By: Author Lillie Marshall
Posted on Last updated:
Sometimes we all need a little happy sweetness in our lives: a chance to say, “Aww! So cute!” To that end, here is a big and bubbly list of 24 cute drawing ideas — easy, simple sketching prompts — to get your pencil or pen moving across the page (or digital art screen, as the case may be).
These easy, cute drawings include fluffy animals, characters with hilarious expressions, and food and cool natural objects personified into life. Each of these tutorials was hand-created by me, Lillie Marshall, an artist and teacher, and comes with instructions, as well as giggle-worthy commentary.
The quick and simple drawing prompts here are for kids and adults alike — any age can enjoy, from a teenage virtuoso to an elder beginner. I’m always adding to this list, so feel free to submit your own adorable drawing ideas!
Cute Drawing Ideas
See easy, cute drawing ideas here for all ages to get your creativity going. Clicking the button under any prompt to see the simple tutorial lessons for each.
1
Ink an Umbrella
What could be more cheerful than a brightly colored, smiling umbrella protecting you from the storm? Yay! Learn how to sketch it here.
2
Make a Cute Snail Drawing
Here are my deep thoughts (and tutorial) about how to draw a snail... but there's one problem: it turns out that to make the snail cuter, I accidentally changed something about the animal! See what, here.
3
Create Clouds
Here are three different easy ways to draw clouds: from happy and fluffy, to stormy, to semi-realistic.
4
Make a Mushroom Drawing
Learn how to make a cute mushroom drawing in an easy cartoon style by two different methods. I think these fungi are so fun!
5
Have Fun with Frogs
Get insights on what aspects of frog anatomy to emphasize for maximum fun. Hint: Those giant squatting legs are a hoot!
6
Sketch an Octopus
Rainbow octopus? Why not! Learn tips on easy cephalopod drawing here.
7
Personify Nature
Think of something in the natural world (in my example, I used the wind, a cloud, and a tree), and give it personified personality by adding cute googly eyes and expressive eyebrows, mouth, and positioning!
8
Draw a Sea Urchin
Learn three easy ways to draw spiky sea urchins -- along with shocking facts about where their eyes really are.
9
Make a Monster With a Problem
There is something so cute about frustrated, fluffy monsters! In my example here, the monster is trying to stop snacking at night. How will he solve his problem?
10
Create a Candle
This fiery little candle is ready to light up your artistic fire!
11
Make a Mermaid Tail
Sketching a whole mermaid is fun, but the mermaid tail is particularly exciting. See tips on how to create the scales and shading here.
12
Cute Food Drawings
See my big round-up here of tutorials for lots of cute food drawings, including a pumpkin, candy, and more.
13
Create a SUPER Shaggy Animal
Cuteness and fluffy hair are correlated! Pick an animal (in my case here, a sheep), and draw it with as much fur as imaginable. You'll know you've succeeded if, when the picture is done, you want to nuzzle your face into all that fluff.
14
Make a Random Food Smile
Draw a food (like a pear, or, in my example here, bread rolls) and sketch eyes and a big, friendly smile on it! Though I'm not really sure you'd actually want to eat a roll that says hello to you, it's still awfully cute to gaze upon.
15
Sketch a Small Character Near a Big One
A great trick of creating humor through art is to juxtapose (contrast) a big thing with a tiny one. In my example cartoon here, a small girl is powerfully standing up to a hulking dragon.
16
Put an Unexpected Thing Somewhere
Continuing with the theme of juxtaposition, placing an unexpected object or thing in a setting it's not usually found can be very cute if done right. In my example here, the wide-eyed frog is sitting cutely on... a woman's bed!
17
Freeze the Frame in a Jump
People and animals make highly cute and funny faces when in the middle of jumping, so see if you can sketch a "freeze frame" moment from a leap, as shown in my example here with a purple whale emerging from the ocean. Indicate the movement of the jump with lines.
18
Sketch a Sweet Kiddo
We can't have a list of cute drawings without the prompt of drawing a sweet little child, can we?! The key to the cuteness for kid cartoons is large, wide eyes with a shine them: achieved by leaving a sliver of white in the pupil to show the reflection. Bonus points for adorable tiny bodies to go with the big heads!
19
Cute Animal Drawings
See the big round-up of ALL my animal drawing tutorials, including how to sketch a bat, pumpkin, spider, and more.
20
Make Something Spiky Cute
Contrasting a funny little hat with a spiky body (like a cactus or, shown here, sea urchin) is a sure path to cuteness. Spikes can be pretty easy to sketch by using zig zag lines in and out, or drawing individual needle lines.
21
Cute Hat Drawing
Here's an idea: How many different kinds of cute hats can you draw? There are so many adorable options!
22
Make an Animal Abnormally Big
As shown by this horse-sized snail, here, blowing up the size of an animal can cause comical and often cute effect. Just make sure they have a jolly expression on their face so things don't get scary.
23
Create Cute Holiday Art
Each month brings a new holiday, with delightful potential for cute, festive drawings. Get ideas here that will help with decorations and cards.
24
Draw a Precarious Situation
Sketch something or someone holding on for dear life, like this snake clinging to a stalactite! Don't worry -- you can always save them in the next frame.
25
Ok, One More Fluffy Animal...
I can't resist closing this list with the fluffiest of bunnies. May this bunny send you happily on your journey of drawing the cutest things around!
The Best Easy, Adorable Sketching Ideas
So what do you think are the most fun prompts for simple, cute drawings to make you say, “So adorable!” and squeal? I have several favorites. My first is the easy octopus drawing, because it’s adorable but takes just a few minutes of satisfyingly sliding my pen across the page. We can ignore the biological fact that the mouth of an octopus should be underneath its body and just revel in how lovely it looks.
My second favorite is tied between the wind drawings and the sad monster who just wants to eat a big slice of cake. Those giant, shiny eyes are such a fabulously cute juxtaposition with the fact that it’s supposed to be a scary monster!
Which Easy, Cute Drawing Ideas Do You Like?
Which of the cute drawing ideas on this list will you try first? Did you like the mushroom drawing? What cool, happy art prompt is missing here that I should add for simple art that makes us smile?
What other easy drawing ideas do you want me to illustrate and explain? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below, so feel free to share!
Want more ideas about art? Check out “18 Art Prompts,” “40 Creative Ideas from Around the World,” “Benefits of Drawing,” and “A Method to Make Creative Drawings.”
Lillie Marshall
The author and artist, Lillie Marshall, is a National Board Certified Teacher of English who has been a public school educator since 2003, and an experienced Reiki practitioner since 2018. All art on this site is original and hand-drawn by Lillie. She launched DrawingsOf.com Educational Cartoons in 2020, building upon the success of her other sites, AroundTheWorldL.com (established 2009), TeachingTraveling.com (founded 2010), and ReikiColors.com. Subscribe to Lillie’s monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media to stay connected!
