64 Random Things to Draw (Pick a Number and Go)

Sometimes the best drawing idea is one you didn't choose. This is a list of 64 random things to draw, numbered from start to finish so chance can pick for you. Ask someone for a number, check the last two digits of the time, or roll dice.

Nothing here follows a theme. That's the point of random drawing ideas: you draw things you'd never pick, and your hand learns shapes it wouldn't otherwise meet.

Random objects

1. A traffic cone wearing a party hat
2. A typewriter with flowers growing between the keys
3. A birdcage holding a single glowing lightbulb
4. A rubber duck the size of a ferry
5. A grandfather clock with a door for a mouse at the bottom
6. A wheelbarrow full of sleeping kittens
7. A suitcase covered in stickers from imaginary countries
8. A gumball machine filled with tiny planets
9. A violin case used as a picnic basket
10. A mailbox stuffed with autumn leaves
11. A parking meter that has started to bloom
12. A pair of binoculars showing two different views
13. A shopping cart abandoned in a shallow river
14. A music box with a tiny skater on a mirror pond
15. A sewing machine stitching a road across a map
16. A disco ball hanging in a barn

Random mashups

Two things that have no reason to be together.

17. A giraffe wearing six scarves at once
18. A toaster launching waffles into orbit
19. A jellyfish working as a ceiling lamp
20. A cactus getting a haircut at a barbershop
21. A piano with a waterfall pouring from its open lid
22. A snail towing a camper trailer
23. A walrus stuck halfway through a doughnut-shaped pool float
24. A flamingo standing in a single rain boot
25. A pineapple with a front door and a porch light
26. A shark fin cutting through a bowl of soup
27. A moose with birdhouses hanging from its antlers
28. A crab holding two tiny umbrellas
29. A pigeon wearing a courier bag on a rooftop
30. A bathtub sailing down a street in the rain
31. A lighthouse wearing a knitted sweater
32. A penguin pushing a cart of ice cubes

Random little scenes

33. Three chairs having a meeting with no people
34. A crow trading a shiny button for a french fry
35. A laundromat at midnight with one sock in a dryer
36. A raccoon reading a takeout menu by a streetlight
37. A scarecrow waiting at a bus stop
38. A snowman looking nervously at a hair dryer
39. Two astronauts playing cards on a crater rim
40. A goat standing calmly on the roof of a car
41. A deep-sea diver finding a perfectly set dinner table
42. A dog walking itself, leash in its mouth
43. A queue of ducks at an ice cream truck
44. A wizard asleep in a library with a book floating open
45. A lifeguard chair in the middle of a desert
46. A moon caught in a fishing net
47. A bear trying on hats in a shop mirror
48. A kid selling lemonade to a passing parade of ants

Random what-ifs

Answer the question with a drawing.

49. What if your houseplant grew legs and left a note?
50. What if clouds were sold by the scoop?
51. What if a streetlamp fell in love with the moon?
52. What if your shadow had a different hairstyle?
53. What if fish kept tiny people in bowls?
54. What if stairs only went sideways?
55. What if umbrellas grew on trees and had a harvest season?
56. What if a mountain wore a hat when it snowed?
57. What if doors came in sizes for ants and giants on one wall?
58. What if your breakfast tried to run away?
59. What if the sun needed a ladder to get up each morning?
60. What if snowflakes were stamped out in a tiny factory?
61. What if owls ran the night bus?
62. What if every puddle was a window to another city?
63. What if books had to be walked like dogs?
64. What if a volcano erupted with confetti?

Three ways to pick random things to draw

• Clock method. Look at the minutes on the clock. Minute 37 means idea 37. If the number is higher than the list, add the digits together.
• Two dice. Roll one die for the section (1 or 2 for objects, 3 for mashups, 4 for scenes, 5 for what-ifs, 6 means you pick) and count down that section by the second die, rolled twice and added.
• Ask a friend. Have someone say a number without seeing the list. You have to draw what they land on, no swaps.

Whatever comes up, give it five minutes before you judge it. Odd ideas tend to look bad at minute one and good at minute four.

Roll a random character too

If you like letting chance decide, the Random Character Generator does the same thing for characters: one click gives you a portrait, a name and a story hook to sketch.

For a roll-your-own version with dice tables, see the what to draw generator. More lists: drawing ideas and funny things to draw.

FAQ

What are some random things to draw?

Unrelated pairs work well: a giraffe in six scarves, a toaster launching waffles, a snail towing a trailer. Pick two things that don't belong together and draw them as if it's normal.

How do I pick a random drawing idea?

Number a list and let something outside you choose: the minutes on a clock, a dice roll or a number from a friend. The rule is that you draw whatever comes up.

Why draw random things at all?

Because habits are narrow. Most people draw the same five subjects. A random pick makes you solve new shapes, and that is where most improvement comes from.

What are random cute things to draw?

Take any random object and apply the cute rules: round it off, add low wide-set eyes and blush. A traffic cone or a mailbox becomes a cute drawing in seconds. See the cute things to draw list for more.