60 drawings

Easy Things to Draw That Look Hard

One drawing that looks far harder than it is, with the trick that does it.

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A corridor of doorframes going backDoor shapes inside door shapes, each smaller, and a floor line to the far end.

Next step More 3D illusions Line art ideas

All 60 drawings

Illusions 12

A ball that seems to rise off the page A circle, a crescent of dark on one side and an oval shadow set a little apart.
A corridor of doorframes going back Door shapes inside door shapes, each smaller, and a floor line to the far end.
A cube you can see from two sides at once Two overlapping squares joined at the corners. The eye flips which face is in front.
A cylinder rising out of a flat grid Draw a grid, then lift the lines inside a circle and shade one side.
A grid pushed up by a ball underneath Bend the grid lines up and round where the ball sits, then shade its far side.
A heart that looks folded like paper Draw a heart, then a centre line and shade one half.
A letter that casts a long shadow Write the letter in outline, then slide a grey copy down and to one side.
A pencil that seems to poke out of the paper Draw a torn hole, the pencil's tip coming through it and its shadow.
A ribbon twisting down the page Two wavy lines, joined where they cross. Shade the back side darker.
A ring of rings that seems to turn Circles of circles, each shaded on the same side. Spacing does the work.
Stairs drawn with just parallel lines Zigzag edge, then short parallel lines on each tread. Shade the risers.
Your hand traced, then filled with lines that bump over it Draw straight lines across the page and curve each one up where it crosses the outline.

Line patterns 12

A circle split into slices, one pattern per slice Draw spokes, then fill each slice with one repeated mark: dots, stripes, scales.
A cityscape of rectangles and windows Tall rectangles of different heights, then rows of little squares.
A feather made of fine lines A long curve for the stem, then many short strokes angled out from it.
A fish made of scales that shrink toward the tail Draw the outline, then rows of U shapes getting smaller.
A lettered word filled with stripes Write the word in block outline and fill each letter with lines at one angle.
A mandala of simple petals Draw rings round a centre, then repeat one petal shape in each ring.
A rose drawn as a spiral of U shapes Start with a small spiral, then add U shapes round it, each larger.
A spiral that turns into a shell One long spiral, then short lines across it at the outside.
A tree made only of branching Ys Each branch splits in two, again and again, getting thinner.
A wave of parallel curves Draw one curve, then copy it next to itself thirty times.
An eye made of circles Circles inside circles, a dark pupil and one white highlight dot.
Fairy lights spelling a short word One wandering line shaped into letters, then a small bulb every few millimetres.

Tone tricks 12

A black cat on a wall against orange stripes A flat dark shape in front of stripes of colour looks dramatic with no detail.
A bubble with a rainbow sheen A thin circle, a curved window reflection and a few colours along the edge.
A crumpled piece of paper, three tones only White, mid-grey and dark. Draw the shapes of the folds, not the lines.
A drop of water on paper A curved shape, dark on the side facing the light, a white dot on the other and a shadow.
A foggy forest in fading greys Each row of trees is paler than the one in front.
A moon in charcoal on dark paper Rub a pale circle, lift out a few craters with an eraser.
A rainbow gradient sky Blend the colours in bands. The gradient does all the work.
A see-through ball with a coloured twist A circle, a coloured ribbon inside and one sharp highlight on top.
A shiny spoon in bands of black and white Dark and light in sharp bands. Metal is just strong contrast.
A tealight's halo on a dark page Darken the whole page and leave a soft pale ring round the flame.
A torn edge with a shadow underneath A ragged line and a soft grey band beside it makes paper look lifted.
An eye with a single catchlight Keep one white square in the dark pupil. It brings the eye alive.

Nature 12

A breaker with foam flying off the top One big curl, lines following the curve and white foam dots at the tip.
A pine forest from triangles Stacked triangles of different heights, darker toward the front.
A pinecone from overlapping scales Rows of small V shapes, each one tucked behind the one below.
A range of peaks half white, half shaded Triangles; leave the tops white and shade one side of each.
A see-through leaf with only its veins left An outline and the veins inside, branching finer and finer.
A snowflake from one repeated arm Draw one arm with branches, then copy it six times round a centre.
A starry night with a milky band Dots of many sizes and a pale smudged band across the sky.
A sunflower's middle, dot by dot A dark disc of dots in curving rows, then petals round the edge.
A web strung between two stalks, beaded Spokes, a spiral, then tiny dots along the threads.
Fluffy dandelion parachutes against a blue sky Tiny dots, each with a fan of fine lines, scattered across the page.
Green curtains of light over a dark ridge Soft vertical streaks of green and a black hill line below.
Rings spreading on a still pond Ellipses inside ellipses, wider and fainter as they go out.

Lettering 12

A word drawn as stars joined by thin lines Put a star at each corner of the letters and join them up.
A word drawn only by its shadows Draw only the shaded side of each letter and let the eye fill in the rest.
A word in neon tube lettering One continuous line for the letters, then a soft glow round them.
A word made of flowers Write the letters as stems and add blooms along them.
A word that drips Draw the letters, then add drips hanging from the bottom edges.
A word that looks carved in stone Block letters with a thin shadow on two sides and a lighter edge on the others.
A word written along a folded ribbon A curved band with folded ends. Write along the curve.
An initial with a vine climbing it A big capital letter, then a curling stem and leaves wrapped round it.
Handwriting that fades into a pattern Write the word, then let the last letter trail into a spiral or a vine.
Letters in 3D blocks Write each letter, then add depth lines going back at one angle.
Two initials sharing one stroke Overlap the letters so one line belongs to both.
Your first name in fat rounded outlines Write it, then draw a soft outline round every letter and erase the inside.

How it works

Easy things to draw that look hard all lean on one trick: a repeated line, a strong shadow, a curve that fools the eye. These 60 name the trick in the hint, so you know what is doing the work.

Read the full guide

Repetition looks like skill

Line patterns holds 12 drawings built from one mark copied many times: a wave of parallel curves, a tree made only of branching Ys. Keep the spacing even and nobody sees how simple each mark is.

Contrast looks like realism

Tone tricks holds 12 where strong dark next to bright white does the work. A shiny spoon in bands of black and white has no detail at all, only sharp bands.

Draw the trick part last, after the outline is right. A shadow on a wonky shape still looks wonky.
A fineliner makes line patterns look sharper than pencil does.

Questions and answers

What is the easiest drawing that looks impressive?

Your hand traced, then filled with lines that bump over it. Draw straight lines across the page and curve each one up where it crosses the outline. It takes ten minutes and looks 3D.

Do I need special pens?

No. A pencil and an eraser cover every tone trick. A black fineliner helps with the line patterns and lettering, and coloured pencils suit the rainbow gradient sky.

How is this different from hard things to draw?

Hard things to draw are real skill tests, such as hands and foil. These only look hard: each depends on one trick you can learn in a single sitting.