1000 Random Things For Sketching
70How I Got the Idea
I have found that all of us favor certain subjects when we are drawing. Take for example two of my high school friends. She loved horses and drew horses every chance she got. He loved motorcycles and cars and made amazing drawings of them. Both of them were specialists in their interests. But if they had to draw anything else, it was another story.
I ran into this problem recently when I was facepainting. As long as the kid wanted a rabbit or a flower or a star or a mermaid, I was able to do a great job. But then a kid wanted a motorcycle. I couldn't even remember how a motorcycle differed from a bicycle. My painting was pretty lame. They were satisfied but I wasn't.
So today I was driving along thinking about it and I decided to make a list of 100 random things that I would try to doodle from memory and if memory fails, I'll have to do some research. Then I thought why stop at 100, why not make it 1000? That would be a real challenge and really hone my drawing skills. This will be useful to all you cartoonists and caricaturists out there too. Print out the list, tape it to a wall and throw a dart at it, and draw whatever it lands on. Or, cut each word out and toss them in a jar and draw one at random. Keep the jar on your drawing table and use them when you do warm up exercises. Have fun with it and share them with us if you want to.
And to make it even more interesting I'm going to add a list of 100 adjectives. So then you can not only doodle a biker, but you could doodle a silly biker, or a mean biker or a fancy biker. That opens up all new possibilities.
Also, some of the words are going to lend themselves to different interpretations. For example the word 'grill' could mean a bar-b-que grill, a car grill or the grill on a helm.
And now I have a list to make.
Paint ordinary objects
1000 Things 1-100
This reminds of that game 1000 Blank White Cards.
1. dog
2. fish
3. alligator
4. frog
5. motorcycle
6. hot air balloon
7. blimp
8. gopher
9. daisy
10. goldminer
11. handpuppet
12. kittens
13. gourd
14. water bottle
15. kite
16. owl
17. tooth
18. bow and arrow
19. lumberjack
20. trapeze artist
21. bicycle
22. penny farthing
23. unicycle
24. betta
25. grandfather clock
26. blimp
27. couple
28. Bollywood
29. clown
30. airplane
31. cigar
32. sunhat
33. racehorse
34. donkey
35. marionette
36. bathtub
37. pothole
38. poodle
39. cup
40. farmer's market
41. souffle
42. tattoo
43. candle
44. arm
45. grapes
46. hens
47. armchair
48. shield
49. deck of cards
50. witch
51. seaserpent
52. alcoholic
53. dragon
54. skunk
55. lance
56. doctor
57. shovel
58. worm
59. nurse
60. caterpillar
61. hummingbird
62. DVD player
63. carnation
64. milk
65. jogger
66. sled
67. snowman
68. dart
69. caveman
70. secretary
71. racetrack
72. spaceship
73. office building
74. ski resort
75. monkey
76. lizard
77. toilet
78. crackers
79. toast
80. waffles
81. chimney
82. caramel apple
83. carnival
84. cotton candy
85. sox
86. porridge
87. gingerbread house
88. pine tree
89. onion
90. love
91. bacon
92. sweater
93. flamenco dancer
94. butterfly
95. sponge
96. sofa
97. rocket
98. hedgehog
99. rattlesnake
100. pumpkin
Grab your sketchbook
1000 things 101-200
101. bug
102. pocketwatch
103. tadpole
104. oven
105. luxury car
106. joshua tree
107. ribbon
108. turtle
109. basket
110. jockey
111. cruise ship
112. wax
113. iceberg
114. garden
115. trellis
116. swimming pool
117. chair
118. electric guitar
119. pie
120. yo-yo
121. socket wrench
122. basketball
123. hammer
124. Edsel
125. scooter
126. water-wings
127. bunny slippers
128. toboggan
129. pizza
130. alpaca
131. burro
132. crab
133. archer
134. badger
135. soda
136. persimmon
137. bounce castle
138. men's tie
139. jabot
140. poncho
141. lollipop
142. fork
143. camera
144. stocking
145. yarn
146. necklace
147. crown
148. gorilla
149. eyeball
150. wand
151. mermaid
152. orangutan
153. ferns
154. UFO
155. pimple
156. toad
157. shirt
158. boots
159. cowboy
160. catamaran
161. kayak
162. highland games
163. scuba gear
164. cactus
165. ace
166. crescent moon
167. croissant
168. bbq
169. moped
170. shower
171. waterfall
172. puddle
173. rainbow
174. rainstorm
175. pencil
176. pocket
177. goldfish
178. bikini
179. fire engine
180. burglar
181. checkerboard
182. bubbles
183. elf
184. gargoyle
185. monster
186. tango
187. stethoscope
188. football
189. shishkabob
190. prunes
191. cereal
192. sleeve
193. record player
194. radio
195. jukebox
196. candycane
197. brick wall
198. kiln
199. dock
200. surfer
Dragon egg gourd
201-300
201. widget
202. gizmo
203. invention
204. bank
205. jungle
206. chandelier
207. piggy bank
208. ballroom
209. belly dancer
210. judge
210. mortician
211. badge
212. alarm clock
213. hairbrush
214. cement mixer
215. dump truck
216. bulldozer
217. sewer
218. plumbing
219. escalator
220. package
221. present
222. robot
223. dresser
224. mailbox
225. flag
226. meatballs
227. ledge
228. mafia
229. contest
230. hose
231. catapult
232. knife
233. shoulders
234. soldier
235. stampede
236. rubberstamp
237. alien
238. broom
239. yawn
240. hobo
241. powwow
242. teepee
243. campsite
244. bubblewand
245. steampunk
245. muffin hat
245. surrey
246. space station
247. gibbon
248. tazmanian devil
249. doughboy
250. trumpet
251. New Orleans
252. tenement
253. flaming dice
254. pitchfork
255. hopscotch
246. sock hop
247. bobby sox
248. weight lifter
249. pug
250. boxer
251. hot springs
252. resort
253. inner tube
254. blacksmith
255. anvil
256. sledgehammer
257. cave
258. bats
259. bell
260. mushrooms
261. surgeon
262. hang glider
263. parasail
264. tennies
265. racketball
266. skydiver
267. parsley
268. sausages
269. bakery
270. angelfish
271. hammerhead shark
272. tuna
273. onion
274. teaparty
275. spade
276. awl
277. musket
278. musk ox
279. farmer
280. tractor
281. bungee jumper
282. snob
283. pizza tossing
284. crab basket
285. galaxy
286. comet
287. asteroid
288. zucchini
289. tortoise
290. sea cucumber
291. jellyfish
292. Chinese junk
293. yo-yo
294. honey
295. girl detective
296. beads
297. coins
298. doves
299. pod
300. bucket bass
Jester
301-400
301. IPOD
302. fly
303. moth
304. squid
305. cake
306. octopus
307. mad scientist
308. hat
309. lipstick
310. hypnotist
311. referee
312. dentist
313. bracelet
314. newspaper
315. businesswoman
316. eyeglasses
317. archway
318. bridge
319. lamb
320. mastodon
321. velociraptor
322. pteradactyl
323. mammoth
324. swimmer
325. ghoul
326. medal
327. grandstand
328. stadium
329. powderpuff
330. hillbilly
331. tomato
332. horseshoes
333. mirror
334. dagger
335. grill
336. fiddle
337. sword
338. tiger
339. houseplant
340. porchswing
341. firefly
342. dragonfly
343. moat
344. sailboat
345. bagpipes
346. knight
347. handbag
348. biker
349. porcupine
350. city slicker
351. trampoline
352. spy
353. rotary telephone
354. sushi
355. dynomite
356. crystal ball
357. guru
358. peach
359. bling
360. skull
361. spoon
362. iron
363. blacksmith
364. coyote
365. muffin
366. kangaroo
367. platypus
368. dingo
369. hunter
370. pooltable
371. jester
372. pickle
373. fingerpuppet
374. axe
375. donut
376. wench
377. bucket
378. earrings
379. pirate
380. ladder
381. spotlight
382. helicopter
383. guillotine
384. spork
385. beer
386. spooks
387. cemetary
388. vampire
389. torpedo
390. circus tent
391. lemon
392. monocle
393. baboon
394. wallet
395. cyclops
396. duck
397. tourist
398. statue
399. miniature horse
400. fabric
Pastels
401-500
401. cuttlefish
402. anchovies
403. cardigan
404. carousel
405. baby booties
406. rattle
407. rattlesnake
408.soup spoon
409. fertilizer
410. Mars
411. models
412. pygmy
413. circus
414. judge
415. puppeteer
416. Mt. Everest
417. Mt. Fuji
418. albatross
419. crossbow
420. trebuchet
421. arquebus
422. vacuum
423. skydiver
424. bracelet
425. tiara
426. wisdom tooth
427. tooth fairy
428. brownie
429. centaur
430. pumpkin farm
431. bingo
432. turntable
433. glaze
434. hog pen
435. haystack
436. chef's hat
437. bbq pit
438. solar oven
439. boxing gloves
440. swing dancers
441. go-go dancer
442. ice skater
443. sock monkey
444. argyle socks
445. golf clubs
446. quicksand
447. quarry
448. tattoo parlor
449. surfer
450. stray dog
451. zig-zag
452. typist
453. manual typewriter
454. stereoscope
455. wristwatch
456. Mr. Sandman
457. checkers
458. mints
459. creature
460. angelfood cake
461. gauntlet
462. jigsaw puzzle
463. skeleton
464. deer skull
465. candelabra
466. cafetorium
467. moose
468. slingshot
469. pickup truck
470. chopper
471. chompers
472. cricket
473. envelope
474. Valentine
475. skunk
476. okra
477. chook
478. henhouse
479. scoop
480. moss
481. blood
482. highjumper
483. sixgun
484. drain
485. hypnotist
486. trampoline
487. radar
488. liposuction
489. x-ray
490. noodles
491. lemur
492. lightning
493. mud puddle
494. road construction
495. offramp
496. roadrunner
497. tropical bird
498. trenchcoat
499. pickaxe
500. snowshovel
Original painting by Fayme Harper
501-600
501. starlet
502. razor
503. treasure
504. boardgame
505. raffle
506. anemone
507. sandcrab
508. grub
509. grits
510. crawdad
511. seal
512. caterpillar
513. spaghetti
514. treeswing
515. mugwort
516. shutters
517. Model A Ford
518. tinfoil
519. peppermint
520. pepper spray
521. hairspray
522. judo
523. javelina
524. mushrooms
525. snickerdoodles
526. outlaw
527. burglar
528. grenade
529. corn cob pipe
530. porcupine
531. grenadier
532. spuds
533. opossum
534. coyote
535. shuffleboard
536. quirt
537. boccie ball
538. baseball diamond
539. crown and ceptor
540. bandolier
541. stuffed toy
542. tot
543. crib
544. toast
545. caviar
546. slide
547. ficus
548. fig
549. mimosa
550. pimp
551. lipstick
552. swimming pool
553. hearing aid
554. grandpa
555. shoelaces
556. spiderplant
557. spring
558. whip
559. chariot
560. steeplechase
561. foxtrot
562. harness
563. flint
564. gourd banjo
565. amoeba
566. tortoise
567. peg
568. clothesline
569. couple
570. raisins
571. pocketknife
572. saw
573. trousers
574. overalls
575. painter
576. biologist
577. toesocks
578. crimpers
579. labradoodle
580. slideruler
581. geek
582. nerd
583. sewing needle
584. pots
585. joker
586. train
587. caboose
588. sling
589. rollercoaster
590. punk
591. slug
592. revolver
593. pogo-stick
594. yoga
595. streetsweeper
596. charcoal
597. fabric
598. jellyfish
599. spork
600. brick wall
601-700
601. psychiatrist
602. optomitrist
603. cork
604. ship in a bottle
605. oven mitts
606. contraption
607. zipline
608. equestrian
609. flatbread
610. skilift
611. St. Bernard
612. spelunkers
613. sinner
614. chiropractor
615. shepard
616. goose
617. amulet
618. planchette
619. man-o-war
620. clippership
621. hostel
622. hostages
623. buttons
624. bunkbed
625. squeaky toy
626. dodo bird
627. emu
628. digeridoo
629. lasagna
630. babysitter
631. nest
632. cobwebs
633. fedora
634. shuttle
635. bobbin
636. tea
637. nets
638. pail
639. dredge
640. dwarf
641. giant
642. grabber
643. bifocals
644. besom
645. cliff
646. tidepool
647. steamengine
648. horsefly
649. grasshopper
650. skipper
651. skiff
652. cattle
653. cattle brand
654. corral
655. duvet
656. gnome
657. mine
658. icicles
659. tandem bicycle
660. rickshaw
661. vardo
662. vanner
663. popsicles
664. horseshoe
665. puck
666. mustang
667. landslide
668. crusades
669. toupee
670. vambraces
671. wig
672. quarterhorse
673. mantel
674. gorget
675. filly
676. blinders
677. shield
678. spindle
679. quilt
680. creek
681. pecan pie
682. raven
683. swallowtail butterfly
684. zinnias
685. locket
686. used bookstore
687. coral reef
688. snails
689. taco
690. gingerbread man
691. cast iron skillet
692. iron
693. spare tire
694. waxed paper
695. clothespin
696. fraction
697. terrier
698. caymen
699. binoculars
700. glockenspiel
Monoprint
701-800
701. bustier
702. sun
703. moon
704. peasant
705. monolith
706. thermometer
707. stump
708. termite
709. beehive
710. stilettos
711. canyon
712. aviary
713. saguaro
714. arboretum
715. muffler
716. snowshoes
717. inner tube
718. magic carpet
719. potato bug
720. pitcher
721. tulips
722. charms
723. sanctuary
723. tapers
724. tubers
726. pinhole camera
727. buttonhook
728. basket
729. feast
730. barrel
731. sandwich board
732. jack in the box
733. smuggler
734. oil lamp
735. valance
736. monkey bars
737. mackarel
738. life jacket
739. pinata
740. gondola
741. moonbow
742. drums
743. cornet
744. iceberg
745. rug
746. cheese
747. bamboo
748. chimney
749. crockpot
750. crackpot
751. potluck
752. spheres
753. swinging bridge
754. spiral staircase
755. parsnip
756. Paris
757. fondue
758. absinthe
759. Rome
760. wooden shoes
761. viking ship
762. ramp
763. succulent
764. billy goat
765. raft
767. curds and whey
768. dreads
769. partridge
770. cabbage
771. radish
772suntan
773arm
774shoulder
775branches
776 liquid
777 gas
778 leaves
779 lacrosse
780 derby
781 gators
782 slim jim
783 pastachio
784 cranberries
785. lizard
786 iguana
787 inchworm
788 aphids
789 beer belly
790 target
791. shipwreck
792. sanddollar
793. passionflower
794, gardenia
795. Zamboni
796. pigeon
797. bladder
798. crater
799. levitator
800. Quaker
Needlepoint
801-900
801 leopard
802 giraffe
803 cougar
804 hippo
805 walrus
806 aircraft carrier
807 soldier
808 nun
809 mattress
810 sailing
811 ocean
812 sunset
813 deer
814 caribou
815 reindeer
816 chickadee
817 grouse
818 sparrow
819 swallow
820 shelter
821 film
822 geyser
823 kumquat
824 prunes
825 cypress
826 thicket
827 sagebrush
828 shadow
829 mockingbird
830 finch
831 parakeet
832 cherries
833 berries
834 spinach
835 musket
836 muskrat
837 prairie dog
838 tumbler
839 aces
840 faces
841. case
842. lace
843. mace
844. sheetrock
845. sheet
846. bikini
847. cuffs
848. toeshoes
849. spirit gum
850. eraser
851. instigator
852 prestidigitator
853 illusionist
854 mentalist
855 corkscrew
856 liar
857. evildoer
858. victim
859 wreck
860 showboat
861 bowtie
862 sandals
863 champagne flutes
864 crepes
865 drapes
866 apes
867 hustler
868 duster
869 jacket
870. fascinator
871. conveyor belt
872. pelt
873. lumbermill
874. block
875. stock
876. shock
877. pawn shop
878. tagger
879 nag
880 rag bag
881. pianist
882. blues singer
883. ragman
884. mackintosh
885. galoshes
886. wool
887. leather
888. felt
889. cardboard
890. sugar
891. curlers
892. doctor
893. nurse
894. mugger
895. lawyer
896. slavedriver
897. pacifist
898. shallots
899. califlower
900. kale
901-1000
901. scotch
902. collar
903. mercury
904. silicone
905. dust mask
906. platelet
907. veins
908. eyeballs
909. elastic
910. toolbelt
911. carrot
912. karat
913. duplicate
914. triplets
915. triad
916. triangle
917. trickster
918. treat-or-treaters
919. minnows
920. daisies
921, snowglobe
922. globetrotter
923, jet
924. jouster
925. bowler
926. bowling alley
927. ankle
928. knee socks
929. ribbons
930. leather
931. felt
932. cardboard
934. sugar
935. curlers
936. doctor
937. nurse
938. mugger
939. lawyer
940. slavedriver
941. pacifist
942. shallots
943. califlower
944. kale
945. scotch
946. collar
947. mercury
948. silicone
949. dust mask
950. platelet
951. veins
952. eyeballs
953. elastic
954. carrot
955. karat
956. duplicate
957. triplets
958. triad
959. triangle
960. trickster
961. treat-or-treaters
962. minnows
963. daisies
964. snowglobe
965. globetrotter
966. jet
967. jouster
968. bowler
967. ankle
968. knee socks
969. ribbons
970. dojo
971. cradle
972. ambulance
973. highlighter
974. smorgasbord
975. swiss cheese
976. underwear
977. clone
978. zither
979. gathering
980. stargazer
981. embroidery
982. tapestry
983. lunatic
984. starcrossed lovers
985. whippet
986. beach umbrella
987. mountain range
988. skipjack
989. piglet
990. warrior
991. lungs
992. scimitar
993. haversack
994. Shuriken
995. hobo
996. celery
997. sitar
998. jury
999. boxcar
1000. star-crossed lovers
Acrylic painting
100 Random Adjectives & Adverbs
Pair these with the nouns and you'll open up all kinds of new drawing possibilities.
1. silly
2. funny
3. dark
4. serious
5. happy
6. old
7. ugly
8. beautiful
9. fascinating
10. unpredictable
11. smooth
12. frantic
13. talkative
14. busy
15. contemplative
16. slippery
17. young
18. graceful
19. comic
20. tragic
21. impossible
22. gregarious
23. quiet
24. ludicrous
25. curvaceous
26. bitter
27. lonely
28. dreamy
29. unpredictable
30. massive
31. tasty
32. quick
33. understanding
34. deadly
35. cautious
36. mysterious
37. brilliant
38. simple
39. complex
40. nervous
41. incredible
42. smart
43. rusty
44. cranky
45. polite
46. striped
47. spotted
48. wonderful
49. plaid
50. grumpy
51. lovely
52. wondrous
53. interesting
54. dead
55. lively
56. lonely
57. pimply
58. sneaky
59. shiny
60. swift
61. old-fashioned
62. retro
63. Victorian
64. Medieval
65. stumpy
66. elongated
67. pesky
68. loving
69. complicated
70. slippery
71. crabby
72. crafty
73. crooked
74. straight
75. boxy
76. pale
77. empty
78. dumpy
79. grooved
80. stark
81. arrogant
82. drunken
83. plump
84. angelic
85. talkative
86. bouncy
87. bubbly
88. spunky
89. quirky
90. spooky
91. tender
92. quick
93. odd
94. hostile
95. secretive
96. petty
97. greedy
98. lustful
99. quiet
100. stunning
Seascape
A little help here
If I accidentally put the same word twice, please let me know so I can fix it. Ditto if I've missed any numbers or gotten them in the wrong order. Thanks.
My daily arts & crafts blog
- Achoo to You Too
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I'm fighting off a miserable head cold. Right before it got the better of me I did manage to cut out a new purse and a stuffed elephant out of some cool prints I got at M & L Fabrics near my house. And I already have an idea for another patchwork purse in red with Asian prints. So many projects, so little time. Right now all I feel well enough to do is type on the computer and read novels. I'm behind on Nanowrimo now and haven't written a thing in two days. It's one thing to write a blog post. No pressure there. It's trickier to figure out what the characters in my novel are supposed to be doing next. One is having a baby, one is being held by kidnappers, one is learning to play violin, and they just got 5 new cats for their house. Things are getting more complicated by the minute. I'm not even to the halfway point of 25,000 words and the thing ends Nov. 30. Sigh. The photo is of me last Sunday at the archery gathering writing my novel long hand in my journal. Sometimes I feel bad I can't afford a laptop, but then I remind myself that Shakespeare didn't have a laptop and he did okay for himself.
- Pasadena Bowyers Gathering
Today sure had it's ups and downs. Right now I'm just tired. I took photos at the Pasadena archery range but I won't be posting them tonight. There seemed to be a lot of dogs and horses there today. And tonight when we were driving through Arcadia I saw 2 raccoons by the street. I also heard a bullfrog today. At the archery range I worked on beading a hat and knitting a rug. At one point my hands were too cold to do much of anything. About then we decided to pack it in and go somewhere warmer. My friends Roland and Merikan worked on their basket quivers. Most people were working on bows. We always take way more than we have time to work on. Aimee showed us a beaded medicine pouch she'd picked up at a Fresno shoot. I wish we could go to the Fresno shoot but it's just too far from Anaheim for us to go.
- Four New Paintings
I'm supposed to be working on my Nanowrimo novel, so of course all I want to do is paint. I've done four paintings in two days to try out my new watercolor crayons. I like the little girl in the snow the best. It's called 'Snow Day'. Next time I'll tape the paper down to a board first so it won't curl as much. These were all painted with a combination of watercolor crayons, watercolor pencils and white acrylic paint. They dry quickly. They are in a folk art or naive style. Ironically, once you've learned to paint in art classes, it's harder to go back and paint in a primitive style and throw proportions to the wind.
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
Thanks Rodney. I think this could lead to good things.
Interesting hub. :)
Very clever idea! If you drew one every day it would take you almost three years!! Better get drawing!
wow!
Good hub here with plenty of tips on keeping all the fanatics so so entertained.Thanks for the great Hub! Such a cool and nice to glance up this site.. Good hub here with plenty of tips on keeping kiddies entertained. It cultivates and uplifts a rocking skill in us..
how do you draw adjectives? Sounds a bit like a cranium challenge.
Maritimer, can you tell me which one you are asking about specifically?














rodney southern says:
16 months ago
A drawing paradise! Great idea and I will keep this saved! Great idea!