50 Sketchbook Ideas to Fill Every Page

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A new sketchbook is exciting – and a little intimidating. These 50 sketchbook ideas will help you fill every page with practice, experiments and fun spreads. Use them in order, pick at random, or mix them with prompts from the drawing prompt generator.

Observation pages (1–10)

  1. Everything on your desk right now
  2. Ten views of your hand
  3. Your shoes from three angles
  4. A plant drawn once a day for a week as it changes
  5. People at a café (quick gesture sketches)
  6. The contents of your bag
  7. Fruit cut in half
  8. The view from your window at three times of day
  9. Your pet sleeping in different positions
  10. Kitchen utensils hanging on hooks

Themed spreads (11–20)

  1. A page of breakfast foods
  2. A collection of mushrooms
  3. Leaves you found on a walk
  4. Twenty different cups and mugs
  5. A spread of insects
  6. Ocean creatures
  7. A cozy-things page – blankets, candles, books
  8. Spooky things for October
  9. Vehicles from around the world
  10. Tiny houses

For more themes, see our drawing themes list.

Character pages (21–28)

  1. One face with ten different expressions
  2. The same character in five outfits
  3. An OC reference sheet – generate one with the character prompt generator
  4. Characters based on your friends
  5. Animals turned into people
  6. A family of monsters
  7. Silhouette tests – ten black shapes, pick the best
  8. Your character’s favorite objects

Color and technique pages (29–36)

  1. Color swatches of every pen or paint you own
  2. A value scale from white to black
  3. Five palettes from the color palette prompt generator
  4. Texture library – fur, wood, metal, glass, fabric
  5. Hatching and cross-hatching practice
  6. Watercolor wash tests
  7. One subject in four mediums
  8. Brush stroke experiments

Journal and memory pages (37–44)

  1. A map of a place you visited
  2. Your week in small drawings
  3. A drawing of your favorite meal this month
  4. Ticket stubs and receipts with doodles around them
  5. Your morning routine as a comic
  6. Things that made you happy today
  7. A wish list illustrated
  8. Your bookshelf

Creative experiments (45–50)

  1. Turn coffee stains into creatures
  2. Draw over a magazine cutout
  3. Continue a random scribble into a scene
  4. A page drawn only with a ballpoint pen
  5. A collage of torn colored paper
  6. Invent a creature with the mythical creature generator and fill a page with studies of it

Tips for keeping a sketchbook habit

Lower your standards. A sketchbook is a practice space, not a gallery.

Date every page. It’s motivating to see your progress over months.

Carry it everywhere. A small sketchbook in your bag means you can draw in waiting rooms and on trains.

Use prompts. When you don’t know what to draw, the random drawing prompt of the day gives you an instant starting point.

Want even more ideas? Try our drawing practice exercises or easy doodles to draw when bored.

Frequently asked questions

What should I put in my sketchbook?

Anything! Observational drawings, doodles, color tests, character designs, notes, collages and ideas for bigger pieces. A sketchbook is for practice and play, not perfect artwork.

How do I get over the fear of a new sketchbook?

Make the first page deliberately messy – scribble, test your pens or tape in a ticket. Once the first page is “ruined”, the pressure disappears.

How often should I use my sketchbook?

A little every day is ideal, but even a few times a week builds a strong habit. Carry it with you so you can draw whenever you have a spare moment.

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