40 Easy Drawing Ideas for Beginners to Boost Drawing Skills

Whether you're looking to improve your drawing techniques or need inspiration to pass the time, having a list of drawing ideas is an excellent way to keep those creative juices flowing.

For this blog post, we've gathered the best drawing ideas for beginners to try.

40 Easy Drawing Ideas for Beginners to Practice Drawing

Seeing many pieces with complicated details online can overwhelm new artists.

However, finding more simple drawing ideas might help bring positivity and help you kick-start your sketching journey.

Here are 40 beginner-friendly drawing ideas for any beginner artist to try for their first draft.

1. Drawing a Face in Space

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Credit: Brian Galaxy

This sketch might be intimidating at first. However, if you look at it closely, you can make out the simple shapes that create each element.

Start with identifying the circles and edges so you won't be overwhelmed. The intricate patterns on the planets also help with practicing your control over your pencil.

2. Drawing the Sun and Moon

Credit: Unknown Artist

The sun and moon are common subjects in easy sketch ideas. These drawings are usually made of simple elements, making them an excellent starting point for beginner artists.

You can also see how other elements, such as wavy lines and dots, relate to a simple circle.

3. Drawing Waves

Credit: Unknown Artist

This simple sketch can help you become more familiar with the motions of water. Before going to the more complicated seascapes, you can start with this.

You can also practice working on curved lines and determining their relationships with other elements.

4. Drawing Mountains

Credit: Unknown Artist

Creating drawings of mountains is a great way to practice shading and learn about light. The simple shapes are easy to draw, but it helps you understand how light can be expressed through shading.

You can add details, like other heavenly bodies, to make your drawing more interesting.

5. Drawing a Message in a Bottle

Credit: artkarakalem

You can easily draw a message in a bottle as a little doodle. It'll help you work on the dimensions and depth of objects.

Besides being a cute sketch, it's a great way to work on your perspective. You can also try to draw other things in bottles, like ships, to make it more fun.

6. Drawing an Animal

Credit: Unknown Artist

This fun little pose is a lot easier to do with animals. You can easily draw little variations with the main focus of having the animal in a specific position, with most of the body hidden out of frame.

You can also draw this pose with other animals, like a beloved pet, to challenge yourself with their details.

7. Drawing an Alien

Credit: Unknown Artist

This little doodle is a simple way to start drawing ideas that are out of this world. A simple UFO abducting a human is also a funny way to say goodbye. Feel free to add a little alien friend in the UFO as well.

You can also look into other space drawing ideas to help you build on this one.

8. Drawing More Heavenly Bodies

Credit: Unknown Artist

Here's a variation of a previous drawing idea that can help you understand how perspective affects your drawing subjects. While it has similar elements, you can see how these lines and curves are related.

These variations also make for great tattoo drawing ideas, letting you choose the different ways you can have a design on your body.

9. Drawing Dinosaurs

Credit: math.lis

Dinosaurs are fun to draw, especially since they come in different shapes and sizes. Turning it into a smaller cartoon character helps simplify it, making it easy to draw.

10. Drawing Heavenly Bodies With Plants

Credit: beausink

Another one of those easy sketch ideas involves adding elements to the sun and the moon. It helps to combine different features which you won't usually see entwined in real life.

11. Drawing a Sunset

Credit: Unknown Artist

A sunset is one of those simple drawings you may have done as a kid. It helps you understand the one-point perspective and distance.

You can draw the elements starting from the center and show how things unfold as you go further out.

12. Drawing Behind the Clouds and the Sun

Credit: Unknown Artist

Instead of drawing eyes and a full head, get creative and replace it first with clouds and the sun. These are easier to draw and provide a fun twist to your art.

If you're up for a challenge with these clouds drawing ideas, you can also try removing some of the edges and turning them into a line drawing. This drawing method experiments with the outline of your subject.

13. Drawing Head in the Clouds

Credit: Emma Rooney

This sketch idea is another way to hold off from drawing eyes. You'll have to draw the lower part of the face and add clouds for the upper part of the head. It's easy and fun to create.

14. Drawing More Astronomical Objects

Credit: Unknown Artist

Here is another of the many interesting and easy drawing ideas involving the sun and moon. It's also simple to create and focuses more on curved lines.

15. Drawing Swings

Credit: Marc Johns

This easy drawing was once commonly found in our school notebooks when we were kids. They're simple drawings of swings that only requires you to draw a few lines.

16. Drawing a Flying House with Balloons

Credit: Unknown Artist

This simple drawing is inspired by the Pixar movie called Up. It's easy to draw, involving a few lines and shapes. You can also play with the colors of this sketch to create interesting and vibrant color combinations.

17. Drawing Baymax

Credit: Chibird

To improve your drawing techniques, you can draw other Disney characters, like Baymax. There are many fun and interesting characters to choose from to help you become a better artist.

18. Drawing a Paper Airplane

Credit: Ranz Doodles

This simple drawing is an excellent way for beginners to practice the relationships between lines and edges. You can draw them from different angles to experiment with these concepts.

It's also a great drawing idea for girls, especially since it has an adorable love letter motif.

19. Drawing Flowers with Bandaid

Credit: Unknown Artist

You can draw this along with other flower drawing ideas to help you familiarize yourself with fauna. They're a great way to practice one of the most common subjects for realistic and still-life pieces.

20. Drawing a Simple Face

Credit: Dric

Any artist can draw this cute doodle on their paper. Depending on your aesthetic, they're commonly done along with skulls or flowers.

21. Drawing a T-Rex with a Space Helmet

Credit: Marion

This sketch is another adorable take on a dinosaur. Adding a little helmet isn't only cute to draw. It also helps you learn how to draw things inside other spaces.

22. Drawing a Tea-Rex

Credit: Bloemsgallery

Thanks to its simple design and colors, you can easily sketch this adorable tea-rex. If you're looking for something a little stronger, you can try having them hold a coffee mug instead.

23. Drawing a Girl with a Coffee Mug

Credit: Nikki 1902

This whimsical idea is one of the best things to draw, especially for beginners. It captures the simple things in life that every artist is familiar with.

This drawing style is a great stepping stone for working on cartoon and anime characters.

24. Drawing a Sunflower

Credit: Saachi Art

Drawing any flower can help you improve your drawing techniques, especially with the amount of shading and details involved.

Your pencil will be the greatest tool to achieve these intricate details.

25. Drawing a Penguin

Credit: Unknown Artist

Try to draw this adorable penguin if you're looking for more animal drawing ideas.

Its black-and-white scheme makes it easy to draw with only a pencil. It's also a great way to practice your shading.

26. Drawing a Bear Eating Noodles

Credit: Unknown Artist

Beginners looking to draw adorable animals can also try to draw this bear while it eats noodles. It's a great start, especially when learning to draw human activities.

27. Drawing Plants in a Light Bulb

Credit: Kate Kyehyun Park

This sketch of plants in a light bulb is interesting since the bulb serves as your flower pot.

You can also try replacing your plants with a single tree or other flowers when you draw variations of them.

28. Drawing an Hourglass

Credit: Unknown Artist

This wacky hourglass is one of the more abstract ideas on this list. You only need to draw different blobs and curved lines to achieve this sketch.

29. Drawing Insects

Credit: Unknown Artist

If you're looking for drawings for beginners, especially children, try small insects like bees. They have simple details which beginner artists can draw regardless of their skill level.

Burgeoning artists can improve the details as they progress with their techniques.

30. Drawing a Dinosaur with a Balloon

Credit: Unknown Artist

Here's another one of those cute dinosaur ideas. Instead of drawing Pennywise with a balloon, try it with a cute dino friend.

31. Drawing a Dinosaur with a Telephone

Credit: Unknown Artist

You can also draw a dinosaur with a telephone, which is another human thing for them to do. It's a cute sketch you can do in random notebooks, along with the other dinosaur ideas.

32. Drawing Groot

Credit: Unknown Artist

Groot is a beloved character who beginners love to draw. He's one of the easier drawing ideas but is still packed with details that can improve your skills for future drawings.

You can find a simple tutorial online to help you draw this picture of baby Groot and other similar Marvel characters.

33. Drawing Two People Hugging

Source: mr.donothing

Sketching this minimalist version of two people hugging helps make it easy to draw this specific pose. It has fewer details than actual people, making it easier to get the motions and emotions down.

34. Drawing the Eiffel Tower

Credit: Unknown Artist

When it comes to drawings of towers and buildings, the most common subject is the Eiffel Tower.

It works with many lines, which can vary depending on the artist. The main idea is to draw the structure based on a general guideline for the tower.

35. Drawing a Face with Plants

Credit: Nin Hol

This minimalist sketch of a face is an excellent example of line drawing. It simplifies the shapes and edges of the face, making it easier when you practice sketching.

You can try adding variations to how it's done, experimenting with the plants used to decorate the face.

36. Drawing Mickey Mouse

Credit: Dawn

Another Disney classic you might want to draw is Mickey Mouse. His details are fairly easy to work with, especially since he's mostly made of circles and shading.

You can also do drawings of his friends, like Minnie Mouse or Goofy, to further improve your sketching technique.

37. Drawing Fruits

Credit: Tartila

Drawing a delicious fruit is another step towards working on more realistic still-life pieces. They're typical drawings, especially for younger artists who see these in their reference books.

You can draw the small and simple details of these everyday objects, whether in cartoon form or by taking inspiration from the real deal.

38. Drawing Pets

Credit: Unknown Artist

One of the greatest inspirations you can have for drawing is your pet. Not only are they adorable, but they're also animals you see on a daily basis, making it easier for you to study their features.

You can simplify their appearance into small shapes and lines to help you work out the details.

39. Drawing Love Birds

Credit: Unknown Artist

These love birds may seem difficult to draw. However, they can be simplified to distinct shapes, which you can use as a guide. Slowly add the details as you go.

Your best friend for this piece will be the pencil since it will help you get all those shadows and shading for a more realistic finish.

40. Drawing Cartoon Cars

Credit: Easy Drawing Guides

This cute cartoonish take on the car makes it easier for beginner artists to draw. Like previous examples, it focuses on simple shapes which even a child can create.

You can check out a step-by-step guide online to help you draw a cartoon car.

Supplies to Gather Before Drawing

Before starting any sketch, you need a few tools to bring your drawing ideas to life.

These are the supplies any aspiring artist needs to start creating a masterpiece.

Paper

Your paper is the most important element of drawing. It's a blank canvas waiting to be filled with lines, shapes, and colors.

Avoid cheap paper because it can easily rip when you erase too much. Try to use decent-quality paper for your sketchbook or drawing pad. It doesn't have to be expensive.

If you're looking into digital art, you might want to look for the best iPad for drawing. It will serve as your paper. However, take note of your budget for these kinds of gadgets.

Pencil

When starting out with drawing, it's best to start with a pencil. It lets you easily erase errors without having to waste paper. Even experts start drawing with this.

You can begin with a set of HB, 2B, 6B, and 9B. Then, you can expand your set as you improve your drawing skills. You can also look into a mechanical pencil, depending on your preferences.

The H-scale is usually for sketching, while the B-scale is for your final lines.

You can also look into colored pencils if adding color is part of your drawing process.

Pen

Besides your B-scale pencils, pens are also used to finalize everything you draw.

Look into fine point or fine liner pens. Once you're happy with your lines, you can use one of these pens to finalize them. Then, erase any pencil marks after.

Eraser

It's best to look for a good brand of eraser to help you fully clean out those mistakes and to avoid smudging on the paper.

Whether you're working with a traditional or kneed eraser, a reliable brand will help make erasing easier.

Ruler

Besides helping you measure your lines, having a ruler around can help you easily draw a straight line.

It's best to have one of these around, even if you're not drawing straight lines.

Compass

While a ruler works on straight lines, a compass helps you get a perfect circle every time.

It can be difficult to draw a circle free hand. Having this handy tool will help you get them done in a snap.

Marker

Markers are used by kids and adults for coloring and outlining your beginner.

These tools are beginner-friendly but are still used by many experts for their solid colors.

Drawing Ideas for Beginners FAQs

You might have more questions about sketching and improving your drawing technique.

We’ve gathered the common questions on this medium to help you practice drawing.

What Is the First Thing to Learn When Drawing Ideas for Beginners?

Every artist should first start with the different shapes and forms. They may seem simple, but they build up any artwork.

Draw the 2D forms before moving to the 3D. Work on a circle before moving to a sphere. Draw a square before working on a cube.

This method will help you gain perspective and simplify how you draw your subject.

If you’re starting with digital art, you might want to consider using a cheap drawing tablet before investing in more expensive devices.

These can help you get used to drawing simple shapes without having to cost too much.

What are the Five Basics of Drawing?

Drawing is a skill that can be developed in 5 basic steps. While they may seem simple, they can be the backbone of even the most complicated creations.

It can take time to master these basics. Even the best artists rely on these to help with their drawings.

Before creating the next best still life, you must practice the basics and take your time with art.

Edges

All art is made up of lines and edges that form geometric shapes. You need to understand how these work to properly show what’s happening to your drawing.

A great example would be a shape with three lines and edges. This shape will ALWAYS be a triangle. It’s entirely different from a square or a hexagon.

You’d also notice how these shapes would always have their lines connected. You would never see a series of three unconnected lines be called a triangle.

Over time, you’ll start to draw with more complex drawing steps. However, these edges and shapes will help make things simpler to draw.

You don’t exactly have to count every edge and line as your drawing skills progress. You simply need to understand their basics to improve your drawing practice.

Space

You will notice how your subject always takes up space when you draw. Anything surrounding it is called negative space.

A great example of this is a donut. While the donut occupies space, you also consider the negative space around it when you put it on paper.

By understanding your subject’s relationship with the space it DOES and DOESN’T occupy, you can draw it better with respect to everything around it.

Light and Shadow

Light and shadows provide depth and perspective to make everything you draw more realistic. Color is also heavily affected by how much light is on it.

The more light there is toward the object, the less shading you’ll have to do.

The brighter the object is, the more you’d have to squint to see its details. Those in darker places would be difficult to see, hence the more solid shading.

Try to observe what an item is like when it has light shining on it and the shadows that form when light is blocked.

Relationships

Every line, dot, shape, and curve is related to each other when you draw. That relationship is what makes your sketch make sense to the viewer.

Learn how each element is related to the other. Every small detail you draw contributes to your overall work and differentiates your drawings from others.

Knowing what figures will go where and their sizes before you start inking anything is also helpful.

Depending on your style, you might want to have everything in proportion to each other to fit the narrative of your work.

The Whole or Gestalt

The last skill you must master is putting the first four steps together. Each of these elements can work for your art.

However, if one stood out more than the other, there would be an imbalance in the final sketch.

These details have many similarities for a reason. How will the relationship of light, space, and edges come together?

It can take time to master this last one. However, having all of it together will make your work more coherent to the viewer and will improve your craft as an artist.

Drawing Ideas for Beginners Conclusion

At the end of the day, drawing is all about expressing yourself.

These are only a few simple drawing ideas to help keep those creative juices going. You'll still have to constantly work on it to become a master.

Pick up your pencil and paper and draw whatever your heart desires.