7 Hard Things To Draw Right Now! Test Your Drawing Skills

You think you can draw with a pencil? That we will try.

Nothing beats a tough sketch that shakes up your status quo to bring your skills to a whole new place. Ready to challenge yourself in learning? Are you already a professional and simply need a new challenge to flex your creative muscles? These 7 hard things to draw will really help and then some.

Get out your Drawlish Premium Sketch Pencils (now available at Drawlish.com) you will need them.

1. Hands in Different Poses

Hands are notoriously tricky. With all those joints, curves, and angles, it’s easy to go from realistic to robotic. Try drawing hands holding objects, reaching out, or overlapping fingers. It’s frustrating but super rewarding.

Challenge tip: Use your own hand as a live reference!

2. Glass or Transparent Objects

Drawing clear glass means capturing reflections, shadows, and highlights without hard outlines. Whether it's a wine glass or a jar of water, this will force you to master light and contrast.

Bonus: Use your softest Drawlish pencil for those subtle shadows.

3. Hyper-Realistic Eye

A detailed, hyper-realistic eye demands precision, patience, and top-notch shading. You'll work with fine lines, gradients, reflections, and even veins to bring it to life.

Pro tip: Try layering with different graphite grades from your Drawlish pencil set to control depth.

4. Mechanical Gears or Machines

This one’s for the detail-lovers. Drawing intricate gears or engines challenges your ability to understand and replicate complex forms and perspectives.

Artist tip: Sketch lightly first, then add shadows to define structure and layering.

5. Fabric and Folds

Clothing, curtains, or crumpled sheets drawing fabric requires you to study how light interacts with folds and textures. It's a next-level shading exercise.

Hint: Start with a simple draped scarf and work your way up.

6. Animal Fur or Feathers

Whether it's a lion’s mane or a bird’s wing, drawing fur or feathers teaches control, patience, and movement. It’s all about layering and tiny, deliberate strokes.

Tool tip: Your Drawlish hard-grade pencils are perfect for fine textures.

7. Urban Street Scenes

Architecture, people, signs, perspective lines, shadows and urban scenes are a huge challenge. But they’re also incredibly rewarding and perfect for story-rich sketches.

Starter idea: Sketch a quiet alleyway or your local street corner and add tiny details that bring it to life.

Ready to Draw?

Every artist needs the right tools for tough challenges. That’s where Drawlish Premium Sketch Pencils shine. From soft blends to crisp detail, this pencil set gives you the control you need to tackle any of these complex drawing ideas.