Draw an animal taking a bath.
  9. Draw an animal taking a human for a walk.
  10. Combine 3 existing animals to create a completely new creature.
  11. Draw a family portrait. Plot twist: It is a family of insects or animals.
  12. Draw a portrait of your pet wearing a bowtie and/or hat.
  13. Draw the most terrifying animal you can imagine. Or the most adorable.
  14. Draw an close-up detailed drawing of an insect.
  15. Draw a lost dog.
  16. Draw an animal that is endangered or extinct.

Food

  1. Draw a pile of dishes before they get washed.
  2. Draw an over-ripe piece of fruit.
  3. Draw junk food and the wrapper.
  4. Draw your favorite food.
  5. Create your own restaurant. Draw the restaurant, your executive chef, and a 12-item menu.
  6. Draw the ingredients or process of your favorite recipe.
  7. Draw salt and pepper shakers.
  8. Draw fresh fruit or vegetables, or something fresh from the oven.
  9. Draw a salad.
  10. Draw the oldest thing in your refrigerator.
  11. Draw a piece of fruit every day until it becomes rotten.
  12. Draw everything on a restaurant table.
  13. Draw a still life of fruits or vegetables.

Creativity/Originality

  1. Draw yourself as an original superhero.
  2. Make a drawing that looks sticky.
  3. Draw a mysterious doorway or staircase.
  4. Draw an empty room. Make it interesting.
  5. Draw an object melting.
  6. Draw an imaginary place, adding all kinds of details.
  7. Draw a gumball machine that dispenses anything but gumballs.
  8. Danger! Draw yourself in a dangerous situation.
  9. You are on the back of the bus. Figure out who is with you, where you are going, and why. Illustrate and explain.
  10. Draw what’s under your bed (real or imagined).
  11. Draw the most incredible game of hide-and-seek you can imagine.
  12. Create a new sport. You can improve an existing sport, combine two existing sports, or come up with something completely new. 
  13. Draw an object melting.

Objects

  1. Draw what is in the rearview mirror of the car.
  2. Draw moving water. Draw still water.
  3. Draw an object floating.
  4. Make a drawing of all of your drawing materials.
  5. Find a trash can. Draw its contents.
  6. Draw tools that belong to a certain profession.
  7. Draw three objects and their environments. One of the three should be in motion.
  8. Draw the interior of a mechanical object. Zoom in, focus on details and shading.
  9. Create three drawings of messes you have made.
  10. Draw five objects with interesting textures: wood grain, floors, tiles, walls, fabric, etc.
  11. Draw a collection of purses, wallets, or bags.
  12. Draw your favorite well-loved object or childhood toy.
  13. Draw a watch or another piece of jewelry.
  14. Draw something hideous that you keep for sentimental reasons.
  15. Draw something with a mirror image.

Skill Development

  1. Draw all the contents of your junk drawer with one continuous line.
  2. Draw a dark object in a light environment.
  3. Draw a light object in a dark environment.
  4. Draw a transparent object.
  5. Do several studies of eyes, noses, and mouths in a variety of poses.
  6. Draw an interesting object from three different angles.
  7. Draw three metallic objects that reflect light. Focus on highlights and reflections. 
  8. Refraction–Create two drawings of separate objects partially submerged in water.
  9. Make three drawings (your choice of subject) using materials with which you are not familiar. 
  10. Draw a piece of patterned fabric with folds.

Open-Ended Themes

  1. Make a drawing that is totally truthful.
  2. Make a drawing that is completely and utterly impossible.
  3. Story Illustration: Fix a story that you don’t like, or reflect/improve upon one you do. 
  4. Let someone else choose your subject and tell you what to draw.
  5. Draw your greatest fear.
  6. Use song lyrics, quotes, or poetry to inspire a drawing.
  7. Find the three most useless objects you can and draw them.
  8. Draw a form of transportation.
  9. Draw something for which you are thankful.
  10. Go somewhere new and draw what you see.
  11. Draw something soothing.
  12. Draw something you think sounds or smells incredible.
  13. Draw something that needs fixing.
  14. Draw something you’ve always wanted.
  15. Draw something out of place.
  16. Draw something you keep putting off, or something that causes you to procrastinate.