Roll the Dice: A Game to Kick-Start Your Creativity!

No matter how much you love drawing, and no matter how confident you feel in your abilities, you’ve probably still experienced that moment where you sit down with a pencil and a blank page and wonder where on earth to begin. We talk a lot about how great drawing is, but we rarely discuss how difficult it can be to conjure up ideas. That’s where drawing prompts come in. Prompts provide just enough direction to get us started, while leaving plenty of space for experimentation and personal interpretation.

We’ve created a dice-based drawing game with prompts designed to make drawing fun, light-hearted - and somewhat unpredictable. Instead of scrolling for inspiration or waiting for an idea to arrive, simply roll the dice and see what hilarious or unlikely scenario you have to create! These prompts work for kids and adults alike, and they're really just about helping you to warm-up and play. Because drawing really isn't that serious! And sometimes the hardest part is just getting started.

Scroll to the end of this article to download your own free printable PDF!

How these drawing prompts work

Our drawing prompts game includes four categories:

• Subject: Who or what are you drawing?
• Action: What is happening? Give your subject something fun to do.
• Context: Set the scene! Where is your drawing taking place?
• Wildcard: An optional twist or challenge to make things even more interesting.

You’ll need two dice for the first three categories. If you want an extra challenge, roll one more time for your wildcard. Combine your results and start drawing! The combinations can be wonderfully unexpected: an octopus… tap dancing… at a tea party… drawn only with continuous line. The joy is in the randomness, and in seeing how you bring your prompt to life.

The most important thing to remember is that there’s no “right” outcome. The prompts are simply springboards to get your hand moving and your imagination flowing.

Why use prompts?

Prompts are a simple but powerful tool for:

• Breaking creative block: Randomness removes pressure and perfectionism. If you're overthinking and can't decide where to begin, it helps to have the choice taken out of the equation - it forces you to let go of control and just see what happens!
• Experimentation: Wildcards encourage trying new tools or techniques.
• Drawing with others: These prompts work brilliantly in groups with your friends and family, in classrooms, or workshops. They level the playing field and get everyone laughing, drawing, and responding in their own way.

Whether you have five minutes or an hour, a small scrap of paper or a whole sketchbook, you can dip in whenever you need a bit of inspo. The likelihood is you'll end up drawing something you never would have chosen to draw before - sometimes we just need a little nudge to push us out of our comfort zone.

The playful, unpredictable nature of the drawing prompts game appeals to a wide range of ages and abilities. Educators can use the prompts to structure sessions while keeping them open-ended. And groups can compare their different interpretations of the same prompt - always a good reminder that creativity has no single path or outcome!

What you’ll need

You will need very little for this activity! These prompts work with whatever materials you have on hand:

• Any paper or sketchbook
• Pencil, crayon, pen, biro - whatever you can find nearby that makes a mark
• And of course, you'll need dice! If you don't have dice, feel free to use an online random number generator, or just choose numbers at random.

Remember: the aim isn’t perfection. In fact, far from it! The aim is to have fun, experiment, perhaps push yourself a little outside of your comfort zone, and just get started.

We’ve put together a printable PDF with all four prompt categories for you to use at home, in the studio, in school, or at your Big Draw event. Print it, fold it, stick it on your wall - or keep it on your phone for on-the-go drawing inspiration!

If you’re looking for even more creative inspiration and playful drawing ideas, make sure to follow us on Instagram @thebigdraw!

Here are the drawing prompts below...

Subject

2: Octopus

3: Duck

4: Racoon

5: Tortoise

6: Yourself

7: Spider

8: Giraffe

9: Grandfather Clock

10: Caterpillar

11: Chameleon

12: Henry VII

Action

2: Flying

3: On a skateboard

4: Paragliding

5: Playing the bagpipes

6: Eating pancakes

7: Tap dancing

8: Blowing our birthday candles

9: Driving a race car

10: Playing the symbols

11: Doing a heist

12: Wearing a top hat

Context

2: In a supermarket

3: On top of a lighthouse

4: On the moon

5: On a ship

6: In a playground

7: At a tea party

8: On a beach

9: Under the sea

10: In an office

11: In a storm

12: At a train station

Wildcard

1: Use your non-dominant hand

2: Draw your subject 10x it’s usual size

3: Draw without taking your pen off the page

4: Make your drawing into a comic strip

5: Draw without looking at your paper

6: Use only straight lines