• 89 ideas

Cute Things to Draw for Your Boyfriend, Girlfriend or Crush

Deal one gift drawing and see how to lay it out on a card: where the picture sits and, where there are words, where they go.

Cute Things to Draw for Your Boyfriend, Girlfriend or Crush

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  1. A stack of sticky notes with one drawing on eachOne thick-pen doodle per note, centred, signed with an initial. Leave them where they will be found one by one.

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Matching pairs 17

  • A mug of tea and a biscuit about to dunk Mug on the left, biscuit leaning in from the right, a dotted arc between them. Message along the bottom.
  • Salt and pepper shakers leaning on each other Centre the pair and let them tilt until the lids touch. A few spilled grains underneath fill the bottom edge.
  • Two cacti in one pot, one tall and one round Portrait card. The pot sits on the bottom edge and the tall one nearly reaches the top. Keep the spines short.
  • Two coats hanging on one hook Hook at the top centre, coats filling the front to the bottom edge. Let one sleeve rest across the other.
  • Two controllers with their cables tangled together Controllers in opposite corners, the cables looping through the middle. Let the tangle spell a short word.
  • Two dinosaurs trying to hug with very short arms Face them nose to nose, filling the width. The gap between the arms is the point, so keep it clear and white.
  • Two hedgehogs keeping a careful, polite distance Centre them with a small gap between and a dotted line measuring it. The caption: close enough.
  • Two houseplants leaning towards each other instead of the window Window on the left edge, plants centre and right. Both bend away from the light. That is the whole joke.
  • Two keys on one keyring Ring at the top centre, keys hanging at different lengths. Good for a moving-in card: put the address inside.
  • Two mugs on a shelf, yours and theirs Sit them low on the card front, handles turned outward. Letter one short line in the space above.
  • Two odd socks that stay together anyway Hang them from a washing line across the top third. Different patterns, same size. The message goes below.
  • Two otters floating on their backs, holding paws Landscape card. Float them across the middle, a wavy waterline behind, kelp curling in from one corner.
  • Two pencils worn down to exactly the same length Lay them side by side across the middle, points the same way, with curls of shavings drifting to one edge.
  • Two pillows with two different dents Two rounded rectangles side by side, filling the width. One dent neat, one chaotic. Caption inside, not on the front.
  • Two scoops sharing one cone Portrait card. The cone rises from the bottom edge, the scoops stack above with small faces. One drip down the side.
  • Two snails with their shells touching Small and low on the card, facing each other. Their trails run in from opposite edges and meet in the middle.
  • Your two phones charging side by side Two rounded rectangles lying flat, cables running off the same edge. Put a tiny message on each screen.

Your story 23

  • A comic of how you met, in four panels Panel one on the front, two and three across the inside, and the punchline alone on the back.
  • A day you would happily repeat, as a six-panel comic Two rows of three across the inside spread. Keep the last panel the same as the first.
  • A map of your places Inside spread, landscape. Draw only the streets you use and label each spot with what happened there.
  • A museum label for an object that matters to you both Draw the object centred on the front. Under it, a small white label: title, year, 'on loan from us'.
  • A timeline of your firsts along the bottom of the card Rule one line across a landscape card with a tick for each first, and a thumbnail drawing above every tick.
  • A trading card of them, with made-up stats Portrait card. Picture in the top two thirds, a name banner, then four stat bars such as Finds My Keys: 98.
  • An in-joke turned into a logo Centre it like a badge with plenty of white round it. No explanation anywhere on the card.
  • Everything from their pockets, laid out in a row Landscape card, one tidy row across the middle, each object labelled underneath in small capitals.
  • The face they make when they are concentrating Head and shoulders, centred. Exaggerate one thing only: the tongue, the frown or the eyebrows.
  • The first meal you ate together, seen from above Two plates side by side, filling the front. From above a plate is a circle, so it is easier than it sounds.
  • The meal you always cook together, with the ingredients labelled Finished dish in the centre, ingredients in a ring round it, thin ruled lines to each label.
  • The route between your two front doors One door in each bottom corner and a winding dotted line between them, with landmarks drawn along the way.
  • Their hands doing the thing they are good at Crop to the hands and the tool: strings, a whisk, a keyboard. Let the wrists run off the bottom edge.
  • Their hobby kit laid out: boots, strings, brushes or dice Arrange it squared to the card edges, like a catalogue page, with the biggest item at bottom left.
  • Their pet wearing their jumper Centre the pet, sleeves trailing off to the sides. If they have no pet, draw the one they keep talking about.
  • Their shoes by the door, exactly as they leave them Low on the card with a strip of floor and skirting board. Leave the top half blank for the message.
  • Their side of the sofa, with the dent and the blanket Crop in close so the sofa runs off both edges. Add the mug, the remote and whatever else lives there.
  • Their three catchphrases, lettered like shop signs Stack the three signs down a portrait card, each in a different letter style, with a small bracket under each.
  • Them as the animal they most remind you of Centre the animal, waist up, like a portrait. Keep one real detail: the glasses, the hat, the hoodie.
  • Them asleep on the sofa, drawn from memory A long, low shape across a landscape card. One arm hanging down does most of the work.
  • The view from the spot where you first talked Landscape, edge to edge, no border. Put the date small in a bottom corner, the way a painter signs.
  • Your first messages as two speech bubbles One bubble from each side of the card, tails pointing off the edges. Letter the real words, typos included.
  • Your height difference, marked against a door frame A tall portrait card. The frame runs up one side with two pencil marks, two names and a gap measured in hands.

Cards and keepsakes 18

  • A bookmark for the book they are reading now A tall strip about 5 by 18 cm. One image at the top, a pattern down the length, a note on the back.
  • A card where the inside finishes the joke the front started Set-up drawing alone on the front with no words. The punchline fills the inside right-hand page.
  • A countdown to your next visit, one box a day Rule a grid inside the card, one box per day, a tiny drawing in each. The last box is the biggest.
  • A coupon book: a cover and six coupons Strips a third of a page tall. Drawing on the left, the promise on the right, a dotted tear line by the staple.
  • A drawing small enough to live in their wallet Cut the card to fit the slot first. One bold drawing that reads at that size, and the date on the back.
  • A fold-out card that gets longer with every panel Fold a long strip like a fan. One long thing runs across every panel: a sausage dog, a train, a scarf.
  • A frame-ready drawing with a wide blank border Leave a border two fingers wide on every side. Sign small in a bottom corner and date the back.
  • A get-well card: their sofa, a blanket and a bowl of soup Bowl in the foreground, big and steaming. The sofa and blanket sit smaller behind. Instructions to rest go inside.
  • A hand-drawn ticket, admit two, to a date you have planned A landscape strip with a stub. The plan, the day and 'admit two' in big letters, and a small drawing of it.
  • A label for a jar of reasons Measure round the jar and draw the label to wrap it: a title, a border and a small portrait of you both.
  • A phone wallpaper drawn to the shape of their screen Trace their phone for the outline. Keep the top third clear for the clock and the bottom strip for the icons.
  • A playlist cover for songs that remind you of them Square card. One image and a title on the front, the track names on the back in your own handwriting.
  • A postcard from wherever you are without them Picture side: your view, edge to edge. Back: a ruled line down the middle, their address and a drawn stamp.
  • A set of 'open when' envelopes, each with its own drawing One small drawing on each flap: a moon for can't sleep, a cloud for a bad day. Letter the label large.
  • A sorry card with a very small white flag A flag on a stick, centred, with a tiny you holding it. Leave lots of white. Keep the words short and meant.
  • A stack of sticky notes with one drawing on each One thick-pen doodle per note, centred, signed with an initial. Leave them where they will be found one by one.
  • A tiny zine: a field guide to them Fold one sheet into eighths and cut one slit along the middle fold: eight pages. One habit a page, like a bird guide.
  • Five lunch-box notes, Monday to Friday Five small cards with the same character in a different mood each day. Friday's gets the confetti.

Anniversary 15

  • A calendar page for the date, with the day circled A grid of seven columns filling the front. One day ringed in a second colour. The month and year across the top.
  • A first-anniversary drawing on the best paper you can find In the US, paper is the traditional first wedding anniversary gift. Heavy paper, wide margins, signed and dated.
  • A loose watercolour of the place it all started Postcard size, with a taped border. Peel the tape off for a clean white edge, then date the back.
  • A rosette for another year of putting up with you Centre the rosette with the number of years in the middle, and letter the reason along the two tails.
  • A scoreboard of who was right, kept honestly Two columns under your two names, filled with tally marks. Make theirs slightly longer. Rule a chalkboard frame.
  • A shelf with one object from each year together One long shelf across a landscape card. Oldest on the left, newest on the right, the year under each object.
  • A suitcase covered in stickers from every place you went together Centre the case and let it fill the card. One sticker per trip, each a tiny scene with its year.
  • The front door of your first place together Portrait card with the door filling the front, so the card opens where the door would. Put the number on it.
  • Then and now: the same pose, first year and this year Two frames side by side like photo-booth prints, a year lettered under each. Change the hair and the clothes.
  • Two armchairs, as they might look fifty years from now Side by side, a bit worn, a blanket over one arm. Centre them and leave space above for the number of years.
  • The view from your window, this year's version Draw the same view each anniversary and the cards become a set. Put the date on the front this time.
  • Your first date, redrawn from memory One wide scene across a landscape card. Wrong details are fine. Note them in the margin as corrections.
  • Your number of years, built from tiny drawings of things you did Pencil the numeral lightly to fill the front. Pack it with thumbnail drawings, then rub out the outline.
  • Your two initials lettered like an old shop sign, with the year Arch the initials over a central ampersand. Put 'est.' and your year on a ribbon underneath.
  • Your year in twelve small boxes, one a month Three rows of four across the inside spread. One drawing per month, however ordinary, with its initial above.

For a crush 16

  • A birthday doodle that shows you remembered the date A cake with the right number of candles, centred. Their name goes on the plate, not across the top.
  • A cactus saying 'you seem sharp' Pot on the bottom edge, cactus up the middle, and the speech bubble at top right. Three shapes and you are done.
  • A drawing swap: one for them, and a blank card for their reply Draw on a card half the usual size and tuck in a blank one, with 'your turn' written on the back.
  • A good-luck doodle before their match, interview or audition One lucky object, such as a boot, a pen or a plectrum, centred, with 'good luck' in capitals underneath.
  • A mini poster for the thing you would like to invite them to What, where and when, with a drawing of it. Add a tick box for yes and another for maybe.
  • A paper aeroplane with a friendly note drawn on the wings Draw on the flat sheet first, in the areas that end up as wings, then fold. Test the throw before the real one.
  • A small cartoon of the joke only you two got One panel, no caption, on a card the size of your palm. Sign it with an initial and nothing more.
  • A sticky-note doodle on the coffee you bring them One drawing in thick pen, centred. Sign it with your first name, so it reads as friendly and not as a mystery.
  • A thank-you drawing for the favour they did you Draw the favour itself: the lent umbrella, the saved seat, the borrowed charger. 'Thanks' in small letters below.
  • A two-panel comic: before we talked, after we talked Two equal boxes side by side. The same character in both, with one small thing changed in the second.
  • A whale asking 'whale you go for a walk with me?' The whale fills the bottom half, the speech bubble the top. Round shapes, one colour, and keep it small.
  • Their favourite snack with a tiny face Centre it, thick outline, two dots and a smile. Small enough to slip into a book or a coat pocket.
  • Their name lettered carefully on an envelope Pencil guide lines first, letters evenly spaced, then ink. Add a small border in the corners and nothing else.
  • Their pet, drawn from the photo they showed you Small card, pet centred, name lettered underneath. It shows you were listening, which is the whole message.
  • Them as a small cartoon with the one detail everyone knows them by Head and shoulders, passport-photo size. The scarf, the curls or the headphones carry the likeness. Keep it kind.
  • The thing they are into, drawn well: their bike, their boots, their guitar Give it the whole card and take your time over it. Effort is the compliment here, so skip the message.

How it works

These cute things to draw for your boyfriend are gifts first and drawings second. All 89 are worded for any partner, so they double as cute things to draw for your girlfriend. Each comes with a note on laying it out on a card: where the drawing sits and, where there are words, where they go.

Read the full guide

Choose by what only you know

The most romantic ideas cannot be bought, because they run on details only you have. A map of your places needs your streets. A trading card of them, with made-up stats needs the stat, such as Finds My Keys: 98. Your story holds 23 like these. For something quicker, Matching pairs has 17, such as Two dinosaurs trying to hug with very short arms.

Anniversary drawing ideas, and what to draw for your crush

The Anniversary group has 15 anniversary drawing ideas, such as A shelf with one object from each year together. Paper is the traditional first wedding anniversary gift in the United States (cotton or paper in the United Kingdom), so a drawing already fits. Unsure what to draw for your crush? The For a crush group keeps its 16 ideas small, such as Their favourite snack with a tiny face.

  • Work it out on scrap paper, then redraw it on the card. Folded card does not rub out well.
  • Detail beats polish. A wobbly drawing of Their shoes by the door, exactly as they leave them lands better than a perfect rose.
  • For A coupon book: a cover and six coupons, promise only what you will do.

Questions and answers

Are these cute things to draw for your crush too?

Yes, with a lighter touch. The For a crush group has 16 ideas sized for a sticky note or a small card, such as A sticky-note doodle on the coffee you bring them, signed with your first name. A crush should feel noticed, not watched, so keep it small and friendly.

Which ideas are easiest if I cannot draw?

Choose the Easy group for 27 ideas built from two or three simple shapes, such as Two mugs on a shelf, yours and theirs. The hint says where each part goes on the card. Press Copy on any idea you like and keep it in a note while you decide.

What size of card should I use?

Any sheet of card folded in half works, and the hints say portrait or landscape where it matters. A few ideas set their own size: A bookmark for the book they are reading now is a strip about 5 by 18 cm, and A drawing small enough to live in their wallet is cut to fit the slot.

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