A stethoscope curled into a heartTwo earpieces at the top, the tube looping into a heart and the round chest piece at the point.
A postal bag spilling lettersA satchel with a wide strap. Envelopes are rectangles with a V, fanned like playing cards.
A parade banner carried down a main streetThe first Labor Day, in New York City on 5 September 1882, had a street parade. Leave the banner for your words.
A baker's peel with one round loaf on the bladeA flat paddle on a long handle. The oven mouth is an arch with a glow inside.
A bucket and squeegee on a high window ledgeDraw the ledge from below so the bucket's base shows. One clean stripe runs down the glass.
A bus driver's seat and big wheel, seen from the aisleThe wheel is a wide oval, nearly flat. Add the ticket machine and a mirror full of empty seats.
A comb and scissors standing in a breast pocketOnly the pocket and what pokes out of it: comb teeth, two finger rings, one clip.
A crossing patrol's stop paddle and bright vest on a hookAn octagon on a pole and a vest with two pale bands. Hang both from one peg.
A date stamp beside a tower of returned booksA stamp with a knob handle, an ink pad and a slip of paper with three dates down it.
A nurse's watch pinned to a pocketA bar pin, a short strap and a round face. Give it a second hand and a line of stitching on the pocket.
A postal bag spilling lettersA satchel with a wide strap. Envelopes are rectangles with a V, fanned like playing cards.
A row of hats, one for each tradeHard hat, chef's hat, sun hat, flat cap, helmet. Line them on one shelf and label none.
A row of name badges, each with a job drawn as a tiny pictureSix rounded rectangles on clips. One small tool on each instead of a name.
A stethoscope curled into a heartTwo earpieces at the top, the tube looping into a heart and the round chest piece at the point.
A teacher's desk with chalk, an apple and a tower of booksStack the books a little crooked. The apple sits on top and the chalk lies in front.
A welder's mask with sparks flying off one sideA curved shield with one dark window. Sparks are short strokes that all fly the same way.
A whisk and a ladle crossed like a coat of armsCross them at the handles and hang an oven glove underneath as the shield.
Muddy boots beside a crate of vegetablesCarrot tops and a cabbage stick out of the slats. Mud is a dark scallop round each sole.
Tools and gear 15
A flask of coffee and its cupA tall cylinder with a band near the top. The cup is the lid turned over, steam in two curls.
A hammer and a handful of nailsA handle, a head with a claw, and nails as short lines with dots, scattered in a fan.
A hard hat with a scuffed brimHalf a ball with a short peak and one ridge over the top. Scuffs are a few short scratches.
A lunch pail with a domed lidA box, a half-cylinder lid, a wire handle and two clasps. Let a sandwich corner peek out.
A pair of work gloves, one palm upFat fingers, a wrist band and creases where the knuckles bend. The palm-up one shows a worn patch.
A punch clock with time cards in a wall rackA box with a clock face and a slot. Beside it the cards stand in rows of pockets.
A sewing machine with the thread runningA fat arm over a flat bed. The thread runs from the spool through three hooks to the needle.
A stepladder with a paint tin on its shelfAn A shape with rungs on one side only. A drip runs down the tin and a brush lies across the rim.
A tape measure pulled out and curling backA square case and a ribbon that lifts, bends and droops. Tick marks get closer as it curls away.
A tool belt laid flat on a benchA long strap with a hammer loop, a tape measure and two pouches. Show every rivet as a dot.
A wheelbarrow with a shovel across itOne wheel at the front, two legs behind and a tray like a bathtub. The shovel sticks out both sides.
A wrench crossed with a paintbrushAn X of two tools. The wrench jaw opens upward and the brush drips once.
An open toolbox with its trays stepped outThree trays swing up like stairs. Fill each with a different shape: sockets, screws, pliers.
Safety goggles pushed up on a capTwo joined ovals on an elastic strap, sitting above the peak. Add one highlight on each lens.
Work boots with the laces left looseDraw the pair at slightly different angles. Laces trail across the floor in loops.
The long weekend 14
A bass drum and sticks resting on the kerbA wide cylinder on its side with criss-cross cords. The sticks lie crossed on the skin.
A beach umbrella being folded at sunsetHalf closed, so the ribs show. The sand is striped with long shadows.
A calendar page for September with the first Monday circledRule the grid, write the days across the top and ring the first square in the Monday column.
A car boot packed with a cooler, folding chairs and a ballFit the shapes together like a puzzle: the big box first, the chairs flat, the ball in the gap.
A corn cob with butter melting down itA long oval covered in rows of small squares. The butter is a pale square with two drips.
A grill loaded with corn and skewersA kettle grill is a ball on three legs. Lay the food in rows and draw heat as wavy lines.
A hammock between two trees with a hat over a faceA deep curve between two trunks, a lump in the middle, a hat and one dangling foot.
A lake jetty with towels over the railPlanks run away from you to a point. Towels are soft rectangles with one stripe each.
A parade banner carried down a main streetThe first Labor Day, in New York City on 5 September 1882, had a street parade. Leave the banner for your words.
A park bandstand hung with bunting after the paradeThe first plan for the day was a parade, then a festival for workers and their families.
A picnic blanket seen from above, four pairs of shoes round itA checked square. Plates are circles, and the shoes at the edges tell you who came.
A school bag packed by the door beside a pair of flip-flopsMany schools start around this weekend. Summer and term sit side by side on one mat.
A shop door with a sign that reads Closed MondayThe holiday is always the first Monday in September. A door, a hanging sign and a pulled blind.
The last swim: a pool with one float driftingPeople call Labor Day summer's unofficial end. Still water, one ring, a long evening shadow.
Posters and cards 12
A badge made of a gear with a star insideTwelve teeth round a ring and a five-pointed star in the hole. Thick lines, two colours.
A card front with a hard hat full of flowersTurn the hat over like a bowl and let stems spill out. Keep the fold on the left.
A chain of paper-doll workers holding handsFold-and-cut figures in a row. Give each a different hat and nothing else changes.
A classroom door sign with a tool for every family's jobOne small drawing for each pupil: what someone at home works with. Arrange them round the door number.
A note for the bin crew, taped to the lidA wheeled bin from the front, a sheet of paper on it, and tape across two corners.
A thank-you card for the person who brings the postA letterbox with a card half posted through it. Write your message on the part still showing.
Hands of many trades in a ring round one wordGloved, floury, paint-spattered and bare hands reach in. You choose the word in the middle.
Happy Labor Day inside a border of gearsA gear is a circle with square teeth. Link them along all four edges and letter in the middle.
One street where every window shows someone at workRule a row of buildings, then draw one job in each window: a baker, a dentist, a coder, a tailor.
Thank you, workers in block letters full of toolsDraw hollow capitals and fill each with a different pattern: bolts, brushes, spoons, keys.
Work clothes on one hook, weekend clothes on the nextSplit the sheet down the middle: overalls and boots on the left, shorts and sandals on the right.
The year 1894 built out of toolsLabor Day became a national holiday in 1894. A wrench makes the 1 and a loop of tape the 8.
How it works
Labor Day honours American workers on September's first Monday. These Labor Day drawing ideas show the work without a portrait: a trade told by its hat or its tools, the long weekend, and cards that say thank you.
Read the full guide
Draw the job, not the person
A trade reads fastest from one object. A welder is a mask with one dark window, a nurse is a watch pinned to a pocket, a baker is a long-handled peel with a loaf on it. Put the object large in the middle of the sheet and set a smaller one beside it.
A parade, then a picnic
The first Labor Day was held in New York City on Tuesday 5 September 1882. The first proposal asked for a street parade, then a festival for workers and their families. The day still has that shape, so a banner, a bandstand and a grill all belong on the page.
Leave every banner and card blank until last, then letter words of your own. The list supplies none.
A thank-you card lands best when it names the job: the post, the bins, the school bus.
Questions and answers
What should I draw for Labor Day?
Something that stands for work or for the long weekend: a hard hat, a lunch pail, a row of hats for different trades, a grill, a Closed Monday sign. Choose Easy in the list under the button for nineteen plain-shape ideas.
When is Labor Day?
The first Monday in September, every year. Oregon passed the first state law in 1887, and the law that made it a national holiday in the United States was signed on 28 June 1894.
Why is Labor Day called the end of summer?
The weekend closes the summer season in the United States, and many schools start around it, so it is known as the unofficial end of summer. The list marks it with a last swim and a beach umbrella being folded.