How to Draw when You Don't Know What To Draw

Last Updated: January 31, 2023

Many people besides artists want to draw, but often times there seems to be nothing to draw. You are sitting bored in front of a paper and wondering where to begin. If you have ever been in this situation, read this simple guide to draw a masterpiece without even having any ideas!

Steps

1
If you would like to, you can set your timer for 10 minutes.
2
Take a pencil and place it in the center of your paper.

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3
Start the timer and look away so you can't see the paper.
4
Start drawing. Do not draw anything specific. Just move the pencil around on paper. Try not to take the pencil off the paper at all, so you get one big, curvy line.
5
After ten minutes are up, stop drawing and look at your image. You will probably like what you see. It looks very artistic and yet you can't tell what it is. Although, you are not done yet...
6
Try to find some real-life shapes in your drawing (they are in there, you just have to look for them). Shapes do not have to look real as long as you can tell what it is because you are making an abstract drawing. Once you find some objects, take a pencil and make them stand out by outlining them so you can see them clearly. Find several shapes to make an image.
7
Take some colored pencils, or paints, or anything that can bring color to your image and start coloring the background around your shapes. Once you have a good background, color in the shapes. Colors can be realistic, although your image will look a lot more abstract and interesting if you make colors different then they are supposed to be. You are done!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Scribble Method

1
Take a piece of paper and Scribble until you find a shape or something.
2
When you find a shape or something draw it more together and as a real drawing.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Crumpling Up Method

1
Take a piece of paper and crumple it up. Crumple it up well. Do not rip it, though... Now, take the crumpled piece of paper and open it.
2
Take a pencil and outline all of the folds on the paper (this might take a while.) Try to look for new shapes so viewers actually know what the image is.
3
Once you have an outline, again, take coloring instruments and color it in if you wish.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Random-dot/3D method

1
Take a pencil and plot random points on a paper. Do not make the space between points too big.
2
With a pencil, connect all of the lines. Lines have to be connected in special pattern. First you connect all of the dots with lines without intersecting them, thus creating rectangular shapes. In your "weird rectangles", connect two points to create a triangle. Do not connect other lines (if you do, instead of triangle you will have an "X"). Do this until your image looks like a 3D structure and is filled with triangles.
3
Take three types of same color: Light, Normal, and Dark. You can choose any color you want. Determine where the sun is in your drawing. Now, shade the image in with different colors. Now, your structure actually looks 3D. Although, most of the times you can't tell what it is...

Community Q&A

Question

What can I do if I make a bad drawing?

Community Answer

It's okay. Keep it around as a reminder of what techniques and how much you need to practice. That one drawing may not be great, but it can be a stepping stone for better work in the future.
Question

Are there anymore suggested methods that I could do?

Community Answer

Yes, technically there are a lot of methods. One method is to set a timer for 10 to 15 minutes and lie somewhere comfortable. Shut your eyes or put on a sleeping mask and try to think of something from the beach to a city. Before you do this, place the timer somewhere where you will be able to hear it. When time is up, get up and immediately go to your paper and start drawing whatever you were thinking about.
Question

How can I draw for a school project if I am really bad at drawing?

Community Answer

Just do your best. It doesn't matter if you are good at drawing or bad at drawing, as long as you put effort into it.

Warnings

In "No Looking Method", be sure to take your time and draw for 10 minutes straight without looking. If you look, you probably will think that your image is complete and start coloring in, when your image can be a lot better.

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Do not rip the paper in crumpling up method and be sure you can see specific lines!

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