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Grunge Things to Draw

Three grunge subjects per press, each with its level and how to draw the wear.

Grunge Things to Draw

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  1. Record shop bins seen from aboveMedium. Square sleeves leaning in rows in a box, dividers sticking up. Invent three of the covers.
  2. Mattress on a floor beside a lampMedium. A low slab with a rumpled blanket. The lamp throws a soft circle of light on the wall.
  3. Duct tape cross patching a torn backpackEasy. Two gray strips with ragged ends. A few wrinkles in the tape, and the rip showing at one edge.

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All 80 ideas

Worn textures 16

  • Bricks under three coats of chipped paint Medium. Draw the bricks, then lay patches of flat tone over them with broken edges.
  • Concrete with a hairline crack and a water stain Medium. Smudge soft pencil for the stain. The crack is one sharp wandering line, darker where it widens.
  • Cracked leather on an armchair arm Hard. The cracks branch like a river map. Shade one side of each crack to make it a groove.
  • Denim jacket cuff frayed to white threads Medium. Hatch the denim on a diagonal. The fray is a fringe of loose, uneven white lines.
  • Dented roll-down metal shutter Easy. Even horizontal bands, each light on top and dark underneath. Break the bands where the dent is.
  • Duct tape cross patching a torn backpack Easy. Two gray strips with ragged ends. A few wrinkles in the tape, and the rip showing at one edge.
  • Faded star print cracking on a T-shirt Medium. Draw a simple star, then break it with fine white cracks that follow the folds of the cloth.
  • Moth-eaten wool sweater Easy. Knit is rows of small V shapes. Leave three ragged gaps and let a strand hang from each.
  • Paint flaking off a cast-iron radiator Medium. A row of tall ribs. The flakes are irregular islands with a shadow on one edge; bare metal shows between.
  • Puddle in cracked asphalt holding one street light Hard. The puddle is a dark, uneven shape. Inside it, one bare-paper spot with a wobbly edge.
  • Rust blooming across a metal sign Medium. Stipple with a dry pen, dense in the middle and scattered at the edge. Orange and brown if you color.
  • Scuffed linoleum floor, pattern worn off in a path Hard. Rule a grid of small squares in perspective, then rub the pattern away along the route feet take.
  • Sheet of pencil rubbings from rough surfaces Easy. Lay the paper over a coin, a grate, a brick and some bark. Rub with the side of a soft pencil.
  • Sneaker tread worn smooth at the heel Medium. Draw the pattern everywhere except the worn patch, where it fades out to nothing.
  • Tabletop scratched with strangers' initials Medium. Wood grain first, then draw the letters across it as double lines. Invent every set of initials.
  • Wire mesh fencing peeled back at one corner Easy. Diamonds made of two sets of diagonal lines. Peel one corner of the mesh back in a curl.

Thrift-shop layers 16

  • Corduroy jacket with a fleece collar Medium. Cord is close parallel lines that bend at the elbow. The collar is a mass of loose curls.
  • Hiking boots with red laces, mud to the ankle Medium. Draw the lug sole as blocks. The mud is rough stippling that thins out toward the top.
  • Jeans patched at both knees in different fabric Medium. One patch plaid, one floral. The stitches round each are uneven dashes.
  • Knit scarf unraveling at one end Easy. Rows of Vs for the knit. At the loose end, one long wavy strand wanders off across the page.
  • Leather jacket worn pale at the elbows and seams Medium. Fill the jacket dark, then lift the elbows, cuffs and seams back to gray with an eraser.
  • Oversized cardigan missing a button Medium. Chunky knit drawn as columns of Vs. One buttonhole is empty and a loose thread hangs from it.
  • Plaid shirt knotted round a waist Hard. The sleeves knot at the front. Draw the folds first, then bend the plaid over them.
  • Round sunglasses with one cracked lens Easy. Two circles and a bridge. The crack is three straight lines from one point on the rim.
  • Second-hand jacket with a stranger's name tag Medium. Draw the collar open so the tag shows. Invent the name and letter it in faded marker.
  • Slip dress layered over a long-sleeved tee Medium. On a hanger, with nobody inside. Thin straps over thick sleeves; floral dots on the dress only.
  • Square of plaid flannel, frayed on four sides Easy. Wide and narrow bands crossing. Press hardest where two dark bands meet, then fray the edges.
  • Sweater far too large, slipping off a hanger Easy. The shoulders droop past the hanger's ends. Sleeves hang below the hem; the neck sags.
  • Thrift tag with two prices crossed out Easy. A small card on a loop of string. Write a price, cross it out, write a lower one and cross that out.
  • Thrift-shop rack of mismatched coats Medium. A straight rack with hangers at odd angles. Each coat a different length; pattern on two.
  • Waffle-knit thermal under a short-sleeved shirt Easy. Waffle knit is a tiny grid. Draw the long sleeves in it and leave the T-shirt on top plain.
  • Wool socks slouched over boot tops Easy. The ribbing is short vertical lines and the sock folds twice. Flecks in the wool are dots.

Flyers and tape 16

  • Cardboard arrow sign reading SHOW THIS WAY Easy. Card with a ragged corrugated edge. A fat arrow, uneven capitals and tape at two corners.
  • Contact sheet ringed in red grease pencil Hard. A grid of tiny frames. Sketch a band rehearsing in each, then ring two in thick crayon.
  • DRUMMER WANTED notice with tear-off tabs Medium. One sheet with a fringe of tabs along the bottom, half of them torn away. Invent the number.
  • Entry stamp half washed off the back of a hand Easy. A smudged ink star on the back of a hand. Break its outline where it has worn away.
  • Gaffer tape X on a stage floor Easy. Two strips crossing, their edges fraying. Scuff marks and a boot print sit beside it.
  • Hand-lettered insert card for a demo tape Medium. A tall card folded in three. The track list is in ballpoint; the cover is one scribbled drawing.
  • Mailing envelope crowded with stamps and doodles Easy. A rectangle with a pointed flap. Invent the stamps and fill every gap with ballpoint spirals.
  • Notebook sheet stuck up with four strips of masking tape Easy. Each strip is a pale rectangle with torn ends, a little see-through. Four strips, none straight.
  • Pale rectangles where posters used to hang Easy. An empty wall, lighter patches and a few leftover tape corners. The missing posters are the subject.
  • Photocopied handbill with cut-out lettering Medium. Black and white only. Paste invented band names in mismatched letters and let the cut edges show.
  • Record sleeve with ring wear Medium. A square with a circle rubbed pale into it by the disc inside. The corners are bent and split.
  • Stenciled crate lettering, overspray on one side Medium. Stencil letters have gaps in their loops. Add soft overspray along one side of each.
  • Telephone pole bristling with staples Medium. The pole is a cylinder of wood grain. Hundreds of staples as tiny dashes; paper scraps cling to a few.
  • Torn-edge collage in black, white and brown Medium. Tear the paper, never cut it. Layer five scraps so each white torn edge shows against the next.
  • Typewritten page with a crooked line and a blot Medium. Letters all one width. Let one line slope, and strike out one word with a row of Xs.
  • Zine cover folded from one sheet Medium. Invent the title and issue number. Rough marker letters, one pasted picture and a staple at the fold.

Instruments and amps 16

  • Acoustic guitar top worn bare by years of strumming Medium. A figure-eight body. The worn patch is paler, with scratches following the strum.
  • Amp panel with every knob turned right up Easy. A strip with six round knobs, each with a pointer line. Point them all hard to the right.
  • Amp stack with one grille cloth torn Medium. Two boxes stacked. The grille is tight cross-hatching; the tear is a dark flap hanging from a corner.
  • Bass drum pedal and its chain, close up Hard. A footplate, a chain over a cam and a beater on a rod. The spring at the side is a tight zigzag.
  • Cymbal with a crack running in from the rim Easy. An ellipse with rings in it and a small dome at the center. The crack is one jagged line.
  • Drum stool with the stuffing showing Easy. A round seat on three legs. The split is a dark slit with pale tufts pushing out.
  • Drumhead dented and patched with tape Medium. A circle seen at an angle. Stick marks cluster in the middle; a tape cross covers a split.
  • Four-track recorder with rows of sliders Hard. A flat box with sliders, knobs and two tape reels behind a window. Label the tracks by hand.
  • Guitar neck close up, strings bright over the frets Hard. Six lines converge slightly. Frets are cross bars; shade the wood dark between the first five.
  • Instrument cable in loose loops on a floor Easy. Overlapping loops with a metal plug at each end. Put a shadow under each crossing.
  • Kick drum with a hand-painted front Medium. A big circle in a hoop. Paint your invented band's name on it in uneven brush letters.
  • Left-handed guitar hanging from a wall hook Medium. Mirror the usual shape, so the long horn points the other way. The strap dangles in a loop.
  • Open guitar case full of cables and set lists Medium. A long lid propped up, a plush lining drawn as soft shading, and a tangle of things inside.
  • Speaker cabinet used as a coffee table Medium. A scratched box with a mug, a lamp and a tangle of cables on top of it.
  • Three guitar picks, each worn down on one corner Easy. Rounded triangles. Blunt one tip on each and scratch the faces with short strokes.
  • Upright piano missing three key tops Medium. Rule the keys, then leave three as bare wood. Stack papers and a lamp on the lid.

Bedrooms and bus stops 16

  • Back seat of a bus with scratched seat frames Medium. Two rows of seat backs shrinking away. The nearest metal frame carries initials you invent.
  • Basement stairs lit from below Medium. The steps shrink as they go down. Leave the bottom bare paper and darken toward the top.
  • Bedroom floor of mugs, tapes and one sock Medium. Looking straight down. Scatter the objects, overlap two, and give each a short shadow.
  • Community hall with stacked chairs and a small stage Hard. One-point view down the room. Chairs stacked in towers along the walls; a low stage with one amp at the end.
  • Empty parking lot with weeds in the cracks Easy. Stall lines running back in perspective. Tufts of grass follow one long crack.
  • Evergreens in drizzle behind a wet road Medium. The trees are dark zigzag columns fading into mist. The road shines in long pale streaks.
  • Fire escape with a plant pot and a folding chair Hard. A slatted platform and a zigzag ladder against brick. The pot and chair make it lived in.
  • Garage rehearsal space with a rug on concrete Hard. One-point view toward a closed roll door. A drum kit on the rug, amps at the sides, cables across.
  • Mattress on a floor beside a lamp Medium. A low slab with a rumpled blanket. The lamp throws a soft circle of light on the wall.
  • Pay phone with its receiver dangling Medium. A box on a post. The cord hangs in a long curl with the handset swinging at the end.
  • Porch couch sagging in the middle Easy. A long box with fat arms; the seat line dips. Stuffing shows at one seam.
  • Record shop bins seen from above Medium. Square sleeves leaning in rows in a box, dividers sticking up. Invent three of the covers.
  • Route sign on a post, its print faded away Easy. A post and a small frame with scribbled rows for the faded print. Gum spots dot the ground.
  • Second-hand shop window crowded with lamps Hard. A big pane with hand-painted letters on it. Behind the glass, shades and boots overlap.
  • Stairwell landing with a bike chained to the rail Medium. A zigzag handrail, one landing and a bike frame of two triangles locked to it. Light from one small window.
  • Underpass with a bare bulb and a puddle Hard. Dark concrete on three sides. The bulb is bare paper with a halo, repeated wobbly in the puddle.

How it works

Frayed denim, thrift-shop plaid, a pole bristling with staples, an amp with a torn grille: these 80 grunge things to draw are all about wear. Every hint opens with Easy, Medium or Hard.

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Where the look comes from

Grunge began as a music scene in Seattle in the mid-1980s, and its clothes were second-hand: thrift-store finds, flannel shirts, ripped jeans and boots. So this list is layers, rehearsal rooms, flyers and wet streets. No band is named.

Wear is the subject

Draw the thing whole, then damage it. Fraying is a fringe of loose, uneven lines. Rust is stippling, dense in the middle and scattered at the edge. Peeling paint is islands with a shadow on one side. Tape is a pale strip with torn ends.

  • A nearly dry marker gives a scuffed gray that a clean line cannot.
  • For plaid, draw the folds of the cloth first, then bend the bands over them.

Questions and answers

What are easy grunge things to draw?

Press once, then choose Easy in the list under the button. Wire mesh fencing peeled back at one corner is two sets of diagonal lines; Instrument cable in loose loops on a floor is a few curves and two plugs.

Are these alt things to draw as well?

Yes. Alt is short for alternative, and grunge is an alternative rock look. For other alternative drawing ideas, see gothic drawing ideas and graffiti drawing ideas.

What should I draw with for a grunge look?

Soft pencil, a ballpoint and one worn marker. Smudges, uneven lines and paper showing through all suit the look. If you add color, keep to brown, gray, dull green and faded red.

Which fabric patterns do these grunge drawing ideas use?

Plaid: wide and narrow bands crossing, darkest where two dark bands meet. Waffle knit: a tiny grid. Corduroy: close parallel lines. Chunky knit: columns of small V shapes. Each has at least one subject of its own.

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