By: Author Paul Jenkins
Posted on - Last updated:
Categories Creativity, Art, Inspiration
There are many ways you can improve your artistic skills using drawing prompts. One of the best ways is to practice them every day or at least once a week until they become second nature to you. Here are some tips on how you can do that:
Pick one drawing prompt daily and use it as the only reference for your entire drawing session (no other images). You can also make it a weekly challenge by choosing one fresh drawing prompt per week and drawing it every day for seven days (no other images). This keeps it interesting and lets you experiment with different materials and techniques.
Contents show
Human OC
- Drawing an original character is difficult. Artists have done all different types of artwork, but you can start with a simple, fresh drawing prompt and then develop it in your art style.
- Draw a person always wearing a mask.
- Draw a person with a different hair color than usual, such as pink or blonde.
- Draw a character who’s an accessory that you want to draw now, such as a bow tie or glasses.
- Draw a character that’s the exact opposite of you.
- Draw a person who’s a birthmark on their face.
- Draw a person with at least three piercings or one piercing in each earlobe, and then draw them without piercings.
- Draw a person with candy clothes.
- Draw a person wearing a hat that doesn’t match their outfit.
- Draw a person with a big forehead
- Draw a person with buck teeth
- Draw kids with curly hair
- Draw a person with very long hair
- Draw twins: person A with a mustache and person B without.
- Draw a person with a beard
- Draw a character with only one color, wearing a flower crown
Reimagine the Human Body
The human body is beautiful, but what happens when we change its structure? We may be able to see previously hidden things or gain access to areas we didn’t know existed.
These art prompts will help you explore your creative mind and expand your imagination. They offer you the opportunity to let out your inner artist and discover new ways of thinking about the human body.
- Draw a character with three different colored eyes.
- Draw yourself as an anime character without eyes or a mouth, so other people can only guess what you look like.
- Draw a character that’s two different types of heads and three arms.
- Draw a character with large hands and feet.
- Draw a figure that’s no hands or feet but can still hold onto or sit on something.
- Draw a figure that’s made only of shapes.
- Draw a person who’s so tiny that he or she’s only the size of a coffee cup.
- Draw a person who’s no arms or legs but instead has a tail that they can use to hold things.
- Your character has a tail three times as long as his body. Draw a girl with seven fingers on each hand and no thumbs
- Your character has big ears and a small nose
Animals
Draw an animal that lives in the desert, but add some snowflake details to make it fit better at the North Pole!
- Draw an animal that’s cute and gross at the same time
- Draw a character that’s a pet monster
- Draw an animal that’s two pairs of wings, one for flying and one for swimming.
- Draw an animal whose skin changes color depending on its mood.
- Draw an animal that can only see black and white.
- Draw a giant creature that lives in the ocean.
- Your character can fly because its wings are made of leaves that are part of its body.
- Draw an insect with wings that are too small for it to fly with.
- Draw an animal with one large eye and two smaller eyes on each side.
- Draw an animal with a huge horn on its head, like a unicorn but with more spikes.
- Draw a fish that lives in the desert
- Draw a deer with only one antler and one eye (left or right)
- Draw a human child that’s been turned into an animal
- Draw the queen of the jungle
Fantasy Adventurer Artist
A great way to expand your creativity is to think outside the box; fantasy is great. It allows you to explore new ideas that aren’t possible in real life.
- Draw an animal from another planet (like an alien).
- Draw yourself as a character from the future or the past (such as someone from another time).
- Draw an animal that’s one of the most dangerous in the world but also one of the cutest.
- Draw a figure that’s electric power.
- A figure that’s made of light
- A figure that’s a candle
- Draw a monster with a sad backstory
- Draw a character that’s a fairy godmother and also a dragon
- Draw a wizard who can change his eye color at will
- Draw a space pirate dressed in white
- Draw a mermaid with short hair
- Draw a friendly alien
- Draw a walking plant
- Draw a half-human robot
- Draw a half-alien robot
- Draw your favorite fruit or vegetable with human features.
- Draw your favorite animal as a human (or the other way around).
- Draw a half-human character, half animal.
- Draw yourself as an anime-style cat person, but with wings instead of hands, so they can fly wherever they want!
- Draw a character whose face is half human and half owl (or vice versa!).
- The right arm of your character is made of water, and the left arm is made of fire.
- Draw a man with an elephant’s trunk for a nose.
- Draw a half-human person, half dragon
- Draw a half-human, half-marine creature with a spear in his hand
- Draw a half-human, half-monkey
Play With Light
Light is essential to a drawing, so you must understand it better.
The way light behaves is complex and fascinating. It can create moods, add dimension and depth to your drawings, and make them seem more realistic.
- Draw your character in front of a window during the day so that the sunlight falls over them and illuminates their features.
- Draw your character in the rain.
- Draw your figure after it’s rained around it – areas that were dry before are now wet, while other parts are still damp but not soaked.
- Draw your figure in a dark place.
- Draw your character at night, when the moonlight reflects off her skin and hair (or fur, or whatever).
- Draw your character with a glowing light in the center of her chest, surrounded by darkness.
- Draw your character watching the sunset
- Draw your character on a paradise beach by day
- Draw your character on Mars
- Draw your character in the fog
- Draw your character in a haunted house
- Draw your character looking at a rainbow
- Draw your character in space
- Draw your character on the top of a mountain, above the clouds
- Draw your character in deep water, dressed with godlike clothing
- Draw your kids in a spaceship
- Draw your character in summer under a tree
- Draw your character watching a storm
- Draw your character hiding in a closet
- Draw your character in an apocalyptic environment
Use Emotions
When creating an image, it’s easy to get caught up in the technical aspects of your work. But when it comes to art, there’s no substitute for a good story.
Drawing is about conveying ideas and feelings. So use your drawings as a way to express yourself and tell stories.
- Draw your character who’s always hungry
- Draw your character who’s sad
- Draw your character being sad or crying
- Draw a happy character
- Draw your character that’s always thirsty
- Draw your character that’s nervous/anxious
- Draw your character who’s extremely angry
- Draw your character who feels vulnerable and exposed
- Draw your character feeling guilty about something
- Draw your character who’s in love
- Draw your character laughing out loud
- Draw your character feeling jealous
- Draw your character feeling rushed
- Draw your character wondering about something
- Draw a person who’s very serious and calm
- Draw your character feeling bored
- Draw your character in shock
Put Your Character in Action
It’s time to get your character moving. Whether she’s jumping over rooftops or just running through the street, give her a chance to show off her skills and personality. Action scenes can be especially exciting if they involve an unexpected twist or turn.
- Draw your character looking like she’s about to fight her shadow (and win).
- Draw your character looking like she’s falling out of a tree, but it’s just her hair.
- Draw your character taking a bath and healing from his wounds.
- Draw your character having electricity flowing through them.
- Draw your character who can manipulate light but only in one direction (like the sun).
- Draw your character dancing with a flashlight.
- Draw your character at his favorite spot
- Draw your character running away from something
- Draw your character discussing politics with a stranger in a bar/café/anywhere where people meet and talk about important things (politics).
- Draw your character walking home from work or school!
- Draw your character reading his favorite book
- Draw your character singing loudly
- Draw your character working hard
- Draw your character flying in space
- Draw your character jumping off a cliff
- Draw your character driving a car
- Draw your character chasing someone or something
- Draw your character swimming
- Draw your character traveling through time
- Draw your character playing the piano
There Are Two Ways to Draw an Original Character
Either you draw from scratch, or you draw from inspiration. If you’re drawing for the first time, I recommend doing a few quick sketches of people around you and seeing which art style best fits your personality. If you’re more experienced at drawing, you can draw inspiration from other characters you’ve already drawn.
Once you have selected a drawing prompt you want to draw, keep these tips in mind:
- Keep it simple! Many people make the mistake of taking on too much when they start – don’t think every detail has to be perfect right away; focus on establishing the basic shape of your original character’s face and body before moving on to smaller details like clothing or accessories.
- Don’t get too caught up in details too soon either – you’ll spend hours working on something that doesn’t look very good when magnified (and sometimes even up close). Instead, focus on capturing a general idea first so that when you come back later, you can
Recommended character design idea generator: https://artprompts.org/
