Simply grab a sheet of paper—it can be a page from an old paperback book, or anything with markings—and place dots on specific words or letters. You choose what set of marks, words, or letters you want. Then connect the dots with curved, zigzag or straight lines to create a pattern. These exercises reveal hidden patterns in negative space, show you how choices can make a difference and will help you engage in randomness to take your work a few steps further. If you have been drawing for some time and are feeling stuck or uninspired by your marks, it may be time to reinvent in order to discover something new.

Years ago I had developed a great exercise that involved rendering minute and exact details using graphite pencils on a fine surfaced drawing paper Strathmore Drawing paper. I was bored, and so I set out to change my habit by using tools and paper that were the exact opposite—ink in a faulty dip pen on hot press paper, which is slightly spongy. I also used my non-dominant hand and no photo reference. This simple exercise lasted for a few months. When I went back to drawing with familiar tools, I was breaking down the image in different ways and drawing with less restrictions. For this drawing exercise, choose one theme or one kind of object, and only draw that thing during the course of a day.

You can vary your approach to this by choosing an animate or inanimate object, a color, a size of something, things that are scary or make you laugh, or things that start with a specific letter. You can also use synonyms, such as things that move you emotionally versus things that literally move you, like modes of transportation. The more thoughtful you can be, the more you exercise your concept-building abilities as well as you hand skills. Take 25 blank index cards and cut them into thirds. On the first stack, print an adjective on each card, on the next stack, print a noun, and on the third stack print a verb on each card.

Then draw it! It might not turn into fine art but it will help cultivate basic skills and build your confidence in the craft. Emily J. Potts has been a writer and editor in the design industry for more than 20 years. Currently she is an independent writer working for a variety of clients in the design industry. Some people learn best by listening. Others, like Mike Rohde, learn best with a pen in hand. In order to achieve strong gradations and a sense of form, place a light from different angles than normal. These can be under the chin, behind the head or from the top. This can be in graphite pencil or colored pencil. Study your feet and shoes. Create a strong thick and thin contour drawing of your shoes drawing from different angles.

Include more than one drawing on the same page over lapping and filling the format. Pen or pencil. Draw a place around the outside of your home. This can be a plant, part of the building or objects on the porch. Use ink and watercolor to create a strong contrast between the color and the ink. Crosshatching as a style is suggested but not required. Draw bottles and cans. Have them crunched up for details in the reflections and folds of the metal. Include lots of detail and only show a small area instead of the whole can or cans. If it is a bottle, find an area that shows off the reflections and surface quality of the bottle.

Create a series of positive and negative space designs. On your desk at home stack a few objects into a pile. With a light shinning from the back look at the space that is white light and draw the shapes as a contour line shape. Use black paint or ink to fill in the spaces as a flat shape. The silhouette of the object should still be seen but new shapes created. Draw a piece of furniture in your house. This can be in color or black and white. Sit in an area and observe the lines and shapes of the piece. Create a format around your observed area and look for textures, gradations, wood grain or interesting shapes and make a detailed study. Submitted by Ken Schwab.

Art 2. This is the second round of sketchbook assignments. Choose 4 of these to use and have them completed before the next grading period. Remember to use good drawing skills and composition. Pop some popcorn. Take a few kernels and look at the shapes and shades created. With pencil and smudge shading, study a few of the kernels and fill the page with them. This drawing should show a good sense of drawing skill and soft grays with a Tortillons or some blending device. Draw or design a vehicle. This can be a car, spaceship, airplane, boat, motorcycle, bicycle or anything you want.

Include details and make it big! Any media. Draw yourself using a strong light source on one side of your face. Use a mirror and try to have some expression. Focus on the strong shadows created by the light. Use pastel for blocking in large areas with a lesser amount of detail. Using color Cray-Pas create an Impressionist Landscape drawing. Use Van Gogh, Manet, Seurat, Pissaro, Sisley, or Cezanne as your guide. Use the internet and look up these artists to observe their work. Find a landscape on the net as well and draw it as a n Impressionist.

Draw a series of animals in motion. Such as a cheetah running, a rabbit hopping, a bird flying. This can be in any media and you can use just three views or images in a row. Divide the page into three areas with a ruler. Create a very involved contour drawing with pen of a small object of your choice and put it in one of the areas going outside the shape. Next, in another area, draw the same object with pencil using good shading and proper proportion. For the last area, distort or abstract like in cubism the same object using three values or colors.

Submitted by Nicole Brisco. Ideas for the first day to engage creativity in any advanced class. I begin in Art 2. Once I hand out Sketchbooks or have students bring or make them I have the students prepare the pages in a variety of creative ways, like paint washes on the pages, collaging, writing, cutting holes in some of the pages, creating patterns. I know some people alter books and that is a great way also but I like the idea of the kids taking ownership of their sketchbook as a process oriented tool for thumb-nailing, drawing, doodling, writing, documenting, etc.

It is a good first day activity especially if you give them a list that is open to interpretation, this challenges them to use their time wisely, be creative, use good craftsmanship, and follow directions. It is also a no pressure assignment that allows the kids to get to know each other. What I like about this is that it removes the white pages from the book and allows students to be more expressive with the drawings on the pages. It also make the sketchbook less intimidating and helps students to understand that every page does not need to be perfect and is more about learning and exploration. Another good idea is to print out a variety of sketchbook assignments on address labels and give them to the students.

I have printed 30 different assignments on one page of sticker labels and printed one each student receives the same problems for each student, there is some initial cost for the labels but you will not have to give out another assignment sheet for the rest of the year. I created open ideas that instill good observational, creative, and compositional skills. Give each student the same printed page and they can chose what problem to tackle for their sketchbook for the week and stick the one they selected to the back of the page, or you can have them stick them to the prepared pages and they would be forced to move through the sketchbook in an unordered way. This gives the student options and allows them ownership in what they draw each week depending on their mood but also keeps them focused on the skills they need to work on during the year.

I have them staple the label page to the back of their sketchbook so that they do not lose it. I saw this idea and loved it and decided to adapt it to my art 2 and 3 classes and what kid does not like stickers? even high school kids have a fascination. See list of ideas. Here is a sample label file created by Gloria Rabinowitz. Suggestions from Donna Rodeghiero. You know, when you keep wondering if you could hang it on the wall, show it to your friends or put it in your portfolio before you've even filled half the page.

Well, worry no more, this exercise will remove that unnecessary pressure. All you need is a subject and your drawing materials, be it pencil, pen or ink. Look at your subject and try to draw it, like you always do. But with one little twist: don't look at your paper. At all. Not even a single glimpse. You're drawing half-blind, if you will. You can look at your subject, but what the outcome might be should remain a secret until you're finished. If you find you have trouble not peaking, you can put your sketchbook on your knees and draw underneath the table instead. Or stick your pencil through the middle of a paper plate, so it distracts your view as the pencil moves. Of course, your sketch is going to look like a bad Picasso when you're done. And that's the point.

If you know before you start that the finished piece is not going to be useful for exhibiting, you'll have a much easier time concentrating on the process of drawing itself. If you do this regularly, you'll notice that your sketches are going to get better. Your bad Picasso will start to look more like a bad Matisse. Which in turn makes things easier for you once you go back to looking at the paper while you work. Perspective drawing can be quite intimidating, even when you have a simple subject to work with. Drawing without a reference is yet another step up from that and needs a good grasp on the principles as well as an extensive visual library.

With this exercise we're going to practice both, so that we can slowly work our way towards the ultimate goal of drawing whatever we have in our heads and having it look as realistic as possible. Pick an object you want to work with. I suggest something simple, like a mug or your toothbrush. Now imagine how you would draw that object if you were to make a quick sketch of it. What perspective would you choose? Most often that's going to be a simple side view. But not today. Instead of the easy way we're going to step up our game and pick a more difficult perspective. Move your object in your hands or walk around it to find a perspective that you usually don't see it in, or don't notice much when you do.

Anything that looks tricky to draw is what you're going to pick, because you can handle that. Now draw a simple sketch, nothing too detailed. Then change the perspective or move on to the next. This one is another classic, and for a reason. It's fun, it's quick and it's impossible to mess up. Your finished drawing will almost always look super skilful, so it's great for giving yourself a little confidence boost when you need it. One-line-drawings have been around for forever and they're simple enough to do. All you need to remember is that once your pencil touches the paper you cannot lift it until the piece is finished. The entire drawing is one single line, every part of it is connected.

You must be logged-in in order to download this resource. If you do not have an AOE account, create one now. If you already have an account, please login. Want an eBook with all these prompts? Click Sketchbook Prompts eBook to find it! The list covers many bases and is organized by category. There are prompts about animals, food, people, and other things that will spark interest among students. Take a look and see what will work best for you and your students. Add your own favorite sketchbook assignment in the comments below! Click here to download the list! These prompts are an amazing place to start. However, knowing how to implement the prompts and manage students with sketchbooks is important, too!

Does this list inspire you to take some sketchbook assignments head on in your art room? Or maybe the opposite is true and you are finding that you feel underprepared to teach drawing skills. Maybe you fall somewhere in between and you just need a little more inspiration to tweak your drawing curriculum. The class is jam-packed with hands-on learning experiences, advanced technique tutorials, and opportunities to share and learn with art teachers just like you. What are your favorite sketchbook prompts to use? How do you use sketchbooks in your classroom? Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University AOEU or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

He focuses on creativity development, problem-solving, and higher-order thinking skills in the art room. Instant Download You must be logged-in in order to download this resource. Login Create Account Email Address. Instant Download Great! you're all signed in. Click to download your resource. Instructional Strategies. Download Now These prompts are an amazing place to start. Sketchbook Ideas that Really Work Implementing Sketchnotes in the Art Room Sketchbook Prompts Your Students Will Love People Draw someone you sit by in an odd pose. Draw family members with things that are important to them.

Draw yourself or someone else painting toenails. Find a quiet place in a crowd. Draw the crowd. Make a portrait of yourself in twenty years. Or in fifty years. Or both. Draw a masked man or woman that is not a superhero. Draw the ugliest baby you can imagine. Draw two sports figures—one in a dynamic pose, one in a static pose. Draw two self-portraits with odd expressions. Draw something or someone you love. Draw hair. A lot of it. Take a picture of someone near you on a bus or in a car. Draw them. Animals Draw an animal eating another animal. Draw your art teacher in a fight with an animal. Draw an animal playing a musical instrument. There is an animal living in one of your appliances. Draw it. Draw a dead bird in a beautiful landscape. Draw an animal taking a bath. Draw an animal taking a human for a walk.

Combine 3 existing animals to create a completely new creature. Draw a family portrait. Plot twist: It is a family of insects or animals. Draw the most terrifying animal you can imagine. Or the most adorable. Food Draw a pile of dishes before they get washed. Tighten a C-Clamp on a banana. Draw a slice of the best pizza you have ever seen. Draw junk food and the wrapper. Draw your favorite food. Create your own restaurant. Draw the restaurant, your executive chef, and a item menu. Draw the ingredients or process of your favorite recipe. Draw salt and pepper shakers. Draw fresh fruit or vegetables, or something fresh from the oven. Draw a salad.

Draw the oldest thing in your refrigerator. Draw a piece of fruit every day until it becomes rotten. Draw everything on a restaurant table. Objects Draw what is in the rearview mirror of the car. Draw moving water. Draw still water. Draw an object floating. Make a drawing of all of your drawing materials. Find a trash can. Draw its contents. Draw tools that belong to a certain profession. Draw three objects and their environments. One of the three should be in motion. Draw the interior of a mechanical object. Zoom in, focus on details and shading. Create three drawings of messes you have made. Draw five objects with interesting textures: wood grain, floors, tiles, walls, fabric, etc. Draw a collection of purses, wallets, or bags. Draw your favorite well-loved object or childhood toy.

Draw a watch or another piece of jewelry. Draw something hideous that you keep for sentimental reasons. Draw something with a mirror image. Make a detailed drawing of a rock. Draw a dark object in a light environment. Draw a light object in a dark environment. Make a detailed drawing of five square inches of grass. Draw a transparent object. Draw a translucent object. Do several studies of eyes, noses, and mouths in a variety of poses. Draw an interesting object from three different angles.

Aim for something comfortable, relaxing, playful. Drawing without a reference is yet another step up from that and needs a good grasp on the principles as well as an extensive visual library. Years ago I had developed a great exercise that involved rendering minute and exact details using graphite pencils on a fine surfaced drawing paper Strathmore Drawing paper. Now draw and add onto the photo in some creative way. Create a drawing that incorporates that picture into a story. Sketch 4: Create a Free Draw that uses the Principle of Contrast to show an image with an Emphasis or a focal point. Sketch 1: Find a face in a magazine.

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