240 Things to Draw When Bored (Easy, Cute and Cool Ideas)

Bored with a pen in your hand? Draw something small and simple first, like a cat face, a mushroom or a cactus. The first easy drawing gets you going, and the next idea usually shows up while you're finishing it.

Below are 240 things to draw, sorted by mood: easy, cute, cool, doodles, ideas for class, pencil studies, random mash-ups, ideas for kids and a set of quick drawing challenges. There are also four step-by-step drawings you can copy right now, no talent required.

What to draw right now: quick picks

What's in this list

• Easy things to draw when bored (40)
• Cute things to draw when bored (40)
• Cool things to draw when bored (30)
• Doodle art ideas for your notebook (30)
• Things to draw when bored in class (25)
• Things to draw when bored with a pencil (20)
• Random things to draw when bored (25)
• Things to draw for kids (20)
• Fun drawing challenges (10)
• 4 step-by-step drawings

Easy things to draw when bored

Start here if you only have a pen and five minutes. Each of these is built from circles, squares and lines, so it looks good even on a first try.

1. A smiling sun with wavy rays
2. A cloud with a raindrop family underneath
3. A cup of coffee with steam curls
4. A potted succulent
5. A paper airplane mid-flight
6. A slice of watermelon
7. An ice cream cone with three scoops
8. A house with a round window and a chimney
9. A hot air balloon
10. A simple sailboat on two wavy lines
11. A tulip in a glass jar
12. A lollipop with a swirl
13. A pair of sneakers seen from the side
14. A smiling banana
15. A cupcake with sprinkles
16. A rainbow ending in two clouds
17. A fish made from an oval and a triangle
18. A crescent moon with a sleepy face
19. A candle with a teardrop flame
20. A stack of three books
21. A key with a heart-shaped handle
22. A hamburger with every layer showing
23. A kite with a bow tail
24. A simple tree made from a lollipop shape
25. A strawberry covered in seeds
26. A lightbulb with a little spark
27. A star with a face
28. An umbrella in the rain
29. A snowman with a scarf
30. A pencil with a bitten eraser
31. A heart with a bandage
32. A slice of pizza with pepperoni
33. A cactus in a pot
34. An alarm clock with bells
35. A ladybug on a leaf
36. A plant growing out of a boot
37. A teapot with polka dots
38. A row of balloons
39. A planet with a ring
40. A wrapped present with a big bow

Cute things to draw when bored

Cute drawings come down to three tricks: round shapes, big heads, and tiny faces with dots for eyes. Add rosy cheeks to almost anything on this list and it gets cuter.

1. A cat curled up asleep
2. A bunny holding a carrot
3. A panda eating bamboo
4. A penguin in a knitted hat
5. A hamster with stuffed cheeks
6. A frog wearing a crown
7. A corgi seen from behind
8. An axolotl smiling
9. A sleepy sloth on a branch
10. A mushroom house with a tiny door
11. A boba tea cup with a face
12. An avocado holding hands with its pit
13. A cloud with rosy cheeks
14. A baby duck in a puddle
15. A fox wrapped in its own tail
16. An owl on a stack of books
17. A whale blowing a heart-shaped spout
18. A hedgehog carrying an apple
19. A koala hugging a tree
20. A strawberry cow
21. A ghost holding a pumpkin
22. A cactus giving a hug
23. A sushi roll family
24. A narwhal with a party hat
25. A teddy bear with a patch
26. A kitten inside a coffee mug
27. A dumpling with chopsticks
28. A snail with a flower shell
29. A puppy in a raincoat
30. A happy toast with butter
31. A seal balancing a beach ball
32. A tiny dragon hatching
33. A bee with a heart stinger
34. A jellyfish with a smile
35. A fruit basket with faces
36. A chick in an eggshell
37. A raccoon with a snack
38. A piece of cheese with a mouse friend
39. A sleepy moon in a nightcap
40. A capybara in a hot spring

Easy step-by-step drawings to copy

Grab a pen and copy these four. Gray lines are what you drew in the step before; dark lines are what to add now.

How to draw a cute cat face

1. Draw a wide circle for the head.
2. Add two pointed ears with smaller triangles inside.
3. Dot two eyes, add a tiny triangle nose and a mouth shaped like a sideways 3.
4. Add whiskers and three stripes on the forehead, then color it in.

How to draw a mushroom

1. Draw a half circle for the cap.
2. Add a rounded rectangle under it for the stem.
3. Draw a few ovals of different sizes on the cap.
4. Give it a face and some grass, then make the cap red.

How to draw a cactus in a pot

1. Draw the pot: a rim and a shape that narrows at the bottom.
2. Add a tall rounded body.
3. Add two arms at different heights.
4. Draw little spine marks and a flower on top, then color it.

How to draw a snail

1. Draw a circle for the shell.
2. Draw a spiral inside it, starting at the edge.
3. Add a long rounded body along the bottom and a head at one end.
4. Add two eye stalks, a smile and some color.

Cool things to draw when bored

When you want something that looks impressive on the page, pick one of these. They take a little longer, but most of them are about patience rather than talent.

1. Your name in graffiti bubble letters
2. A dragon wrapped around a castle tower
3. A skull covered in flowers
4. A city skyline at night with lit windows
5. A wolf howling at a full moon
6. A sports car from the front
7. A mountain range reflected in a lake
8. A robot made of household objects
9. A galaxy inside a glass bottle
10. A koi fish in a circle of waves
11. A treehouse village
12. An astronaut floating with a balloon
13. A sword stuck in a stone
14. A phoenix rising from flames
15. A wave curling into a tube
16. A samurai helmet
17. A futuristic sneaker design
18. A lighthouse in a storm
19. A snake wrapped around a dagger
20. A hand holding a crystal ball
21. Your initials as a 3D block
22. A floating island with a waterfall
23. A cyberpunk street sign
24. A tattoo-style rose
25. A mech suit for your pet
26. A spaceship cockpit view
27. A tiger face made of geometric shapes
28. An eye with a whole landscape in the iris
29. A haunted house
30. A vintage camera

Doodle art ideas for your notebook

Doodles work best small and repeated. Fill a margin, a corner or a whole page with one of these and the repetition does most of the work for you.

1. Zentangle patterns in a big circle
2. A border of tiny stars
3. Chain links around a page edge
4. Cubes stacked into an impossible tower
5. Vines with leaves wrapping your notes
6. Mandala in a corner
7. A page of mini planets
8. Little houses along a bottom margin
9. Arrows in every style you can invent
10. Wavy lines that turn into a 3D hill
11. A grid of tiny faces with different moods
12. Spirals that turn into snails
13. Swirly letters of the alphabet
14. A row of cats in different poses
15. Banner ribbons with words inside
16. Hearts that interlock
17. Raindrops in a pattern
18. A maze that starts in a corner
19. Checkerboard waves
20. Bubbles with tiny highlights
21. Hand-drawn emoji
22. A ladder that goes off the page
23. Feathers in a row
24. Lightning bolts of every size
25. Geometric crystals
26. A string of fairy lights
27. Speech bubbles saying random words
28. Paw prints walking across the page
29. A tiny garden in a box
30. Dotted line paths connecting doodles

Things to draw when bored in class

These are small, quiet and quick to hide under your notes. Doodling can even help you listen: a 2009 study in Applied Cognitive Psychology found people who doodled during a dull phone message remembered 29% more of it.

1. Your teacher's coffee mug
2. The view out of the classroom window
3. Your pencil case, as realistically as you can
4. Your own hand holding a pen
5. Your shoe from above
6. A tiny comic about your lunch
7. The subject of today's lesson as a character
8. A map of your school
9. A monster made from your initials
10. Every object on your desk, very small
11. A cartoon version of the classroom clock
12. A new logo for your school
13. A doodle that grows every period
14. A flip-book in the corner of your notebook
15. A character who lives in your eraser
16. Your dream bedroom floor plan
17. A fake movie poster for your class
18. A crown for the person next to you
19. An escape route through the ceiling tiles
20. A superhero version of yourself
21. Your backpack exploding with stuff
22. The week's weather as tiny icons
23. A timeline of your day
24. A plant on the windowsill
25. A creature that eats homework

Things to draw when bored with a pencil

A pencil is perfect for practicing light and shadow. Pick something you can see right now and pay attention to where it is darkest.

1. A crumpled piece of paper
2. An egg with its shadow
3. A glass of water with reflections
4. A single eye, up close
5. Your sleeping pet
6. A pair of scissors
7. A folded piece of fabric
8. A shiny spoon
9. Your keys on a table
10. A pinecone
11. A rock with cracks and texture
12. Your own face in a mirror
13. A tree trunk with bark texture
14. A sphere, a cube and a cone with shading
15. A lit candle in the dark
16. A knotted rope
17. An apple cut in half
18. Wrinkles on the back of your hand
19. A feather
20. A shell

Random things to draw when bored

Can't decide? These mash-ups and odd prompts force your brain off autopilot. Pick one at random, or close your eyes and point.

1. A cat that is also a loaf of bread
2. A house with chicken legs
3. A shark in a business suit
4. A cloud raining spaghetti
5. A dog driving a bus
6. A plant growing out of a lightbulb
7. A mermaid made of candy
8. A giraffe in a turtleneck sweater
9. A tiny person living in a teacup
10. A dinosaur at a birthday party
11. Fruit with superhero capes
12. A whale floating in the sky
13. A toaster that launches pancakes
14. A goldfish walking a human on a leash
15. A pirate ship in a bathtub
16. A volcano that erupts ice cream
17. A sock monster
18. A bee riding a bicycle
19. A moon wearing sunglasses
20. A cactus at a disco
21. An octopus doing eight jobs at once
22. A pencil drawing itself
23. A frog as a medieval knight
24. A slice of cake as a ski slope
25. A traffic light with feelings

Things to draw for kids

Short on ideas for a 6 to 10 year old? These are simple enough to finish in one sitting and fun to color in afterwards.

1. A rocket going to the moon
2. Their favorite animal at the beach
3. A dinosaur in pajamas
4. An underwater castle
5. A unicorn eating cereal
6. A monster under the bed who is scared of kids
7. A pirate treasure map
8. Their family as superheroes
9. A fire truck
10. A bug with too many legs
11. A butterfly with matching wings
12. A robot pet
13. A rainbow fish
14. A playground on the moon
15. A pizza with silly toppings
16. Their dream treehouse
17. A train full of animals
18. A garden of giant flowers
19. A friendly alien
20. A snow globe with their town inside

Fun drawing challenges

Bored of drawing the usual stuff? These challenges change how you draw rather than what you draw, which is the quickest cure for art block.

1. Blind contour: Draw an object without looking at the paper. The wobbly result is half the fun.
2. One line: Draw a whole animal without lifting your pen.
3. Ten-second sketch: Set a timer and draw five objects in your room in ten seconds each.
4. Wrong hand: Draw your own portrait with your non-dominant hand.
5. Shape start: Scribble a random shape, then turn it into a creature.
6. Three colors: Draw a full scene with only three colored pens.
7. Same thing, 9 ways: Draw a cat in nine styles: cartoon, realistic, robot, pixel, and on.
8. Upside down: Copy a photo turned upside down so your brain stops guessing.
9. Finish the page: Draw a small doodle, then keep adding until no white space is left.
10. Draw a sound: Put on a song and draw what it looks like, no objects allowed.

Tips for drawing when you're bored

• Start with shapes. Almost everything is a circle, a rectangle or a triangle first. Sketch those lightly, then draw the real lines on top.
• Draw what is in front of you. When ideas run dry, your mug, your shoe or your pet is a ready-made subject.
• Set a timer. Ten minutes is long enough to finish something and short enough that it doesn't have to be perfect.
• Keep one sketchbook for bad drawings. Nobody sees it, so you can try anything.
• Mix two ideas. Pick one item from two different lists above and combine them.

Done drawing and still bored? Try our list of things to do when you're bored, play a round of would you rather questions, or let the random activity generator pick something for you.

Things to draw when bored FAQ

What should I draw if I'm bored?

Start with something easy and in front of you: your coffee cup, your shoe or a plant. If nothing inspires you, pick from the easy list above, like a smiling sun, a cupcake or a cactus in a pot. Finishing one quick drawing is the fastest way to get the next idea.

What are 100 cute things to draw?

Animals with big heads and tiny faces are the easiest win: cats, bunnies, pandas, axolotls and hamsters. Food with faces works too, like toast, boba tea or sushi. The cute section has 40 ideas, and the kids, easy and doodle sections add more than 100 others in the same simple style.

What are easy things to draw for beginners?

Pick objects made from basic shapes: a sun, a cloud, a fish, a house, a cupcake, a candle or a balloon. The four step-by-step drawings on this page (a cat, a mushroom, a cactus and a snail) are a good place to start.

What can I draw when I have art block?

Change the rules instead of hunting for the perfect idea. Try a blind contour drawing, draw with your other hand, or turn a random scribble into a creature. The random and challenge sections are made for this.

What should a 10 year old draw?

Things they can finish in one sitting and color afterwards: a dinosaur in pajamas, a pirate treasure map, a robot pet, a friendly alien or their family as superheroes. The kids section has 20 ideas.

Is doodling good for you?

It can help you focus. In a 2009 study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology, people who doodled while listening to a dull phone message remembered 29% more details than people who didn't.

What do I need to start drawing?

Just paper and a pencil or pen. A plain sketchbook, a soft pencil (2B) and an eraser cover nearly everything on this page. Colored pens or markers are nice for the cute and kids ideas, but not required.