You do not need talent to start drawing — you need a pencil, a piece of paper and ten quiet minutes. These 25 easy drawing ideas for beginners are all made from simple shapes: circles, lines and curves. Each one says what you need and the easiest way to start it.
In this guide
- A Simple Sun
- Clouds and Rain
- A Little House
- A Cup of Tea
- A Leaf
- A Flower
- A Butterfly
- A Fish
- A Bird
- A Cat Face
- A Dog Face
- A Tree
- A Mountain Scene
- A Hot Air Balloon
- A Starry Night
- A Book Stack
- A Candle
- A Snowman
- A Seashell
- A Mushroom
- A Rainbow
- A Heart with Wings
- A Simple Vase
- A Moon and Stars
- Your Own Doodle Page
1. A Simple Sun
You need: a pencil. How to start: draw a circle, then add short straight lines around it for rays. Colour it yellow or leave it as a line drawing.
2. Clouds and Rain
You need: a pencil. How to start: draw bumpy, rounded shapes for clouds, then add small dashes or drops underneath for rain.
3. A Little House
You need: a pencil and a ruler if you like. How to start: a square, a triangle roof, a door and two windows. Add a chimney, a path and a flower.
4. A Cup of Tea
You need: a pencil. How to start: a U-shape for the cup, a handle like a small ear, and a saucer line. Add wavy steam lines on top.
5. A Leaf
You need: a pencil — or a real leaf to look at. How to start: draw an oval pointed at both ends, add a centre line, then small veins branching off.
6. A Flower
You need: a pencil. How to start: a small circle in the middle, then petals around it like an egg shape, then a stem and two leaves.
7. A Butterfly
You need: a pencil. How to start: a thin body, then two big wings on top and two smaller ones below. Keep both sides matching — that is the whole trick.
8. A Fish
You need: a pencil. How to start: an oval body pointed at one end, a triangle tail, a small circle eye, and a curved line for the gill.
9. A Bird
You need: a pencil. How to start: a round body, a smaller round head, a triangle beak, and a curved wing. Add two little legs.
10. A Cat Face
You need: a pencil. How to start: a circle, two triangle ears, two dots for eyes, a small triangle nose, and whiskers. Lovely and simple.
11. A Dog Face
You need: a pencil. How to start: a round face, two floppy ears, a big nose, a smiling mouth and two dot eyes.
12. A Tree
You need: a pencil. How to start: a trunk like a thick Y, then big bumpy circles for the leaves. Add a few apples or birds.
13. A Mountain Scene
You need: a pencil. How to start: three triangles in a row, snow caps on top, a circle sun and a few birds as small V shapes.
14. A Hot Air Balloon
You need: a pencil. How to start: a big round balloon shape, curved lines down it, and a small basket underneath with two lines joining them.
15. A Starry Night
You need: a pencil and dark colours if you like. How to start: a dark sky, a crescent moon, and lots of small stars and dots. Simple, and it always looks lovely.
16. A Book Stack
You need: a pencil and a ruler if you like. How to start: three stacked rectangles, slightly offset, with lines for pages. Add a small plant or a cup on top.
17. A Candle
You need: a pencil. How to start: a tall rectangle for the candle, a wavy flame on top, and a small dish underneath. Add a glow with soft lines.
18. A Snowman
You need: a pencil. How to start: three stacked circles, a carrot nose, dot eyes, a scarf and stick arms. A happy winter drawing.
19. A Seashell
You need: a pencil — or a real shell to look at. How to start: a fan shape with lines radiating from the bottom point. Add small dots and curves.
20. A Mushroom
You need: a pencil. How to start: a half-circle cap on a thick stem, with dots on the cap. Add grass and a tiny flower beside it.
21. A Rainbow
You need: pencils or crayons in a few colours. How to start: a set of arcs, one inside the next, and two small clouds at the ends.
22. A Heart with Wings
You need: a pencil. How to start: a simple heart, then two small wings on each side. A sweet, classic doodle.
23. A Simple Vase
You need: a pencil. How to start: a vase shape — wide at the bottom, narrow at the neck — then three stems with small flowers.
24. A Moon and Stars
You need: a pencil. How to start: a crescent moon and a scattering of stars in different sizes. Add a sleeping cat on the moon if you like.
25. Your Own Doodle Page
You need: a pencil and a blank page. How to start: fill the page with small shapes — stars, hearts, spirals, dots, leaves, tiny faces. There are no rules. A doodle page is how every artist practises.
Five tips for beginners
- Draw lightly first — you can always go darker later.
- Break everything into simple shapes: circles, triangles and lines.
- Draw what you can see — a cup, a leaf or a shell in front of you is the best teacher.
- Keep a small sketchbook and draw a little, often — ten minutes a day beats two hours once a month.
- Do not rub out too much. A wobbly line is part of a drawing’s charm.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to start drawing?
A pencil and paper. That is enough. Coloured pencils or crayons are a nice extra, not a requirement.
How do I get better at drawing?
Draw a little, often. Copy simple shapes, draw from real objects, and keep your old drawings — you will be surprised how quickly you improve.
Should I use a ruler or draw freehand?
Either is fine. A ruler helps with houses and books; freehand is better for flowers, animals and clouds. Use what makes it easier.
What if my drawing looks wrong?
It probably does not — but if a shape bothers you, draw it again, bigger and lighter. Every artist redraws. Nobody sees the practice pages.
Written by Ideas Worth Saving Editors
The Ideas Worth Saving Editors are the team behind this site. We research and write every list ourselves, in our own words, and we check our work before it is published. Read more about how we work on our About page and in our Editorial Policy.
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