Looking to test your drawing skills or just want a challenge with a difficult drawing idea?
Then, this is the list of hard things to draw that you’re looking for!
I usually like to keep everything simple and give you easy ideas, but this time I decided to give you a challenge instead. So, here are the most difficult drawing ideas that you can draw right now.
Table Of Contents
Self-Portrait
Drawing a self portrait is the kind of exercise that comes up a lot in art class and I gotta say… I never enjoyed it! We’re our own worst critics, and trying to draw our own portrait proves that.
It never looks quite right, and it always feels like we’re drawing a different person altogether.
Drawing something new is always hard. But it can be even harder to draw things you look at daily. Things that you think you’re familiar with.
We put even more expectations on it. We already know our faces right? How difficult could it be?
Apparently, it can be really difficult!
However, this doesn’t need to be a boring or such a difficult task. You don’t need to draw a hyper-realistic portrait of yourself.
Why not draw a cartoony version of yourself? You can also reimagine yourself as some other creature.
There are many art styles to choose from as well.
So, if drawing something in a realistic way isn’t for you, experiment with something else and have fun with it!
Drawing human figures is one of the hardest things to draw, so a portrait is NOT the easiest thing that you can draw.
Also, if you want to get better at drawing portraits, here are some of the Best Portrait Reference Photos to use.
Horses
Horses are known to be one of the most difficult subjects to draw.
They have very complex muscles and bodies.
Getting the proportions right can be very tricky. So this one could definitely be a challenge!
I’d recommend first getting some good references so you can get more familiar with horses and how they look.
We all know how a horse looks, but not a lot of people look at them frequently and pay enough attention to draw them.
At least I know I don’t!
Now, where to get said references? Pinterest is always my go-to for this kind of thing, but there are other places that you can look:
- Unsplash
- Pexels
- X6UD (you can find all kinds of animals here!)
- Wildlife Reference Photos
And don’t worry, drawing with a reference isn’t cheating. Go use them!
The photo references will make drawing horses a little less hard to draw.
Glass
Drawing transparent materials can always be a bit of a pain. If there’s light shining on it, you’re gonna have to draw it!
That’s mostly where the trouble comes in.
But, at the same time, this is where the fun comes in as well!
Even though it can be a bit of a challenge at first, it’s always a great practice to understand light better and how to draw it.
You can also keep it as simple or as complex as you want. I have a very simple and cartoony style, so most of the time I rather keep things very minimal.
However, you can go all in and draw every single reflection and light at different intensities.
Again, I’d recommend getting some nice references that you enjoy and drawing what you see!
Even though the first tries might not be exactly as you want, practice will get you there. Just enjoy the experience.
Hands
Even though they are right in front of you most of the time, hands are known to be hard to draw!
Again, the things we look at the most, are the harder to draw. Since we think we know so much about them, we put too many expectations on ourselves.
If you want to create your own characters or draw people in general, then you’ll have to draw some hands.
No, you can’t just draw your character’s hands inside their pockets or behind their backs… believe me, I’ve tried!
But let me tell you, once you really start drawing them and understanding them better, it starts being a fun subject.
Again, believe me.
Hands used to be one of my least favorite things to draw, but once I found the method that best fits my style, things changed!
Lots of references and frequent practice made wonders and now I have much more fun drawing them.
Also, one thing you should know and this will change your life: your hand drawings don’t need to be perfect! The important thing is that they can be recognizable.
If you need some help I wrote an article on How to Draw Hands and 5 Tips for Drawing Hands, so check that out and start having some fun!
Cars
Ok, I have to be honest with you. I don’t remember when was the last time I drew a car!
But cars are very complex.
This is especially true if you’re not used to drawing mechanical objects.
When we’re used to drawing more organic subjects, moving to this subject can be very hard!
They also have quite a lot of details to get right. But as with everything, you can always start by keeping things simple.
You don’t need to draw every single detail if you don’t want to. Just draw the main parts.
The body of the car, doors, tires, mirrors, lights, and maybe even a wheel. That’s it!
Another option is to practice only the main shapes first and then, when you’re comfortable with those, start refining the car drawings more and more.
Look for different artists that you like or specific styles.
See how they draw cars. If you find something you like, try to go for something similar and see if it works for you.
If you like more than one style, then even better! Mix and match your favorite things, experiment, and see the results!
Water
Moving, still, drops of water, it doesn’t matter!
Water, just like glass, is a very difficult subject to draw. Mostly for the same reason.
There are lots of reflections on it. The light shines and reflects on it.
So, this makes water one of the hardest things to draw.
You can draw a body of water like it’s a mirror, where everything from the outside world reflects on it. Or you can draw a whole new world underneath the water.
There’s something else new at play here: distortion! Depending on whether the water is disturbed or not, whatever reflects on it is going to appear somewhat distorted.
But this is what makes drawing water so much fun!
Thinking about a subject but drawing it completely twisted and deformed. Be mild with it or go completely out of bounds, you choose!
Whenever drawing something new or difficult, always try to find something that appeals to you and have fun with that.
Not only that, but accept that the first tries might not look too good. But do not despair! Learn something with that and your next drawing will be better.
Enjoy the whole process!
Human Body
We’ve already talked about hands, but what about the rest of the human body? The human body can be very hard to draw.
There’s just a whole lot of limbs and features to draw.
Not only that but drawing every single feature separated from the body is one thing. Connecting everything? That’s a whole other matter.
For example, it’s very common for beginners artists to have some difficulty drawing the body from the waist down.
The connection between the upper body and lower body feels very weird and we tend to need some tries and practice to finally feel it’s right!
That’s why most beginner artists draw their characters up to their waist.
It’s perfectly natural, and I’ve been there too.
If you go way back to older art of mine, you’ll notice that it’s mostly portraits. Even though it’s still my favorite thing to draw, nowadays, I’ll draw whole bodies much more often.
Drawing the human body is something most of my students tend to spend some time in to get right. But there are a few ways to improve at it, so don’t give up!
Every single student of mine always ends up feeling so happy once they learn how to properly draw the figure of the human body. It’s amazing to see the quick progress.
And if you still haven’t gotten enough of these hard drawing ideas, here are 9 Amazing Pose Ideas To Draw Today (With Photos).
In case these ideas were a bit too much or you just want to relax a bit, check out this article with the best Easy Drawing Ideas.
Above all, have fun and keep on drawing!
Stock images by Depositphotos
Patricia Caldeira is the main writer here at Don Corgi. She's an art teacher with over 20.000 happy students across many platforms and courses!
Enjoy your stay and as always:
Keep on drawing!
