60 ideas

Culture Drawing Ideas

Three prompts per press for a drawing of your own culture, each with what to ask at home.

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The front door of a home your family lived in before this oneAsk what color it was and what stood beside it. Draw the door straight on, filling the sheet top to bottom.
The thing on a wall or shelf at home that every visitor asks aboutAsk where it came from. Draw it in its place with the wall around it, then again larger beside.
A plant, tree or flower that grows where your family comes fromAsk what it is used for or when it blooms. Draw one stem or branch upright, its name along the stalk.

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Food and the table 12

A dish your family makes only on one day of the year, steam and all Ask who cooks it and which day it is for. The dish fills the sheet and the day is lettered under it.
A food you once had to explain to a friend, drawn so it explains itself Ask an adult what goes into it. Draw it cut open in the center with a label on each part.
A pot, pan or kitchen tool at home that your friends' kitchens do not have Ask what it is called and what it makes. Draw it large and add one small arrow to the odd part.
The breakfast your home smells like on a weekend morning Ask what was on the table when a parent was your age. Draw it from above, plate in the center.
The dish that means good news in your family: a birthday, a new baby, a visit Ask what gets cooked when there is something to celebrate. Dish in the center, the news lettered above.
The drink poured for guests the moment they arrive, in the cup it comes in Ask what a guest is always offered first. Draw the cup tall at the left and the pouring hand at the right.
The first thing a relative cooks for you whenever you visit Ask why it is always that. Draw the plate being set down, the cook's hands still on its rim.
Hands shaping, folding or rolling a food your family makes together Ask to be shown the move slowly. Crop to the hands and draw the same fold in three steps across the sheet.
The lunch you bring from home, opened on the table Ask who decides what goes in it. Draw the box from above and name each thing in the margin.
The market, shop or garden your family's special ingredients come from Ask what cannot be found anywhere else. Draw the stall or shelf wide, with that one thing in color.
The shelf of spices, sauces or jars your kitchen could not cook without Ask which one gets used most. Draw the row straight on and letter each name the way your family says it.
The sweet a relative always brings when they visit, set out on a plate Ask where they get it or who taught them to make it. Plate in the middle, their name on the rim.

Clothes and cloth 12

A hat, scarf or head covering someone in your family wears, drawn by itself Ask what it is called and when it is worn. Draw it at the top of the sheet with its name below.
A pattern from a cloth at home, repeated until it fills the sheet Ask where the blanket, scarf or tablecloth came from. Copy one unit with care, then repeat it in rows.
A piece of jewelry handed down in your family, drawn larger than life Ask who wore it first. Draw it in the center at five times its size and write that name beneath.
A quilt, shawl or cloth that someone in your family made by hand Ask who made it and for whom. Draw one corner folded back so both sides of the work show.
A uniform, apron or set of work clothes a relative wore for their job Ask what the job was and where. Draw the clothes on a hanger and the tool of the job beside them.
The bag, basket or bundle your family packs for a long trip Ask what always goes in first. Draw it open from above with three things showing.
The colors your family wears to celebrate, as five swatches with a note on each Ask what each color is for. Rule five tall rectangles side by side and write one line under each.
How hair is done for a special day in your family, drawn from the back Ask who does it and how long it takes. The head fills the sheet; pins, ties and ribbons get a label.
One stitched, woven, printed or beaded detail, copied at five times its size Ask how it was made. Rule a square in the center and draw only what fits inside it, thread by thread.
The outfit you wear on your family's biggest day of the year, laid flat on a bed Ask what each piece is called. Draw it as if from the ceiling, with the names lettered beside it.
Something a grandparent wears that nobody your age does Ask when they started wearing it. Draw it on its own, life-size if it fits, with their name under it.
What three generations of your family wear to a wedding, side by side Ask to see a photo. Draw three figures the same height so the clothes, not the ages, are compared.

Festivals and music 12

A celebration your family goes out into the street for, drawn from the curb Ask what the day marks. Put the street across the middle and the nearest person large at one side.
A dance you know the steps to, as a row of small figures, one for each step Ask someone to do it slowly while you watch the feet. Number the figures left to right.
A lullaby or rhyme sung to you when you were small, around a sleeping figure Ask who sang it. Draw the sleeper small in the center and loop a line of notes around them twice.
An instrument someone in your family plays or keeps, drawn from life Ask its name and to hear one note. Lay it corner to corner on the sheet and count the strings or keys.
The day your family counts down to all year, as one busy scene Ask what happens first, next and last. Put the main moment in the middle and the rest round the edges.
The decorations that go up at home for that day, and where each one hangs Ask who made or chose each one. Draw the doorway or window and hang everything in its real place.
The game that comes out at every family gathering, with the players' hands Ask who taught it to whom. Draw the board, cards or tiles from above and a hand at each side.
The lights, lanterns or fireworks of a night your family celebrates Ask what the lights are for. Shade the sky dark first, then add the bright parts last.
The morning of a holiday at your home, in four frames Ask what the grown-ups do before you wake up. Rule four boxes and give each one hour of the morning.
The music a parent plays while cooking, drawn as sound coming out of the kitchen Ask what it is and where they first heard it. Draw the doorway and let the lines spill into the hall.
The song everyone at a family party knows, with notes rising over the room Ask who always starts it. Draw the room from a corner and let the notes climb from every mouth.
What children are given on a special day in your family Ask what it means and who gives it. Draw it resting on two open palms in the center of the sheet.

Home, language and stories 12

A folktale or bedtime story from where your family comes from, as a book cover Ask who told it to them. Title at the top, the hero or creature in the middle, your name as illustrator.
A letter or sound in your home language that English does not have, drawn huge Ask a relative to say it and write it. One character fills the sheet, with a word that uses it below.
A proverb from your family, drawn exactly as the words say Ask what it really means. Draw the literal picture large and write the real meaning in one line below.
A rule of your home that other homes do not have, drawn as a sign Ask why the rule exists. Draw a round or square sign with a simple picture, and no words if you can.
A saying an older relative repeats, in a speech bubble over their portrait Ask where they first heard it. The bubble takes the top half of the sheet and the face the bottom.
A story your family tells again and again, drawn as a single scene Ask two people to tell it and notice what changes. Draw the moment both tell the same way.
A word your grandparents use, lettered in their alphabet Ask them to write it for you and say what it means. Letter it large and put the meaning small beneath.
How your family greets a guest at the door, drawn as two figures Ask what is said and done first. Draw the doorway as a frame and the greeting in the middle of it.
The names for grandmother, grandfather, aunt and uncle in your family, each beside a face Ask how each one is spelled. Draw four small portraits in a row with the word under each.
The oldest object in your home and the person it came from Ask how old it is and how it got here. Object on the left, a small portrait of the person on the right.
The thing on a wall or shelf at home that every visitor asks about Ask where it came from. Draw it in its place with the wall around it, then again larger beside.
Two languages in one sentence, the way it is really said at home Listen for one at dinner and write it down. Letter each language in its own color across the sheet.

Symbols and places 12

A craft made where your family comes from: a pot, a carving, a weaving, a toy Ask whether anyone in the family can make it. Draw it on a plain ground with the maker's hands beside it.
A flag that matters to your family, copied from a real picture Ask what the colors or shapes stand for. Rule the rectangle first and measure the parts before coloring.
A pattern, sign or object your family treats as lucky Ask where it is kept and why. Draw it once in the center and repeat it small as a border.
A plant, tree or flower that grows where your family comes from Ask what it is used for or when it blooms. Draw one stem or branch upright, its name along the stalk.
A walk through the place a grandparent grew up, drawn from their spoken directions Ask them to walk you through it by voice: left, right, past the shop. Draw it as a path with landmarks.
An animal from your family's stories, drawn the way the stories tell it Ask what the animal is known for in the story. Give it that pose and let it fill the sheet.
The building where your family gathers with others on important days Ask how long the family has gone there. Draw the front straight on, doors open, people as small marks.
The front door of a home your family lived in before this one Ask what color it was and what stood beside it. Draw the door straight on, filling the sheet top to bottom.
The landscape a relative describes when they talk about home Ask about the hills, the water and the sky. Three bands across the sheet: far, middle and near.
The sport your family gathers to watch, shown by its gear alone Ask who taught them the rules. Lay the ball, bat, board or net across the sheet with no team colors.
The view from a relative's window far away Ask them to describe it or send a photo. Draw the window frame first and the view inside it.
The weather or season your family misses or loves most Ask what it felt and smelled like. Draw it as a small landscape with one person dressed for it.

How it works

These culture drawing ideas are open prompts, so the answer is always your own family's. They cover food and the table, clothes and cloth, festivals and music, home, language and stories, and symbols and places.

Read the full guide

How to draw your own culture

Start with a question, not a pencil. Every note names something to ask a parent, a grandparent or whoever keeps the family's stories. Their answer gives you the dish, the word or the pattern, and the same note says where it goes on the sheet.

If your family has more than one culture

Draw both. A sentence that mixes two languages or a holiday morning with two sets of customs is a true picture of one home. So is a tradition your family started itself.

Draw from the real object or a photo where you can. A pattern drawn from memory comes out simpler than it is.
Letter the name of the thing in the language your family uses for it, with the meaning small beside it.

Questions and answers

What can I draw to represent my culture?

Draw one thing your family eats, wears, celebrates, says or keeps: a dish made on one day of the year, the outfit for your biggest day, a word your grandparents use.

What is an easy culture drawing?

One object drawn large: the drink poured for guests in the cup it comes in, a piece of jewelry handed down, or a hat, scarf or head covering drawn by itself.

What if I do not know much about my culture?

Then the asking is the project. Pick the prompt on the oldest object in your home, or a story your family tells again and again, and ask who knows about it. Draw what you are told.

What should a culture poster include?

One large picture, its name in the language your family uses, and a line on who told you about it. Three small drawings from other groups, such as a food, a cloth pattern and a place, can fill the corners.