A drawing of your friend as their favourite foodTheir face drawn into the food itself, such as a slice of pizza with their hair on top.
A map of the places you always go togetherA sheet with a dotted path joining four or five spots: a bench, a shop, a house. Label each in capitals.
A weather report where your friend is the sunshineA TV screen shape, a small map with suns everywhere they go, and a forecast line at the bottom.
The inside joke only the two of you will getDraw the object or word from the joke, big and alone. No caption: the missing explanation is the point.
Two bikes leaning against the same wallA brick wall across the page, two bikes resting against it, a helmet hanging off one handlebar.
The two of you as a comic strip of an ordinary dayFour boxes across. Walk to school, lunch, a joke, home. Keep faces simple and repeat them exactly.
The two of you as a pair of penguins on one ice floeOne small white floe in the middle of the page, two penguins squeezed on, water all round.
The two of you as a pair of socks on a washing lineLandscape. Peg the socks side by side on one line, one striped and one spotted, your names on the pegs.
The two of you as a pencil and a rubberPortrait. The pencil stands tall, the rubber leans on it. Who is which is the joke, so choose well.
The two of you as astronauts waving from the MoonA grey curve for the ground, two round-helmeted figures, and a small Earth in the black sky.
The two of you as sandwiches: one neat, one falling apartTwo sandwiches side by side on a plate, one tidy and one spilling its filling, each with a small face.
Two stick figures sharing one umbrellaOne umbrella over two simple figures, rain all round them and none under the umbrella.
You and your friend as two peas in a podDraw the pod across the middle, split open, with two round peas inside wearing your faces.
Your friend group as a row of crayons, one eachStand the crayons upright along the bottom, each a different colour with a name on its wrapper.
Your friend's bedroom drawn from memoryDraw the room as a box with one wall cut away. Put in the three things they would notice missing.
Your friend's favourite snack as a superheroOne snack in the middle, a small cape flying behind it and arms on hips. Add its name in a burst.
Your friend's pet in a crownDraw the pet as it sits most often, then a tall crown. Write Ruler of the House underneath.
Matching halves 13
A bee and a flower on a pair of cardsA round bee on one card, a big simple flower on the other, and a dotted flight path linking them.
A cookie and a glass of milk, on two cardsA round cookie with chip dots on one card, a tall glass on the other. Each face smiles at the other.
A lock and a key, drawn for two friendsA padlock on one small card and a key on the other. Put the same pattern on both so they match.
A sun for you and a moon for themTwo circles on two cards: a sun with rays and a crescent moon with stars. They make a pair when held together.
A treasure map torn in two, one half eachDraw the map whole with a dotted path and an X, then tear it down the middle along a wavy line.
Half a heart on each of two cardsTwo small cards side by side. Draw one heart across both, cut down the middle so each keeps half.
Matching bookmarks with the same pattern in two coloursTwo long strips side by side. Draw one pattern down both, then colour them the opposite way round.
Two friendship bracelets drawn as a borderDraw a bracelet along the top of one card and the same one along the bottom of the other.
Two halves of a pizza with your favourite toppingsA circle cut in two. Draw your toppings on one half and theirs on the other.
Two halves of one drawing, one eachDraw any scene across one wide strip of paper, then cut it in half. Neither half makes sense alone.
Two jigsaw pieces that only fit each otherDraw the pieces slotted together first, then apart. Colour one yours and one theirs.
Two paper cup phones joined by a stringOne cup on the left, one on the right, a long wavy string across the middle between them.
Two plugs, one socket: drawn as a pairDraw a plug on one card and a socket on the other, both with small faces and heart-shaped sparks.
Birthday and cheer-up 14
A birthday cake with one candle per year of your friendshipA cake on a stand in the middle of the card front. Count the candles right and letter the years below.
A cheer-up rain cloud with a rainbow pouring outA grey cloud at the top, a rainbow falling out of it down the card instead of rain.
A congratulations card with a gold medalA round medal on a ribbon, a star in the middle. Their name goes across the ribbon.
A get-well card of their favourite animal in bedPortrait. The animal tucked under a blanket, a thermometer in its mouth and a cup beside it.
A good-luck card with a four-leaf cloverFour heart shapes meeting in the middle and a stem. Write Good luck along the stem.
A moving-away card with two houses and a long roadA small house at each end of a winding road. Draw a paper plane flying between them.
A new-school card with two backpacks side by sideTwo backpacks leaning on each other, one with a keyring that matches the other's. Write good luck above.
A party hat on everything in their roomDraw a shelf of their things, each wearing a tiny cone hat with a pompom.
A present with your friend's name on the tagA square box with a bow, the tag hanging off it with the name in capitals. Fill the rest with confetti dots.
A sorry card with a sad-faced cactusA cactus in a pot with droopy arms and a small tear. Leave space inside for the real words.
A thank-you card with a big bunch of flowersDraw one bunch filling the card front, stems tied with a bow. Write Thank you on the bow ends.
A you-can-do-it card with a tiny mountain climberA big mountain and one small figure halfway up with a flag. Write the words at the summit.
Twelve candles, one for each month you have been friendsA row of candles along the bottom, each with the month's first letter on it and a flame on top.
Your friend as a birthday balloon floating awayA round balloon with their face and a long string trailing to the bottom corner of the card.
Notes and keepsakes 16
A board game track of your friendship so farA winding path of squares from START to NOW, with small drawings on the squares that mattered.
A bookmark with your friend reading on itA long strip. Draw them small at the bottom with a book, and a tall stack of books above them.
A calendar page marking every time you met this monthRule a month grid. Draw a tiny star in every day you saw each other, and a key at the bottom.
A fake magazine cover with your friend as the starA title across the top, their portrait in the middle, and three silly headlines down the side.
A friendship certificate with a gold sealA landscape page with a border, their name large in the middle, and a round seal in the corner.
A jar of notes, each a reason you are friendsDraw a jar full of folded paper slips, each with one word showing. Their name on the lid.
A list of ten things you like about themNumber down the left side and draw a tiny picture beside each line instead of writing all of it.
A passport page for your friendshipA small booklet page with their photo box, a name, and stamps for the places you have been together.
A pocket-sized drawing to keep in their phone caseCut paper to the size of the phone back. One small doodle in the middle, plenty of white round it.
A postcard from a trip you plan to take togetherA postcard front with a made-up place, and a back with a message dated from the future.
A poster for a film starring the two of youPortrait. Both of you in a dramatic pose, a made-up title at the top and tiny credits at the bottom.
A recipe card for the perfect friendIngredients down the left, such as one spoon of jokes and two cups of patience, a small drawing of each.
A secret code key only the two of you knowA small card with the alphabet in a row and a made-up symbol under each letter.
A sticky note with a doodle for their lunch boxOne square note. A tiny doodle in the middle and your initial in the corner. That is all.
A ticket to a day out, drawn by handA long ticket shape with a torn edge, a date, a place and ADMIT TWO in big letters.
A wanted poster: wanted for being the best friendWANTED at the top, their portrait in a box, and a reward line at the bottom such as one more sleepover.
How it works
What to draw for your best friend depends on what you share. These 60 ideas are for two friends, not a couple: inside jokes, matching halves, cards and keepsakes. Each says how to lay it out.
Read the full guide
Cute things to draw for your best friend
The two of you holds 17 that only work for one friend: your friend's pet in a crown, a map of the places you always go together, the inside joke only the two of you will get. Things to draw for your bestie need no explaining to them.
Matching halves, one each
Matching halves holds 13 pairs split across two cards, such as a sun for you and a moon for them. Draw the pair whole in pencil, then cut, so the halves line up. Easy things to draw for your best friend sit here too.
Sign and date the back. A drawing kept for years is better with a date on it.
For things to draw for friends in a group, give everyone the same drawing in a different colour.
Questions and answers
What can I draw to cheer up a friend?
Birthday and cheer-up holds 14 cards, such as a cheer-up rain cloud with a rainbow pouring out and a sorry card with a sad-faced cactus. Keep the front simple and write the real words inside.
What if I am not good at drawing?
Two stick figures sharing one umbrella, or a cookie and a glass of milk, on two cards: the idea does the work. Wobbly lines look home-made, which is the point. Easy holds 24.
Does this stuff suit a newer friend?
Yes. Most are things to draw for your friend at any stage. Notes and keepsakes, such as a ticket to a day out, drawn by hand, suit a new friend as well as an old one.