Drawing Ideas: How Do I Even Get Started? (For Kids… or Fun Adults!)

Knock Knock.

Who's there?

I don't know.

I don't know who?

I don't know who or what to draw.

🎺 WAH WAAAAH (Cheesy joke trombone alert!)

Have you ever sat down with a pencil and a shiny brand new sketchbook? You're totally ready to draw. You want to draw, but the paper is just so white and empty and your brain is equally empty. You can't think of a thing to draw. Hey, me too! And guess what? Every single artist has a hard time coming up with drawing ideas sometimes.

Because I've gotten stuck so many times wondering what to draw, I started a list of drawing ideas. I just sort of jot them down as they come to me, even if I'm not ready to draw right that second. That way, when I am ready to draw, I can just pick one that sounds fun from my list. Try it! You'll be surprised how more and more ideas will come into your brain once you start writing them down.

To help get you started, here's a list of 10 fun drawing prompts for kids (and creative adults!). Try picking a random number or scrolling until one catches your eye. Try not to overthink it—just have fun and start drawing!

✏️ 10 Fun Drawing Ideas for Kids (and Adults!)

1. Draw Your Parents as Animals or Monsters

Make your drawings as silly and funny as you can! Does your mom look a little like a turtle with glasses? Maybe your dad is secretly a lion with a beard. Add giant feet, hairy bellies, or sharp teeth—the weirder, the better!

2. Cartoon Crossover

Draw your favorite cartoon character meeting a character from a totally different show. What would they say? Would they get along—or end up in a wild adventure together? If drawing your favorite cartoon character sounds a little intimidating, you can try copying to start. Try drawing the character in different poses and with different emotions - this is great drawing practice for beginners.

3. Design Your Dream Room (or House!)

Pretend you’re an architect or interior designer. Create a floor plan with secret passageways, slides, or maybe a stable for your pet unicorn. What cool gadgets or magical spaces would you add? Or... draw a picture of your dream bedroom. Is it in a movie theater or is there a moat around your bed filled with crocodiles? Let your imagination go crazy.

4. Food Fight

What happens when your favorite foods come to life? Draw ice cream playing volleyball, hot dogs vs. hamburgers in soccer, or spaghetti going bowling. The goal: make it funny and have fun drawing!

5. Drawing Dice

Grab 2 six-sided dice.

• Make one list 1-6 of some favorite things.

• Make another list 1-6 of random adjectives (like “sparkly,” “giant,” or “angry”). Roll the dice—then draw whatever crazy combination you get! (Example: A sleepy unicorn? A bouncy sandwich?)

6. Magic Blobs - Draw What You See

Make a few random watercolor blobs and see what shapes you find. Then add details with markers. This is also known as Hirameki and I use it all the time for character design. The trick is to be totally random with your blobs. Don't try to make them into anything until you start adding lines.

7. The Days of the Week as Characters

If Monday, Tuesday, and Friday were cartoon characters, what would they look like? Is Monday tall and do they wear glasses. Would Friday wear roller skates and a tutu?

8. Draw What You See

Look around the room and pick one object. Study it closely. Try to spend more time looking at the object than your drawing. You’ll be surprised at how much better your drawings get when you really see. This is sometimes called observational drawing.

9. Blind Contour Drawing

Pick someone in your family to draw a portrait of, but here’s the twist: don’t look at the paper! Draw their portrait without peeking. When you finally look down, you’ll both be laughing.

10. Draw from Memory

Draw your favorite cartoon character from memory—no references allowed! Then look up a picture of the real character and laugh at how "bad" your drawing is. What did you remember about the way the character looks and what did you totally forget?

Final Thoughts: On the Secret to Getting Better at Drawing

The best way to improve your art skills is to just start. Don’t wait for the “perfect idea.” Pick one of these fun drawing prompts and go for it! Or better yet kids, start your own list of drawing ideas.

Remember—drawing is about the process, not perfection. Every doodle teaches you something new.