Sketchbook ideas
Ideas for whole sketchbook pages, not just single drawings. Use the picker below to get a random page idea from this list.
58 ideas. Tap any idea to load it into the picker above.
Draw what you see
- a page of everything on your breakfast table
- a page of shoes from your closet
- the view from a car or bus window
- people waiting in line at a store
- a page of houseplant leaves
- your kitchen sink after dinner
- a page of trees on your street
- a corner of a coffee shop
- your pet in ten quick poses
- everything in your pencil case
- a page of fruit cut in half
- the inside of your fridge
Practice pages
- a page of hands holding objects
- a page of ears from every angle
- a page of mouths mid-sentence
- one object drawn with five different pens
- a self-portrait without looking at the paper
- a page of 30-second gesture drawings
- a page of skies at different times of day
- value scales and gradients in pencil
- your hand drawn with your other hand
- one-line drawings of animals
- a page of glass and shiny things
- a page of crumpled paper bags
Memory and journal pages
- a map of your neighborhood
- a floor plan of your childhood home
- a comic strip of your day
- everything you ate this week
- drawings of ticket stubs and wrappers you saved
- your week as weather icons
- a family member's portrait from memory
- a calendar page with a doodle for each day
- your favorite songs as pictures
- a list of goals with little illustrations
- a page about a trip you took
- your morning routine in six panels
Imagination pages
- a creature made from your three favorite animals
- your room if it were underwater
- a menu for a restaurant run by cats
- a trading card of yourself as a hero
- a map of a country you invented
- a shop that sells bottled weather
- what is behind a mysterious closed door
- a page of hats for imaginary creatures
- design sheets for a robot pet
- a floor plan of your dream treehouse
- a postcard from another planet
- decorations for a holiday you invented
Mixed media experiments
- a page using only three colors
- a collage creature made from magazine scraps
- tea stains turned into monsters
- leaf rubbings with drawn-in bugs
- a page in white pen on black paper
- a collage of tape and stickers
- watercolor blobs turned into characters
- a drawing made only of dots
- a page with a paper pocket for treasures
- a torn-paper landscape
How to fill a sketchbook
The hardest page is always the first one. Make it ugly on purpose: scribble, test your pens, write the date. Now the book is no longer precious and you can relax.
- Set a tiny goal, like one page a day or three pages a week.
- Mix quick and slow pages. A page of fast gesture sketches counts just as much as a careful drawing.
- Date every page so you can see your progress later.
- Don't tear pages out. Bad pages show you what to try next time.
Sketchbook vs. art journal
A sketchbook is mostly for drawing practice and ideas. An art journal mixes pictures with words, collage and memories, like a diary you can look at. You can use one book for both.
If you like structure, try a theme for a month, such as only hands, only your street or only food. For daily prompts, the drawing challenge and the drawing prompt generator give you a new idea every time.
Keep going
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- Doodle Ideas96 doodle ideas for notebook margins, bullet journals and boring meetings: easy patterns, funny faces, tiny…
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Questions
What should I put in my sketchbook?
Drawings from life, practice pages, imaginative ideas, notes, collage and memories all belong in a sketchbook. There is no wrong way to use it.
How do I start a new sketchbook?
Make the first page a quick, messy test page so the book stops feeling precious. Then pick a simple page idea from this list and date it.
How often should I draw in my sketchbook?
A little and often works best. Even ten minutes a day or a few pages a week will show clear progress in a couple of months.
What are art journal ideas?
Art journal pages mix drawings with words: a map of your neighborhood, your week as weather icons, a page about a trip or a list of goals with little illustrations.
What size sketchbook is best for beginners?
A medium book around 5.5 by 8.5 inches is a good start. It is big enough for detailed pages but small enough to carry everywhere.