Mushroom House
Draw a tiny round house under a spotted mushroom cap.
intermediate18 min
Cool things to draw
100 Cool Things to Draw That Are Still Doable
Cool drawings usually rely on one specific trick — a reflection, a hard shadow, an impossible join, a silhouette that reads instantly. The subject matters less than the device. Each idea here names the device up front.
Catalog status
100 ideas · 29 illustrated
Difficulty is mixed on purpose. Some of these are ten minutes of confident line work; some are genuine studies. Both can look good on a page, and the harder ones tell you exactly which single thing to get right.
How to use this list
Pick the device, not the subject
A reflection, an impossible crossing, a hard cast shadow. The device is what people react to.
Commit to strong contrast
Cool drawings are almost always high contrast. Push your darkest dark next to untouched paper somewhere on the page.
Keep one area empty
Detail everywhere reads as noise. Leave a third of the drawing plain so the detailed part has somewhere to sit.
Cool drawing ideas by subject
100 ideas, each with a starting point
The tip attached to each idea is the thing that makes it look good. Skip it and you will get a drawing of the same subject that does not land.
Animals
19 ideas
A cat mid-stretch with its back arched high
Draw the spine as a single curve before any legs.
18 minintermediate
A golden retriever caught mid-shake, ears flying
Blur the ears with repeated light strokes, keep the skull solid.
30 minadvanced
An owl gripping a branch with visible toes
Body is one egg; the toes read as three small wedges each.
20 minintermediate
A crow standing in profile, beak slightly open
Silhouette first, feather groups second, never single feathers.
22 minintermediate
A flamingo folded into its one-leg standing pose
Find the S of the neck, then the single vertical of the leg.
18 minintermediate
A koi fish turning under ripples
Ripples are broken rings; break them where the fish crosses.
30 minadvanced
A goldfish in a round bowl seen through the glass
The glass distorts the tail — widen anything behind the bowl.
20 minintermediate
A whale with a tiny boat above it for scale
Draw the boat last and make it smaller than feels right.
16 minbeginner
An octopus with each arm curling a different way
Give every arm its own curve direction or it reads as seaweed.
34 minadvanced
A frog mid-leap with legs fully extended
Back legs are two long Zs — extend them past comfort.
20 minintermediate
A gecko running up a wall, seen from the side
Belly line stays parallel to the wall; legs splay outward.
20 minintermediate
A raccoon raiding a bin at night
Mask markings first — they carry the character.
22 minintermediate
A rooster mid-crow, neck extended
Comb, wattle, and tail are the three shapes people recognise.
20 minintermediate
A polar bear against falling snow
Draw the bear light and the background darker to keep it white.
24 minintermediate
A tiger's face with stripes following the fur direction
Stripes wrap the form — never draw them flat across.
34 minadvanced
A wolf howling, seen in silhouette
Solid black shape only, judged entirely by the outline.
12 minbeginner
A lion with a mane broken into big locks
Group the mane into six masses before adding any strands.
32 minadvanced
A giraffe head reaching past the top of the page
Let the crop happen — the cut-off sells the height.
18 minintermediate
A chameleon with a coiled tail on a thin branch
Coil the tail into a flat spiral, then wrap feet round the branch.
24 minintermediate
Nature and plants
4 ideas
A tree seen from directly below, branches overhead
Branches radiate outward and taper fast toward the edges.
30 minadvanced
A mountain range with the far peaks lighter
Three depth bands: dark front, mid grey, pale back.
24 minintermediate
A frozen puddle with cracked ice
Cracks radiate from one impact point; keep them straight.
18 minintermediate
A lightning bolt splitting three ways
Each fork is thinner and shorter than the one before.
10 minbeginner
Food and drink
4 ideas
A bowl of ramen with steam and chopsticks
Chopsticks set the perspective; place them before the bowl fills.
30 minadvanced
A slice of pizza with the cheese pulling
Cheese strands hang in catenary curves, never straight lines.
18 minintermediate
A burger with clearly separated layers
Each layer gets a different edge quality: soft, crisp, flat.
20 minintermediate
A bento box with five compartments
Draw the grid in perspective first, then fill each cell.
30 minadvanced
People and faces
15 ideas
A fist seen from the knuckle side
Knuckles sit on an arc, not a straight line.
28 minadvanced
A person seen from behind, hood up
The hood shape is the whole character; face is unnecessary.
20 minintermediate
A figure walking away down a corridor
One vanishing point behind the figure; feet shrink toward it.
32 minadvanced
A dancer mid-turn with the skirt trailing
Draw the line of action as one sweep before any body parts.
30 minadvanced
A self-portrait using only straight lines
Every stroke must be straight — curves are banned.
24 minintermediate
A face made of only five value shapes
Squint until you see five tones, then fill them flat.
30 minadvanced
A person wearing headphones, eyes closed
Headphones give an easy horizontal to check the head tilt.
22 minintermediate
A silhouette portrait filled with a pattern
Get the outline perfect first; the pattern cannot rescue it.
24 minintermediate
A face half rendered, half left as line
Choose the split line deliberately down the centre or a diagonal.
30 minadvanced
A person in a raincoat under an umbrella
Umbrella ellipse first, then hang the figure under its centre.
24 minintermediate
A manga panel with speed lines behind a running figure
Speed lines converge on one point behind the figure.
28 minintermediate
A hooded anime character with the face in shadow
One hard shadow shape across the eyes; leave the mouth lit.
28 minintermediate
A skull drawn from a three-quarter angle
Cranium sphere first, jaw box second, teeth last.
32 minadvanced
A hand throwing a paper plane
The plane leads; the hand is still finishing the throw.
28 minadvanced
An eye reflecting a window
The reflection is a hard-edged rectangle bent over the cornea.
30 minadvanced
Fantasy and characters
22 ideas
A dragon curled protectively around a small egg
Body coils in one spiral; the egg sits at the spiral's centre.
38 minadvanced
A witch's cauldron with something climbing out
Rim ellipse, then let the escaping shape break that ellipse.
22 minintermediate
A haunted house leaning slightly off vertical
Tilt every vertical the same few degrees, not random amounts.
26 minintermediate
A skeleton hand reaching out of the ground
Finger bones are three segments; the ground line hides the rest.
20 minintermediate
A floating island with a waterfall falling off the edge
Underside is a rough cone; the waterfall fades before it lands.
36 minadvanced
A castle on a cliff with a single lit window
One lit window against a dark mass carries the whole mood.
34 minadvanced
A mermaid tail disappearing under the surface
Cut the tail with a hard water line and shift everything below.
26 minintermediate
A phoenix rising with tail feathers as long ribbons
Ribbons should curve in the same S direction for flow.
36 minadvanced
A griffin mid-landing, wings forward
Front half bird, back half cat; the join is at the shoulder.
38 minadvanced
A goblin merchant with too many pockets
Pockets tell the story — vary their size and how full they look.
34 minadvanced
A knight's helmet with a dented visor
Dents break the highlight; that break makes the metal read.
32 minadvanced
A sword stuck upright in a stone
Blade centre line first; the stone cracks radiate from the entry.
24 minintermediate
A potion bottle with something glowing inside
Glow means the darkest values sit right beside the light.
22 minintermediate
A spellbook with pages caught mid-turn
Turning pages are curved planes; only two need full detail.
26 minintermediate
A robot with one clearly damaged arm
Damage sits on one part only; the rest stays clean for contrast.
26 minintermediate
An astronaut helmet reflecting a planet
The reflection curves with the visor and gets darker at the edge.
32 minadvanced
An alien plant nobody has classified
Combine two real plants, then break one rule of both.
24 minintermediate
An original character in their everyday clothes
Silhouette test: it should be recognisable as a black shape.
30 minintermediate
A villain whose silhouette is all sharp angles
Angles only. Test it against a hero drawn with curves.
28 minintermediate
A superhero cape caught in the wind
Cape flows opposite to the movement; anchor it at two points.
24 minintermediate
A magical girl transformation pose
Line of action first — one long curve from foot to raised hand.
34 minadvanced
A mecha head with a visor and vents
Symmetry in perspective: build a centre line, mirror everything.
34 minadvanced
Everyday objects
14 ideas
A mechanical pencil taken apart into its pieces
Lay parts on one baseline with even gaps, like a diagram.
24 minintermediate
A bicycle seen from the side
Two circles at the correct distance apart before anything else.
34 minadvanced
A skateboard standing on its tail
The deck is a long rounded rectangle in perspective.
22 minintermediate
A pair of well-worn trainers
Creases follow where the foot bends — put them all in one zone.
30 minadvanced
A guitar seen from a low angle
The body ellipse and the neck line set the whole perspective.
34 minadvanced
A vinyl record half out of its sleeve
The record circle and the sleeve square must share a centre.
20 minintermediate
A camera with the lens facing the viewer
Concentric circles, all slightly different widths.
24 minintermediate
A light bulb with a visible filament
Glass is drawn by what shows through it, not by outlines.
22 minintermediate
A lantern hanging from a hook
Hang it slightly off vertical so it feels like it can swing.
22 minintermediate
A toolbox with the lid open and tools inside
Establish the box in perspective, then fit tools to that space.
34 minadvanced
A tangled pair of earphones
Follow one cable end to end; do not draw random loops.
20 minintermediate
A game controller from a three-quarter angle
Symmetry in perspective: build a centre line and mirror across it.
30 minadvanced
A paper cup crushed flat
Ellipses become creased polygons; find those creases first.
20 minintermediate
A match burning down to the fingers
The burnt part curls; the unburnt part stays dead straight.
20 minintermediate
Places and scenes
15 ideas
A doorway with light spilling across the floor
The light shape on the floor is a parallelogram, not a rectangle.
30 minadvanced
A staircase seen from the top step
Each step's front edge is parallel; the depths shrink going down.
34 minadvanced
A narrow alley with washing lines overhead
Two converging walls, one vanishing point, lines sag between them.
36 minadvanced
A city skyline reduced to rectangles
No windows until every rectangle height feels right.
16 minbeginner
A skyline at night with only lit windows showing
Draw the buildings as black shapes and erase the windows out.
24 minintermediate
A train window with the landscape blurred
Near objects streak, far objects stay sharp. Reverse of instinct.
30 minadvanced
A lighthouse on a rock in rough sea
Vertical lighthouse against horizontal sea — keep that contrast.
28 minintermediate
A treehouse with a rope ladder
Ladder rungs stay horizontal even when the ropes twist.
26 minintermediate
A campsite with a tent and a low fire
Firelight comes from below — flip every shadow upward.
28 minintermediate
A library aisle with shelves converging
One-point perspective; the book spines are texture, not objects.
34 minadvanced
A market stall piled with fruit
Pile shape first, individual fruit only along the front edge.
32 minadvanced
A graveyard gate half open
Iron work is a repeating motif; draw one unit and repeat it.
26 minintermediate
A mountain cabin with smoke from the chimney
Smoke curls away from the wind side; keep it one direction.
26 minintermediate
A rooftop with aerials against the sky
Aerials are thin verticals; the sky is the real subject.
24 minintermediate
A hand-drawn map of an island you invented
Coastline first, in one nervous line. Everything else follows it.
30 minintermediate
Patterns and abstract
7 ideas
A page of overlapping translucent shapes
Where two shapes cross, darken; where three cross, darken more.
22 minintermediate
An optical illusion of a bulging surface
Straight lines bend outward at the centre and straighten at the edge.
24 minintermediate
An impossible triangle
Draw three bars, then decide which one lies on top at each corner.
20 minintermediate
A knot that loops through itself three times
Track over and under at every crossing before inking.
24 minintermediate
Your name written as an interlocking pattern
Letters must touch; treat the gaps as shapes too.
24 minintermediate
A sketchbook cover made from your favourite subjects
Silhouettes only, tightly packed, no gaps larger than a fingertip.
45 minadvanced
A heart drawn as a knot of ribbon
Track the ribbon over and under at each crossing.
22 minintermediate
With a picture
29 of these have an illustrated reference
Each reference page pairs one checked illustration with construction order, common mistakes, a self-check, and easier or harder variations of the same exercise.
Want one at random?
Spin the generator for a fresh, shareable drawing prompt in one click — filters, challenge timer, and result card included.
Cozy Tiny House
Draw a friendly cottage with a small garden and chimney.
intermediate24 min
Rounded Robot
Draw a small friendly robot with a glowing screen face.
intermediate20 min
Watercolor Butterfly
Draw a butterfly with balanced wings and soft color blocks.
intermediate22 min
Curled Red Fox
Draw a fox curled up with its tail wrapped around.
intermediate28 min
Owl on a Branch
Draw a small owl perched on a branch with alert eyes.
intermediate26 min
Koi Fish With Ripples
Draw a koi fish turning through circular water ripples.
advanced34 min
Dragonfly Wing Study
Draw a dragonfly with transparent wings and thin legs.
advanced32 min
Single Rose Bloom
Draw a rose bloom with layered petals.
intermediate24 min
Bright Sunflower
Draw a sunflower with a textured center and broad leaves.
intermediate24 min
Mountain Lake
Draw a quiet mountain lake with a reflected peak.
advanced38 min
Spiral Seashell
Draw a shell with a clean spiral and soft shadow.
intermediate18 min
Expressive Eyes
Draw a pair of expressive eyes with strong highlights.
advanced35 min
Side Profile Face
Draw a clean side-profile face with simple hair shapes.
advanced36 min
Open Hand Pose
Draw an open hand with visible knuckles and palm lines.
advanced40 min
Dancer Silhouette
Draw a dancer in motion with a flowing skirt.
intermediate18 min
Curled Fantasy Dragon
Draw a curled dragon with small wings and a long tail.
advanced45 min
Astronaut Helmet
Draw an astronaut helmet reflecting tiny stars.
intermediate25 min
Anime Hair Portrait
Draw an anime-inspired portrait focused on layered hair.
intermediate26 min
Superhero Cape
Draw a dramatic cape hanging from a simple costume form.
intermediate20 min
Pirate Cat
Draw a cat character with a pirate hat and tiny scarf.
intermediate22 min
Floating Castle Island
Draw a small castle floating on a broken island.
advanced42 min
Small Haunted House
Draw a tiny haunted house with tilted windows.
intermediate24 min
Snow Globe
Draw a snow globe with a tiny winter scene inside.
intermediate26 min
Questions
cool things to draw, answered
Practical answers rather than restated keywords. If something here is wrong or missing, the contact page reaches the editors.
Keep going