20 Pencil Art Drawing Ideas to Inspire You

If you're an artist or an aspiring artist looking for pencil art drawings and ideas look no further. I've rounded up 20 pencil art drawings for you to use for inspiration.

You'll notice there are some great sketches in this collection. You may be wondering why you should even sketch in the first place.

Have you ever heard someone say that when you're writing a first draft, you shouldn't worry about spelling and grammar errors? That the first draft is just for getting your thoughts out?

The same concept applies to sketching.

Sketching your ideas is the first step in the design process, and is something that every artist should do.

When you sketch, it doesn't have to be perfect. The purpose of your sketches is to get your ideas out quickly.

Don't worry about erasing, or trying to make sure that everything is just right.

Your main focus should be getting your ideas out uninterrupted.

Choosing Your Pencils

Before you begin your drawing, it's important that you choose the right pencil.

If you're new to sketching and aren't sure what pencil grade to start with, I recommend starting your sketch with a pencil on the H scale.

You can finish off your drawing with a darker pencil grade, such as a pencil on the B scale.

Mermaid Sketch

If you're interested in drawing a mermaid, this sketch of a mermaid is a great reference for you to use.

Credit: weheartit

Quick Sketch

Here you can see why it's important to get your sketch on paper without worrying about erasing any mistakes or making it perfect.

Now that the general idea has been put on paper, you can start fine tuning your drawing.

Credit: weheartit

Use a Blending Stump

It can be difficult to get a good blend with pencils. However, you can create a smooth bleeding effect by using a blending stump.

Blending stumps are great for smudging graphite and charcoal.

Hairstyles From Behind

These drawings show you different hairstyles and how they would look from behind.

Doing something like this would be great practice for drawing hair from different angles.

Credit: weheartit

Feminine Features

If you want to practice drawing feminine features, you can create a sketch of a woman with beautiful eyebrows, eyes and eyelashes, a nose and lips.

Credit: weheartit

Try Not to Smudge

If you can, avoid smudging your drawing. You can place a piece of paper underneath your hand to minimize how much your hand smudges your drawing.

This will help ensure you have a clean looking drawing once it's complete.

Remember, you can use smudging to your advantage to smooth out your shading.

The Mouth

These drawings make great references for drawing the mouth. What I love is that you get to see the month from different angles making different expressions.

Credit: weheartit

Quick Girl Sketch

This quick sketch of a girl is great practice for drawing your female characters. love the addition of the freckles along the nose and cheeks.

Credit: weheartit

Don't Blend with Your Fingers

Once it's time to blend, try not to blend with your fingers.

When you blend with your fingers, the oils from your skin will transfer to the paper and may affect the look of your drawing.

Again, I recommend blending stumps for blending your work.

Bird and Flowers

I thought it would be nice to also include drawings of animals. This bird actually has flowers coming out of it's wings. What a beautiful drawing.

Credit: weheartit

Deer and Antlers

Here's a beautiful piece of art that would look amazing framed and hanging on the wall in your home. I love how the antlers tell a story.

Credit: weheartit

Practice Sketching Daily

If you want to get better at sketching, the best thing you can do is practice daily.

I recommend setting aside an hour every day to sketch. Don't worry about your work being perfect. It will get better naturally the more you practice.

Beautiful Girl

Here's a great sketch of a beautiful girl. Again, this is another drawing that's perfect for anyone who needs female sketch references.

Credit: weheartit

Owl at Night

This beautiful drawing features an owl sitting on a tree branch in the evening. This pencil art includes stunning details and is really a work of art.

Credit: weheartit

Girl with Bird in Hair

I'm loving this drawing of a girl with a bird holding her hair. I find this to be so creative and beautiful. This would look great with a hint of color.

Credit: poeticamenteflor

Practice Blind Contour Drawing

Blind contour drawing is the practice of drawing the contour of a subject without looking down at the paper.

Blind contour drawing is helpful because it trains the eyes and hand to work as a team.

It always helps the artist see all the details of the subject.

Hand Reference

We all know how challenging it can be to draw hands. Especially as a beginner.

If you're looking for more hand references, check out my post 19+ Hand Drawing Ideas and References.

Credit: weheartit

Woman Looking Towards Sky

As an artist, it's good to practice drawing your characters from different angles. Consider drawing one of you characters looking away, or looking towards the sky.

Credit: weheartit

Add Color

Adding color to your drawing can be a great way to make your drawing stand out.

You can use colored pencils, pastels, or even watercolor paint to add some color to your drawing.

Flowers on Cheeks

Here's a beautiful drawing of a woman. I love the creative addition of the flowers drawn on her cheeks. This artist did a great job with the eyebrows too.

Credit: unknown

How to Draw a Mouth, Nose and Eyes

If you struggle with drawing the mouth, nose, and eyes, try using this step-by-step tutorial to assist you. With practice, you will make great improvements.

Credit: weheartit

Girl with Straight Hair

This sketch is great references for drawing bold facial features and hair that flows realistically.

There's even a nice addition of a hoop earring to help the picture stand out.

Credit: art.istratova

Chadwick Boseman

If you are a fan of Chadwick Boseman, pay homage to this talented actor by creating your own drawing of him. This would look wonderful hanging on your wall.

Credit: marcominiacs

Use the Grid Method

The grid method involves drawing a grid over your reference photo and then lightlhy drawing the grid on your drawing paper to scale.

The grid method will help with the placement of your drawing. It will give you a reference point between the photo and your canvas.

Tea with Flowers

This beautiful drawing is simple and so fun to recreate. I think adding a bit of color would give this a unique look.

Credit: poeticamenteflor

Trendy Girl

This sketch features a trendy girl. I call her trendy because she has a nose piercing, freckles, and moon drawn on her face.

Credit: _danvillablanca

Realistic Eyes

This drawing is definitely advanced. If you consider yourself an advanced artists, try your hands at using this as reference for drawing realistic eyes.

Credit: shierly_arts

Beginner Friendly Sketch

Here's a sketch of a girl that I consider to be a bit more beginner-friendly. If you're new to sketching woman, this photo would make a great reference for you to follow.

Credit: mikikondooooooooo

Stylish Girl

This is one of my favorite sketches in this collection. I love how much detail has been added to the drawing. I also really like the expression on the girls face. This picture tells a story.

Credit: weheartit

I hope you were able to find some inspiration with the pencil art drawing ideas in this post.