• 52 prompts

Weekly Drawing Prompts: One Drawing a Week for a Year

One finished drawing a week for a year, each planned across three sittings.

Weekly Drawing Prompts: One Drawing a Week for a Year

  1. A bicycle leaning where it always leansWeek 1. Thumbnails for the wall behind. Block in two wheels and the frame. Finish with spokes, chain and shadow.
  2. A windowsill and everything living on itWeek 2. Thumbnails against the light and with it. Block in frame and sill. Finish with pots, cards and dust.
  3. The chair you sit in most, with whatever was left on itWeek 3. Thumbnails from three sides. Block in chair and floor shadow. Finish with the things left on it.
  4. The corner where things get put down and forgottenWeek 4. Thumbnails to pick the worst corner. Block in the heap as one shape. Finish from the top layer down.
  5. The dish rack after a big meal, stacked however it was stackedWeek 5. Thumbnails to find the angle. Block in the pile. Finish with the shine on wet things.
  6. The fridge with its door openWeek 6. Thumbnails for how much door to show. Block in shelves and light. Finish with what is on them.
  7. The household's coats on their hooks, each hung its owner's wayWeek 7. Thumbnails for the crop. Block in the row of shapes. Finish with collars and pockets.
  8. One drawer tipped out onto the tableWeek 8. Thumbnails after you tip it, not before. Block in the scatter. Finish with the three best objects.
  9. One shelf, drawn exactly, spine by spineWeek 9. Thumbnails to choose the shelf. Block in the row of heights. Finish with the lettering as plain marks.
  10. The sofa after a long evening, cushions where they ended upWeek 10. Thumbnails for the height of your eye. Block in seat and cushions. Finish with the folds.
  11. The stairs, seen from the bottom stepWeek 11. Thumbnails for where the top goes. Block in the treads as bands. Finish with rail and shadow.
  12. The tools of one job, laid out as if for inspectionWeek 12. Thumbnails to arrange the row. Block in each outline. Finish with handles, edges and wear.
  13. Your desk at the end of the day, nothing tidiedWeek 13. Thumbnails for the crop. Block in the big flat shapes. Finish with the smallest clutter last.

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All 52 prompts

Weeks 1 to 13: Things and rooms 13

  • A bicycle leaning where it always leans Week 1. Thumbnails for the wall behind. Block in two wheels and the frame. Finish with spokes, chain and shadow.
  • A windowsill and everything living on it Week 2. Thumbnails against the light and with it. Block in frame and sill. Finish with pots, cards and dust.
  • The chair you sit in most, with whatever was left on it Week 3. Thumbnails from three sides. Block in chair and floor shadow. Finish with the things left on it.
  • The corner where things get put down and forgotten Week 4. Thumbnails to pick the worst corner. Block in the heap as one shape. Finish from the top layer down.
  • The dish rack after a big meal, stacked however it was stacked Week 5. Thumbnails to find the angle. Block in the pile. Finish with the shine on wet things.
  • The fridge with its door open Week 6. Thumbnails for how much door to show. Block in shelves and light. Finish with what is on them.
  • The household's coats on their hooks, each hung its owner's way Week 7. Thumbnails for the crop. Block in the row of shapes. Finish with collars and pockets.
  • One drawer tipped out onto the table Week 8. Thumbnails after you tip it, not before. Block in the scatter. Finish with the three best objects.
  • One shelf, drawn exactly, spine by spine Week 9. Thumbnails to choose the shelf. Block in the row of heights. Finish with the lettering as plain marks.
  • The sofa after a long evening, cushions where they ended up Week 10. Thumbnails for the height of your eye. Block in seat and cushions. Finish with the folds.
  • The stairs, seen from the bottom step Week 11. Thumbnails for where the top goes. Block in the treads as bands. Finish with rail and shadow.
  • The tools of one job, laid out as if for inspection Week 12. Thumbnails to arrange the row. Block in each outline. Finish with handles, edges and wear.
  • Your desk at the end of the day, nothing tidied Week 13. Thumbnails for the crop. Block in the big flat shapes. Finish with the smallest clutter last.

Weeks 14 to 26: People and animals 13

  • A cook you know at work, hands and pans Week 14. Thumbnails during one meal. Block in figure and stove. Finish with the steam and the hands.
  • A dog on its walk, the whole route in one picture Week 15. Thumbnails of the route as a strip. Block in five dogs along it. Finish with the lead and the posts.
  • A friend's face, in a pose they chose Week 16. Thumbnails of two poses, and let them pick. Block in the head and shoulders. Finish with the eyes last.
  • A person at home who is lost in a book Week 17. Thumbnails while they settle. Block in the slump and the book. Finish with the hands.
  • A self-portrait in something that bends you: a spoon or a dark window Week 18. Thumbnails in each. Block in the bent face. Finish with what shows behind you.
  • A sleeping pet, yours or one next door, as large as the page Week 19. Thumbnails of three sleeping shapes. Block in the best one big. Finish with fur along the outline only.
  • The birds of one spot, from several visits, on one sheet Week 20. Thumbnails on each visit. Block in the perch and the placing. Finish with one bird in full.
  • Everyone at your table, drawn from your own seat Week 21. Thumbnails at one meal. Block in heads and table edge. Finish with whoever sat still longest.
  • One person you know at three distances on one page Week 22. Thumbnails for the spacing. Block in near, middle and far. Finish with the near one only.
  • Someone at home asleep in a chair Week 23. Thumbnails quickly, in case they wake. Block in chair and body as one shape. Finish with the face and hands.
  • Three ages of one family, from photographs you own Week 24. Thumbnails to line the heads up. Block in the group. Finish with what the faces share.
  • Your legs stretched out in front of you, shoes and all Week 25. Thumbnails from where you sit. Block in the long shapes. Finish with the shoes.
  • Your own two hands doing a job they know well Week 26. Thumbnails mid-task. Block in both hands and the tool. Finish with knuckles and grip.

Weeks 27 to 39: Places and light 13

  • A bus stop at night, under its own light Week 27. Thumbnails for how much dark to leave. Block in the lit box. Finish with whoever is waiting.
  • A row of shutters pulled down for the night Week 28. Thumbnails from across the street. Block in the shutters as flat shapes. Finish with signs and locks.
  • A track that bends away before you can see where it goes Week 29. Thumbnails for where it bends. Block in path, banks and sky. Finish with the last thing before the bend.
  • Long afternoon shadows across a street Week 30. Thumbnails late in the day. Block in the shadows before the things that cast them. Finish with the lit edges.
  • One corner in morning light and evening light, side by side Week 31. Thumbnails at both hours. Block in two matching frames. Finish with the shadows.
  • One lamp on in a dark house, drawn from the next room Week 32. Thumbnails with and without the lamp in view. Block in the pool of light. Finish with the dim edges.
  • One whole tree, from far enough back to fit it in Week 33. Thumbnails to place it on the page. Block in trunk and the mass of the crown. Finish with the edge.
  • The roofs, seen from the highest place you can reach Week 34. Thumbnails for the horizon. Block in the big slopes. Finish with chimneys and wires.
  • Still water, and what it reflects Week 35. Thumbnails at a pond or a puddle. Block in the bank and its double. Finish with the breaks in the reflection.
  • The street you live on, as it looks to the first person awake Week 36. Thumbnails at first light. Block in the sky shape and the roofs. Finish with the one lit window.
  • The underside of a bridge, from the bank Week 37. Thumbnails from both banks. Block in the arch and the dark under it. Finish with the light at the far side.
  • The upper floors of a building you only know at street level Week 38. Thumbnails from across the road. Block in the upper floors. Finish with what you had missed.
  • The view from your window at the hour the lamps come on Week 39. Thumbnails on three evenings. Block in sky and dark shapes. Finish with each light.

Weeks 40 to 52: Invented scenes 13

  • A den built by children, and the one adult allowed in Week 40. Thumbnails for the way in. Block in blankets and chairs. Finish with the adult, folded small.
  • A fair held on the rooftops, with planks from house to house Week 41. Thumbnails from above. Block in roofs and stalls. Finish with whoever is crossing a plank.
  • A giant asleep across a village that has grown used to it Week 42. Thumbnails from above. Block in the giant as a hill. Finish with washing lines and ladders.
  • A kitchen one minute after something went wrong Week 43. Thumbnails for what went wrong. Block in the room and the mess. Finish with whoever did it.
  • A long table where everyone is listening to one person Week 44. Thumbnails for the speaker's seat. Block in the row of heads. Finish with the one who is not listening.
  • A lost and found office, and the one thing nobody has claimed Week 45. Thumbnails to choose the thing. Block in the shelves as dark blocks. Finish with its label.
  • A moving van outside a house too small for what is coming out Week 46. Thumbnails for the joke. Block in house and van. Finish with the next thing through the door.
  • A town that floods once a year and has planned for it Week 47. Thumbnails at high water. Block in the waterline through every street. Finish with boats, planks and stilts.
  • The field on the morning after the fair left Week 48. Thumbnails for the marks left behind. Block in the flattened grass. Finish with the one thing forgotten.
  • The last passenger on a night bus, and what is on the next seat Week 49. Thumbnails down the aisle. Block in seats and windows. Finish with the thing on the seat.
  • The lighthouse keeper's one visitor of the year Week 50. Thumbnails for the weather. Block in tower, rock and boat. Finish with the two figures.
  • The moment before a door opens, seen from inside the room Week 51. Thumbnails to decide who is inside. Block in room and door. Finish with the handle and the faces.
  • Two people arriving late at an empty table Week 52. Thumbnails for which side we watch from. Block in table and chairs. Finish with what was left for them.

How it works

These weekly drawing prompts give one finished drawing for each week of a year. Every hint splits the week into three sittings: thumbnails, the block-in and the finish. The sheet opens on the first quarter, Weeks 1 to 13 in order.

Read the full guide

One drawing, three sittings

Each prompt is a subject with a twist, large enough to come back to. In the first sitting make thumbnails, small sketches that try the idea several ways. In the second, block in the big shapes at full size. In the third, finish. The hint says what to settle at each stage.

Four quarters

The list under the tool holds 52 art prompts in order, and Week 1 is whichever week you start. The first quarter is things and rooms you can sit in front of, then people and animals, places and light, and invented scenes. The menu under the button changes quarter.

  • Write the week on the back of each drawing. A finished year is a set.
  • If a week is lost, skip it. The numbers are an order, not a calendar.
  • For a weekly drawing challenge with friends, draw the same week and show the results on the same day.

Questions and answers

How are weekly art prompts different from daily ones?

A daily prompt is a quick sketch. A weekly one is a single drawing you plan, start and finish, so each prompt here is a scene or a view with enough in it for three visits.

Is there an art prompt of the week?

Not a dated one. No prompt names a month, a season or a holiday, so the art prompt of the week is whichever number you have reached. Start at Week 1 in the list whenever you like.

What is a thumbnail?

A thumbnail sketch is a small drawing, usually one of a group, used to try several ideas quickly. Make a few before the full-size drawing and carry the strongest forward.

Can a group use it as a draw something weekly challenge?

Yes. Agree a start date, take the weeks in order from the list and share the drawings on the same day each week. The prompts are our own and follow no organizer's challenge.

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