Fan Art Prompt Generator: You Bring the Character

Press New prompt for which character to draw, what to change, what to make and one limit.

Fan Art Prompt Generator: You Bring the Character: 30 prompts

Draw a character you have never been able to draw, fifty years in the future. Make it a birthday card they might send. Limit: drawn for the fan you were when you first met them.

Padlock: keep a part. Arrows: change only that part.

Whoa character you have never been able to draw
Changefifty years in the future
Make ita birthday card they might send
Limitdrawn for the fan you were when you first met them

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Prompt of the day

Draw a character you have never been able to draw, fifty years in the future. Make it a birthday card they might send. Limit: drawn for the fan you were when you first met them.
Draw a character from a story someone read aloud to you, in clothes from the decade you were born. Make it a yonkoma: four stacked panels. Limit: no reference for any part you have drawn before.
Draw a character from a game you never finished, in the clothes of your own town. Make it a bookmark with their head above the page edge. Limit: three lines of description, written by you, and no pictures.
Draw the one the story keeps for its jokes, dressed by a well-meaning relative. Make it a chibi with a head as big as its body. Limit: cast a shadow in the shape of who they used to be.
Draw the last character on the cast list, with every color moved one step around the wheel. Make it an embroidery hoop design. Limit: only the pictures you already have saved.
Draw a character you know only from a friend's description, moved to a medieval village. Make it an enamel pin design. Limit: made as a thank-you note to whoever made them.
Draw the first one who made you laugh out loud, as a teenager with a bad haircut. Make it a title card for an episode that does not exist. Limit: leave a place in the picture for someone who is not there.
Draw a shopkeeper or other background worker, in work clothes for a job they would hate. Make it an album cover. Limit: only what one friend remembers about their look.
Draw the one you always get wrong, on their birthday. Make it a theater program cover. Limit: only what one friend remembers about their look.
Draw a character you have not thought about in years, with their usual expression reversed. Make it a chibi with a head as big as its body. Limit: put the thing they are proudest of in plain sight.
Draw a character from a genre you never draw, in a rival's wardrobe. Make it a build-up sheet: three shapes, then the figure. Limit: bring in the weather of their best scene.
Draw the one you always get wrong, in a school uniform. Make it a theater program cover. Limit: described aloud by someone else while you draw.
Draw one who appears for under a minute, as royalty of a very small kingdom. Make it a sheet of small stickers, each a different mood. Limit: described aloud by someone else while you draw.
Draw a character recognizable by shadow alone, in a hat and glasses, hoping not to be recognized. Make it a silent page of nine panels. Limit: one the character would sign.
Draw a background character you have to name yourself, as a parent at school drop-off. Make it a tile mosaic for a station wall. Limit: include a view of the place they would rather be.
Draw a character you know from a single picture, at the end of a double shift. Make it an album cover. Limit: one the character would sign.
Draw a mentor who taught the hero one thing, in another cast member's costume. Make it a film poster. Limit: the way they turn their head, got exactly right.
Draw the one who gives the orders when the leader is away, with their job and a castmate's exchanged. Make it an ex libris label with their portrait. Limit: three lines of description, written by you, and no pictures.
Draw a character mentioned but never shown, refitted for a place with no gravity. Make it an embroidery hoop design. Limit: drawn as if for the story's own end credits.
Draw the first character you ever drew, with their usual expression reversed. Make it a page of thumbnail sketches. Limit: the source paused or opened at random, once.
Draw a character you know only from a friend's description, a hundred years in the past. Make it the same portrait in four frames of different shapes. Limit: a reference kept the size of a thumbnail.
Draw the one you always get wrong, at the very end of their story. Make it a map of one day in their life. Limit: cast a shadow in the shape of who they used to be.
Draw a side character with one scene, at the very end of their story. Make it a collage from magazine scraps. Limit: hide a small object from their world, not in their hands.
Draw the one on your first backpack or lunchbox, in the clothes of your own town. Make it a title card for an episode that does not exist. Limit: recognizable at the first rough, before any detail.
Draw a character from a story someone read aloud to you, as the teacher of the next generation. Make it a postage stamp from their home town. Limit: include something from their first mention in the story.
Draw the villain of the last thing you watched, in the clothes of your own town. Make it a silent page of nine panels. Limit: described aloud by someone else while you draw.
Draw the tallest character in the cast, as royalty of a very small kingdom. Make it an ex libris label with their portrait. Limit: true to the way they stand.
Draw one from a story you gave up on, in the clothes of your own town. Make it a magazine cover. Limit: one line of their outline pushed too far, and only one.
Draw the most popular one, whom you have avoided drawing, as a shopkeeper in their own story. Make it a page of thumbnail sketches. Limit: one the character would sign.
Draw a mentor who taught the hero one thing, in hand-me-downs from a much larger castmate. Make it a zine cover. Limit: a reference left at the far side of the room.

Next step Get a prompt for your own character Get a pose to draw them in

Who: all 60 rules

From memory 15

a character from a game you never finished Draw them at the point where you stopped.
a character from a story someone read aloud to you You never saw them. Draw what you pictured then.
a character from the last book you finished No picture exists, so the design is yours. Decide the outline first.

Show all 60 rules (57 more)

From memory, continued

a character from the last thing you watched Sketch before you look anything up and correct it after.
a character whose name you have forgotten Draw what you remember and leave the rest loose.
a character you have not thought about in years List three things you remember and draw only those.
a character you know only from a friend's description Draw from their words alone, then compare.
a character you loved at age seven Start with whatever you remember first: a color, a hat, a shape.
the first character you ever drew Find or imagine that first drawing and keep one thing from it.
the first one who made you laugh out loud Find the expression that did it and build the pose around it.
the one from a theme song you still know Let the rhythm of the song set the pose.
the one on your first backpack or lunchbox Draw them at the size they were printed, then large.
the one whose voice you can still hear Draw the mouth shape of their best-known line.
the one you drew most often in school margins Draw them small first, margin size, in pen.
the one you used to pretend to be Draw the pose you stood in when you played them.

By their part in the story 15

a character mentioned but never shown Nothing to copy. Design them from what others say.
a character who appears only in a flashback Soften the edges, as if remembered.
a mentor who taught the hero one thing Show the hands: what they teach with.
a parent of the main character Look for the feature the two of them share.
a shopkeeper or other background worker Give them a counter, a tool and a tired stance.
a side character with one scene Give them the whole page for once.
the animal companion of a human character Draw the animal alone, with no owner in the frame.
the character who leaves the story first Draw them walking out of the frame.
the hero's rival Put them in the pose the hero usually gets.
the narrator, if the story has one Decide where they stand to see all this.
the one the story keeps for its jokes Draw them serious. It is harder than it sounds.
the one who drives, flies or steers Hands on the controls and eyes far ahead.
the one who gives the orders when the leader is away Place them one step behind an empty space.
the one who joined the group last Put them at the edge of the group, facing in.
the villain of the last thing you watched Draw them doing something ordinary.

By their design 15

a character known for one color Use that color once, in a small place.
a character recognizable by shadow alone Draw only the cast shadow on a wall.
a character who wears a uniform Find the one detail that makes this uniform theirs.
a character whose design you would change Change one thing only and see how far it spreads.
a character whose face is never fully shown Keep it hidden. Find a new way to hide it.
a character you can draw from memory Do it without looking, then check.
a character you have never been able to draw Find the one line that goes wrong and draw it ten times.
a non-human character Start from the animal or object they are built on.
the one with the best hat Draw the hat first and fit the head under it.
the one with the fewest lines in their design Count the lines and use no more.
the one with the most complicated outfit Block it in three big shapes before any detail.
the one with the simplest silhouette Fill the outline in solid black first to test it.
the one with the strangest hair Treat the hair as one solid shape with a few cuts in it.
the smallest character in the cast Put something ordinary beside them for scale.
the tallest character in the cast Draw from below so the head is small.

By dare 15

a background character you have to name yourself Decide one thing about their day and draw that.
a character everyone draws, done your way Change the medium before you change the design.
a character from a genre you never draw Borrow one habit of that genre, such as its lighting.
a character from a story in a language you do not read Work from the pictures alone.
a character from something made before you were born Notice how the design shows its age, and keep that.
a character you know from a single picture Turn them around: draw the side that picture hides.
the last character on the cast list Give them the pose of a lead.
the most popular one, whom you have avoided drawing Find an angle nobody uses.
one from a story you gave up on Draw them as you imagine they ended up.
one who appears for under a minute Pause on them, or remember them, and fill in the rest.
the one you always get wrong Draw the wrong version on purpose, then the right one beside it.
the one you find hardest to like Look for one thing about them you can draw with care.
one your younger self would have found boring Draw what you see in them now.
the third character you think of, not the first Skip the two obvious ones and take the next.
whichever one a friend names without warning No changing your mind. Start within a minute.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. Made up for this list. No series, studio, publisher, game or character is named: the visitor brings the character. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

Change: all 70 changes

Age and time 14

a hundred years in the past Swap every modern detail for one from an older wardrobe.
as a teenager with a bad haircut Lanky limbs, and the wrong hair on the right face.
as the baby picture their family shows visitors A round head, one tuft of the right hair and the same expression.

Show all 70 changes (67 more)

Age and time, continued

as their own grandparent Same nose, same stance, older clothes.
at the age of their own mentor Lengthen the face, lower the shoulders and keep one habit unchanged.
at the age you are now Give them one thing people your age carry.
at the end of a double shift Drop the shoulders and loosen whatever is usually tight.
at the very end of their story Show what the story did to their clothes and posture.
doing the chore they like least Take away the gear they are known for and hand them a mop or a dish towel.
fifty years in the future Update the fabric and the tools and keep the outline.
in the middle of moving day A box under one arm and their best-known item on top.
in the photo on their first ID card Face front, a plain background and their hair before they knew what to do with it.
just out of bed Hair before it is fixed, and eyes half open.
on their birthday One paper hat changes any design.

Clothes 14

dressed by a well-meaning relative One knitted thing too many.
dressed for the opposite season Trade bare arms for a coat, or the coat for bare arms.
in a hat and glasses, hoping not to be recognized Add glasses and a hat and change nothing else.
in a rival's wardrobe Fit the clothes badly on purpose: too long, too tight.
in a school uniform Decide how neatly they would wear it.
in a team uniform for a sport they have never played Get the stance slightly wrong, on purpose.
in another cast member's costume Check that they still read as themselves in outline.
in clothes from the decade you were born Ask someone older what the collars were like.
in formal wear Keep one trace of the usual outfit, such as the boots.
in hand-me-downs from a much larger castmate Roll the cuffs and let the shoulders slide.
in rain gear A hood changes the whole head shape. Keep the hair cue visible.
in the clothes of your own town Draw what people wear on your street this week.
in their usual outfit, made of paper Fold lines, flat color and a tab at each shoulder.
in work clothes for a job they would hate Choose the job first. The face follows.

Palette and design 14

as if designed for a much older audience Longer proportions, smaller eyes, quieter colors.
as if designed for a much younger audience Rounder, bigger eyes, fewer lines.
in the colors of a favorite sweater Take three colors from it and use nothing else.
in the colors of a flag you make up for them Design the flag first, in two or three flat colors. Then dress them in it.
in the colors of the last meal you ate Name the three colors on the plate before you start.
in the faded tints of a hand-colored postcard Pale pink, pale green and a soft brown line. Keep the lights and darks where they were.
in the palette of a rainy day Gray everything by half and keep one true color.
with a new silhouette you could cut from paper Change the hair or the coat until the outline is new.
with every color moved one step around the wheel Red goes to orange, orange to yellow, and so on around.
with the pattern on their clothes changed to one you invent Stripes for plain or dots for stripes. Keep the cut and the colors.
with the thing they are known for left at home Remove the famous thing and see what the hands do without it.
with their proportions reversed, tall for short Keep the face and rebuild everything below it.
with their sharpest and roundest shapes traded Find one pointed thing and one curved thing in the design and swap them.
with their two main colors exchanged The hair takes the coat's color and the coat the hair's.

World and setting 14

as a character in a western A wide hat and dust to the knees.
as a detective in a rainy city A long coat, a turned-up collar and a street light.
as a ghost who is not at all frightening Pale, see-through at the feet and smiling.
as a giant, with the rest of the cast at ankle height Draw from the ground looking up.
as royalty of a very small kingdom A paper crown, worn seriously.
moved to a medieval village Replace each fastening with a lace, a pin or a belt.
moved to your own street Give them a bag from a shop you know.
rebuilt as a robot Turn each joint into a hinge and keep the color blocks.
redesigned for a desert Cover the head, loosen the clothes and lighten every color.
redesigned for a week on a small boat Bare feet or soft shoes, rolled cuffs and nothing loose that could go overboard.
refitted for a place with no gravity Soft shoes, handholds and hair that floats.
refitted for work on the sea floor A round helmet. Keep one feature visible behind the glass.
shrunk to the size of a teacup Put them beside a spoon.
turned into the animal that suits them Carry over the markings: hair becomes ears or a crest.

Role and mood 14

as a parent at school drop-off A small backpack in one hand that is clearly not theirs.
as a portrait by someone who admires them too much Flatter them a little too much: taller, tidier and better lit.
as a shopkeeper in their own story An apron over the usual outfit.
as the new student A name tag, a too-clean bag and a careful stance.
as the one the story is named after Put them where a title would point: largest, central and facing out.
as the quiet one, for once Close the mouth, lower the hands and move them to the edge.
as the teacher of the next generation Add a student's shadow at the edge of the frame.
cast in bronze for a park One color, hard highlights and a pigeon.
caught being ordinary Carrying groceries, waiting for a bus, tying a shoe.
having joined the people they usually oppose Change two shapes and one piece of clothing to show whose side they are on now.
with a hobby nobody expected Put the hobby's tool in their hands and let the pose soften.
with their greatest skill taken away Draw the moment of reaching for it.
with their job and a castmate's exchanged Hand them that character's tool and watch them hold it wrong.
with their usual expression reversed The grinner frowns. The scowler grins.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. Made up for this list. Each entry changes the design, the age, the clothes or the role of a character and names no series, studio, artist or show. No entry sets a scene, an emotion or a companion; those belong to oc-drawing-prompts. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

Make it: all 60 formats

Printed things 15

a birthday card they might send A front panel that works when folded in half.
a book cover for their own memoir Leave the top third calm for a title.
a bookmark with their head above the page edge A tall thin strip. Let the head stand clear of the top and stack the rest below.

Show all 60 formats (57 more)

Printed things, continued

a collector's card with a rarity mark A picture box, a name bar and a short line of text below.
a film poster A tall rectangle: one large figure, a title space and a small line of made-up credits.
a headline and photo above the fold A headline, one photo-shaped drawing and columns of scribble.
a magazine cover A big title across the top, with the head overlapping it.
a numbered coloring sheet with a color key Closed shapes, a number in each and a strip of swatches along the bottom.
a postage stamp from their home town A tiny picture inside a toothed edge, with a value in one corner.
a sheet of small stickers, each a different mood Six small versions, each with a white border.
a theater program cover A stage curtain border and a cast line you make up.
a travel poster for the place they live Flat colors, a big sky and one line of lettering.
a zine cover Photocopy style: black on one paper color, with hand lettering.
an album cover A square. Crop boldly and leave space for a title.
an ex libris label with their portrait A small label with a border, a figure and a line for the owner's name.

Studio sheets 15

a build-up sheet: three shapes, then the figure Draw the three basic shapes of the design on the left and the finished figure on the right.
a concept art page with a color key The figure, three swatches and one close-up.
a costume design sketch with notes One figure, with arrows to fabric and fastening notes.
a flip book of a single gesture A dozen small drawings, each a little changed from the last.
a model sheet: standing, seated and running One neutral, one in motion and one seated, with notes.
a page of gesture drawings Fast, loose figures that catch the action and not the detail.
a page of thumbnail sketches Small boxes, no detail, a new idea in each.
a painted cel over a pencil background Flat opaque color on the figure, with soft pencil behind.
a prop sheet of everything they carry Lay the objects out flat, like a packing list.
a sheet of five expressions Draw the same head size five times. Change only the face.
a size chart beside two other characters Horizontal lines at head, shoulder and hip.
a storyboard for ten seconds of action Small rectangles in a row, with an arrow wherever something moves.
a study page of what their hands do all day Six hands doing what this character does.
a turnaround in three views Front, side and back on the same ground line and head line.
eight drawings of one walk Eight figures across the page, each a step further on.

Comics and sequences 15

a chibi with a head as big as its body Small body, big head, short limbs and very little detail.
a comic cover with a made-up issue number A logo space on top and a corner box.
a diptych: before and after Two panels that pair. Keep the pose and change the rest.
a map of one day in their life Dotted paths between small drawings.
a pixel sprite on a small grid Count squares. Sixteen across is plenty.
a scene they are in, seen from a new angle Choose a moment you know and put the camera where the original never did.
a silent page of nine panels A three-by-three grid, with no balloons.
a single-panel cartoon with a caption One picture and one line of text under it.
a splash page One image fills the page. Leave a corner for a title.
a title card for an episode that does not exist Lettering and one image. Invent the title.
a triptych Three panels side by side, usually with the middle one largest.
a wordless gag in three beats The third panel should surprise the first two.
a yonkoma: four stacked panels Four equal boxes, read top to bottom: set up, carry on, turn, end.
an illustration for a bedtime story Two pages, one picture, with room for two lines of text.
the same portrait in four frames of different shapes Tall, wide, round and square. Recompose the same figure for each.

Crafted and odd 15

a banner for a parade A long cloth shape with the figure large in the middle and a border on every side.
a collage from magazine scraps Tear the shapes and let the edges show.
a cross-stitch pattern on a grid Fill squares with small X shapes.
a cut-out figure with a paper fastener at one elbow A flat figure whose forearm swings on a single pin.
a layered papercut in three sheets Three flat layers of different paper, stacked back to front.
a linocut in two colors Bold shapes and rough cut marks in the cleared areas.
a mural for a long wall Stretch the composition sideways and keep the detail large.
a panel of colored glass with dark leading Dark lines between flat panes of color.
a paper doll with two outfits A figure on a stand and clothes with fold-over tabs.
a pop-up card that opens on them mid-step Plan one layer that stands forward when the card opens.
a quilt block A square pieced from a few plain shapes.
a tile mosaic for a station wall Build the picture from tiles and leave thin gaps.
a woodcut with bold flat shapes Think in solid areas with hard edges, and no blending.
an embroidery hoop design A circle, with the lines drawn as stitches.
an enamel pin design Thick metal lines around flat fills, small enough for a collar.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. Made up for this list. Format names that are terms of a trade were checked on 2026-10-01 against their English Wikipedia articles, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by: Model_sheet (the model sheet), Yonkoma (the four-panel strip), Comic_strip, Triptych, Diptych, Trading_card, Storyboard, Cel, Concept_art, Gesture_drawing, Flip_book, Chibi_(style), Sprite_(computer_graphics), Film_poster, Postage_stamp, Bookmark, Bookplate, Album_cover, Zine, Coloring_book, Sticker, Lapel_pin (the enamel pin), Stained_glass, Mosaic, Paper_doll, Papercutting, Cross-stitch, Embroidery, Linocut, Woodcut, Collage, Pop-up_book, Mural and Quilt. The turnaround was checked the same day against https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/turnaround, which gives it as a series of sketches of a character seen from different angles. The splash page was checked on 2026-10-03 against the English Wikipedia article Glossary_of_comics_terminology, which gives it as a large, often full-page illustration that opens a story. A term that could not be checked was left out. No entry says in the style of a named artist, studio or show. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

Limit: all 60 limits

What you may look at 15

a reference kept the size of a thumbnail Shrink the picture until only the big shapes come through.
a reference left at the far side of the room Leave the picture across the room, so that every check costs a walk.
a single picture or passage, chosen before you start Pick one and do not go looking for a better one.

Show all 60 limits (57 more)

What you may look at, continued

described aloud by someone else while you draw Draw what you hear and do not correct the speaker.
eyes shut, the whole design pictured before you start Walk all the way around the design in your head before you pick up the pen.
finished first, then checked, with three fixes allowed Draw it all. Then look them up and correct only three things.
no reference for any part you have drawn before Look up only the parts that are new to you.
one detail looked up, and you choose which first Decide what matters most, check only that and guess the rest.
only the earliest picture or description of them Work from the first version, before the design settled, and keep its rough edges.
only the pictures you already have saved No searching. Use what is on your shelf or already on your phone.
only what one friend remembers about their look Ask for three details and build the whole figure from those.
reference for the proportions, memory for everything else Measure how many heads tall they are, mark it and close the picture.
the source paused or opened at random, once Take whatever frame or page you land on as your only guide.
three lines of description, written by you, and no pictures Write how they look in three lines, close everything else and draw from the lines.
your own last drawing of them as the only reference Find an old one. Keep its best decision and fix its worst.

The likeness 15

a friend has to know them without a hint Show it before you add any lettering, and say nothing.
a likeness that comes from shape, not from their clothes Swap the outfit in your head and check that it is still them.
drawn so that their voice can be heard in it Decide what they have just said, and let the shoulders and hands answer it.
in your own way of drawing, not the source's Keep the design and drop the house look. Draw them the way you draw everything else.
one habit of theirs has to show A way of holding things or of tilting the head. Choose it before you start.
one line of their outline pushed too far, and only one Take the longest curve or the sharpest angle a little past what the source does.
one thing kept exactly as the source gives it Choose one feature, copy it faithfully and change everything around it.
the one thing other drawings get wrong, got right Find the detail most versions miss and make it the clearest part.
recognizable at the first rough, before any detail Test the likeness at the scribble stage. Detail will not rescue a wrong start.
still them when you squint Half shut your eyes. If the big shapes say who it is, stop adding detail.
still them with a thumb over their best-known feature Cover the obvious cue and see what else carries the likeness.
their age has to read at a glance Check the size of the head against the body and the weight of the hands.
their best-known pose is off limits Use the second most typical thing they do.
true to the way they stand Get the weight and the tilt right first. Half of a likeness is stance.
the way they turn their head, got exactly right Watch how the neck and shoulders move in the source and copy only that.

One thing to work in 15

add a second, smaller drawing of them unchanged Put it in a corner, the size of a coin, for comparison.
bring in the weather of their best scene Bring in that light and that sky and leave the scene itself out.
cast a shadow in the shape of who they used to be Cast the old outline on the wall behind the new one.
hide a small object from their world, not in their hands Put it at the edge, where a second look finds it.
hide one detail only a long-time fan would notice Hide it small: a scuff, a keepsake or a mark from an early design.
include a gift from another character, without the giver Decide who gave it and let that choose where it is kept.
include a view of the place they would rather be Show it through a window, in a frame or on a postcard pinned up behind them.
include one thing they would pack for a night away Set it beside them or in a hand, and choose it for what it says.
include something from their first mention in the story A prop, a pattern or a phrase turned into a picture, from the very start.
include the smallest object the story ever made important Find the prop a whole scene once turned on and tuck it into a corner.
leave a clue to the scene they are remembered for One object or one gesture from it, with the rest left out.
leave a place in the picture for someone who is not there An empty chair, a second cup or a gap in a line. Decide who it is for.
put the thing they are proudest of in plain sight Put it where they would put it: worn, shelved or held up.
show one thing that only you believe about them A habit, a favorite snack or a way of sitting. Your guess, drawn as fact.
show the sound they are known for, without letters A shape in the air, a ripple or a turned head nearby, and no written sound effect.

Who it is for 15

drawn as if for the story's own end credits One quiet image that says goodbye without showing the ending.
drawn for one person who loves this character Decide who it is for before you start, and let that choose what you stress.
drawn for the fan you were when you first met them Think what that younger you would look for first, and put it in.
drawn so a stranger to the story would still enjoy it No in-jokes. The picture has to work with nothing explained.
drawn while you explain aloud who they are Describe the character as you draw. Stop when you run out of things to say.
explained in one sentence before you start Say aloud what the picture is about. If you cannot, simplify the idea.
the first of a set, with room left for the next Leave space at one side for the character you would draw after this one.
given a title, as if it hung in a gallery Write the title first. Let it be about the character and not about the picture.
judged by a friend who knows them better than you do Ask for one correction and make it without arguing.
the kind of picture their best friend would keep Choose the moment a friend would want to remember, not the famous one.
the kind of picture their rival would hide Catch them at their best, in a way that would annoy the other side.
made as a thank-you note to whoever made them Take the care with it that you would take with a letter.
made to sit beside the last one you drew of them Match the size and the margin so the two could hang as a pair.
one the character would sign Leave room for the signature and decide how they would write it.
something the character would hang on their own wall Ask what they would think of it and change one thing to suit them.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. Made up for this list. Every limit is one that only makes sense for a character who already exists: what you may look at, what has to stay recognizable, one thing to work in and who the picture is for. No limit sets a color, a kind of line, a size, a view or a time: the change and format rows deal those, and the general limits are on art-prompt-generator. The notes are our own drawing advice and promise no result. Licence: own work

How it works

This fan art prompt generator names no show, game or character. The first part tells you which character to pick from whatever you love, and the others set a change, a format and a limit.

Read the full guide

A fan art drawing idea generator in four parts

Who, change, format and limit lock separately. Keep the villain of the last thing you watched, press until the format is a turnaround in three views, and lock both before you press for a limit you like.

Run it as a draw your favorite character challenge

Choose your favorite whenever the first part allows it, or lock the format and send one character through five changes. The printed sheet holds 30 prompts, one a day for a month.

Sketch from memory first and look the character up afterwards. Keep one thing you got wrong.
Lock the who part and change the rest. Five changes to one character make a study sheet.

Questions and answers

Why does the generator not name any characters?

Because the character is yours to bring. The first part gives a rule for choosing, such as a side character with one scene or the first character you ever drew, so every prompt works for any show, book, comic or game.

Can I use it for a favorite character drawing challenge?

Yes. Pick your favorite each time the first part allows it and let the change, format and limit do the work. A group can press once and all draw the same prompt with their own characters.

What formats does it ask for?

Things fan art is made as: a film poster, a collector's card, a turnaround in three views, a sheet of five expressions, a yonkoma of four stacked panels, a layered papercut, an enamel pin design. Each has a note on how to lay it out.

What if I want prompts for my own character?

Use the OC drawing ideas page. It sends a character you invented into a scene with an emotion, an outfit and a companion. This page starts from a character that already exists and changes the design or the format.