100 Random Themes to Draw

Sometimes the hardest part of drawing isn't the drawing itself—it's deciding what to draw. I've definitely had those moments where I open my sketchbook, grab a pen, and just stare at the page, hoping for inspiration to strike. That’s where having a solid list of random themes to draw can help. These themes aren’t just drawing prompts—they’re little nudges that lead your imagination in unexpected directions. Some might turn into full compositions, others just quick sketches, but all of them are great for shaking up your routine.

When I feel stuck or like I’m repeating myself, I’ll flip back through my sketchbooks and notice the same types of drawings showing up again and again. Using random themes helps me break that cycle. Whether you're into observational drawing, storytelling, surrealism, or just experimenting with new materials, a random theme can spark a whole new idea.

If you're looking for more ideas beyond this post, I also made a separate collection of 100 easy things to draw when you're bored.

My Go-To List of Random Themes to Draw

I keep this list saved on my phone and pinned up by my desk. Some of these themes are grounded in real life, others are surreal or symbolic. Use them however you want—journal entries, sketchbook pages, full paintings.

Imagination and Memory

I reach for these themes when I want to loosen up creatively or pull something from deep memory. There's a mix of nostalgia and surrealism here, which is often where my most personal drawings come from. Drawing from imagination doesn’t mean inventing everything—it just means starting from the intangible. Sometimes I’ll try to draw a half-remembered scene from childhood or sketch what I imagine a moment might feel like instead of what it looks like.

• Disappearing act – I like using this to show something fading into the background or blending into its environment—it’s a fun way to play with contrast and erasure.
• Nesting inside something – This one’s all about safety or containment. I draw small figures tucked into larger forms to explore shelter or claustrophobia.
• Waiting at a train station – I love sketching this for the quiet tension of in-between moments. It’s a great setup for mood and gesture.
• Forest of eyes – Feels surreal and creepy in the best way. I use this when I want a drawing to feel like it’s watching you back.
• A meal from memory – I try to recreate old meals from childhood or travel. It’s part drawing, part sensory recall.
• Draw old hands – I focus on the texture, wrinkles, and form. Hands tell stories, and this prompt reminds me to slow down and observe.
• Something breaking apart – I often draw this when I want to externalize a chaotic feeling or explore visual fragmentation.
• Crows and keys – A strange combo, but rich in symbolism. I like creating little scenes with hidden meanings using these two.
• Your childhood bedroom – Reconstructing this space feels like time travel. It’s deeply nostalgic and often surprising what I remember.
• Patterns in nature – I zoom in and get repetitive here—shell spirals, leaf veins, feathers. It’s meditative and grounding.

Symbol and Object Play

Themes like these let me lean into metaphor. I like using objects as symbols, which gives even the simplest still life more meaning. When I draw things like tangled cords or mechanical animals, I often discover unexpected narratives halfway through. It’s also a great way to explore visual storytelling without relying on human figures. When I want to build these kinds of symbolic drawings more intentionally, I sometimes reference implied shapes or experiment with messy drawings to loosen up.

• Tangles and knots – I use this to explore complexity. It’s fun to fill a page with intertwining lines and see where they lead.
• A time traveler’s backpack – I imagine what someone would carry if they were jumping through centuries. It’s a great prop design challenge.
• Plants growing from cracks – There's beauty in persistence. I like this one for drawing delicate roots pushing through stone.
• Draw a face made of objects – This one’s all about puzzle-like composition. I let the objects say something about the person.
• The feeling of static – Not a literal scene, but a mood. I use scribbles, texture, and chaos to express disconnection or noise.
• Lost at sea – A great setting for isolation and space. Sometimes I just draw a single figure or boat surrounded by emptiness.
• A secret door – I like to suggest something hidden, slightly ajar. The mystery drives the drawing.
• Shadow with a mind of its own – This theme lets me explore duality. I often draw a figure where the shadow behaves differently.
• Vintage electronics – I draw from reference here. Radios, cameras, phones—it’s tactile and full of interesting design.
• Mechanical animal – Merging organic and machine parts always stretches my imagination. I think in terms of texture and logic when designing them.

Surreal Settings

These are the kinds of prompts that get me daydreaming. Surreal scenes are perfect when I want to push past realism and create spaces that couldn’t exist. If you’re into more structured imagination, I also recommend playing around with vanishing points to build out deep or warped perspectives. Even if the drawings don’t make perfect sense, they let me stretch my design skills—figuring out how to make something strange feel believable on the page.

• Draw an underwater library – I imagine how books, architecture, and light might behave underwater. It’s dreamy and lets me explore distortion.
• A dream you can’t explain – These often start abstract. I just let my hand move and see what forms. It’s a good warmup for intuitive drawing.
• Melting city – I play with perspective and gravity here, drawing buildings that drip like wax. It’s oddly satisfying.
• Floating islands – I think of these as little ecosystems. It’s fun to invent what belongs on each one.
• What anxiety looks like – I don’t try to make this literal. I usually draw fast, chaotic marks and overlapping imagery.
• Your hand as a landscape – I draw the hand first, then add hills, rivers, or tiny buildings on top. It blends realism with imagination.
• Animal disguised as a human – A playful way to practice anatomy and expression. I love giving animals subtle human traits.
• The last tree on Earth – I usually place this in a desolate setting, which helps with storytelling and mood.
• Behind the curtain – I imagine a world that’s being hidden. Often it’s more fun to imply what’s there than show it fully.
• Broken reflection – This one’s great for experimenting with symmetry and distortion. I draw the subject, then twist the mirrored side.

Emotions and Memories

This is the most personal set for me. I return to themes like these when I want my drawing time to double as reflection. There's something grounding about turning memories and feelings into images, even abstract ones. I don’t worry about making these pretty—they’re more about honesty than aesthetics.

• Childhood fear – I try to draw from memory here, even if it’s fuzzy. It helps me explore how my fears have changed over time.
• Draw a giant fruit – A playful prompt that reminds me not to take things too seriously. It’s all about exaggeration and fun composition.
• A tangled forest path – I use winding lines and overlapping shapes to create a sense of mystery. It’s great for building depth.
• Bird with unusual feathers – This gives me space to experiment with texture and pattern. I let the feathers get as weird as possible.
• Voice in the wind – I try to draw something invisible. This usually turns into a symbolic or emotional sketch.
• Inside a forgotten drawer – I imagine what’s buried at the back of an old drawer. It’s great for inventing small, curious objects.
• A pet from the future – This is fun sci-fi territory. I design hybrids or creatures with strange features.
• Repeating architecture – I draw a structure or detail, then echo it throughout the scene. It creates rhythm and unity.
• Invisible friend – I imagine how they might look now. It becomes a blend of memory and fiction.
• What nostalgia feels like – I treat this like a mood painting. It’s less about objects and more about light, softness, and atmosphere.

Creatures and Characters

Anytime I want to bring more play into my sketchbook, I explore character themes. These often become story seeds. I’ll sketch creatures from imagination or redesign mundane objects as if they had personalities. It’s also a fun way to practice anatomy or exaggeration without the pressure of realism.

• Draw an imaginary insect – I invent these when I want to practice detail and symmetry. It’s also a fun excuse to get weird with anatomy.
• Objects from your desk as characters – I give them faces, limbs, and moods. It’s a lighthearted way to anthropomorphize everyday stuff.
• Ghost town – I try to suggest a story with absence—what’s left behind, who lived there. Great for mood and setting.
• A place you’ve never been – I use references loosely or none at all. It becomes a mashup of places I’ve imagined or dreamt about.
• Symmetrical monster – This is a good exercise in balance and design. I sometimes use a folded page or draw one side first.
• Blended animals – I love drawing hybrids—it’s pure creative freedom. I think about how the parts might realistically fit together.
• A scene only you remember – These are often hazy but powerful. I treat them like visual poems.
• Your alter ego – I draw a version of myself that exaggerates a mood, talent, or inner world.
• Everyday object reimagined – I pick something boring and redesign it as a fantasy artifact or character.
• Mask with emotion – Masks are great for subtle storytelling. I try to capture emotion just through shape and surface.

Movement and Transformation

Themes like these help me loosen up and think in terms of flow and change. They push me to be less rigid and to follow the drawing wherever it wants to go. I like using flowing lines, overlapping shapes, or sketching directly in ink for this set—anything that makes the drawing feel alive or shifting.

• Sleepwalker’s journey – I treat this like a surreal story scene. I focus on posture and mood more than details.
• Skies you’ve seen – I use this to study different light and cloud shapes—sunsets, overcast days, even stormy skies.
• Musical instruments growing roots – I like blending organic and manmade. It helps me explore contrast and flow.
• A scene from your favorite book – This helps me practice visualizing text. I don’t worry about accuracy—just mood.
• Crowded elevator – A fun challenge for composition and character. I try to make each person distinct.
• Drawing with your non-dominant hand – I use this to loosen up. It helps me let go of control and enjoy the mess.
• Shadows that don’t match – I explore surreal tension here, making shadows behave differently than the object.
• Draw the scent of summer – I try to draw an atmosphere rather than an object. What does warmth, sweat, or sun feel like in a drawing?
• Buried memories – A prompt I treat like an abstract diary entry—half-visible images or layered textures.
• Creatures in the wallpaper – I love using patterns as hiding places. I draw subtle monsters hiding in repeating designs.

Environments and Worlds

I use these prompts to build entire settings, especially when I want to escape the blank page. Creating worlds on paper—whether detailed or loose—is one of my favorite ways to get into a flow state. I sometimes combine these with music or environmental sounds to guide the mood of the scene. You could even prep your paper differently, using something like gesso on paper or experimenting with drawing on rice paper for texture.

• Overgrown city – I draw vines crawling over buildings, nature reclaiming spaces. It’s great for mixing structure and chaos.
• Museum of strange things – I invent odd artifacts and display them. It’s part world-building, part prop design.
• Draw spirals and waves – These are meditative and abstract. I let the lines flow without a plan—it helps me reset.
• Conversations with animals – I treat these like storybook moments. It’s all about character interaction and expression.
• A sketch made while listening to a favorite song – I draw whatever the music makes me feel. Sometimes shapes, sometimes scenes.
• Time loop – I play with repetition and altered versions of the same scene or character. It makes for cool visual storytelling.
• Found in a bottle – I imagine what could be sealed inside—messages, tiny cities, weird creatures.
• The other side of the mirror – I draw an alternate version of something familiar. It's a great way to twist reality.
• Objects falling – I explore motion and gravity with overlapping forms and blur lines. It’s energetic and loose.
• Joy in a single line – A minimalist challenge. I try to express emotion with just one continuous line.

Personal Reflection

This set is like visual journaling. I use these themes when I want to check in with myself. They’re simple on the surface, but surprisingly revealing. I try not to overthink these—just sketch and see what bubbles up. Sometimes they even become part of a larger series or comic page. If I want to go deeper into material quality or mark-making, I’ll look back at my notes on mark-making and materiality in art.

• Draw your favorite mistake – I draw something that went wrong but led to something better. It’s a reminder that flaws can become features.
• How wind moves – I try to show movement without showing the wind itself—bending trees, blowing hair, scattered leaves.
• Imaginary map – I sketch landscapes, towns, or routes that don’t exist. It’s a fun blend of drawing and storytelling.
• Night market – I focus on lights, crowd energy, and tiny details like stalls and signage.
• A pile of shoes – A surprisingly good composition exercise. I look for how shapes overlap and stack.
• Secret hiding spot – I draw a cozy nook or hidden location—somewhere I’d want to escape to.
• Drawing with your eyes closed – Total chaos, but it’s freeing. I let the lines wander and then build on top of them.
• An old letter – I imagine who wrote it and what it might say. Sometimes I incorporate actual handwriting.
• Water as a character – I give water personality—angry waves, gentle ripples, even facial expressions.
• Cloud creature – I use cloud shapes as a base and turn them into animals or beings. It’s playful and lighthearted.

Forgotten and Found

These themes help me slow down and notice small, often overlooked things. It’s a great way to practice observational drawing with a twist—imagining backstories, histories, or alternate lives for everyday stuff. When I feel creatively blocked, these small, specific ideas usually get me moving again.

• Draw dusty shelves – I imagine what's been sitting untouched—books, tools, forgotten objects. It’s great for texture and still life practice.
• Unusual transportation – I like to invent strange vehicles or remix old ones. It gets me thinking about shape and function.
• Childhood invention – I try to recreate something I once thought was genius as a kid. It’s nostalgic and often hilarious.
• Your inner critic – I personify it and give it form. Drawing it helps me make peace with it or laugh at it.
• Art tools coming to life – A fun, animated concept. I draw brushes or pencils walking around, having opinions.
• Discarded object – I pick something thrown away and imagine what it’s been through. It’s a great exercise in empathy.
• A feeling in color – I limit myself to color and abstract form. It’s intuitive and helps me loosen up.
• Drawing while upside down – I literally flip the page or reference. It forces me to look at shapes, not symbols.
• Something you miss – I let this one guide the mood. Sometimes I draw a place, sometimes a moment or person.
• Eyes in the dark – Just little glowing eyes surrounded by black. It’s simple, eerie, and leaves a lot to the imagination.

Time, Space, and the Self

This is probably the most abstract group, and I love it for that reason. These themes let me explore identity, memory, and passage of time without needing to make literal illustrations. I treat them almost like poetry—loose, open-ended, and full of interpretation. Great for days when I’m feeling introspective.

• Favorite sound in picture form – I think of what a sound feels like rather than what makes it. It’s a fun way to abstract music or memory.
• Draw ancient ruins – I draw crumbling structures and overgrowth. It’s all about atmosphere and imagining forgotten stories.
• A sketch using only outlines – I keep it super minimal—no shading, no texture. Just line and rhythm. (More thoughts on outlining in drawing)
• One breath – I try to complete a full drawing in the time it takes to exhale. Fast, loose, instinctual.
• Tactile texture – I focus only on how something would feel. Rough bark, soft fabric, sticky sap—no full scenes, just surfaces.
• Your past self meets your future self – I split the page or draw overlapping figures. It becomes a visual timeline.
• Ink spill turned into a scene – I drop ink randomly, then build a drawing around the shapes I see.
• A weathered face – I study the lines and marks of aging. It’s slow, observant drawing.
• Mismatched socks – Silly, but full of character. I treat it like a mini fashion design prompt.
• The moment before something changes – I try to freeze time—capture tension, anticipation, or stillness just before action.

If you try any of these, keep the tone loose and expressive. If you're not sure where to start, I’ve shared some of my thoughts on expressive drawing and how it’s helped me get unstuck without worrying about perfection.