How to create your own Drawing Prompt list!

Are you thinking about an October Drawing Challenge, but feeling stuck on what to draw?

If you're not aware, it's become an annual 'thing' to do drawing challenges through October, encouraging people to do a drawing a day (or one a week, whatever you like) be it pencil, ink, digital, biro... Regardless of ability, experience, confidence, it's all about experimenting, having a bit of fun, and perhaps getting more confident in drawing, and (re)discovering a passion.

​A lot of artists and illustrators create prompt lists, so you have a creative jumping off point each day. Prompts are usually a word or two, concepts, things, which spark ideas, so you can focus on having fun drawing, not staring into space wondering what to draw.

The prompt lists I've found this year don't spark with me personally. So this blog post is all about tips and ideas, with  helpful downloadable sheets, to create your own list of drawing prompts!

First you'll need to find prompts, and then sort your list out from them. Now, you might start knowing that you want a theme (spooky stuff) or just go random. You might plan to theme what you draw, so for example, whatever the prompts are you'll draw a suitable plant. There's no right or wrong way, you just need that prompt list whatever your plans!

Check out existing lists

A quick look online for things like Drawtober, Drawing prompt list, October Drawing Prompts, and you'll find LOTS of lists ready to use. ​These can be a great way to pick up prompts, both as individuals, or sets of ideas.

Botober has a set of lists where prompts were created by an AI, then selected by a human. The "terrible" list had me laughing. You can find all four Botober lists here:
​​https://tmblr.co/ZP7VLsYthGB8Su00 

Use art prompt and random word generators

As well as ready-made lists, there are lots of resources online which spit out prompts. 

Some are designed purposefully for artists:
​https://magatsu.net/generators/art/index.php
​http://artprompts.org/

Or you can try random word generators. With these you can often set parameters, or generate a whole list in one go.
https://randomwordgenerator.com/
​https://www.wordgenerator.net/

I've had a lot of fun at Fantasy Name Generators, which has LOADS of generators for names, battle cries, plant descriptions... with my favourite being: https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/idiom-generator.php

Ask for suggestions

It's a sort of obvious one, but can depend how comfortable you feel putting it out there!

Explaining to friends and family what you're planning to do, and asking or their suggestions, can lead to all manner of results.

​Some people will think about what you might like to draw, some will think about what they would like to see you draw, and some will try and challenge you (suggestion not shown on this image taken form my personal facebook - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious XD)

Making your list

You can just fill out 31 prompts at random (random word generator, or first 31 suggestions from friends). You cancherry pick which ideas speak to you. You could ask someone else to whittle down a list for you from your choices. It's your personal drawing challenge.

I picked a pile of 90 ish prompts to go into into a long list, a mix of challenging, silly, things I wanted to draw, things I had no idea what to draw. I used a random number website to choose 31 at random, swapped 3 I wasn't keen on for 3 I really wanted to add, and used Google sheets random sort function to put them into drawing order.

The full list

Picking prompts

The reduced list

Free downloadable doodle sheets

Fancy an easy way to plan your month, or just doing a little doodle a day?  Check out these free download sheets!

With space for your prompts to be listed down the side, a box for each day, and a number in each box, it's great for keeping track of each day, and SO satisfying to see the sheet fill up over the month.

An unexpected side benefit is that you can use the boxes to create images which have a narrative running between them, like a comic!

October 2020 drawing a day grid landscape PDF
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File Type:	pdf

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October 2020 drawing a day grid portrait PDF
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october_2020_drawing_a_day_grid_landscape.jpg
File Size:	104 kb
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october_2020_drawing_a_day_grid_portrait.jpg
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Are you going to try an October drawing challenge? I'd love to know in the comments, whether it's a ready made prompt list, or one of your own creation!