May Drawing Ideas

Two sets of 31 prompts, one for each day of May: in full bloom, or warm evenings.

May Drawing Ideas

  1. A bee too heavy with pollen to take offDay 1. Yellow lumps on its legs, wings buzzing, still stuck on the flower.
  2. A bird bath being used by five birds at onceDay 2. Wings splashing, one bird waiting on the rim, water flying.
  3. A bluebell wood seen from knee heightDay 3. A haze of blue between tree trunks. Draw the nearest flowers sharp.
  4. A bunch of flowers picked by a small childDay 4. Mostly dandelions and daisies, some with no heads, held very proudly.
  5. A caterpillar eating a hole in a leafDay 5. Draw the leaf with a perfect round hole and the caterpillar still busy.
  6. A climbing rose that has escaped over a wallDay 6. Blooms spilling onto the street side, petals on the pavement.
  7. A daisy lawn nobody has mownDay 7. A mat of white dots. Draw the lawnmower parked, unused, at the edge.
  8. A dandelion clock with one seed leftDay 8. The bare stalk and a single seed about to go.
  9. A duckling asleep in a flowerpotDay 9. Tucked into a small pot of soil, one foot sticking out.
  10. A garden hose watering a very small seedlingDay 10. Huge jet of water, tiny plant, a cartoon of too much help.
  11. A gate hidden by honeysuckle and hawthornDay 11. The hawthorn is one of May's birth flowers. White blossom, thorns and a latch nobody can find.
  12. A greenhouse fogged up insideDay 12. Plants as green shapes behind misty glass. One pane is wiped clear.
  13. A hedgehog under a strawberry plantDay 13. Only its nose and a red berry in the gap. Leaves like umbrellas above.
  14. A lily of the valley in a jam jarDay 14. The lily of the valley is one of May's birth flowers. Tiny white bells in a row down one stem.
  15. A packet of seeds grown exactly like the pictureDay 15. Draw the packet and the plant beside it. For once, they match.
  16. A pond with a frog on every lily padDay 16. Pads dotted across the water, a frog on each, one pad empty.
  17. A tree in blossom in a car parkDay 17. One pink tree among grey cars, petals collecting on windscreens.
  18. A wheelbarrow planted as a flower bedDay 18. Flowers spilling over the sides, the handles still ready to push.
  19. An emerald in a nest of mossDay 19. The emerald is May's birthstone. Draw the cut green stone and the soft moss around it.
  20. An open window with blossom blowing inDay 20. Petals floating across a desk and landing on a book.
  21. Apple blossom seen from under the branchDay 21. Look straight up. Draw the flowers dark against a bright sky.
  22. Bees queuing at the door of a hiveDay 22. The small entrance and a crowd waiting on the landing board.
  23. Butterflies on a buddleia bushDay 23. Purple cones and orange wings. Draw three butterflies, all different.
  24. Cow parsley along a country laneDay 24. White lacy heads either side of a narrow road.
  25. Ducklings following a mother across a lawnDay 25. A line of yellow and brown fluff, the last one running to catch up.
  26. The first strawberry of the year, drawn hugeDay 26. Fill the page with one berry. Draw every seed on its skin.
  27. Poppies in the cracks of a pavementDay 27. Red flowers where no one planted them, feet walking past.
  28. Seedlings lined up on a windowsill in egg cartonsDay 28. Each cup a different plant, one much taller than the rest.
  29. Swallows nesting under a barn roofDay 29. Mud cup nests on a beam, beaks peeking out.
  30. Tulips going over, petals droppingDay 30. Petals falling off one by one, the centres showing.
  31. Your nearest flowering plant, drawn life sizeDay 31. Go and find it. Measure it with your pencil and draw it the real size.

Next step More flowers to draw

All 62 prompts

Set 1: in full bloom 31

  • A bee too heavy with pollen to take off Day 1. Yellow lumps on its legs, wings buzzing, still stuck on the flower.
  • A bird bath being used by five birds at once Day 2. Wings splashing, one bird waiting on the rim, water flying.
  • A bluebell wood seen from knee height Day 3. A haze of blue between tree trunks. Draw the nearest flowers sharp.
  • A bunch of flowers picked by a small child Day 4. Mostly dandelions and daisies, some with no heads, held very proudly.
  • A caterpillar eating a hole in a leaf Day 5. Draw the leaf with a perfect round hole and the caterpillar still busy.
  • A climbing rose that has escaped over a wall Day 6. Blooms spilling onto the street side, petals on the pavement.
  • A daisy lawn nobody has mown Day 7. A mat of white dots. Draw the lawnmower parked, unused, at the edge.
  • A dandelion clock with one seed left Day 8. The bare stalk and a single seed about to go.
  • A duckling asleep in a flowerpot Day 9. Tucked into a small pot of soil, one foot sticking out.
  • A garden hose watering a very small seedling Day 10. Huge jet of water, tiny plant, a cartoon of too much help.
  • A gate hidden by honeysuckle and hawthorn Day 11. The hawthorn is one of May's birth flowers. White blossom, thorns and a latch nobody can find.
  • A greenhouse fogged up inside Day 12. Plants as green shapes behind misty glass. One pane is wiped clear.
  • A hedgehog under a strawberry plant Day 13. Only its nose and a red berry in the gap. Leaves like umbrellas above.
  • A lily of the valley in a jam jar Day 14. The lily of the valley is one of May's birth flowers. Tiny white bells in a row down one stem.
  • A packet of seeds grown exactly like the picture Day 15. Draw the packet and the plant beside it. For once, they match.
  • A pond with a frog on every lily pad Day 16. Pads dotted across the water, a frog on each, one pad empty.
  • A tree in blossom in a car park Day 17. One pink tree among grey cars, petals collecting on windscreens.
  • A wheelbarrow planted as a flower bed Day 18. Flowers spilling over the sides, the handles still ready to push.
  • An emerald in a nest of moss Day 19. The emerald is May's birthstone. Draw the cut green stone and the soft moss around it.
  • An open window with blossom blowing in Day 20. Petals floating across a desk and landing on a book.
  • Apple blossom seen from under the branch Day 21. Look straight up. Draw the flowers dark against a bright sky.
  • Bees queuing at the door of a hive Day 22. The small entrance and a crowd waiting on the landing board.
  • Butterflies on a buddleia bush Day 23. Purple cones and orange wings. Draw three butterflies, all different.
  • Cow parsley along a country lane Day 24. White lacy heads either side of a narrow road.
  • Ducklings following a mother across a lawn Day 25. A line of yellow and brown fluff, the last one running to catch up.
  • The first strawberry of the year, drawn huge Day 26. Fill the page with one berry. Draw every seed on its skin.
  • Poppies in the cracks of a pavement Day 27. Red flowers where no one planted them, feet walking past.
  • Seedlings lined up on a windowsill in egg cartons Day 28. Each cup a different plant, one much taller than the rest.
  • Swallows nesting under a barn roof Day 29. Mud cup nests on a beam, beaks peeking out.
  • Tulips going over, petals dropping Day 30. Petals falling off one by one, the centres showing.
  • Your nearest flowering plant, drawn life size Day 31. Go and find it. Measure it with your pencil and draw it the real size.

Set 2: warm evenings 31

  • A barbecue with more smoke than food Day 1. A cloud of grey, a person coughing and two small sausages.
  • A bat flitting past a streetlight Day 2. The lamp glowing, the bat a black zigzag shape in its light.
  • A bench facing the sunset, empty Day 3. Draw the bench from behind with a long sky in front.
  • A bike ride home at dusk with lights on Day 4. The front beam catching a hedge, a moth in the light.
  • A cat on a garden wall, watching moths Day 5. Head tilted up, tail hanging down, moths circling above.
  • A child refusing to go to bed while it is still light Day 6. Pyjamas, window bright behind, arms folded.
  • A deckchair left out overnight with dew on it Day 7. Early morning, a mug still on the ground next to it.
  • A fox crossing a quiet road at dusk Day 8. Low, alert, one paw raised, a streetlamp just coming on.
  • A game of catch still going as it gets dark Day 9. The ball a pale dot in the air, two figures dimming.
  • A garden full of people and fairy lights Day 10. Lights zigzagging overhead, shapes of people beneath.
  • A kitchen door open to the garden at night Day 11. Warm light spilling out onto the grass, a moth coming in.
  • A lamp in a tent, seen from outside Day 12. A glowing triangle, and a hand-shadow puppet on the wall.
  • A last swing in the park before home time Day 13. The swing at the top of its arc, the sky pink behind.
  • A moth resting on a window Day 14. Draw it from inside, the pattern of its wings pressed on the glass.
  • A picnic blanket being folded up at sunset Day 15. Two people holding the corners, crumbs flying.
  • A rooftop at the end of a hot day Day 16. Pots of plants, a folding chair and a view of other roofs.
  • A slug sliding across a patio in the dusk Day 17. A shiny line behind it, the patio stones warm and pale.
  • A street football game with jumpers for goalposts Day 18. Two piles of jumpers, a ball mid-kick, long shadows.
  • A table outside a café as the lamps come on Day 19. Two cups, a candle in a jar, chairs starting to empty.
  • A tortoise going to bed in the flower bed Day 20. Half dug into the soil, shell tilted, head going in.
  • An ice lolly melting faster than it can be eaten Day 21. Drips running down the stick onto a hand.
  • Bats leaving a church tower Day 22. Small black shapes streaming out of a window into a pale sky.
  • Crickets you can hear but not see Day 23. Draw long grass at dusk and write the sound into the drawing.
  • Frogs singing from a pond at night Day 24. Pale throats puffed out, the moon on the water.
  • Midges dancing above a stream Day 25. A cloud of tiny dots in a patch of low sunlight.
  • The moon rising orange over a field Day 26. Low and big behind a hedge, the field grey below.
  • Open windows along a street on a warm night Day 27. Every window lit and open, curtains moving, one person leaning out.
  • Someone watering the garden by the last light Day 28. The hose arc catching the light, the plants dark.
  • Stars appearing one by one over a roof Day 29. Draw the roofline dark and just three stars, the first ones out.
  • Two friends sitting on a wall eating chips Day 30. Legs dangling, a paper parcel between them, a gull waiting.
  • Your street at the moment the streetlights come on Day 31. Watch for it and draw what the street looks like right then.

How it works

These May drawing ideas come in two sets of 31, one prompt for each date. Set 1 is in full bloom: blossom, bees and ducklings. Set 2 is warm evenings: bats, moths and streetlights. Each prompt has a twist.

Read the full guide

Run it as a May art challenge

Pick a set and draw the prompt with today's number: each hint opens with its day, and the list runs day 1 to day 31 in A to Z order that carries no meaning. Day 31 starts with Your. Set 1 is best drawn outside in daylight; Set 2 is for after dinner, from a window or a doorstep.

Drawing in fading light

Set 2 is about the half hour when colours drain and shapes stay. Draw it fast, in pencil or one dark pen. Leave the paper white for anything that glows, such as a lamp, a window or the moon, and keep everything else simple.

  • For Set 1, take the sketchbook outside: a flower drawn from life beats ten from photos.
  • South of the equator May is autumn, so Set 2 fits better than Set 1.

Questions and answers

Can I use these as May drawing prompts one at a time?

Yes. Draw any row on its own, in any order; the menu changes set. The spring list holds plain spring subjects with no twist.

What are May's birth flowers?

The lily of the valley and the common hawthorn, and the birthstone is the emerald. Each has a prompt of its own in Set 1.

Is this an official challenge?

No. The 62 prompts are our own and belong to no organised challenge, so any material works.

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