30-day drawing challenge
One prompt a day for a month, starting simple and building to a finished piece. Use today's prompt below for a fresh idea, or follow the list below in order.
How to do the 30-day drawing challenge
- Pick a sketchbook or a folder on your tablet and keep every drawing in one place.
- Set a small daily goal: 15 to 30 minutes is enough.
- Follow the list in order, or use the daily prompt when a day doesn't inspire you.
- On day 29, compare with day 1. The change is the best part.
30-day drawing challenge
- a cup or mug from your kitchen
- your hand in three different poses
- the view from your window
- a houseplant or a single leaf
- your favorite snack, as big as the page
- an animal made only of circles and ovals
- one of your shoes
- a pet or an animal you love
- a building on your street
- something tiny drawn really big
- a cloud that looks like something else
- a ten-minute self-portrait
- a friendly monster that lives under the bed
- your favorite food as a character
- a tree, drawn from real life
- a scene from a dream you remember
- a robot built from kitchen tools
- a toy from when you were little
- a place you want to visit
- a creature that is half bird, half something else
- a portrait of a friend or family member
- your room seen from above
- something reflected in a spoon or a puddle
- a character from a random character prompt
- a still life of three objects on a table
- a tiny house for a tiny creature
- your town fifty years in the future
- a cover for a book you'd love to read
- a redraw of your day 1 drawing
- anything you want, as your best finished piece
Quick challenges with friends
- everyone draws the same cat in two minutes, then compare
- draw with your other hand
- draw a friend's face without looking at the paper
- pass the paper to the left every 30 seconds
- draw a house using only straight lines
- draw an animal from memory, then check a photo
- one person describes a picture while everyone else draws it
- draw the same object in 10 seconds, 1 minute and 5 minutes
- everyone adds one thing to a shared drawing
- draw your friend as a superhero
- turn a random scribble into a creature
- draw a whole story in four boxes
- draw a pet that doesn't exist and name it
- redesign a friend's shoe
- draw a breakfast the size of a building
Challenges with a twist
- use only three colors
- draw everything in one continuous line
- no erasing allowed
- hold the pencil at the very end
- build the whole drawing from triangles
- use only a ballpoint pen
- copy a picture turned upside down
- finish the drawing in 50 lines or fewer
- draw with your eyes closed, then add color with them open
- fit a full scene into a two-inch square
- use only dots
- start from a coffee ring or a smudge
- draw on a brown paper bag
- draw the object as if it were made of glass
- draw one subject in five different styles
Why a 30-day challenge works
A month is long enough to build a habit and short enough to finish. Drawing every day, even for 15 minutes, trains your eye faster than one long session a week. The prompts mix drawing from life, like your mug or a tree, with imagination days, so you practice both skills.
Tips for sticking with it
- Draw at the same time each day, like right after school or dinner.
- Keep it small. A finished sketch beats an unfinished masterpiece.
- Missed a day? Do two short drawings tomorrow and keep going.
- Share your progress with a friend or class to stay motivated.
Stuck on a prompt? Swap in an idea from the drawing prompt generator or our list of sketchbook ideas.
Running the challenge in a classroom
Post one prompt on the board each morning and give students ten minutes at the start of art class. On the last day, hang the day 1 and day 30 drawings side by side. Kids love seeing how much they improved.
Keep going
- Drawing Prompt GeneratorRandom drawing prompts with a subject, art style, mood, color palette and a creative challenge.
- Sketchbook Ideas58 sketchbook ideas and art journal page prompts: observation pages, practice drills, memory maps,…
- Drawing IdeasEvery drawing idea list on Draw & Play in one place: easy, cute, cool, aesthetic, fantasy, kids, Halloween…
- Drawing Games to Play With Friends or KidsTen easy drawing games to play with friends, family or a class.
- Random Character Generator for OC IdeasFree random character generator for drawing: get a species, role, personality, outfit, quirk and goal in one click.
Questions
What is a 30 day drawing challenge?
It is a list of 30 prompts, one for each day of the month. You draw one prompt a day to build a habit and improve your skills.
How long should I spend on each drawing?
Anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes is plenty. The goal is to draw every day, not to make a masterpiece every time.
Is this drawing challenge good for beginners and kids?
Yes. The first week uses simple objects from around the house, and every prompt is family-friendly.
Can I start the challenge in the middle of the month?
Of course. Day 1 is whatever day you start. Just follow the list in order.