Drawing Prompts and Challenges - September 2023

Are you looking for inspiration? Maybe you know that feeling of wanting to draw but struggling to come up with an idea of what to create.

I'm right there with you. But since being creative is my job, over the years, I developed a few tricks to help you beat creative block and get back into the creative flow no matter what life throws at you.

Because sometimes, as creatives, we all got to take matters into our own hands and drag inspiration right out of its hiding hole. I have decided to start this blog series and share these tricks with you together with a list of fun prompts and art challenges.

Art Prompts for September 2022

Colors

1. Sisal #DBD0C4

2. Copper #C6813F

3. Hemlock#56523C

4. Orange Roughy #D24E1B

5. Shilo #E3A695

Creatures Real and Fantastic

1. Fox

2. Jackalope

3. Hedgehog

4. Owl

5. Deer

Objects and Plants

1. Sunflower

2. Ferns

3. Mushrooms

4. Lantern

5. Umbrella

Activities

1. Reading

2. Drinking Tea

3. By the Fire / Candlelight

4. Exploring the Wilderness

5. Stargazing

Character Building

1. Tall

2. In tune with nature

3. Mysterious

4. Long hair

5. Gentle

Sometimes a prompt is not enough to spark your imagination, but you can use some fun incentives to get the creative juices flowing even faster.

September Art Challenge

Create one or more art pieces of any kind using one or more prompts from the list. You can use any digital software like Procreate or Photoshop, or any traditional medium.

You can email me or tag me on social media with your submission for a chance to win some goodies. Make sure to add the hashtag #serenaartchallenge so I can see your post.

Optional Challenge Theme:

This month challenge theme is dedicated to all things and activities to rest and recharge no matter where you are in the world.

I've recently moved back to the UK from Italy, which was quite stressful. So i tried to fill my spare time with things that inspire and make me happy, which is helping me a lot to keep sanity during this big transition. 

So for this challenge, try thinking or things that make you feel good, and perhaps try to dedicate some time to these activities. As Alex Soojung-Kim Pang says in his book: "Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less", taking small breaks instead of forcing yourself to work can make you more productive and do wonders to boost your inspiration.

Optional Theme Examples: Walking in nature, reading fiction, drinking green tea, snuggling up with your pet, sky diving, swordsmithing, whatever your happy thing is!

Art Block Busting Tip of the Month

One of the best ways to make sure you never run out of ideas is to keep a library of thumbnails or pictures that come up while you are inspired.

I like to keep a folder full of quickly jot down doodles on my iPad, paper sketchbook and PC so that I can always go back and pick one to finish on days where inspiration is not sticking, or I am a bit tired.

I like to call all these collections of thumbnails my Ugly Sketchbooks, and they are one of my biggest secrets for constantly coming up with something to draw.

If this isn’t a particularly inspired moment for you, but next time you have a moment of creative insight, you can try to take a note and put it in a dedicated place where you can easily access it. If you do this often enough, you will have a stack of ideas to draw from in no time.

Want to make sure you never run out of inspiration? You get new prompts delivered directly to your inbox every month by signing up below.