You know that feeling. You’re sitting there, pencil in hand, staring at a piece of paper that is so white it actually starts to feel aggressive. It’s the "blank page syndrome." Most people think they lack talent when this happens, but honestly, you just lack a prompt that doesn't feel like a middle school art assignment. Finding amazing things to draw isn't about looking for the most complex subject in the world; it’s about finding something that actually makes you want to move your hand.
Art is weird. One day you're sketching a hyper-realistic eye, and the next, you can't even draw a circle without it looking like a squashed potato. That’s normal.
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If you want to get better, you have to stop overthinking the "masterpiece" aspect. Sometimes the most incredible drawings come from the most boring objects sitting on your desk. I once spent three hours drawing a crumpled-up receipt, and it taught me more about light and shadow than any "how-to" book ever could.
The Secret to Choosing Amazing Things to Draw
Don't just pick something because it looks cool on Pinterest. Choose something because of the texture. Texture is where the magic happens. Think about the difference between drawing a smooth glass of water and a weathered, rusted padlock. The padlock has history. It has pits, scratches, and personality.
A lot of artists, especially beginners, gravitate toward faces. Faces are hard. They’re great, but if you want to actually enjoy your session without throwing your sketchbook across the room, try something mechanical. Old cameras are incredible. They have clear geometric shapes—circles, rectangles, levers—but they also have that tactile, vintage feel. You can see the glass of the lens. You can feel the leatherette grip through your pencil strokes.
Why Your Kitchen is an Unfiltered Goldmine
Stop looking for inspiration online for a second and go to your kitchen. Open the junk drawer. Or better yet, look at the fruit bowl. But don't draw a "still life" of an apple. That's boring. Draw an apple that has been half-eaten and left out for twenty minutes.
Watch how the flesh turns brown. Look at the jagged teeth marks. That’s an actual story. That’s one of those amazing things to draw because it has character.
You could also try:
- A transparent honey jar with the sticky residue dripping down the side.
- A whisk. Seriously. The overlapping wire loops are a nightmare for perspective, which makes them a fantastic challenge for your brain.
- Crinkled aluminum foil. If you want to master highlights and high contrast, there is nothing better. It’s basically just a million tiny mirrors reflecting light at different angles.
Nature is Great, But Trees are a Trap
Everyone says "draw a tree" when you’re bored. Don’t do that. At least, not the way you think. Most people draw a "lollypop" tree with a brown stick and a green cloud. If you want to draw something amazing, go outside and find a single dead leaf.
A dead leaf is a map of a life. It has veins that look like river deltas. It’s curled in ways that defy easy perspective. It’s fragile. When you draw a dead leaf, you’re practicing "organic line work." It doesn't have to be perfect because nature isn't perfect. That’s the secret.
Micro-Landscapes and the Power of Zooming In
Have you ever looked at a mossy rock through a magnifying glass? It looks like an alien jungle.
Instead of drawing a whole forest, draw one square inch of bark. This shifts your focus from "what is this object" to "what are these shapes." This is a fundamental shift in how professional artists like John Muir Laws approach nature journaling. It’s about observation, not just representation. When you zoom in, you find patterns you never noticed. It’s meditative. It’s also way less intimidating than trying to capture a whole mountain range.
The Architecture of Small Things
Sometimes the most amazing things to draw are the things we ignore every day. I’m talking about the stuff in your pockets. Your keys. A crumpled five-dollar bill. A single sneaker.
Drawing a sneaker is a rite of passage for art students. Why? Because it combines everything: soft fabric textures, hard rubber soles, the complex weaving of laces, and the organic "slouch" of the shoe’s body. Look at a pair of worn-out Converse. The canvas is frayed. The rubber is scuffed. There’s a story of everywhere those shoes have walked.
Reimagining Everyday Objects
What if you drew your phone, but the screen was shattered?
The way glass breaks follows physical laws. It radiates from a central point of impact. Drawing those shards helps you understand linear perspective and refraction. Plus, it just looks edgy and cool in a sketchbook.
Try drawing a glass of water with a straw in it. Notice how the straw appears to "break" or shift when it enters the liquid. This is called refraction. It’s a scientific fact, but in a drawing, it looks like a magic trick. It forces you to draw what you see, not what you know. You know the straw is straight, but your eyes see it as broken. Draw the break.
Why Technical Skill Isn't Everything
People get caught up in realism. Realism is fine, but it can be soul-sucking. Sometimes, the most amazing drawings are the ones that lean into the weirdness.
Take a look at the work of artists like Ralph Steadman. His stuff is messy. It’s splattered with ink. It’s chaotic. But it’s incredibly evocative. If you’re feeling frustrated, grab a pen and draw something "ugly." Draw a monster based on your current mood. Give it too many eyes. Give it skin that looks like melting wax.
When you remove the pressure of making it look "real," you open up a different part of your brain. This is where style comes from. Style is just the unique way you "mess up" a drawing until it looks intentional.
The Challenge of Translucency
If you really want to flex your muscles, find something translucent. A gummy bear. A slice of orange held up to the light. A plastic grocery bag.
These things are hard because they don't have hard edges. The light passes through them, creating a soft glow. To draw this, you have to master the "soft edge." You can't just outline a gummy bear and call it a day. You have to layer colors or graphite to show that inner radiance. It’s frustrating. It’s difficult. But the end result is almost always one of those amazing things to draw that makes people stop and say, "How did you do that?"
Using References Without "Cheating"
There’s this weird myth that using a photo reference is cheating. It’s not. Even the old masters used camera obscuras and models. If you can’t find something in your house, go to sites like Unsplash or Pexels.
Search for "macro photography." Look at insects. A beetle's shell has an iridescent quality that is incredibly fun to try and replicate with colored pencils or markers. The way the colors shift from green to purple to gold is a masterclass in color theory.
Or look at old architectural blueprints. The precision of those lines is satisfying. You can try to replicate a gothic cathedral window. The symmetry is punishing, but the result is architectural candy.
Actionable Steps to Start Drawing Today
If you are still staring at that blank page, here is what you need to do right now. Don't think. Just do.
First, grab the nearest object to your left hand. I don’t care if it’s a TV remote or a half-empty coffee mug. Set a timer for five minutes. Do a "blind contour" drawing. This means you look at the object, but never look at your paper. Don't lift your pen. It will look like a disaster. That’s the point. It warms up the connection between your eyes and your hand.
Second, change your medium. If you always use a pencil, grab a ballpoint pen. Pens are permanent. They force you to be confident. You can't erase a mistake, so you have to incorporate it. This leads to a much looser, more "human" style that often looks more impressive than a heavily erased pencil sketch.
Third, focus on the negative space. Instead of drawing a chair, draw the "holes" in the chair. Draw the shapes of the air around the legs. This is a classic technique from Betty Edwards’ book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. It bypasses the part of your brain that says "I know what a chair looks like" and forces you to see actual shapes.
Lastly, keep a "crap" sketchbook. This is a book where you are legally obligated to draw garbage. No masterpieces allowed. When you give yourself permission to be bad, you accidentally end up drawing something amazing because the fear is gone.
Drawing is a muscle. It’s also a way of seeing. The more you look for the beauty in the "boring" stuff—the shadows under a stapler, the way a curtain folds, the texture of a piece of toast—the more you'll realize that there are an infinite number of amazing things to draw literally everywhere you look. Stop waiting for the perfect idea. Just start moving the pen.