1000 Random Things For Sketching

I have found that all of us favor certain subjects when we are drawing. Take for example two of my high school friends. She loved horses and drew horses every chance she got. He loved motorcycles and cars and made amazing drawings of them. Both of them were specialists in their interests. But if they had to draw anything else, it was another story.

I ran into this problem recently when I was facepainting. As long as the kid wanted a rabbit or a flower or a star or a mermaid, I was able to do a great job. But then a kid wanted a motorcycle. I couldn't even remember how a motorcycle differed from a bicycle. My painting was pretty lame. They were satisfied but I wasn't.

So today I was driving along thinking about it and I decided to make a list of 100 random things that I would try to doodle from memory and if memory fails, I'll have to do some research. Then I thought why stop at 100, why not make it 1000? That would be a real challenge and really hone my drawing skills. This will be useful to all you cartoonists and caricaturists out there too. Print out the list, tape it to a wall and throw a dart at it, and draw whatever it lands on. Or, cut each word out and toss them in a jar and draw one at random. Keep the jar on your drawing table and use them when you do warm up exercises. Have fun with it and share them with us if you want to.

And to make it even more interesting I'm going to add a list of 100 adjectives. So then you can not only doodle a biker, but you could doodle a silly biker, or a mean biker or a fancy biker. That opens up all new possibilities.

Also, some of the words are going to lend themselves to different interpretations. For example the word 'grill' could mean a bar-b-que grill, a car grill or the grill on a helm.

And now I have a list to make.

This reminds of that game 1000 Blank White Cards.

1. dog

2. fish

3. alligator

4. frog

5. motorcycle

6. hot air balloon

7. blackberry

8. gopher

9. daisy

10. goldminer

11. handpuppet

12. kittens

13. gourd

14. water bottle

15. kite

16. owl

17. tooth

18. bow and arrow

19. lumberjack

20. trapeze artist

21. bicycle

22. penny farthing

23. unicycle

24. betta

25. grandfather clock

26. iron lung

27. couple

28. Bollywood

29. clown

30. airplane

31. cigar

32. sunhat

33. racehorse

34. donkey

35. marionette

36. bathtub

37. pothole

38. poodle

39. cup

40. farmer's market

41. souffle

42. tattoo

43. candle

44. arm

45. grapes

46. hens

47. armchair

48. shield

49. deck of cards

50. witch

51. sea serpent

52. alcoholic

53. dragon

54. skunk

55. lance

56. doctor

57. shovel

58. worm

59. nurse

60. caterpillar

61. hummingbird

62. DVD player

63. carnation

64. milk

65. jogger

66. sled

67. snowman

68. dart

69. caveman

70. secretary

71. racetrack

72. spaceship

73. office building

74. ski resort

75. monkey

76. lizard

77. toilet

78. crackers

79. toast

80. waffles

81. chimney

82. caramel apple

83. carnival

84. cotton candy

85. sox

86. porridge

87. gingerbread house

88. pine tree

89. shallots

90. love

91. bacon

92. sweater

93. flamenco dancer

94. butterfly

95. sponge

96. sofa

97. rocket

98. hedgehog

99. rattlesnake

100. pumpkin

101. bug

102. pocketwatch

103. tadpole

104. oven

105. luxury car

106. joshua tree

107. ribbon

108. turtle

109. basket

110. jockey

111. cruise ship

112. wax

113. iceberg

114. garden

115. trellis

116. swimming pool

117. chair

118. electric guitar

119. pie

120. ham radio

121. socket wrench

122. basketball

123. hammer

124. Edsel

125. scooter

126. water-wings

127. bunny slippers

128. toboggan

129. pizza

130. alpaca

131. burro

132. crab

133. archer

134. badger

135. soda

136. persimmon

137. bounce castle

138. men's tie

139. jabot

140. poncho

141. lollipop

142. fork

143. camera

144. stocking

145. yarn

146. necklace

147. crown

148. gorilla

149. eyeball

150. wand

151. mermaid

152. orangutan

153. ferns

154. UFO

155. pimple

156. toad

157. shirt

158. boots

159. cowboy

160. catamaran

161. kayak

162. highland games

163. scuba gear

164. cactus

165. ace

166. crescent moon

167. croissant

168. bbq

169. moped

170. shower

171. waterfall

172. puddle

173. rainbow

174. rainstorm

175. pencil

176. pocket

177. goldfish

178. bikini

179. fire engine

180. burglar

181. checkerboard

182. bubbles

183. elf

184. gargoyle

185. monster

186. tango

187. stethoscope

188. football

189. shishkabob

190. prunes

191. cereal

192. sleeve

193. record player

194. radio

195. jukebox

196. candycane

197. brick wall

198. kiln

199. dock

200. surfer

201. widget

202. gizmo

203. invention

204. bank

205. jungle

206. chandelier

207. piggy bank

208. ballroom

209. belly dancer

210. judge

210. mortician

211. badge

212. alarm clock

213. hairbrush

214. cement mixer

215. dump truck

216. bulldozer

217. sewer

218. plumbing

219. escalator

220. package

221. present

222. robot

223. dresser

224. mailbox

225. flag

226. meatballs

227. ledge

228. mafia

229. contest

230. hose

231. catapult

232. knife

233. shoulders

234. soldier

235. stampede

236. rubberstamp

237. alien

238. broom

239. yawn

240. hobo

241. powwow

242. teepee

243. campsite

244. bubblewand

245. steampunk

245. muffin hat

245. surrey

246. space station

247. gibbon

248. tazmanian devil

249. doughboy

250. trumpet

251. New Orleans

252. tenement

253. flaming dice

254. pitchfork

255. hopscotch

246. sock hop

247. bobby sox

248. weight lifter

249. pug

250. boxer

251. hot springs

252. resort

253. inner tube

254. blacksmith

255. anvil

256. sledgehammer

257. cave

258. bats

259. bell

260. horseradish

261. surgeon

262. hang glider

263. parasail

264. tennies

265. racketball

266. skydiver

267. parsley

268. sausages

269. bakery

270. angelfish

271. hammerhead shark

272. tuna

273. onion

274. teaparty

275. spade

276. awl

277. musket

278. musk ox

279. farmer

280. tractor

281. bungee jumper

282. snob

283. pizza tossing

284. crab basket

285. galaxy

286. comet

287. asteroid

288. zucchini

289. tortoise

290. sea cucumber

291. jellyfish

292. Chinese junk

293. yo-yo

294. honey

295. girl detective

296. beads

297. coins

298. doves

299. pod

300. bucket bass

301. IPOD

302. fly

303. moth

304. squid

305. cake

306. octopus

307. mad scientist

308. hat

309. lipstick

310. hypnotist

311. referee

312. dentist

313. bracelet

314. newspaper

315. businesswoman

316. eyeglasses

317. archway

318. bridge

319. lamb

320. mastodon

321. velociraptor

322. pteradactyl

323. mammoth

324. swimmer

325. ghoul

326. medal

327. grandstand

328. stadium

329. powderpuff

330. hillbilly

331. tomato

332. horseshoes

333. mirror

334. dagger

335. grill

336. fiddle

337. sword

338. tiger

339. houseplant

340. porchswing

341. firefly

342. dragonfly

343. moat

344. sailboat

345. bagpipes

346. knight

347. handbag

348. biker

349. porcupine

350. city slicker

351. trampoline

352. spy

353. rotary telephone

354. sushi

355. dynomite

356. crystal ball

357. guru

358. peach

359. bling

360. skull

361. spoon

362. iron

363. blacksmith

364. coyote

365. muffin

366. kangaroo

367. platypus

368. dingo

369. hunter

370. pooltable

371. jester

372. pickle

373. fingerpuppet

374. axe

375. donut

376. wench

377. bucket

378. earrings

379. pirate

380. ladder

381. spotlight

382. helicopter

383. guillotine

384. spork

385. beer

386. spooks

387. cemetary

388. vampire

389. torpedo

390. circus tent

391. lemon

392. monocle

393. baboon

394. wallet

395. cyclops

396. duck

397. tourist

398. statue

399. miniature horse

400. fabric

401. cuttlefish

402. anchovies

403. cardigan

404. carousel

405. baby booties

406. rattle

407. rattlesnake

408.soup spoon

409. fertilizer

410. Mars

411. models

412. pygmy

413. circus

414. judge

415. puppeteer

416. Mt. Everest

417. Mt. Fuji

418. albatross

419. crossbow

420. trebuchet

421. arquebus

422. vacuum

423. skydiver

424. bracelet

425. tiara

426. wisdom tooth

427. tooth fairy

428. brownie

429. centaur

430. pumpkin farm

431. bingo

432. turntable

433. glaze

434. hog pen

435. haystack

436. chef's hat

437. bbq pit

438. solar oven

439. boxing gloves

440. swing dancers

441. go-go dancer

442. ice skater

443. sock monkey

444. argyle socks

445. golf clubs

446. quicksand

447. quarry

448. tattoo parlor

449. surfer

450. stray dog

451. zig-zag

452. typist

453. manual typewriter

454. stereoscope

455. wristwatch

456. Mr. Sandman

457. checkers

458. mints

459. creature

460. angelfood cake

461. gauntlet

462. jigsaw puzzle

463. skeleton

464. deer skull

465. candelabra

466. cafetorium

467. moose

468. slingshot

469. pickup truck

470. chopper

471. chompers

472. cricket

473. envelope

474. Valentine

475. skunk

476. okra

477. chook

478. henhouse

479. scoop

480. moss

481. blood

482. highjumper

483. sixgun

484. drain

485. hypnotist

486. trampoline

487. radar

488. liposuction

489. x-ray

490. noodles

491. lemur

492. lightning

493. mud puddle

494. road construction

495. offramp

496. roadrunner

497. tropical bird

498. trenchcoat

499. pickaxe

500. snowshovel

501. starlet

502. razor

503. treasure

504. boardgame

505. raffle

506. anemone

507. sandcrab

508. grub

509. grits

510. crawdad

511. seal

512. caterpillar

513. spaghetti

514. treeswing

515. mugwort

516. shutters

517. Model A Ford

518. tinfoil

519. peppermint

520. pepper spray

521. hairspray

522. judo

523. javelina

524. mushrooms

525. snickerdoodles

526. outlaw

527. burglar

528. grenade

529. corn cob pipe

530. porcupine

531. grenadier

532. spuds

533. opossum

534. coyote

535. shuffleboard

536. quirt

537. boccie ball

538. baseball diamond

539. crown and ceptor

540. bandolier

541. stuffed toy

542. tot

543. crib

544. toast

545. caviar

546. slide

547. ficus

548. fig

549. mimosa

550. pimp

551. lipstick

552. swimming pool

553. hearing aid

554. grandpa

555. shoelaces

556. spiderplant

557. spring

558. whip

559. chariot

560. steeplechase

561. foxtrot

562. harness

563. flint

564. gourd banjo

565. amoeba

566. tortoise

567. peg

568. clothesline

569. couple

570. raisins

571. pocketknife

572. saw

573. trousers

574. overalls

575. painter

576. biologist

577. toesocks

578. crimpers

579. labradoodle

580. slideruler

581. geek

582. nerd

583. sewing needle

584. pots

585. joker

586. train

587. caboose

588. sling

589. rollercoaster

590. punk

591. slug

592. revolver

593. pogo-stick

594. yoga

595. street sweeper

596. charcoal

597. fabric

598. jellyfish

599. particle

600. brick wall

601. psychiatrist

602. optomitrist

603. cork

604. ship in a bottle

605. oven mitts

606. contraption

607. zipline

608. equestrian

609. flatbread

610. skilift

611. St. Bernard

612. spelunkers

613. sinner

614. chiropractor

615. shepard

616. goose

617. amulet

618. planchette

619. man-o-war

620. clippership

621. hostel

622. hostages

623. buttons

624. bunkbed

625. squeaky toy

626. dodo bird

627. emu

628. digeridoo

629. lasagna

630. babysitter

631. nest

632. cobwebs

633. fedora

634. shuttle

635. bobbin

636. tea

637. nets

638. pail

639. dredge

640. dwarf

641. giant

642. grabber

643. bifocals

644. besom

645. cliff

646. tidepool

647. steamengine

648. horsefly

649. grasshopper

650. skipper

651. skiff

652. cattle

653. cattle brand

654. corral

655. duvet

656. gnome

657. mine

658. icicles

659. tandem bicycle

660. rickshaw

661. vardo

662. vanner

663. popsicles

664. horseshoe

665. puck

666. mustang

667. landslide

668. crusades

669. toupee

670. vambraces

671. wig

672. quarterhorse

673. mantel

674. gorget

675. filly

676. blinders

677. shield

678. spindle

679. quilt

680. creek

681. pecan pie

682. raven

683. swallowtail butterfly

684. zinnias

685. locket

686. used bookstore

687. coral reef

688. snails

689. taco

690. gingerbread man

691. cast iron skillet

692. iron

693. spare tire

694. waxed paper

695. clothespin

696. fraction

697. terrier

698. caymen

699. binoculars

700. glockenspiel

701. bustier

702. sun

703. moon

704. peasant

705. monolith

706. thermometer

707. stump

708. termite

709. beehive

710. stilettos

711. canyon

712. aviary

713. saguaro

714. arboretum

715. muffler

716. snowshoes

717. inner tube

718. magic carpet

719. potato bug

720. pitcher

721. tulips

722. charms

723. sanctuary

723. tapers

724. tubers

726. pinhole camera

727. buttonhook

728. basket

729. feast

730. barrel

731. sandwich board

732. jack in the box

733. smuggler

734. oil lamp

735. valance

736. monkey bars

737. mackarel

738. life jacket

739. pinata

740. gondola

741. moonbow

742. drums

743. cornet

744. iceberg

745. rug

746. cheese

747. bamboo

748. chimney

749. crockpot

750. crackpot

751. potluck

752. spheres

753. swinging bridge

754. spiral staircase

755. parsnip

756. Paris

757. fondue

758. absinthe

759. Rome

760. wooden shoes

761. viking ship

762. ramp

763. succulent

764. billy goat

765. raft

767. curds and whey

768. dreads

769. partridge

770. cabbage

771. radish

772suntan

773arm

774shoulder

775branches

776 liquid

777 gas

778 leaves

779 lacrosse

780 derby

781 gators

782 slim jim

783 pastachio

784 cranberries

785. lizard

786 iguana

787 inchworm

788 aphids

789 beer belly

790 target

791. shipwreck

792. sanddollar

793. passionflower

794, gardenia

795. Zamboni

796. pigeon

797. bladder

798. crater

799. levitator

800. Quaker

801 leopard

802 giraffe

803 cougar

804 hippo

805 walrus

806 aircraft carrier

807 soldier

808 nun

809 mattress

810 sailing

811 ocean

812 sunset

813 deer

814 caribou

815 reindeer

816 chickadee

817 grouse

818 sparrow

819 swallow

820 shelter

821 film

822 geyser

823 kumquat

824 prunes

825 cypress

826 thicket

827 sagebrush

828 shadow

829 mockingbird

830 finch

831 parakeet

832 cherries

833 berries

834 spinach

835 musket

836 muskrat

837 prairie dog

838 tumbler

839 aces

840 faces

841. case

842. lace

843. mace

844. sheetrock

845. sheet

846. bikini

847. cuffs

848. toeshoes

849. spirit gum

850. eraser

851. instigator

852 prestidigitator

853 illusionist

854 mentalist

855 corkscrew

856 liar

857. evildoer

858. victim

859 wreck

860 showboat

861 bowtie

862 sandals

863 champagne flutes

864 crepes

865 drapes

866 apes

867 hustler

868 duster

869 jacket

870. fascinator

871. conveyor belt

872. pelt

873. lumbermill

874. block

875. stock

876. shock

877. pawn shop

878. tagger

879 nag

880 rag bag

881. pianist

882. blues singer

883. ragman

884. mackintosh

885. galoshes

886. wool

887. leather

888. felt

889. cardboard

890. sugar

891. curlers

892. doctor

893. nurse

894. mugger

895. lawyer

896. slavedriver

897. pacifist

898. shallots

899. pipsqueak

900. kale

901. scotch

902. collar

903. mercury

904. silicone

905. dust mask

906. platelet

907. veins

908. eyeballs

909. elastic

910. toolbelt

911. carrot

912. karat

913. duplicate

914. triplets

915. triad

916. triangle

917. trickster

918. treat-or-treaters

919. minnows

920. daisies

921, snowglobe

922. globetrotter

923, jet

924. jouster

925. bowler

926. bowling alley

927. ankle

928. knee socks

929. ribbons

930. leather

931. felt

932. cardboard

934. sugar

935. curlers

936. doctor

937. nurse

938. mugger

939. lawyer

940. slave driver

941. pacifist

942. shallots

943. cauliflower

944. hedge

945. cave pearls

946. yucca

947. turret

948. cartwheel hat

949. mugger

950. goblet

951. weathervane

952. raffia

953. cement mixer

954. chipper

955. crux

956. apex

957. grunion

958. triskel

959. flange

960. rivets

961. sea sponge

962. waffle iron

963. kelp

964. peccary

965. mesh

966. carnelian

967. pasta

968. peninsula

967. partridge

968. barrister

969. barista

970. dojo

971. cradle

972. ambulance

973. highlighter

974. smorgasbord

975. swiss cheese

976. underwear

977. clone

978. zither

979. gathering

980. stargazer

981. embroidery

982. tapestry

983. lunatic

984. starcrossed lovers

985. whippet

986. beach umbrella

987. mountain range

988. skipjack

989. piglet

990. warrior

991. lungs

992. scimitar

993. haversack

994. Shuriken

995. hobo

996. celery

997. sitar

998. jury

999. boxcar

1000. bohemians

Pair these with the nouns and you'll open up all kinds of new drawing possibilities.

1. silly

2. funny

3. dark

4. serious

5. happy

6. old

7. ugly

8. beautiful

9. fascinating

10. unpredictable

11. smooth

12. frantic

13. talkative

14. busy

15. contemplative

16. slippery

17. young

18. graceful

19. comic

20. tragic

21. impossible

22. gregarious

23. quiet

24. ludicrous

25. curvaceous

26. bitter

27. lonely

28. dreamy

29. unpredictable

30. massive

31. tasty

32. quick

33. understanding

34. deadly

35. cautious

36. mysterious

37. brilliant

38. simple

39. complex

40. nervous

41. incredible

42. smart

43. rusty

44. cranky

45. polite

46. striped

47. spotted

48. wonderful

49. plaid

50. grumpy

51. lovely

52. wondrous

53. interesting

54. dead

55. lively

56. lonely

57. pimply

58. sneaky

59. shiny

60. swift

61. old-fashioned

62. retro

63. Victorian

64. Medieval

65. stumpy

66. elongated

67. pesky

68. loving

69. complicated

70. slippery

71. crabby

72. crafty

73. crooked

74. straight

75. boxy

76. pale

77. empty

78. dumpy

79. grooved

80. stark

81. arrogant

82. drunken

83. plump

84. angelic

85. talkative

86. bouncy

87. bubbly

88. spunky

89. quirky

90. spooky

91. tender

92. quick

93. odd

94. hostile

95. secretive

96. petty

97. greedy

98. lustful

99. quiet

100. stunning

If I accidentally put the same word twice, please let me know so I can fix it. Ditto if I've missed any numbers or gotten them in the wrong order. Thanks.