Photo: PeopleImages.com/Depositphotos
There’s a lot that goes into making art. Paint, brushes, pastels, and markers are just some of the materials that creatives will have in their studio. However, you don’t need to go on a shopping spree to dip your toes into drawing. With just a pencil and some paper, you can start honing your skills—one sketch at a time.
As with any medium, drawing with pencil requires time and practice. We’ve put together a list of ideas that will take you through the animal kingdom, across landscapes, and into your own home. By learning how to draw a variety of subjects, you will grow more comfortable with pencils and what they can do. You can also gain more confidence rendering whatever sparks your interest.
Some of these prompts will be more challenging (like drawing horses and hands), while others may be a bit easier (such as sketching an egg or a book). Try your best to tackle them all and see what kind of progress you make by the end.
Scroll down to see our full list of pencil drawing ideas.
Need a new utensil before you get started? Then, be sure to take a look at our guide to the best drawing pencils.
Start creating with these 20 pencil drawing ideas.
Animal Drawings
Squirrel
Photo: Mikhaylova/Depositphotos
Lion
Photo: VolodymyrBur/Depositphotos
Wolf
Photo: nico99/Depositphotos
Birds
Photo: Gvinevera88/Depositphotos
Horse
Photo: JozefKlopacka/Depositphotos
Nature
Rose
Photo: [email protected]/Depositphotos
Windy Landscape
Photo: L.Kramer/Depositphotos
Leaves
Photo: OlesiaFrolowa/Depositphotos
Objects
Cut Fruit or Vegetables
Photo: kostik2photo/Depositphotos
Egg
Photo: [email protected]/Depositphotos
Still Life
Photo: EgnisMoore/Depositphotos
Makeup
Photo: Sashsmir/Depositphotos
Ballet Pointe Shoe
Photo: NadinArt/Depositphotos
Stack of Books
Photo: vad_1/Depositphotos
Column Capital
Photo: aleksstupnikov.mail.ru/Depositphotos
People
Eyes
Photo: nadyaus/Depositphotos
Hands
Photo: 7slonov/Depositphotos
Feet
Photo: PantherMediaSeller/Depositphotos
Portrait
Photo: pittore/Depositphotos
Sculpture Head
Photo: allween/Depositphotos
Want to learn alongside an instructor? These online classes go over how to draw different subjects with pencil.
Photo & Art: Demi Lang / My Modern Met Academy
Architectural Illustration for Everyone: Draw Buildings in Ink and Colored Pencil — Draw architecture like a pro with this course by Demi Lang. She’ll take you step by step through the process of drawing buildings using ink and colored pencil.
Photo & Art: Margherita Cole / My Modern Met
Drawing 101: Learn the Building Blocks of Sketching — Learn the fundamentals of drawing and gain the confidence to sketch any subject you like.
Photo & Art: Melissa De Nobrega / My Modern Met
Portrait Drawing for Beginners: Learn How to Draw Anyone You’d Like — Learn to draw facial features, characters, and people! In bite-sized lessons, this portrait drawing course will break down one of the most complex subjects, the human face, into something simple and approachable.
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