Daily Sketch

Look around for something that feels bumpy, rough, grainy, fuzzy, scratchy, or sandy. Place it where you can study it closely while you draw. Run your fingers over the object and feel the texture with your skin. With a pencil and paper, try to draw the texture of the object’s surface. Act as though your…

What do clouds really look like? Do they come in different sizes? Go outside and or look out your window and see how many different kinds of clouds you can find and draw. Photos by Pamela Crimmins  

Look at an ordinary household object and draw it. Look for big, simple shapes first, then smaller details. Now take another piece of paper and look again. This time, look much closer and zoom in on a small area or detail. Draw the detail, blowing it up so it’s big. What do you notice that…

Cut a piece of string and drop it onto a piece of paper. What do the lines and shapes remind you of? Do you see a picture hidden in the string? Draw the string and use your imagination to turn it into something else. Cut a piece of string and drop it onto a piece…

Draw an imaginary house for your favorite animal. Decorate the house with details inspired by your animal. Photo by Pamela Crimmins

A skyline is an outline of dark buildings against a brighter sky. Many cities have skylines that are easy to recognize because of the shapes of certain buildings, like the Empire State Building in New York. Did you enjoy making a city out of boxes and cans? If you build a city against a bright…

Build a city with boxes, cans, and other things at home. Start with just a few things, and make a sketch. What kinds of buildings are in your city? What sizes are they? Look at the big shapes first, then the smaller shapes. Add more boxes or cans, move them around, and sketch your city…

Make a portrait of a special person (or a person in your household) without showing that person. Find a few objects that show what they do and like and arrange them on a table. This person likes to play games and build things. What does your person do for work, what do they like to…

Look closely at something really small that you’ve never looked at closely before. What do you notice about it? Is it more interesting than you thought? Is it more complicated or simpler than you thought? Now draw it on a piece of paper so it’s much larger than its actual size. How do you feel…

Draw your favorite shoe. What do you like about it? Is it sporty, colorful, sparkly? For daily life or for a party? Then draw your dream shoe from your imagination. Photo by Pamela Crimmins