You’re staring at a blank page. It’s white. It’s blinding. It’s honestly a little bit insulting how empty it is. We’ve all been there—clutching a perfectly good 2B pencil or a digital stylus, ready to create a masterpiece, and then... nothing. Brain fog. You end up doodling the same jagged eyeball or that weird "S" thing we all learned in middle school. It’s frustrating. But finding fun and cool things to draw shouldn't feel like a chore or a standardized test.
The secret isn't just "practicing." That's what people say when they want to sound smart. The real secret is drawing stuff that actually keeps your brain awake. If you hate drawing fruit, stop drawing bowls of fruit. If the thought of a realistic human hand makes you want to throw your sketchbook into a lake, don't draw hands today.
Let's get weird instead.
Why We Get Stuck on the "Cool" Factor
Most people struggle because they think "cool" means "perfectly rendered hyper-realism." It doesn't. Cool is an aesthetic choice. It’s about personality. Think about the street art of Jean-Michel Basquiat. His work isn’t "anatomically correct" in the traditional sense, but it’s undeniably cool because of its raw energy and chaotic lines. When you look for things to draw, you’re usually looking for a spark of interest, not a geometry lesson.
Sometimes, the most fun and cool things to draw are the things right in front of you, but warped. Take your coffee mug. Boring, right? Now, give it spindly, bird-like legs and a Victorian top hat. Suddenly, it’s a character.
Turning Everyday Boredom Into Art
Look at your desk. Or the floor. Is there a crumpled soda can? A pair of old sneakers? These are goldmines.
Sneakers are actually a classic staple in the "cool" drawing world. Think about the chunky silhouettes of 90s basketball shoes or the sleek lines of modern runners. You don't need to get every stitch right. Focus on the "weight" of the shoe. Use thick, bold outlines. If you mess up a line, make it part of the shadow. It’s art, not a blueprint.
The "Frankenstein" Method
If you’re truly out of ideas, try the mashup. It’s a trick used by concept artists at places like Riot Games or Blizzard to kickstart their brains. You take two things that have no business being together and force them into a single sketch.
- A deep-sea diver... but his helmet is a fishbowl with a tiny cat inside.
- A vintage television set... but it’s growing moss and has deer antlers.
- A cactus... that’s actually a dragon curled up in a pot.
This works because it bypasses the "I can't draw that" filter. You aren't trying to draw a perfect dragon; you're drawing a "cactus-dragon," which doesn't exist, so you can't get it "wrong." This is where the fun and cool things to draw really start to emerge—in the space between reality and nonsense.
Exploring Sci-Fi and Cyberpunk Aesthetics
There’s a reason the cyberpunk aesthetic never dies. It’s visually dense. It’s messy. It’s forgiving. If you draw a person and the arm looks a bit stiff, just add some wires, some glowing ports, and a metal plating texture. Boom. It’s a cyborg.
Neon Signs and Rain-Slicked Streets
You don't need a full scene. Just try drawing a single neon sign in a foreign language (or a made-up one). Use high-contrast colors if you’re working with markers or digital tools. Black ink and one single "glow" color can make even a simple sketch of a ramen bowl look like it’s straight out of Akira.
- Pro Tip: Use "broken" lines. Don't make every neon tube perfect. Some should be flickering or dim. It adds "story" to the drawing.
The Beauty of Gross Stuff
Hear me out. Skulls, bugs, and melting things.
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There’s a long history of "Memento Mori" in art—the reminder of mortality. But honestly? Skulls are just fun to draw because they have great "landmarks." The eye sockets, the nasal cavity, the jawbone. You can stylize a skull in a thousand ways. You can make it "low-poly," you can make it "drippy" and psychedelic, or you can cover it in wildflowers.
Insects are another underrated category. Their anatomy is basically organic armor. Look at a stag beetle. The mandibles are incredible. The segmented body parts give you a natural guide on where to add detail without it feeling overwhelming. Plus, nobody is going to tell you the leg placement on your "Mecha-Beetle" is scientifically inaccurate.
Architecture But Make It Wonky
Drawing a house is boring. Drawing a "witch’s hut" that looks like it’s about to tip over? That’s interesting.
The trick here is to ignore your ruler. Embrace the "wobble." If you're looking for fun and cool things to draw, look at the concept art for movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas or Spirited Away. The buildings have personality. They lean. They have oversized chimneys. They have tiny, mismatched windows.
Try drawing a "tiny shop." What does it sell? Maybe it’s a shop that only sells different types of clouds. Or a store for ghosts to buy new sheets. Adding a narrative element to your drawing makes the process way more engaging than just trying to get the perspective right on a standard cube.
The Micro-Detail Obsession
Sometimes the best way to get over a creative block is to go small. Very small.
Find a rock outside. A really jagged, ugly one. Put it on your desk under a bright lamp. Now, try to draw just one square inch of that rock's surface. Every crack, every little glittering mineral, every shadow. This is "texture study," and while it sounds academic, it’s actually weirdly meditative.
You can do this with:
- The bark of a tree.
- The iris of an eye (macro style).
- A piece of crumpled aluminum foil.
- The texture of a knitted sweater.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Sketch
Stop scrolling and actually pick up the pen. Here is exactly how to start when you feel like you have zero inspiration.
- The 2-Minute Warmup: Draw five circles. Turn each circle into something different as fast as you can. An orange, a planet, a cyclops, a bomb, a portal. Don't think. Just move the pen.
- The Material Swap: Take a common object (like a lightbulb) and draw it as if it were made of something else (like liquid water or braided hair). This forces your brain to think about lighting and form in a new way.
- The "Loot Box" Challenge: Imagine you just opened a chest in a fantasy game. What’s inside? Draw the sword, the potion bottle, or the weird cursed coin. Give these items "history"—scratches, chips, or glowing runes.
- Reference Is Not Cheating: Go to Pinterest or Unsplash. Find a photo of a cool mountain or a vintage car. Don't copy it perfectly. Use it as a "skeleton" and build your own weirdness on top of it.
- Change Your Tool: If you always use a pencil, use a thick Sharpie. If you always use digital, go buy a cheap ballpoint pen. The limitation of the tool often dictates the style of the drawing.
Drawing is a muscle, but it’s also a playground. The moment it starts feeling like a test you’re going to fail, you’ve lost the point. The coolest things in your sketchbook will always be the ones where you let yourself get a little bit weird, a little bit messy, and a lot more creative.
Go draw a toaster with wings. Or a city built on the back of a giant snail. Just draw something.
Key Takeaways for Breaking Creative Blocks
- Embrace Imperfection: High-energy, "messy" lines often look cooler and more professional than stiff, "perfect" ones.
- Mix Genres: Combine organic shapes (plants, animals) with mechanical parts (wires, gears) for instant visual interest.
- Focus on Narrative: Ask "What is this object's story?" while you draw it. A cracked shield is more interesting than a new one.
- Limit Your Time: Give yourself 10 minutes to finish a "cool" sketch. The pressure often kills the overthinking that leads to artist's block.