Ever stare at a blank page feeling totally stuck? I've been there – that intimidating white space screaming "you're not an artist!" Here's the truth: drawing isn't about perfection, it's about finding cool and easy things to draw that spark joy. The best part? You absolutely can do this, even if your last masterpiece was a stick figure family. Let's ditch the pressure and explore some seriously fun options.
Seriously, why do we think drawing needs to be hard? Maybe it's those intimidating art school documentaries. Let me share a secret: I once spent two frustrating hours trying to draw a realistic eye, gave up, switched to a cartoon pizza slice, and instantly felt better. Finding the right starting point changes everything.
The Absolute Essentials: What You Really Need (Hint: Not Much)
Forget fancy supplies initially. When exploring cool and easy things to draw, simplicity wins. Here's the no-nonsense starter kit:
Pencils
Just get a standard HB and a 2B. The HB gives clean lines, the 2B lets you shade lightly. Don't bother with those giant kits yet – I bought one early on and still only use 3 pencils!
Paper
Regular printer paper works fine. Sketchbooks are nice, but they can feel precious. Printer paper is cheap and plentiful, perfect for doodling cool and easy things to draw without worrying about "wasting" good paper.
Eraser
A soft white vinyl eraser. Avoid the pink ones – they tear paper and leave smudges. Learned that the hard way on what was supposed to be a cool cloud drawing.
Optional (But Fun) Add-Ons
- Fineliners (like Micron pens): Great for bold outlines once you're happy with your pencil sketch.
- A small set of colored pencils: Crayola or similar are totally fine for starting. Expensive artist-grade ones won't make your drawings inherently better at this stage.
- A sharpener: Keep those pencil points decent. Dull pencils make messy lines.
Pro Tip: Store your stuff in a simple folder or even a large ziplock bag. Having it accessible means you're more likely to doodle when inspiration hits – waiting time, coffee breaks, that boring Zoom meeting (I won't tell!).
Seriously Simple Stuff: Instant Gratification Drawings
These are perfect when you have 5 minutes and just need to put pencil to paper. Zero pressure, maximum fun. Focus on basic shapes – circles, ovals, rectangles.
Faces & Emojis
Start with a circle. Add two dots for eyes, a curved line for a mouth. Boom, a smiling face! Experiment: downturned mouth = sad face, wide eyes = surprised. Once comfortable, try classic emojis: the crying laughing face 🤣, heart eyes 😍, fire 🔥. They translate surprisingly well to paper and are instantly recognizable cool and easy things to draw.
| Emoji Idea | Key Elements | Common Mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Smiling Face 😊 | Circle, two dots (eyes), upward curve (mouth) | Making eyes too big/small relative to face |
| Crying Laughing 🤣 | Squinted eyes, big laughing mouth, tear drops | Tears looking like weird blobs instead of drops |
| Heart Eyes 😍 | Standard eyes replaced by heart shapes | Hearts looking lopsided or too small |
My early emoji phase was legendary. I covered notebook margins in them. Still draw a little smiley face when signing cards!
Super Simple Objects
Look around your desk or room:
- A Cup/Mug: Basically a cylinder (rectangle with oval top/bottom). Add a handle (curved or C-shape).
- A Lightbulb: Circle for the glass part, screw base as a trapezoid or rectangle underneath. Add a squiggly filament line inside.
- A Leaf: Simple curved teardrop or oval shape. Add a line down the middle (midrib) and a few smaller lines branching out.
I find everyday objects oddly satisfying to draw. Something about making the mundane look intentional on paper.
Leveling Up Slightly (But Still Chill Cool and Easy Things to Draw)
Ready to add a tiny bit more complexity? These build on shapes but introduce simple concepts like symmetry or layering.
Basic Flowers
Don't aim for botanical accuracy! Think stylized:
- Daisy: Circle center. Surround with simple oval petals (like sun rays).
- Tulip: Draw a U-shape. Add two curved lines coming up from the sides to meet at a point. Simple stem (straight line).
- Cactus: Basic pot shape (rectangle or cylinder). Add a lumpy oval or cylinder on top. Throw in some tiny V-shapes for spines. Hard to mess up!
Flowers are forgiving. Petals don't need to be identical – nature isn't perfect! Try adding a couple of leaves to the stems.
Cute Cartoon Animals
Focus on the head for simplicity. Big eyes, simplified features:
| Animal | Key Features | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Cartoon Cat | Round head, triangle ears, big oval eyes, small triangle nose, whiskers (dash lines) | Beginner |
| Owl | Large circle body, two big circles for eyes (with smaller circles inside), simple upside-down V between eyes for beak, feather tufts on top (zigzags) | Beginner |
| Fish | Simple oval body. Triangle tail fin. Add curved dorsal fin (top) and pectoral fin (side) | Beginner |
Cartoon animals were my gateway drug. That first recognizable cat felt like winning an Oscar!
Scrumptiously Simple Food
Food drawings are inherently fun and appetizing:
- Ice Cream Cone: Triangle for cone. Add a scoop (circle or semi-circle) on top. Swirly top if feeling fancy.
- Slice of Pizza: Triangle. Add curved lines for crust edge. Draw circles/ovals for pepperoni slices, lines for cheese stretch.
- Apple: Circle (slightly irregular). Small stem with tiny leaf attached.
Food Drawing Secret: Adding little details sells it. A sprinkle on the ice cream, steam lines rising from coffee, seeds on a strawberry. Takes seconds but adds personality.
Drawing pizza always makes me hungry. Fair warning!
Nature Elements
Bring the outdoors in:
- Clouds: Fluffy blobs! Just draw overlapping curved bumps. No sharp corners.
- Mountains: Zigzag lines for the peaks. Add shading on one side with light pencil pressure for depth.
- Simple Tree: Trunk (two parallel lines or rectangle). Top blob for leaves (cloud-like shape).
Landscape elements are great for building confidence. There's no "wrong" way to draw a cloud!
Slightly More Involved (But Worth It Cool and Easy Things to Draw)
Feeling confident with the basics? Let's try things that combine elements.
Cool Symbols & Logos
These often rely on geometric shapes and are highly recognizable:
- Peace Sign: Circle. Draw a line straight down from center. Draw a downward V starting halfway down the line, touching the circle.
- Heart: Draw two identical rounded bumps starting from the same point at the bottom, curving outward and then inward to meet at a point at the top.
- Stars: Draw an upside-down V. Then draw a V right-side-up crossing the first one. Connect the points.
Symbols are building blocks for more complex designs. Practice them!
Watch Out: Perspective with simple buildings can be tricky at first. Don't stress if your boxes look a bit wonky initially. Mine definitely did. Focus on getting the basic shapes down first – worry about perfect perspective later.
Patterns & Doodles
Mindless repetition meets creativity:
- Zentangle-inspired: Fill a shape (circle, square) with repetitive patterns: stripes, dots, swirls, checkerboards. Very meditative.
- Mandala Basics: Draw a dot in the center. Draw concentric circles around it. Divide circles into sections (like a pie). Fill each section with a repeating pattern.
- Floral Borders: Draw a wavy line. Add simple flowers, leaves, dots along the line at intervals.
Pattern work is fantastic for developing patience and control. Plus, it looks complex but starts simple.
Cool and Easy Things to Draw When You're Bored
Stuck indoors? Waiting room purgatory? These save the day:
- Your Hand: Trace it lightly with pencil. Then try drawing inside the outline freehand, adding fingernails, wrinkles, rings. Surprisingly challenging and good practice!
- Shoes: Start with the sole shape (like a curved bean). Build the upper part on top.
- Furniture: A chair (basic rectangle seat, four lines for legs, rectangle back). A lamp (base, stem, lampshade as cone or cylinder).
- Fantasy Critters: Combine animal parts! Cat head + fish tail? Owl eyes + bunny ears? Go wild. No rules!
Boredom drawings are where magic happens. Some of my weirdest combos are still favorites.
Beyond the Basics: Making Your Cool and Easy Things to Draw Pop
Want to add a little extra flair? Try these simple techniques:
Shading Lightly
Imagine a light source (say, top left). Where would shadows fall? Use your 2B pencil very lightly to shade those opposite areas.
- Ball/Circle: Shade around the curved edge opposite the imaginary light source. Leave a highlight spot.
- Cylinder (like a cup): Shade down one curved side and along the bottom curve.
Start super light. You can always darken later. Blending gently with your finger tip helps too.
Simple Outlining
Once you're happy with your pencil sketch, go over the main lines with a fineliner pen or press harder with a sharp pencil. Makes it look cleaner and more defined. Erase any leftover messy pencil lines carefully.
Minimal Color
Pick one or two key areas to add color. Don't try to color everything perfectly. Maybe just the petals of a flower, the cheese on the pizza, the body of the fish. Less is often more.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Cool and Easy Things to Draw
I feel like I have no talent. Can I really learn cool and easy things to draw?
Absolutely yes. Drawing is far more about practice and seeing basic shapes than innate "talent." Starting with cool and easy things to draw builds foundational skills and confidence. Talent might dictate your ultimate ceiling, but practice determines your starting point and how far you climb. Everyone begins somewhere!
How long should I practice each day?
Forget marathon sessions. Seriously, 10-15 minutes consistently is infinitely better than one hour every two weeks. Aim for small, regular practice. Doodle during TV ads, sip your coffee slower and sketch your mug, sketch a colleague's plant during a boring call (discreetly!). Little moments add up massively.
Why do my drawings look childish? How do I make them look better?
Childlike drawings often come from focusing on symbols (what we think something looks like) rather than observing actual shapes, lines, and relationships. Instead of drawing a "tree" symbol, look at a real tree or photo: what shape is the trunk? How do branches connect? How does the leaf mass behave? Focusing on simple shapes within the object is key. Also, adding tiny details (like texture on bark, individual leaves in a cluster, subtle shading) adds realism without overwhelming complexity.
What if I hate what I draw?
Welcome to the club! It happens to everyone, even professionals. Instead of crumpling it:
- Analyze: Specifically, what don't you like? Is one eye bigger? Is the shape wonky? Identifying the issue helps you fix it next time.
- Redraw: Flip the page and try again immediately, focusing on that one troublesome area.
- Embrace the Style: Sometimes "imperfections" become your unique style. Cartoons and stylized drawings thrive on personality over realism.
- Put it away: Look at it again tomorrow. Sometimes fresh eyes help.
Hating a drawing means you see potential for better. That's growth!
Where can I find inspiration for cool and easy things to draw?
Everywhere! Seriously:
- Look Down: Your desk items (keys, phone, plant, coffee cup).
- Look Out: Clouds, birds on a wire, trees, parked cars.
- Look Online (Carefully): Search "easy drawing tutorials," "simple sketch ideas." Pinterest is great, but filter search terms with "beginner" or "easy" to avoid overwhelm. Beware of overly complex tutorials masquerading as simple!
- Look Inside: Draw something you love – a favorite snack, a pet's toy, a video game controller.
Your Drawing Journey Starts Now
The most important thing isn't finding the single "coolest" thing to draw. It's picking something – anything on these lists – and starting. Grab that pencil and paper. Draw a smiley face right now. Then maybe give it sunglasses. See? You're doing it.
Finding cool and easy things to draw is really about rediscovering the fun of making marks on paper. It's play, not work. Embrace the wobbles, celebrate the moments it clicks, and most importantly, keep that pencil moving. Your unique style is waiting to emerge, one simple sketch at a time.
Seriously, go draw something. Right after you finish reading this. Start small, enjoy the process, and watch your confidence grow. You've got this.
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