60 experiments

Drawing Experiments

One experiment that changes how you draw, not what you draw.

Drawing Experiments

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Draw with tea, then with a pen on topA pale tea wash first, lines when it is dry.

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All 60 experiments

A new way of looking 12

A blind contour of a spider plant Eyes on the plant the whole time, never on the page. The wobbles are the point.
A butterfly drawn with a pencil in each hand Draw the two wings at the same time, mirror halves.
A cat's face built from ruler lines No curves allowed; the cat turns angular and bold.
A mug drawn left-handed if you are right-handed Slow, shaky lines come out looser and often more alive.
Draw a chair only by its gaps Shade the spaces between the legs and rungs; the chair appears.
Draw a cup from memory, then from life Put the two side by side and see what memory got wrong.
Draw a lamp by rubbing out, not drawing Cover the page in graphite, then lift the light parts with an eraser.
Draw a person in ten seconds, then ten minutes Compare which one has more life.
Draw a shoe with your eyes half closed Squinting kills detail and shows the big darks.
Draw the same object upside down Turn a photo over and copy it; you draw what you see, not what you know.
Draw with the pencil held at the very end You lose fine control, so you draw bigger shapes.
Draw with your arm, not your wrist Stand, hold the paper on a wall and draw a big circle from the shoulder.

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Unusual tools 12

A tree drawn with a garden twig and ink The line goes thick, thin and scratchy on its own.
Draw with a ballpoint that is running out The broken line gives texture you could not plan.
Draw with a cotton bud and paint Soft dots and smudges, no hard edges.
Draw with a crayon held on its side Wide strokes of texture instead of lines.
Draw with a feather quill Cut the end of a large feather at a slant and dip it in ink.
Draw with a fork in wet paint Drag the tines through thick paint for lines in fours.
Draw with a highlighter only Bright, flat and see-through; overlap strokes for a darker shade.
Draw with a piece of chalk on black card Everything becomes light on dark; draw the highlights first.
Draw with a wet brush on a dry-marker line Water-based marker bleeds into soft shading where the brush touches.
Draw with a white pencil on brown paper Mid-tone paper lets you add the lights and darks.
Draw with tea, then with a pen on top A pale tea wash first, lines when it is dry.
Paint with cold coffee Strong coffee makes browns; layer it for darker tones.

One rule 12

A dog built entirely from circles Every part a circle of a different size, overlapping.
A room seen through a keyhole cut in card Cut a keyhole shape in card and draw only what shows through it.
A seashell in stippled dots Close dots for dark, spread dots for light.
A street scene with three pencils, chosen first Pick them before you start and stick to them.
Draw a portrait with only triangles Break the face into triangles of light and shade.
Draw a room using only horizontal lines Tone comes from how close the lines are.
Draw a whole scene in one unbroken line Never lift the pen. Let the line double back.
Draw one object in five minutes, five times Each time a little faster. The last is often the best.
Draw only the shadows of an object No outlines; the dark shapes alone describe it.
Draw the same apple in three styles Realistic, cartoon and pattern, side by side.
Draw with only one line weight No thick or thin; the drawing must work without it.
Draw without an eraser Keep every wrong line; draw the right one over it.

Odd paper 12

A map of your walk home on an envelope Quick, unplanned and easy to keep in a pocket.
Draw on a long strip of receipt paper A long thin scene: a street, a river, a queue.
Draw on a page torn from an old book Words under the drawing add texture and meaning.
Draw on a paper bag Brown, creased and cheap, so you are not afraid to start.
Draw on a paper plate The rim becomes a frame.
Draw on a sticky note, then join ten A scene split across ten small squares.
Draw on a tiny scrap no bigger than a stamp Small forces you to simplify.
Draw on crumpled paper smoothed flat The creases catch the pencil and add texture.
Draw on graph paper, ignoring the grid The grid shows through and looks like a plan.
Draw on sandpaper with crayon The grit grabs the wax for a soft, grainy look.
Draw on tracing paper over a photo Trace only the shapes you choose; leave the rest out.
Draw on wet paper with ink Lines bloom and feather as they touch the damp.

Chance 12

Blow ink across the page with a paper fan Wave a folded card to push the drops into branches.
Draw a map of a room from above, by memory Then check it and draw what you missed in another colour.
Draw what a cloud looks like to you Trace the cloud's outline, then add features.
Drip watered paint and tilt the page Let it run, then turn the runs into rain or hair.
Finish a stranger's doodle Swap half-started drawings with a friend and complete theirs.
Join random dots into a creature Scatter dots with your eyes closed, then connect them.
Outline a fern's shadow cast by a lamp Put paper under a lamp and trace the shadow as it falls.
Roll a dice for each line's length One to six centimetres. Follow wherever it leads.
Scribble, then find a picture in it Scribble for five seconds, then shade in the shape you see.
Turn a coffee ring into a face Leave a ring on paper and draw what it suggests.
Turn a smudge into a storm Rub graphite with a finger and draw a landscape under it.
Turn an ink blot into an animal Drop ink, fold the paper, then add eyes and legs to what you see.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-09-24: 60 drawing experiments in five groups (a new way of looking, unusual tools, one rule, odd paper, chance), each hint saying what to do and what it teaches. Nothing uses heat, flame, bleach or solvents; nothing goes in the mouth. No facts are stated. No item repeats a title from any other list on the site. Licence: own work

How it works

Stuck drawing the same way every time? These 60 drawing experiments change the method instead of the subject: draw without looking, draw with a twig, draw on a paper bag, or let an ink blot decide.

Read the full guide

Unusual mediums for art

Unusual tools holds 12, all from the kitchen, garden or pencil case: cold coffee, tea, a fork in wet paint, a cotton bud, a feather cut into a quill. Each one makes a mark a pencil cannot.

Why a rule helps

One rule holds 12 limits, such as a seashell in stippled dots or drawing without an eraser. A limit stops you reaching for your usual habits, so you have to look again.

Try one experiment on the same subject three days running. The first result is rarely the best.
Keep experiments in their own sketchbook so nothing feels precious.

Questions and answers

What is a blind contour drawing?

You draw the outline of something without looking at the paper, keeping your eyes on the subject the whole time. The result wobbles, but it trains your eye to follow edges slowly.

Which experiment should a beginner try first?

A lamp drawn by rubbing out, not drawing: cover the page in pencil, then lift the light parts with an eraser. It teaches light and dark at once.

Are these safe for children?

None uses heat, flame, bleach or solvents. Ink and coffee stain, so cover the table, and help younger children cut the feather quill.