20+ Cool Drawing Ideas That Blow Sketchbooks Away

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This list is for anyone who opens a sketchbook and just stares at the blank page. Beginners, rusty hobbyists and last-minute gift makers, this one’s for you!

No fancy studio is required here. A pencil, some paper and maybe a box of crayons from the junk drawer will get you through most of these.

Hundreds of pins got scrolled through to put this together. Only the ones that looked doable on a random Tuesday night made the final cut, lol!

Some ideas need nothing but a pencil. Others use crayons, colored pencils or a splash of paint. There’s a little variety for every mood.

They’re organized from bold and graphic ideas into softer, couple-themed sketches. Then it moves into crayon drawing ideas and colorful pieces near the end.

Pick whichever one matches your evening. Some take ten minutes, others ask for a full afternoon and a cup of coffee nearby. Who doesn’t love an easy decision like that?

COOL DRAWING IDEAS

Galaxy Skull Ink Drawing

We’re starting off strong with a galaxy skull. Black ink, a splatter of white and suddenly a skull looks like it belongs in outer space!

I always layer the stars before the skull outline goes on top. It looks complicated but it’s mostly patience, lol! A cheap toothbrush works great for that splatter effect.

Surreal Melting Clock Sketch

This melting clock sketch pulls straight from the surrealist playbook. The clock face droops over a rock or a branch like it’s given up on time completely.

I spend most of my time on the shading here. Soft graphite gradients make the metal actually look like it’s dripping. A blending stump makes this so much easier.

3D Staircase Illusion Drawing

How cool is this staircase illusion? It looks three dimensional from across the room but it’s honestly just careful line work and shading.

I always sketch grid lines first to keep the perspective straight.

Dragon Eye Realistic Sketch

This dragon eye sketch is for anyone who wants to practice realistic shading. Scales, reflections, that slit pupil, it’s all texture and light!

I always pull up reference photos since dragon anatomy is admittedly made up, haha! The reflections in the eye are what make it pop off the page.

Optical Illusion Hand Drawing

OMG! Are you guys seeing this hand illusion right now? A hand seems to poke straight through the paper thanks to some clever shading tricks!

I traced my own hand the first time and still didn’t believe it worked. This is one of those ideas that looks impossible until you try it.

Shading does all the heavy lifting once the outline is down. A little colored pencil around the edges sells the whole trick.

Matching Silhouette Sunset Sketch

Matching silhouettes against an orange sunset make for one of the sweetest couple drawing ideas out there. Two shapes, one shared sky, that’s the whole concept. Who doesn’t love that?

I always blend the sky in warm oranges and pinks before adding silhouettes. It’s simple enough for a first attempt at couples art. Somehow it still gets the biggest reaction every time!

Holding Hands Pencil Sketch

This holding hands sketch keeps things soft and simple. Just two hands, some gentle shading and a whole lot of feeling packed into a small space.

I always practice on reference photos first since hands are famously tricky. My first three attempts looked like gloves, honestly, lol!

Forehead Kiss Portrait Sketch

Aww! How sweet is this forehead kiss portrait? It captures a quiet moment without needing any dramatic pose or background at all!

This is a favorite among couples drawing ideas because it focuses entirely on expression instead of detail everywhere.

I keep the background loose so the faces stay the whole focus. Nobody looks at anything else anyway, am I right?

Piggyback Ride Cartoon Drawing

This piggyback ride cartoon is pure joy on paper. It’s playful, a little goofy and honestly more fun to draw than most serious portraits!

I love how forgiving the cartoon proportions are for beginners. Nobody’s checking anatomy on a piggyback ride drawing, lol!

Dancing Couple Line Art

Line art keeps this dancing couple loose and expressive. One continuous line can capture the whole motion of a spin if you’re feeling confident!

This is one of those drawing ideas couples request most for anniversaries. I framed mine simply and it still gets mistaken for a gallery piece, haha!

Umbrella Rain Couple Sketch

This umbrella rain sketch has main character energy written all over it. Two figures under one umbrella, raindrops falling everywhere else, it just works!

I always cross-hatch the rain since it adds texture without much extra effort. This one always gets a reaction, haha!

Melted Crayon Art Flowers

Melted crayon flowers turn old crayon stubs into actual wall art. Melt the wax with a hairdryer or heat gun and let gravity do the shaping!

This is one of the more unusual this drawing ideas since it barely involves drawing at all. I got hooked the first time I tried it. It’s really more melting than sketching. It’s addictive, honestly!

Crayon Resist Night Sky

Crayon resist feels like a magic trick when you try it the first time. I press hard with a white crayon, then paint watercolor over the top. The night sky just appears!

Yellow works too since it hides until the paint hits it. Honestly that reaction alone is worth the mess.

Crayon Rainbow Butterfly Drawing

This rainbow butterfly brings every crayon in the box out of retirement. Wings split into color bands make it look far more complex than it actually is!

I keep recommending it to anyone easing back into crayons after years of only pencils. It never fails to hook them. Who doesn’t love a comeback story?

Upside Down Face Drawing

Who says a face has to sit right side up? Flip the reference upside down and suddenly proportions get way easier to see accurately!

This is a classic art school trick and one of the better drawing ideas creative folks swear by for improving fast.

My drawings got noticeably better once I actually trusted this trick. It tricks the brain into drawing shapes instead of assumptions.

Shadow Silhouette Animal Drawing

Shadow silhouettes of animals look striking with almost no detail at all. Just a solid black shape against a colorful or textured background does the trick!

I timed myself once and finished in under twenty minutes. This is the kind of project that looks fancy but takes almost no effort, lol!

Colored Pencil Rose Bouquet

I always layer light colors first on this rose bouquet so the petals never look flat. It stays forgiving even when my lines get sloppy.

Blending with a white pencil on top smooths everything out nicely. It’s one of those pencil colour drawing ideas that photographs beautifully for a gift card or frame. A cheap set of twelve pencils works just fine for this.

Colored Pencil Autumn Leaves

Autumn leaves are basically made for colored pencils. Reds, oranges and browns blend together in a way that markers just can’t match!

Pressing harder in the center and lighter at the edges gives each leaf real depth. Not that I’m territorial about my pencil sharpener, haha!

Rainbow Ombre Feather Drawing

This rainbow ombre feather looks way harder than it actually is. Colors blend smoothly from one to the next along each strand. If you were hunting for colourful this ideas creative, this one is a keeper! If you were hunting for colourful drawing ideas creative, this one is a keeper!

I’ve done this in both watercolor and colored pencil and both work fine. Either way it’s one of the more colourful this ideas creative types keep pinning for a reason. Same!

Neon Splatter Abstract Drawing

Last but definitely not least, this neon splatter piece is loud, messy and a whole lot of fun! Flick paint or ink across the page and let chaos happen.

I always wear old clothes for this one since ruining them is basically guaranteed. Consider it your permission slip to make a mess on purpose. Not in my book is that a bad thing!