Drawing Prompts for Everyday Sketching
To encourage a more regular habit, check out this list of prompts to inspire daily sketching.
Looking for a way to make some art everyday for a regular boost of creativity? Check out this post by Liz Steel on her tips and tricks for cultivating a daily sketch habit.
The Art of Ordinary Life
This past spring, I embarked on a personal project designed to get me sketching more in the midst of the grind of everyday life. Yes, I want to keep my creative juices pumping and improve my sketching skills, but my main reason for a regular practice is to keep a visual journal — to sketch things that are descriptive of day-to-day life.
Drawing Prompts
To that end, my idea involves a list of drawing prompts that gets me thinking about the unique aspects or the everyday-ness of each day. The idea is to mix it up — to do some sketches at home and others when I’m out and about. I gave myself very few rules. I can pick and choose from the list as I wish, and there aren’t any requirements for how finished a sketch should be.
I needed a way to get myself more committed to sketching ordinary life, and plotting my sketches is a fun way to be more intentional about it.
Liz Steel
Sketch Your Day
Use one of these drawing prompts to record something from you day.
- Where did I go?
- What did I see?
- What did I wear?
- What did I eat/drink?
- Who did I see?
- What did I do?
- What did I use/handle/touch?
- What did I buy?
- What’s new?
- What’s old?
- What did I throw out?
- What’s the same as usual (a routine or repetitive event)?
- What’s different than usual (a unique event)?
- What’s a random thing that happened?
- What’s a silly thing that happened?
- On this day, what will be a memory?
My everyday sketching project is not especially unique, but the practice encourages my commitment to regularly recording and finding the joy in ordinary life.
About the Artist
I’m a Sydney, Australia-based artist and architect. Since trying out a watercolor field kit in 2006, I haven’t stopped painting my life in my sketchbook. I love to travel overseas and enjoy capturing these adventures in my sketchbook. For more information about my on-location sketching workshops, travel-sketching holidays and online classes, visit lizsteel.com.
This article originally appeared in Watercolor Artist. Check it out for more great watercolor inspiration and techniques!
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