We’ve all been there. You’re staring at a blank piece of paper, pencil in hand, and suddenly your brain feels like it’s been wiped clean. It’s annoying. You want to create something, but everything you think of seems too hard or, honestly, just a bit too much effort for a Tuesday night. This is where most people give up and go back to scrolling on their phones. But here’s the thing: you don't need to be Leonardo da Vinci to have a good time with a sketchbook. Sometimes, focusing on simple stuff to draw is actually better for your brain than trying to tackle a complex portrait or a hyper-realistic landscape.
Drawing is basically just a way of seeing. When we’re kids, we draw everything—wonky houses, stick people, suns with sunglasses. Then we grow up and get all self-conscious about "talent." Real talk: talent is mostly just the result of not stopping. If you’re looking for things to sketch right now, you need ideas that bridge the gap between "I can't draw" and "I'm actually enjoying this."
Why the Simple Stuff Matters More Than You Think
There’s this weird pressure in the art world to always be "improving." But what if you just want to relax? James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, often talks about the importance of just showing up. In drawing, showing up means making marks on paper. If you pick something difficult and fail, you’re less likely to pick up the pencil tomorrow. If you pick something easy—something like a coffee mug or a paperclip—you get that hit of dopamine from finishing a task. It’s a psychological win.
Simple objects are also the building blocks of everything complex. A car is just a bunch of rectangles and circles. A human hand, which is notoriously the hardest thing to draw, is basically just a series of cylinders. By practicing simple stuff to draw, you’re actually training your hand-eye coordination for the big stuff later on. You're building muscle memory. It’s like an athlete doing basic drills. They might be boring to watch, but they’re why the athlete wins.
The Beauty of Everyday Objects
Look at your desk. Right now. I bet there’s a pen, maybe a half-empty glass of water, or a charger cable tangled like a snake. These are perfect subjects.
Take a lightbulb, for instance. It’s a classic. You have a circle that tapers into a base. The glass reflects light in interesting ways, but you don't have to get that deep into it. Just draw the outline. See how the wire inside curls? It’s a great exercise in drawing curves. Or think about a succulent. They are incredibly popular for a reason. They have thick, geometric leaves that are very forgiving. If you mess up the symmetry, it just looks like a different species of plant. No one is going to check your botanical accuracy.
Simple Stuff to Draw: The "No-Brainer" List
When you’re really stuck, you need a go-to list. Not a list that requires a 30-minute setup, but things you can doodle while you’re on a Zoom call or waiting for the oven to preheat.
- Mountains: Seriously, they’re just triangles with jagged tops. Add a little "snow" line at the peak and some shading on one side, and you’ve got a masterpiece.
- Paper airplanes: A few straight lines and some diagonal folds. It’s an exercise in perspective without the headache of a vanishing point.
- Clouds: Don't do the "m" shape. Try drawing irregular, fluffy blobs. It’s actually quite meditative.
- Keys: They have such unique notches. A keychain with one or two keys is a fantastic way to practice drawing small, intricate details without it being overwhelming.
- Envelopes: A rectangle with a triangle on top. It’s iconic. You can even draw a little heart or a stamp in the corner to give it some character.
The trick is to look for shapes, not objects. If you see a coffee cup as a "coffee cup," it’s hard. If you see it as a cylinder with a semi-circle attached to the side, it’s easy. This is the core secret of most professional artists, like those you see on platforms like Proko or New Masters Academy. They break the world down into 3D primitives: spheres, boxes, and cylinders.
Turning Doodles into Art
You can take simple stuff to draw and turn it into something that looks intentional by using a technique called "line weight." This sounds fancy, but it just means making some lines thicker than others. Usually, if you make the outer outline of your drawing thicker and keep the inner details thin, it immediately looks more professional.
Try this with a simple piece of fruit, like a pear. A pear is basically two circles—a small one on top of a larger one—connected by smooth lines. Draw that outline with a thick marker. Then, use a fine-liner or a regular pen to add a tiny stem and maybe a little leaf. The contrast between the thick and thin lines makes it pop. It’s a simple trick, but it works every single time.
The Mental Health Component
We need to talk about why we draw in the first place. For many, it’s about "Art Therapy." A study published in the journal Art Therapy found that just 45 minutes of creative activity significantly reduces cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is the stress hormone. You don't have to be good at drawing to get this benefit. The act of moving the pen across the paper is enough.
When you focus on simple stuff to draw, you enter a "flow state." This is that feeling where time disappears because you’re so focused on what you’re doing. It’s hard to get into a flow state if you’re frustrated because you can’t get a nose to look right. It’s much easier to get there by drawing a pattern of bricks or a series of bubbles. These repetitive, simple motions are like a massage for your brain.
Overcoming the "Perfect Page" Syndrome
One of the biggest hurdles is the "perfect page" syndrome. You buy a beautiful, expensive sketchbook with thick, creamy paper, and then you’re too scared to draw in it because you don't want to ruin it.
Stop.
Buy a cheap ream of printer paper or a $2 spiral notebook from the drugstore. If the paper is "trash," you won't care if the drawing is "trash." This freedom allows you to experiment. You can draw ten bad cats in a row until the eleventh one actually looks like a cat. If you’re using expensive paper, you’ll spend three hours on one cat and still hate it. Sketching should be fast. It should be messy. It should be a place where you're allowed to fail.
Actionable Steps to Get Drawing Right Now
Don't wait for inspiration. Inspiration is a flaky friend who never shows up when you actually need them. You have to invite them over by starting.
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1. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Tell yourself you’re only going to draw for five minutes. This lowers the barrier to entry. Usually, once the five minutes are up, you’ll want to keep going. If you don't, at least you did five minutes.
2. Pick one "anchor" object. Choose something on your desk or in your pocket. A coin, a lighter, a ring. Draw it from three different angles. This forces you to really look at the object rather than just drawing what you think a coin looks like.
3. Use a "limited" toolset. Don't break out the 48-pack of colored pencils. Just use a ballpoint pen. There’s no erasing with a pen. This forces you to commit to your lines and move on. It stops the perfectionism dead in its tracks.
4. Follow the "Rule of Three."
If you draw one mushroom, it looks like a doodle. If you draw three mushrooms of different sizes, it looks like a composition. Grouping simple stuff to draw in threes or fives makes them look like a deliberate piece of art.
5. Embrace the "Wonk." Your lines will be shaky. Your circles will look more like potatoes. This is fine. In fact, it's better than fine—it’s "style." If we wanted perfect lines, we’d use a computer. The human element, the slight imperfections, is what makes hand-drawn art interesting to look at.
Drawing isn't about the final product; it's about the process of looking at the world and translating it through your own hands. Whether it’s a simple leaf, a stylized house, or just a series of geometric patterns, the act of creating is what matters. Grab a pen. Find a scrap of paper. Draw a lopsided star. Then draw another one. You're already an artist the moment the ink hits the page.