60 objects

Sketching Everyday Objects

Deal an object you can find at home, with the shape or view to get right.

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Drawn: A sticky note curling up at one cornerA sticky note curling up at one cornerA square with one corner lifting. The shadow under the curl gives the lift.

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Kitchen 12

A cheese grater standing on a board A tapering box. Draw four sides first, then the holes in rows that shrink with the side.
A colander full of washed apples A bowl with holes that follow the curve. Apples overlap and hide the holes behind them.
A crumpled snack bag on the counter Folds, not outlines. Map the big planes first, then the bright creases.
A glass half full of water Two ellipses: the rim and the waterline. A spoon in it seems to bend at the surface.
A kettle from the side, spout toward you Body first, spout as a cone coming forward. Its tip overlaps the body.
A mug seen from slightly above, handle to the right A cylinder. The rim ellipse is narrower than the base, which sits further below your eye.
A saucepan on the stove, lid tilted A cylinder with a long handle. The tilted lid is an ellipse leaning off the rim's ellipse.
A tin can with its label half peeled A cylinder. The curled label shows its white back and the metal underneath.
A whisk lying on a dish towel Wire loops that cross. Draw the loops as ellipses of different tilts, all meeting at the handle.
A wooden spoon lying across a bowl A long oval on a stick. Let the bowl's rim pass behind the handle.
An egg box with the lid open, two eggs left A grid of cups. Draw the box as a flat block first, then scoop the hollows.
Three plates drying upright in a rack Thin ellipses standing on edge. Each plate hides part of the one behind it.

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Desk and school bag 12

A charging lead plugged into a wall socket A square plate, a plug and a lead that droops in one long curve to the floor.
A desk lamp bent over a notebook Three rods and two joints. The shade is a cone whose ellipse faces down.
A laptop open at an angle, screen dark Two boxes joined at a hinge. The screen leans back, so its top edge shortens.
A paper clip on its side One bent wire. Follow the loops with one line, never lifting the pencil.
A paperback lying open, face down A tent shape. The spine is the ridge and the pages fan out under the covers.
A pencil sharpened to a point, lying flat A long hexagon. The shaved cone ends in a darker point of lead.
A roll of sticky tape on its dispenser A ring on a sloped block. The hole is an ellipse inside an ellipse.
A ruler lying across a sheet of paper A long flat box. The numbers shrink toward the far end.
A stapler with its jaw open A long box that hinges at the back. The top lifts in an arc.
A sticky note curling up at one corner A square with one corner lifting. The shadow under the curl gives the lift.
An eraser worn at one corner A soft box. Round off the worn corner and add a few crumbs.
Kitchen scissors hanging on a hook Two blades crossing at a screw, pointing down. The finger loops are two uneven ovals.

Bathroom and bedroom 12

A door handle pressed halfway down A lever on a round base. Tilt the lever and keep the base an ellipse.
A duvet pulled back from one corner Big folds first. The turned-back corner shows the underside as a triangle.
A hairbrush lying bristles up An oval pad on a handle. Draw the bristles as dots in rows that follow the oval.
A half-open drawer full of socks A box pulled out of a box. The socks are soft bundles that overlap.
A light switch with one switch down A square plate and two small rectangles. One is lower than the other.
A pair of slippers side by side Two long ovals with a curved front. One is a little in front of the other.
A pump bottle of hand soap by the tap A cylinder with a bent nozzle. The nozzle points one way, the tap another.
A round wall clock seen at an angle The face becomes an ellipse. The numbers crowd together on the far side.
A shirt thrown over a chair Cloth over a frame. The chair back shows through where the fabric pulls tight.
A toothbrush standing in a cup A long stick in a cylinder. The bristles are a small block of short lines.
A towel folded over a rail Folds hang straight down. The rail is hidden where the cloth covers it.
Two pillows propped against a headboard Soft boxes leaning back. Where they meet, one squashes into the other.

Bag and pocket 12

A car key with its fob on a table A small rounded block with a key poking out. One highlight on the fob.
A coin on its edge, leaning on another An ellipse and a thin edge. The standing coin is almost a line.
A pair of jeans dropped on the floor Two tubes that twist. Draw the waistband ellipse first, then where each leg folds.
A pair of sunglasses folded on a table Two lenses, arms folded behind them. The lenses reflect a light window.
A school bag unzipped, books showing A soft box with the top open. Book edges show as stacked lines.
A wallet open to show the card slots A book shape with rows of lines. The cards stagger down in steps.
A water bottle with its cap off A cylinder with a narrow neck. The cap lies on its side beside it.
A wristwatch lying face up A circle on a strap. The strap curves away from you and shortens.
An open umbrella drying upside down A dome on its back with the handle up. Ribs run from the centre to each point.
Earrings and a necklace in a small dish Small shiny things. Draw the chain as a line of tiny ovals and add a highlight on each.
Headphones resting on a closed book An arch with two ear cups. One cup faces you, one turns away.
One flip-flop upside down by the door A long footprint shape with the strap's two plugs poking through. Draw the tread lines last.

Tools and garden 12

A clothes peg clipped to a sock Two sticks and a spring biting soft fabric. The sock bunches in the jaws.
A flashlight lying on its side, switched on A cylinder with a wider head. A pale cone of light spreads onto the table.
A garden trowel stuck in soil A leaf-shaped blade on a handle. Only part of the blade shows above the soil.
A hammer lying next to three nails A block head on a long handle. The nails' shadows show which way the light falls.
A padlock hanging open A block with a loop. The loop's one leg is out of its hole.
A paintbrush resting across a jar A long stick with a tuft. Its reflection wobbles in the water.
A pair of pliers holding a bent wire Two handles crossing at a pivot. The jaws grip the wire at an angle.
A pump and a bike helmet by the shed A tube on a foot and a vented dome. Draw the helmet's holes as rounded slots that follow its curve.
A screwdriver lying on a workbench A rod with a fat handle. The handle's ridges run along its length.
A tangle of string on a shelf Loops over loops. Shade where one loop passes under another so it reads as string.
A tape measure pulled out a little A rounded box with a thin curved strip. The strip's markings run to its end.
A watering can parked beside a tap A cylinder with a long spout and a handle arching over. The rose is a small disc.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-09-24: 60 everyday objects to sketch in five groups by where they are found (kitchen, desk and school bag, bathroom and bedroom, bag and pocket, tools and garden) at three levels, each with the shape or view to get right. No facts are stated; the hints are drawing advice. No item repeats a title from any other list on the site. Licence: own work

How it works

Sketching everyday objects needs nothing you do not own: a mug, a stapler, a clothes peg. Pick a room and a level, fetch the object and draw it from life. Each hint names the shape underneath.

Read the full guide

Find the simple shape first

Most objects are a cylinder, a box or a cone with parts added. A saucepan is a cylinder with a handle; a kettle's spout is a cone coming toward you. Draw that shape lightly, then carve the object out of it.

Ellipses make or break it

Anything round seen at an angle becomes an ellipse. The further below your eye it sits, the rounder it gets, so a mug's base is rounder than its rim. The 14 hard objects, such as A whisk lying on a dish towel, test exactly this.

Set a timer for ten minutes per object. Sketching means stopping before it is perfect.
Draw the same object three times from three sides on one page.

Questions and answers

What are easy everyday objects to sketch?

A pencil sharpened to a point, a paper clip on its side and a sticky note curling up at one corner are each one or two shapes. Easy holds 21.

Should I sketch from life or from a photo?

From life. You can walk round a real object and see how its shape turns, and a photo flattens the ellipses you are practising. Put it on a plain table under one lamp.

Which pen or pencil is best for sketching objects?

A soft pencil such as a 2B for the first light lines, then a fineliner if you want to ink it. See pen drawing ideas for objects drawn straight in ink.