8 Easy Colored Pencil Drawing Ideas For Beginners
Did you run out of ideas to draw?
Or did you recently buy new colored pencils and you are looking for some simple drawing ideas.
Sometimes inspiration just doesn’t strike and you need a little help to get started.
That’s why in this post you’ll find several drawing ideas with color to get you started.
Most of them are pretty easy. But if you want a bigger challenge, you can easily increase the difficulty level.
If you don’t have good quality colored pencils, you can find my favorites by clicking here.
Flowers, Plants & Fruit
Many artists learn the basics of their craft by drawing or painting flowers and fruit.
Especially the good old apple is often used to teach newcomers about color values and shading.
My personal favorite are cacti. They are just so cute! And they are very easy to draw as well.
But anything works really.
If you are a beginner, I would recommend you start with something you already have at home.
You really don’t need to do everything from memory. Even the best artists use references all the time.
Moreover, you can easily rotate your flower, plant, or fruit and draw it from several angles to get a good grasp of perspective.
Some colorful drawing ideas include:
- Apple
- Banana
- Sunflower
- Cactus
- Rose
- Snake plant
Snacks & Cookies
If you have a sweet tooth like me, you might want to draw some of your favorite snacks or cookies.
So of all the things to draw with colored pencils, this is my favorite.
Obviously, some of them area easier to draw than other.
Drawing a sand cookie is easier than drawing an Orea cookie. So choose something appropriate for you level.
Similarly, drawing something close to photorealistic is very difficult and takes a lot of time. So if you are a beginner, why not draw a cartoon version?
Some easy drawing ideas include:
- Cookies
- Cupcakes
- Ice cream
- Lollipops
- Chocolate bars
- Cake & pie
Gemstones & Jewelry
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Or at least that’s how the saying goes…
Besides diamonds there are many other precious stones as well such as emerald, ruby, sapphire, etc.
These gemstones are so beautiful because you can often find many different colors in a single stone.
Drawing and coloring gemstones is a great way to practice color theory and your blending techniques.
And once you have mastered them completely, you can also try drawing more intriguing jewelry that include precious stones.
Some drawing ideas include:
- Diamond
- Ruby
- Emerald
- Pendant
- Ring
- Necklace
- Brooch
Cartoon Characters
Is your inner child still kicking and screaming inside of you? Then how about drawing one of your favorite childhood cartoons characters.
Most of us grew up watching Cartoon Network. Do you remember those Saturday mornings enjoying your favorite show while munching your breakfast cereals?
Let’s relive those days by drawing one of your favorite cartoon or comic character.
Or if you still like to watch cartoons or anime, you can draw someone from the show you are following right now.
Some simple drawing ideas are:
- Sponge bob
- Spider-Man
- Naruto
- Superman
- Finding Nemo
Feathers
Feathers might seem like the odd one out in this list.
But I found that drawing feathers can actually be very relaxing and fun.
The great thing about them is that by just learning a few basic concepts, you can draw almost an infinite amount of feathers.
You can play around with the shape, the colors, the pattern, etc.
And before you know it, you have filled a whole sketchbook with nothing but colorful feathers.
You can either try to draw feathers of actual birds, or you can be creative and make up your own feathers.
Here are a few drawing ideas:
- Dove feathers
- Peacock feathers
- Golden pheasant feathers
- Lyrebird feathers
- Dream catchers
- Quill pen
Cute Animals
We all love our fluffy companions. Whether it’s a cat, dog, bunny, or anything else.
However, drawing a portrait for each of your pets isn’t very easy.
Drawing realistic fur requires practice and takes a lot of time.
On the flip side, drawing a simple cartoon dog or cat is simple enough for any beginner.
So you really have the option of putting the bar as high as you want to.
Alternatively, you can also start by drawing some animals that don’t have any hair such as turtles or snakes.
Some simple drawing ideas include:
- Dogs
- Cats
- Turtles
- Monkeys
- Birds
- Pandas
- Elephants
- Lions
Simple Landscapes
Some artists dedicate their entire career to landscape artworks.
So it’s not very surprising that there is a lot to learn if you want to become truly proficient at them.
Moreover, using colored pencils for making landscapes add some additional challenges as well.
But like many other items on this list, you can really make it as simple or as difficult as you want.
For example, a sunset at the beach is relatively simple to draw. Whereas a city landscape requires a lot more work.
Some easy drawing ideas include:
- Sunsets
- Mountains
- The ocean
- Lakes
- Forest
- Clouds
Portraits
Of all the things to draw with colored pencils, portrait are probably one of the most challenging.
You’ll probably need lots of practice before you’ll be able to draw a face that looks realistic and 3 dimensional.
But that doesn’t mean you should simply give up on portraiture!
One big mistake that most beginners make is to start drawing from their memory. Even the best artists often use references to help them in their work.
If portraits are still too difficult, you can also try out drawing caricatures or abstract portraits. These are more forgiving and a lot of fun to draw as well.
Some more fun drawing ideas include:
- Self-portraits
- Family portraits
- Fan art portraits
- Monochromatic portraits
- Caricatures
Want more drawing ideas?
I hope you found something fun to draw from this list.
But if you didn’t find anything you liked, you can also take a look at our articles on 30 easy things to draw or 80 simple patterns to draw.
Or if you don’t want to be limited by colored pencils, you can also read our articles on the best art markers and best watercolor pencils to add to your art supplies.
You might also want to check out the following books if you are serious about leveling up your drawing technique with colored pencils:
