August Drawing Ideas

Two sets of 31 prompts, one for each day of August: ripe and overgrown, or warm nights.

August Drawing Ideas

  1. A bean wigwam swallowed by its own beansDay 1. The canes vanish under leaves; long pods hang inside like green icicles.
  2. A beetroot pulled up with the soil still on itDay 2. Round root, thin tail, red stalks. Smudge graphite for the soil.
  3. A blackbird stealing the last raspberryDay 3. The bird leans in, one berry in its beak, one eye on you.
  4. A bumblebee asleep on a sunflowerDay 4. The flower's face fills the page; the bee is a small furry oval near the rim.
  5. A cabbage leaf eaten into laceDay 5. Draw the holes first, then the veins that are left between them.
  6. A garden hose coiled like a sleeping snakeDay 6. Loose loops, a brass nozzle for the head, one drip at the mouth.
  7. A gladiolus taller than the fence behind itDay 7. The gladiolus is a birth flower of August. One long spike, flowers stacked up it.
  8. A greenhouse with tomato leaves pressed to the glassDay 8. Panes as a grid, leaves flattened against them, one red tomato showing.
  9. A lawn mower abandoned in grass too long to cutDay 9. Only the handle and the top of the engine show above the seed heads.
  10. A market stall with more peaches than it can holdDay 10. A pyramid of fruit, two rolling off, a paper bag held open below.
  11. A peridot ring left on a sunny windowsillDay 11. Peridot is a birthstone of August. A green stone, one bright glint, a long shadow.
  12. A poppy seed head on a bare stalkDay 12. The poppy is a birth flower of August. A round pod with a flat ribbed cap.
  13. A pumpkin still small and green under its leavesDay 13. Huge rough leaves, a curling tendril, the fruit no bigger than a fist.
  14. A row of sunflowers with their heads hangingDay 14. Heavy with seed, every face turned to the ground, the leaves ragged.
  15. A saucepan of jam about to boil overDay 15. Bubbles climbing the sides, a wooden spoon laid across the top, one drip escaping.
  16. A scarecrow in last year's holiday shirtDay 16. Stick arms, a loud print shirt, a sparrow sitting calmly on its hat.
  17. A snail halfway up a watering canDay 17. The can in side view, the snail on the spout, a silver trail behind it.
  18. A spider's web across the garden path at face heightDay 18. The path runs away from you; the web fills the top half of the page.
  19. A sweetcorn cob with half its husk peeled backDay 19. Rows of kernels in a grid, the silk hanging loose, the husk curling away.
  20. A tomato split by too much rainDay 20. One round fruit with a crack opening down its side, drops still on the skin.
  21. A wasp walking the rim of a jam jarDay 21. Draw the jar from above as two circles; the wasp is on the inner one.
  22. A zucchini left on the plant a week too longDay 22. As long as the wheelbarrow it lies in. Add a normal one beside it for scale.
  23. An apple branch propped up with a forked stickDay 23. So much fruit the branch bends to the ground; the stick takes the weight.
  24. An onion harvest laid out on a wall to dryDay 24. A row of bulbs, papery skins, the tops flopped over all the same way.
  25. An overgrown path you can only just findDay 25. Two lines of paving almost closed by plants leaning in from both sides.
  26. Blackberries ripening in the wrong orderDay 26. One bramble stem: green berries, red ones and a single ripe black one.
  27. One red leaf on a green tree, three weeks earlyDay 27. Draw the whole tree in pencil and only that leaf in colour.
  28. Plums so ripe they drop while you watchDay 28. A branch, three plums on it, one in mid-air, two in the grass below.
  29. Runner beans hung in a bag on a neighbour's doorDay 29. A door handle, a carrier bag, long pods sticking out and no note.
  30. Windfall apples nobody has picked upDay 30. Bruised and pecked in the long grass, with one wasp for every apple.
  31. Your own garden or windowsill at its most overgrownDay 31. Draw it as it is today, weeds included. It will not look like this next month.

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All 62 prompts

Set 1: ripe and overgrown 31

  • A bean wigwam swallowed by its own beans Day 1. The canes vanish under leaves; long pods hang inside like green icicles.
  • A beetroot pulled up with the soil still on it Day 2. Round root, thin tail, red stalks. Smudge graphite for the soil.
  • A blackbird stealing the last raspberry Day 3. The bird leans in, one berry in its beak, one eye on you.
  • A bumblebee asleep on a sunflower Day 4. The flower's face fills the page; the bee is a small furry oval near the rim.
  • A cabbage leaf eaten into lace Day 5. Draw the holes first, then the veins that are left between them.
  • A garden hose coiled like a sleeping snake Day 6. Loose loops, a brass nozzle for the head, one drip at the mouth.
  • A gladiolus taller than the fence behind it Day 7. The gladiolus is a birth flower of August. One long spike, flowers stacked up it.
  • A greenhouse with tomato leaves pressed to the glass Day 8. Panes as a grid, leaves flattened against them, one red tomato showing.
  • A lawn mower abandoned in grass too long to cut Day 9. Only the handle and the top of the engine show above the seed heads.
  • A market stall with more peaches than it can hold Day 10. A pyramid of fruit, two rolling off, a paper bag held open below.
  • A peridot ring left on a sunny windowsill Day 11. Peridot is a birthstone of August. A green stone, one bright glint, a long shadow.
  • A poppy seed head on a bare stalk Day 12. The poppy is a birth flower of August. A round pod with a flat ribbed cap.
  • A pumpkin still small and green under its leaves Day 13. Huge rough leaves, a curling tendril, the fruit no bigger than a fist.
  • A row of sunflowers with their heads hanging Day 14. Heavy with seed, every face turned to the ground, the leaves ragged.
  • A saucepan of jam about to boil over Day 15. Bubbles climbing the sides, a wooden spoon laid across the top, one drip escaping.
  • A scarecrow in last year's holiday shirt Day 16. Stick arms, a loud print shirt, a sparrow sitting calmly on its hat.
  • A snail halfway up a watering can Day 17. The can in side view, the snail on the spout, a silver trail behind it.
  • A spider's web across the garden path at face height Day 18. The path runs away from you; the web fills the top half of the page.
  • A sweetcorn cob with half its husk peeled back Day 19. Rows of kernels in a grid, the silk hanging loose, the husk curling away.
  • A tomato split by too much rain Day 20. One round fruit with a crack opening down its side, drops still on the skin.
  • A wasp walking the rim of a jam jar Day 21. Draw the jar from above as two circles; the wasp is on the inner one.
  • A zucchini left on the plant a week too long Day 22. As long as the wheelbarrow it lies in. Add a normal one beside it for scale.
  • An apple branch propped up with a forked stick Day 23. So much fruit the branch bends to the ground; the stick takes the weight.
  • An onion harvest laid out on a wall to dry Day 24. A row of bulbs, papery skins, the tops flopped over all the same way.
  • An overgrown path you can only just find Day 25. Two lines of paving almost closed by plants leaning in from both sides.
  • Blackberries ripening in the wrong order Day 26. One bramble stem: green berries, red ones and a single ripe black one.
  • One red leaf on a green tree, three weeks early Day 27. Draw the whole tree in pencil and only that leaf in colour.
  • Plums so ripe they drop while you watch Day 28. A branch, three plums on it, one in mid-air, two in the grass below.
  • Runner beans hung in a bag on a neighbour's door Day 29. A door handle, a carrier bag, long pods sticking out and no note.
  • Windfall apples nobody has picked up Day 30. Bruised and pecked in the long grass, with one wasp for every apple.
  • Your own garden or windowsill at its most overgrown Day 31. Draw it as it is today, weeds included. It will not look like this next month.

Set 2: warm nights 31

  • A barbecue still glowing after everyone has gone in Day 1. Dark garden, one orange glow, empty chairs pushed back round it.
  • A bat crossing a lilac sky Day 2. A wide W with two ears, very small, high above a row of chimneys.
  • A bedroom window open as wide as it will go Day 3. The curtain hangs straight down. Nothing moves. Draw the stillness.
  • A bicycle ride home with the lamp on for the first time Day 4. One cone of light on the road, the rider a dark shape behind it.
  • A calendar where SEXTILIS is crossed out Day 5. The month was called Sextilis until 8 BC, when it was renamed for the emperor Augustus.
  • A campfire seen from the far side of a lake Day 6. One orange dot, its long wobbly reflection, black trees on either side.
  • A car back seat full of sleeping children and sandy towels Day 7. Heads tipped together, a bucket on the floor, streetlights sliding past.
  • A cricket singing on a doorstep Day 8. Long back legs folded up, long feelers, a small creature on a big step.
  • A fairground wheel lit up against the dusk Day 9. A circle of dots for the lamps, the spokes barely there, the sky dark blue.
  • A field of hay bales with shadows three times their length Day 10. Round bales on cut stubble, low sun from one side, long dark stripes.
  • A hammock with one foot hanging out Day 11. A shallow curve between two trunks, a lump in the middle, five toes.
  • A meteor crossing the Milky Way Day 12. The Perseid shower usually runs from mid-July to late August. One streak, many dots.
  • A moth orbiting a porch light Day 13. Draw its path as a dotted spiral and the moth as a blur at the end of it.
  • A night swim drawn as ripples and one head Day 14. Rings spreading over black water, a pale face in the middle, stars above.
  • A pair of sandals left on a step overnight Day 15. One upright, one tipped over, a snail already investigating.
  • A picnic table with the candles still burning at midnight Day 16. Wax pooled on the wood, plates stacked, the people gone to bed.
  • A sleeping bag under the stars with no tent Day 17. A long cocoon on the grass, a nose showing, the whole sky above it.
  • A street where every window is open Day 18. A row of houses, every sash up, a different sound drawn leaking from each.
  • A suitcase half unpacked a week after the trip Day 19. Lid open, clothes spilling, a shell and a ticket stub on top.
  • A sunset in a row of parked windscreens Day 20. The same orange sky repeated smaller in each car, a little bent.
  • A telephone wire sagging under a row of small birds Day 21. Dark notes on a stave of five wires, one bird facing the wrong way.
  • A tent door unzipped on a sky full of stars Day 22. Frame the page with the dark triangle of the doorway and fill it with dots.
  • A thunderstorm arriving at the end of a hot day Day 23. A flat anvil cloud over rooftops, the first fat drops hitting dry ground.
  • A torch beam under a blanket Day 24. A glowing dome, the outline of knees and a book, the rest of the room dark.
  • An ice cream van driving home with its lights off Day 25. The big cone on the roof against the dusk, the chimes silent.
  • An orange moon sitting on a barn roof Day 26. The moon huge and low, the barn a flat black shape across its lower edge.
  • An outdoor film screen with the audience in silhouette Day 27. A bright rectangle, rows of dark heads and deckchair backs, bats overhead.
  • An owl on a telegraph pole at dusk Day 28. A rounded block on top of a tall post, wires running off both ways.
  • The first rain for weeks, watched from a doorway Day 29. Dark spots spreading on a pale path, steam rising, a dog looking pleased.
  • The last train home from the seaside Day 30. A carriage window from inside: sleepy reflections over a dark field.
  • Your own street at nine at night, still warm Day 31. Draw it from your doorstep: who is out, which lights are on, what the sky is doing.

How it works

August has 31 days, and each set here holds 31 prompts, one per date. Set 1 is ripe and overgrown: gluts, wasps and windfalls. Set 2 is warm nights: moths, meteors and open windows.

Read the full guide

Run it as an August drawing challenge

Pick a set in the menu and find today's date on the sheet. Each hint opens with its day number, and the list runs day 1 to day 31 in A to Z order that carries no meaning. Day 31 always starts with Your. For August calendar drawing ideas, rule a month grid and fit each prompt into its own square.

Two sets, day and night

Set 1 is drawn in daylight, from a garden, a market or a window box: everything in it is too big, too ripe or in the way. Set 2 is drawn after supper. Night subjects are mostly dark paper with one light in it, so shade the page first and lift the light out with an eraser.

  • Doing it as an August art challenge with friends? Agree on one set, so the drawings can be compared.
  • South of the equator August is winter. Set 2 still works if you swap warm for cold.

Questions and answers

Can I use the prompts without doing the whole month?

Yes. Draw any row on its own, in any order; the menu changes set. The summer list holds plain summer subjects with no twist.

Why is August called August?

It was renamed in 8 BC in honour of the Roman emperor Augustus. Before that it was Sextilis, the sixth month of the old Roman year, which began in March. One prompt in Set 2 draws the old name crossed out.

Is this an official challenge?

No. The prompts are our own and belong to no organised challenge, so any material works and a class can share one list.

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