72 drills

Line Drawing Practice

One line drill at a time, sorted by what the hand learns: aim, pressure, curve or rhythm.

Show all 72

Strokes that stop dead on a ruled wallRule one upright line. Pull twenty strokes toward it and end each exactly on it: no gap, no overshoot.

Next step Draw a subject in straight lines only Try a warm-up of another kind

All 72 drills

Aim 18

Border a finger-width inside the sheet Follow all four edges of the paper with one line each, a finger-width in. The paper's edge is the ruler you copy.
Both diagonals of ten freehand squares Draw a square, then strike corner to corner twice. The strokes should cross in the middle and hit all four corners.
Dot grid joined into squares Mark a grid of five dots by five. Join neighbours along the rows first, then down the columns, one stroke per gap.
Eyes on the far dot, not the pen Join two dots while looking only at the one you are heading for. Repeat watching the pen tip, and compare the two.
Fan of lines from one corner dot Put a dot in a corner and ten marks down the far edge. One stroke to each mark, starting from the dot every time.
Ladder rungs between two ruled rails Rule two uprights a hand apart. Each rung starts on one rail and ends on the other, evenly spaced to the bottom.
Line down the middle of a narrow lane Rule two lines a pencil-width apart. Run a freehand line between them the whole way without touching either.
Lines that climb to one far dot Put one dot at the top of the sheet and ten marks along the bottom edge. Every stroke climbs to the same dot.
Numbered dots joined in order Scatter fifteen dots and number them. Join 1 to 2 to 3 with no pause between strokes, so aim gets no time to settle.
One long stroke through three dots in a row Mark three dots along a ruler's edge and take the ruler away. One stroke has to pass through all three.
Plus signs centred on a dot Dot the page twenty times. Cross each dot with an upright and a level stroke so that all four arms come out equal.
Same target after one, three and six rehearsals Join pairs of dots after one, three and six passes in the air. Count the hits for each to find your number.
Short ruled stub carried across the page Rule a stub as long as your thumb. Carry it on freehand to the far edge, then lay the ruler down to see the drift.
Strokes that land inside shrinking targets Draw five circles, from coin size down to a pea. Start each stroke at the page edge and stop it inside a circle.
Strokes that stop dead on a ruled wall Rule one upright line. Pull twenty strokes toward it and end each exactly on it: no gap, no overshoot.
Ten parallels to one slanted ruled line Rule a line at any tilt. Draw five freehand lines on each side of it that keep its angle and never close in.
Triangles that close at three dots Scatter three dots and join them in three strokes. Each stroke begins and ends on a dot, so the corners stay sharp.
Underline a column of printed text On an old newspaper, underline each row freehand, close under the letters without touching them, edge to edge.

Pressure 18

Block capitals in hairline, then in bold Write the alphabet twice in block capitals, once at your lightest and once at your heaviest, the same height both times.
Cube with three heavy near edges Draw a cube in even line, then weight the three edges that meet at the nearest corner. That corner should step forward.
Faint box, then the final edges on top Sketch a box as lightly as you can. Restate its outer edges dark. From across the room only the dark ones show.
The faintest line you can still see Fill a box with strokes so light they vanish at arm's length. This is the weight for lines you mean to draw over.
Five lines in five weights From a hairline to the heaviest your pencil gives. Each line keeps one weight from its first point to its last.
Hatching that darkens by pressure alone Keep the gaps the same across a swatch and let only the weight of each stroke grow from the left edge to the right.
Line that fades out and comes back Pull a line that thins to nothing for a finger-width, then returns on the same path. The eye should fill the gap.
No dent on the sheet underneath Lay your page on a second sheet and fill a box with lines. Lift it: the sheet below should show no grooves at all.
One stroke that swells and thins three times Press, ease off and press again along a single page-wide line. The changes should be gradual, with no sudden blots.
Page-wide line with no dark start Land the pencil already moving, like a plane touching down, so the line begins as lightly as it carries on.
Point of the lead, then its side Draw one line with the pencil upright and one with it laid low. Same pressure, two widths. Alternate down the page.
Row of dots from a tap to a firm press Twelve dots, each a little darker than the last, made by pressure alone. No twisting or scribbling the point.
S-curve heavy in the bends, light at the tips Lean in as the curve turns and ease off as it straightens. Draw ten and aim for the same swell on each.
Staircase of weight along one stroke Mark four ticks along a faint guide. Pull one line that steps up to a heavier weight at each tick and holds it.
Strokes that taper at both ends Start light, press in the middle, lift away: a stroke shaped like a blade of grass lying flat. Fill a row with them.
Thin on the way up, thick on the way down Run a zigzag across the page. Barely touch on each upstroke and lean in on each downstroke, like pen lettering.
Two crossing rings, the front one heavier Draw two rings that cross. Thicken the front ring where it passes over, and let the back one break at the join.
Wave with dark crests and faint troughs Run a wave across the sheet, pressing as it climbs and easing as it falls. The pressure follows the shape.

Curve 18

Beads strung along a curved thread Draw one loose curve, then thread circles along it that touch each other and sit with the line through their middles.
Bump that leaves a ruled line and returns Rule a line. Draw a curve that lifts off it smoothly, crests and settles back, with no corner at either end.
Circle inside a freehand square Draw the square first and tick the middle of each side. The circle touches all four ticks and no corner.
Circles clockwise, then anticlockwise Draw a row each way. One direction will come out rounder. Use that one for now, and drill the other.
Eight petals round a dot Each petal is two arcs that leave the dot, swell apart and meet in a point. All eight should be one length.
Ellipses stacked down a funnel Draw two curves that bow toward each other with a middle line between. Stack ellipses that touch both curves.
Figure of eight, twenty laps on one track Keep the crossing in the same spot and both loops the same size. The line should thicken, not spread.
Freehand rings beside a traced coin Trace a coin once. Draw a row of the same ring beside it by eye, then drop the coin on each to check its size.
Mirrored arcs that make a lens Join two dots with an arc that bows left, then one that bows right by the same amount. Draw ten lenses of one width.
One arc from edge to edge of the sheet A single slow curve across the whole page, drawn from the shoulder, that never flattens and never kinks.
Rainbow of arcs swung from the elbow Plant the elbow, lock the wrist and swing seven arcs, each a finger-width outside the last.
Rounded box with four equal corners Draw a box whose corners are quarter-turns of one size. Each straight run must flow into its bend with no kink.
Row of ellipses from fat to thin Rule a row of boxes that narrow from a square to a sliver. Fit one ellipse in each, touching all four sides.
S between two dots with equal bends Join two dots with an S whose two bends bulge the same amount. Turn the page upside down: it should look the same.
Teardrops that end in a sharp point One curve out, round the fat end and back to the start. The two sides should meet in a point, not a loop.
Ten eggs with the same fat end One end round, the other a narrower arc, the join between them smooth. Keep the fat end pointing down on all ten.
Twenty coin-sized circles that close Each in one lap, ending where it began. Lay a coin on the worst and on the best to see how far apart they are.
Wave that touches two rails Rule two lines a thumb apart. Run a wave between them whose every crest touches the top rail and every dip the bottom.

Rhythm 18

Basket weave in blocks of three strokes Three upright strokes, then three level ones beside them, and so on across. On the next row, swap the order.
Brick rows, each shifted half a brick Long level lines first, then the short uprights. Every upright sits over the middle of the brick below.
Burst of lines round an empty circle Draw a small circle. Pull strokes outward from it all the way round, evenly spaced, none of them crossing into it.
Curved hatching round a pipe Rule two parallel lines for a pipe. Hatch across it in shallow arcs, evenly spaced, until the flat strip looks round.
Fifty identical comma flicks A short curved flick, the same length and bend each time, in rows of ten. Circle the three that match best.
Grass that leans left, stands, leans right Flick strokes up from a baseline in a repeating run of three tilts. Let the heights vary and keep the tilts exact.
Hatching that stops on the edge of a circle Draw a circle and fill it with slanted strokes. Every stroke starts and ends on the outline, none short, none over.
Hatching whose gaps close across the swatch Start with gaps a finger wide and narrow them stroke by stroke until the lines almost touch at the far side.
Herringbone down the page Pairs of slanted strokes that meet in a V, stacked in a column. Same angle on both sides, same step between rows.
One stroke per count, out loud Count one, two, three, four and land a hatch stroke on every number. Speed the count up only while the gaps hold.
Parallel hatching at four speeds Fill four boxes with the same hatch: a crawl, a walk, a jog, a sprint. Find the fastest speed that stays even.
Picket fence across the page Uprights of one height and one gap from margin to margin. Rule a top and a bottom line for the first row only.
Rows of roof tiles A row of U shapes, then a second row whose curves hang from the joins above. Keep every U one width.
Same hatch from wrist, elbow and shoulder A thumbnail-sized swatch, a palm-sized one and a page-wide one. The spacing should look alike at every size.
Slanted rain over the whole sheet Strokes of mixed lengths, all at one angle, scattered evenly. No two should touch, and no patch should be bare.
Square key pattern along the page edge One line that turns corner after corner into a running border. Keep every step the same length all the way along.
Twenty strokes in every box Rule five boxes of one size. Put exactly twenty hatch strokes in each, so the spacing is forced to match.
Zigzag shading without lifting the pencil Fill a box with one back-and-forth line. Each turn lands on the edge and each pass sits the same distance apart.

How it works

Line drawing practice works when each drill asks one thing of your hand. These line exercises need a pencil, cheap paper and now and then a ruler. Each says what to draw and how to tell whether it worked.

Read the full guide

Four things a line has to do

Aim puts a stroke where you meant it to go. Pressure sets its weight, from hairline to bold. Curve covers arcs, circles and ellipses. Rhythm is one mark repeated at even gaps, which is all hatching is: closely spaced parallel lines.

One drill from each group

Take a drill from each group in turn and fill the page with it. Line control exercises work by repetition: twenty quick tries beat three careful ones.

Let the drill mark itself

Most drills carry their own test: a ruler laid along the stroke, a coin dropped on the circle, the sheet held at arm's length. Ring the best try and the worst.

Turn the paper to the angle your arm likes, tape it down, and then practise the angles your arm does not like.
Sharpen before the pressure drills. A blunt point hides the difference between a light stroke and a heavy one.
Stop a drill when the lines get worse instead of better. A tired hand only practises the wobble.

Questions and answers

What are line control exercises?

Drills that train your hand to put a line where you intend, at the weight you intend. The Aim and Pressure groups are the core of it: strokes that must end on a target, and lines that hold or change their weight on purpose.

How do you practice drawing straight lines?

Mark where the line starts and ends, rehearse the stroke in the air, then draw it in one pass without slowing down. Keep the wrist still and move from the elbow or the shoulder. Every drill in the Aim group gives that stroke a target.

Are these line art exercises for pen or pencil?

Both. The aim, curve and rhythm drills work in any pen, and ink keeps every miss in view. The pressure drills need a tool that answers to pressure: a pencil, a brush pen or a pressure-sensitive stylus.

How long should line drawing exercises take?

The timer on this page runs five minutes, which suits one drill. Two or three drills make a full session. For looser starters of every kind, see the drawing warm ups.