What to draw?when you can't decide
What to drawHit the button for a drawing prompt. Every one comes from what artists actually draw together in 600,000+ public Art Jams on Magma: characters, cozy places, strange creatures and style challenges. Then draw it here, alone or with friends.
Draw your OC as a ghost haunting their favorite place.
These 300+ prompts were written by the Magma team from the themes artists draw most in public Art Jams: characters first, then everyday places, creatures and style challenges. No random word list.
Character and OC drawing prompts
Characters are what the Magma community draws most: OC art swaps alone fill nearly 40,000 Art Jams. Use these prompts to invent a new character, or to put one you already love into a situation you've never drawn. Tip: keep one detail from your OC's usual design, like a color or an accessory, so they still read as them.
Character prompts to try
- Design an OC based on the last song you listened to.
- Design an OC from a random object on your desk.
- Draw your pet as a human with the same personality.
- Draw your OC in six expressions on one sheet.
- Design a hero whose power is extremely inconvenient.
- Draw a villain on their day off.
- Draw your OC as a plushie with a sewn-on tag.
- Redesign an OC you made when you started drawing.
Drawing ideas for places and settings
"Draw your OC in…" is the most common prompt on Magma, and the oddly specific everyday places win: a yearbook photo, a video call, the grocery store. These are great for practicing backgrounds without the pressure of a landscape. Tip: sketch the room first with a simple perspective line, then drop your character in.
Places to draw
- Draw your OC's school yearbook photo, with a caption.
- Draw your OC working a shift at a tiny cafe.
- Draw your OC in a liminal space.
- Draw a group of OCs on a video call where one forgot to mute.
- Draw your OC at the grocery store.
- Draw your OC on a night train to somewhere new.
- Draw your OC's bedroom so we can guess who they are.
- Draw a group of OCs at a sleepover at 2 a.m.
Animal and creature drawing prompts
Cats, dragons, monsters and robots, each with a job, a problem or a secret. Creature prompts are a low-pressure way to warm up, because nobody can tell you a made-up animal looks wrong. Tip: start from a real animal's silhouette, then change one thing.
Creatures to draw
- Draw a cat who works as a librarian.
- Draw a cat that thinks it is a loaf of bread.
- Draw a dragon hoarding something strange instead of gold.
- Design a mythical creature by combining two real animals.
- Draw a vampire who is terrible at staying up late.
- Draw a capybara spa day.
- Draw an octopus juggling eight chores.
- Design a robot built only to water one plant.
Art style challenges
These prompts give you a rule instead of a subject: five colors, one minute, no lifting your pen, someone else's style. Rules push you out of habits faster than any subject can, which makes them the best prompts for practice. Tip: pick one rule and use it all week.
Style challenges to try
- Redraw a friend's OC in your own art style.
- Draw anything with only five colors from one palette.
- Draw a portrait in black and white with a single red accent.
- Study one light source on a simple shape.
- Draw a 32x32 pixel-art portrait of your OC.
- Draw ten quick 30-second gesture poses.
- Draw a portrait without lifting your pen.
- Turn a random scribble into a creature.
Drawing games and prompts to do with friends
Some prompts need more than one artist: drawing telephone, guess-the-word, pass-it-on creatures, one shared mural. On Magma everyone draws on the same canvas at the same time, so these work live instead of by trading files. Tip: set a timer so nobody holds up the next turn.
Games to play on a shared canvas
- Draw a word for others to guess in under a minute.
- Play drawing telephone: draw the sentence you were given, then pass it on.
- Pick a pose base and turn it into your OC, full outfit included.
- Add your OC to a group photo on a shared canvas.
- Tell a complete story in four panels with no words.
- Animate your OC blinking in three frames.
- Roll a die and draw what it lands on: 1 creature, 2 place, 3 food, 4 hero, 5 robot, 6 your choice.
- Draw whatever the next person suggests in under ten minutes.
Seasonal drawing prompts
Holidays and seasons bring their own ideas, and the community's jams follow the calendar: spooky prompts in October, cozy winter scenes in December, flower picnics in spring. Prompts for the current season show first in the generator. Tip: save next month's prompts now and start early.
Prompts for the season
- Draw your OC's Halloween costume and the candy they're guarding.
- Draw a haunted house with one friendly room.
- Draw a pumpkin patch where one pumpkin is awake.
- Draw a group of monsters trick-or-treating at a human's door.
- Design a costume for a ghost who wants to be seen.
- Draw a crown that is secretly a creature.
- Draw your OC jumping into a pile of autumn leaves.
- Draw your OC wrapping the worst possible gift.
How to use a drawing prompt
A prompt is a starting point, not a test. Here's a simple way to turn one into a finished drawing, even on a day when you're bored and nothing sounds fun.
Warm up for five minutes
Scribble, draw circles, loosen your hand. A quick style challenge from the list above works as a warm-up too.
Set a time box
Give the prompt 15, 30 or 60 minutes. A deadline stops you from overthinking the first line, and a finished rough sketch teaches you more than a perfect half-drawing.
Draw it with other people
Open the Art Jams page and draw your prompt in a live jam, or start your own canvas and send the link to friends. Seeing how someone else solves the same prompt is the fastest way to get new ideas.
Post it and keep going
Share your drawing to your Magma gallery, then hit "Give me a prompt" again tomorrow. Small, regular drawings add up faster than one big piece a month.
Draw prompts with friends, live
Most prompt lists end at the idea. On Magma you can draw it together: send a canvas link and paint the same picture with friends in your browser, with voice and text chat built in. Or join a public Art Jam and draw with artists from around the world. 5M+ artists draw on Magma.
Halloween and spooky drawing prompts
October is spooky season on Magma: Halloween Art Jams spike about 8x in October. Haunted houses, friendly ghosts, monsters with snacks. Here are a few to start with.
- Draw your OC as a ghost haunting their favorite place.
- Draw a monster hiding under a bed that is too small for it.
- Design a friendly ghost who haunts a bakery.
- Draw a vampire who is terrible at staying up late.
- Design a swamp monster with a tidy home.
- Draw a skeleton band warming up.
What to draw: questions and answers
What should I draw?
Start with something you like and add a twist. The easiest wins on Magma are characters in everyday places: your OC in a cafe, at the grocery store or in a yearbook photo. If you still can't pick, press "Give me a prompt" and draw the first thing it shows you, no rerolls.
What can I draw when I'm bored?
Pick something small that you can finish in 15 minutes: a cat with a job, a creature made from a random scribble, your favorite dessert turned into a character, or a landscape in only three warm colors. Filter the generator to Creatures or Style challenges for quick ones, or join a live Art Jam and draw next to other people.
How do I get better at drawing with prompts?
Draw often, keep it short and change one thing at a time. Use style challenges (limited palettes, speed drawings, gesture poses) to practice skills, and character or place prompts to practice ideas. Drawing the same prompt as other artists in a jam shows you solutions you wouldn't have thought of.
Are these drawing prompts free?
Yes. The prompt generator and every prompt on this page are free, and you don't need an account to use them. Drawing on Magma is free too: create a free account to draw in your browser and join Art Jams.
Can I use these prompts for a drawing challenge or with friends?
Yes. Use them for a daily challenge, an art stream, a class or a game night. For drawing with friends, the Games with friends filter has prompts made for groups, like drawing telephone and pass-it-on creatures. Open a Magma canvas, share the link, and everyone can draw on it at once. How drawing together works
Where do these prompts come from?
From Art Jams, Magma's live group drawing sessions. We looked at the topics of more than 600,000 public Art Jams to see what artists actually draw together, then wrote prompts around the most popular themes. That's why so many are about characters: character and OC formats make up about 40% of themed jam participation. Themes that aren't right for all ages were left out.
Is there a random drawing prompt generator?
Yes, it's at the top of this page. Press "Give me a prompt" for a random idea, or choose a category first: characters, places, creatures, style challenges, games with friends or seasonal. Prompts for the current season come up first.
What are good drawing prompts for September?
The switch to autumn: falling leaves, cozy sweaters, the last warm evening, and early spooky ideas, since Halloween jams already start picking up in September.
Got your prompt? Go draw it
Open a canvas in your browser, invite a friend or join a live Art Jam, and draw it together. It's free.
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