Inspiration can be an illusive beast!

However there are a couple of tips that I use when I want to spark my imagination. It all starts by stopping!

STOP: ‘Seeing The Other Perspective’. Instead of looking around for something to draw, be creative, imaging what an object would see from its current location. It could be the remote on the arm of the chair or the spoon in the sink. Try to draw what you think the ‘view’ would be from that location if you were the spoon! Its a great exercise.
“The best part is, your model will never leave before you!”

Mirror: If you ever need a model to draw, then grab a handy little mirror and stand it by your monitor / pad. Then draw your portrait. Different days you will look different, perhaps tired, happy, sad, angry etc. But dont stop there. Why not try your portrait in different style. Try a Rembrandt or a Picasso style. The best part is, your model will never leave before you!

Pocket Change: Empty your pockets on to the table and draw what you had on you. It could be money, keys, pen, phone, paper clip etc. Drawing a complex arrangement like this will stimulate your mind, and give your hand a lot of practice.

Lists: You can also find many ‘lists’ of things to draw on the internet. A simple google search will give you many results.

Bear in mind however that a lot of these lists have been compiled with no progression in mind. For example, the complexity of the items early in the list are no harder than those later in the list. As artists, we should always be looking to improve our skills and challenge ourselves.

With this in mind, I have compile a list for you.

The first 10 items I would consider easy, the next 10 require slightly more skills and effort, the last 10 require you to use imagination and likely some references.

Here it is: