The pencil is the most basic drawing tool, yet it’s incredibly versatile. Plus, we always have one handy.
If you feel like drawing for a while but don’t know what, here are several ideas for simple pencil drawings you can do in your free time.
Pencil drawings for beginners
1. Balloons
To draw balloons, you just need to know how to draw ovals, so we ALL know how. If you want to make it a less boring drawing, just frame them and let some escape.
2. Bonsai
The curved and intricate shapes of bonsai trees make them very entertaining to draw, and the result is beautiful.
3. Interlocking Cups
A very simple theme: two coffee cups, which gains meaning with the simple detail of intertwining their handles. It’s a lovely drawing to give to a couple if you write their names on each cup.
4. Paper airplane
You don’t always have to use a realistic style when drawing with a pencil. By using different line thicknesses, panels, and other effects, you can achieve an illustration or comic book look.
5. Lighthouse
When you have a very large piece of paper but you feel like making a small drawing, a good trick is to frame it in some geometric shape (circle, rectangle, etc.), like this night landscape with a lighthouse.
6. Girl with balloon
Drawing people is one of the challenges for any artist, and something we often avoid when we’re beginners. However, with simple shapes, you can create all kinds of characters . This drawing of a girl with a balloon is simple and not realistic, but that doesn’t mean it lacks personality.
7. Surrealist painting
A painting where some of the paint extends beyond the canvas is always a striking image. Furthermore, you can use hundreds of different subjects: clouds, animals, vehicles, portraits, and so on.
8. Cat in pocket
Cats are always cute. But if you put them somewhere a cat shouldn’t fit, they become irresistible. A drawing that will bring a smile to anyone who sees it.
9. Precious stone
Do you know how to draw triangles and rectangles? Well, you can already draw a gem, that’s all you need.
10. Open door
An open door is an invitation to enter, but enter where? Instead of drawing the door to a boring room, unleash your imagination. Behind this door you could find the desert, the bottom of the sea, outer space…
11. Love yourself a lot
If there’s one thing we’ve all been drawing since we were little, it’s… a heart! But this time it’s not to write our crush‘s name, but to give it an extra meaning.
12. Hourglass
A simple object depicted in a beautiful and poetic drawing. Hourglasses have always been laden with meaning (the passage of time), but even more so when you replace the sand with something more original.
5 quick tips for pencil drawing
- You don’t need a brand-name pencil to draw; any pencil you have on hand will do. It’s also true that pencils are so cheap that it’s easy to treat yourself if you want. Right now, I’m using Faber-Castell, Blackwing, and Ohto (mechanical pencils).
- The good thing about pencils is that they erase and allow you to correct mistakes. But be careful not to be too much of a perfectionist; you’ll be erasing all the time, and you’ll smudge the paper.
- The other strong point of the pencil is that it allows shading… but it’s not mandatory either.
- Pencils are usually HB (or HB) hardness. If you like to do a lot of shading, use a 2B pencil (be careful, it smudges), and if you press too hard, use an H. It’s also a good idea to have a pencil sharpener and eraser handy.
- Start by making a very light sketch, almost without pressing too hard. This way, you can erase anything you want to change without leaving a trace on the paper.