100 Scalable Drawing Ideas for Creative Inspiration And Getting Unstuck

On the lookout for more drawing ideas? Got stuck? Whether you are a seasoned artist or someone who just looks for interesting things to do while being stuck on a Zoom meeting (pro tip: mute the video), this article offers you 100 scalable drawing ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

I am an illustrator and creative content creator by trade. Creative block is my familiar foe (or friend, maybe?). Over time, I have learned the best strategy to overcome a dry spell is to go back to the drawing board, oftentimes quite literally. Keeping up a consistent drawing practice is essential for your creative growth.

Hopefully, this post can (re)fill you up again with cool drawing ideas for your sketchbook.

How to Use the List

I have broken down the list into 10 of 10s.

Each prompt is tiered, or scalable,which means you can scale the drawing ideas up or down based on how creative you feel.The highlighted traits or phrases are the extra optional details you can choose to incorporate.

This list is designed for anyone who needs a fun idea regardless of where your drawing skills are. Feeling dry? Maybe start with a drawing of a simple notebook. Feeling inspired? Add those fancy florals to the cover. You get the idea.

I have also intentionally left out the visual examples so that you will have ample creative freedom to fully pursue your own drawing inspiration. This article focuses on easy drawing ideas instead of drawing tips, so you don't feel the pressure to be excellent on all the drawing subjects (, which I suspect that's why most people feel stuck in the first place anyway).

This list is not ordered, so feel free to jump around. Start with something that speaks to you first. Get the momentum going. On the other side of the same coin, if you get the creative juices going with one list group and still feeling inspired (yay!), keep going with the same group and make up your own ideas until you are ready to switch up again.

Quick Tip for Beginners: When you see a drawing idea, think of the most abstract and simple way to draw it. Don't go realistic from the get-go. For example, a matchbox can be as simple as a rectangle. And of course, you can spend 3 hours filling in the details (textures, background, shading, typography, perspective, etc). Gauge your own creative gas tank, and decide how far you want to take the subject without being bogged down.

Drawing ideas by Esther Nariyoshi Drawing idea 01-10

Drawing ideas by Esther Nariyoshi Drawing idea 21-30

Drawing ideas by Esther Nariyoshi Drawing idea 41-50

Drawing ideas by Esther Nariyoshi Drawing idea 51-60

Drawing ideas by Esther Nariyoshi Drawing idea 61-70

Drawing ideas by Esther Nariyoshi Drawing idea 71-80

Drawing ideas by Esther Nariyoshi Drawing idea 81-90

Drawing ideas by Esther Nariyoshi Drawing idea 91-100

About the Author

Hi, I am an illustrator and digital brush creator who loves exploring all mediums. I've had the joy of collaborating with some wonderful folks, like Cloud9 Fabrics, and MSU Broad Art Museum, and sharing some tidbits of my creative process through UPPERCASE Magazine.  My heart finds joy in food and nature illustrations, and I share my creative process on my YouTube Channel and teach well-designed illustration classes on Skillshare.

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• Geometric Shapes of 5

• Just dots w/ 12 colors

• One letter in 3D perspective

• A serif letter

• Letter our initials on a letterboard

• Letter an airport's initial

• A pet name w/ 3 colors

• One object w/in reach

• A Coffee cup w/ latte art

• Phone case w/ a funky pattern

• A Credit Card from the Mars

• Ideal place for vacay 

• A color palette of 5 you love

• A warm pair of fall socks 

• Toaster w/ naan bread

• Fridge w/ the door open

• Waterbottles for bikers

• Cups and mugs in a set

• Alarm clock from the 80s

• A Tea set from China

• A modern quilt design

• A Knife set for carving

• A cast-iron pan w/ dinner in it

• Microwave w/ a face

• Fabric Napkins from 50 years ago

• Apron w/ lace

• Bananas in a cereal bowl

• Apples of 3 kinds

• Cheese w/ texture

• Spicy crackers 

• Fruit baskets from New Zealand

• Avocados on a toast 

• Irregular shaped Pancakes 

• Fav. salad w/ Italian dressing

• Steaming edamame on a plate

• A Sans serif letter in detail

• Pizza w/ 3 toppings

• A slice of matcha cheesecake

• A chocolate bar in odd flavor

• Strawberries in a cake

• Fish filet w/ a side dish

• Waffles w/ 3 toppings

• Smoothie of 3 ingredients

• Pasta w/ sauce

• A Fancy Toast from NYC

• A slice of Sourdough Bread

• Bacon or Tofu on rice

• Dumplings after a bite

• One item on your wishlist

• Couch w/ a pretty cover

• Calligraph your to-do list today

• Clay earrings w/ 3 unique designs

• Gingerbread man on a run

• Icecream on a cone

• Pumpkin spice Bubble tea 

• Sushi roll w/ Salmon

• Cupcakes for 6-year-olds

• Plants w/ yellow flowers

• Herbs on a pasta plate

• Packaging of Sardines

• Matchbox from Romania

• A new art supply

• A night lotion bottle

• Essential oil w/ lavender scent

• A jar of pickled asparagus

• An open sketchbook

• A notebook w/ a pretty cover

• A second-hand nightstand

• A piece of ceramic w/ speckles

• A cat on the roof

• Shoes w/ sparkles

• Ukulele from Hawaii

• Fuji Mountain in summer

• A toy camera for boys

• Summer hat w/ floral designs

• A colonial house

• A vegan dish for Wednesday

• Your view from a cruise ship

• An autumn leaf pile

• A door hanging in December

• A dress shirt w/ polka dots

• A local summer mushroom

• A tote bag for Saturdays

• A painted rock

• A spool of metallic thread

• An NYC subway sign

• A ball of ombre yarn

• A knitting kit

• The sweater texture on a mitten

• A Turkish rug design

• A pair of flipflop from Brasilia

• A pair of bifocal glasses

• A pumpkin w/ a chameleon on it

• A collection of erasers

• A tired brush pen

• Cactus native to Arizona

• Symmetrical fish

• Asymmetrical butterflies

• A phone w/ a rotary dial 

• A picnic basket

On-demand Skillshare Classes

Esther offers 20+ classes on digital illustration with nearly 1 million watched minutes among 25,000+ students. Join the Skillshare community with this one-month-for-free link. If you like what you learned from this post, you will probably love following along with the Make Geometric Shapes in Adobe Illustrator CC Class on Skillshare. For starters.

Tutorials on Youtube

Moreover, Esther also shares her design process on Youtube. At the time of writing, two full seasons are available to help you get started in Adobe Illustrator.

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Esther is a licensed Illustrator and designer, a Top Teacher on Skillshare.com. She shares her creative process using some of the most industry-leading programs like Adobe Illustrator and Procreate on iPad. Click here for her regular portfolio.