The pencil is the most basic drawing tool, yet it’s incredibly versatile. Plus, we always have one on hand.
If you feel like drawing for a while but don’t know what to draw, here are several simple pencil drawing ideas that you can do in your free time.
Quick Tips for Pencil Drawing
- You don’t need a brand-name pencil to draw, any pencil you have on hand will do. That said, pencils are so inexpensive that it’s easy to treat yourself if you feel like it. Right now, I use Faber-Castell, Blackwing, and Ohto (mechanical pencil).
- The great thing about pencils is that you can erase and correct mistakes. But be careful not to be too much of a perfectionist; you’ll be erasing constantly and end up smudging the paper.
- Another strength of pencils is that they allow shading… but it’s not mandatory.
- Pencils are usually HB in hardness. If you love shading, use a 2B pencil (careful, it smudges), and if you press too hard, use an H. It’s also good to have a sharpener and an eraser handy.
- Start by making a very light sketch, almost without pressing. This way, you can erase what you want to change without leaving a trace on the paper.
1. Balloons
To draw balloons, you only need to know how to draw ovals, so EVERYONE can do it. If you want to make it a less boring drawing, just frame them and let some escape.
2. Bonsai
The curved and intricate shapes of bonsais make them very entertaining to draw, and the result is beautiful.
3. Intertwined Cups
A super simple subject, two coffee cups, which with the simple detail of intertwining the handles gains in meaning. It’s a nice drawing to give to a couple if you put their names on each cup.
4. Paper Airplane
You don’t always have to use a realistic style when drawing with a pencil. By using different line thicknesses, panels, and other effects, you can achieve an illustration or comic look.
5. Lighthouse
When you have a very large piece of paper but feel like making a small drawing, a good trick is to frame it in a geometric shape (circle, rectangle, etc.), like this nighttime landscape with a lighthouse.
6. Girl with Balloon
Drawing people is one of the challenges for any artist and something we tend to avoid when we’re beginners. However, with simple shapes, you can create all kinds of characters. This drawing of a girl with a balloon is simple and not realistic in style, but it doesn’t lack personality.
7. Surrealist Painting
A painting where part of the picture comes out of the frame is always a surprising drawing. You can also use hundreds of different representations: clouds, animals, vehicles, portraits, etc.
8. Cat in a Pocket
Cats are always cute. But if you place them in a spot where a cat shouldn’t fit, they become irresistible. A drawing that will make anyone smile.
9. Precious Stone
Can you draw triangles and rectangles? Then you can draw a gem, nothing more is needed.
10. Open Door
An open door is an invitation to enter, but to where? Instead of drawing the door to a boring room, let your imagination run wild. Behind this door, you might find the desert, the bottom of the sea, space…
11. Love Yourself
If there’s one thing we’ve all been drawing since we were kids, it’s… a heart! But this time, it’s not to write our crush’s name but to give it extra meaning.
12. Hourglass
A simple object represented in a beautiful and poetic drawing. Hourglasses have always been laden with meaning (the passage of time), even more so if you change the sand for something more original.
Thanks for reading this far!
I hope these small pencil drawing ideas help you make your own sketches. Would you like me to add another drawing? Let me know in the comments!
Have a fantastic day and find some time to draw.
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