100 One-Word Drawing Prompts
There is something so fun about coming up with lists. I love thinking up drawing prompts and envisioning people sitting down to draw them, because I know for every prompt there will be a zillion different ways to interpret what I’ve prompted. Not to mention the myriad of art supplies that will give each drawing prompt a new look and feel and style.
I wrote this list of one-word drawing prompts to be used as an easy way to get yourself drawing every day, whether in your sketchbook, on a giant new piece of drawing paper for each idea, or even scribbling a quick doodle on a napkin while you are at a restaurant.
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Feel free to use these with other media, too. If you are looking for painting prompts, more photography prompts, ooh, or even sculpture ideas! Or grab a group of people and have a little drawing party.
- dog
- leg
- earth
- umbrella
- smile
- crow
- cup
- fingers
- egg
- hair
- meal
- shoe
- leaf
- jewelry
- blanket
- bag
- snack
- car
- candle
- tiny
- pillow
- toilet
- pen
- building
- seashell
- bat
- favorite
- scissors
- game
- vegetable
- you
- book
- corner
- rock
- run
- phone
- fish
- paper
- tree
- fabric
- box
- dream
- petal
- spray bottle
- road
- lips
- shoelaces
- bug
- pattern
- cloud
- can
- skull
- mandala
- sock
- eye
- acorn
- glasses
- music
- chair
- herbs
- planet
- guitar
- floating
- knife
- toothpaste
- UFO
- goose
- banana
- coffee
- floor
- mountains
- sleeping
- holiday
- cartoon
- bowl
- abstract
- mushroom
- underwear
- flippers
- circus
- taco
- feather
- group
- landscape
- ear
- reflection
- boat
- melon
- smell
- fairy
- graffiti
- mask
- pasta
- list
- hat
- house
- fly
- vines
- underwater
Use this list as a jumping-off point. If you look at one list word and immediately hate it, think of how else you can interpret it or change your perception of it:
- Maybe draw what you think of as its opposite
- Just make yourself draw it anyway
- Draw it in a different style than you are used to
- Draw it in 5 quick doodles to get it over with
- Do a word association and draw what else it makes you think of that you might like drawing better
Remember to revisit this list from time to time and see how you have progressed at drawing, what other drawing ideas it might prompt, or just use it as a daily warm-up to get you ready to make more art!
Want More Drawing Prompts?
If you love a good drawing prompt, or just appreciate an easy list to refer to when you want to not have to think about what to draw in your sketchbook, I’ve got you covered!