Ready to Advance Your Art? Draw These 8 Challenging Subjects

If you don’t know what to draw and you’re looking to to challenge yourself with hard drawings, look no further! What is the hardest thing to draw? While that is a subjective question, many artists find human figures, animals in motion, or intricate architectural details particularly daunting. However, with practice and perseverance, even the hardest thing to draw can become a rewarding artistic endeavor.

Give these drawing ideas a try to test your skills and practice new techniques.

graphite portrait drawing of a Labrador retriever

Pet portrait via Rita Frazee

1. Animal photos and pet portraits 

Animals are among the most challenging subjects for artists to draw. For one, it can be tough to capture the creatures’ anatomy without ending up with a warped or wonky-looking result. Rendering accurate proportions only only becomes more difficult when the subject is straight on, as in the above drawing, or at a 3/4 angle.

Capturing the different textures of the fur, hair and whiskers can be tricky while remaining accurate and intentional. Be sure to start with a good repertoire of reference material before beginning to draw an animal or pet portrait. Working from high-quality photographs, as the artist did to create the portrait above, is a great way to get started with realistic animal portraits. 

If you’re looking to improve your animal and pet portrait drawing, we have several classes you might be interested in: Pet Portraits in Colored Pencil, How to Photograph/Sketch/Paint Your Paint, Pastel Pencil Essentials (which features an in depth tutorial on feline portraits), Colored Pencil Techniques for Wild Animals, Colored Pencil Bird Portraits, and this helpful video from our friends at Artist’s Academy How to Draw Fur & Feathers With Colored Pencil

two red glass pitchers sit on top a white doily

Glass in colored pencil via rmercado-artist

2. Glass

How can something see-through be such a hard thing to draw? Not only are you challenged with the idea of drawing something clear that shows substance, but you also have to contend with unique shadows, highlights and reflections in the glass itself. And don’t forget about the background! The above drawing, rendered in colored pencil on board, does a wonderful job of capturing all of the above, showing glass bottles that are substantive yet see-through and light.

Rather than looking at glass as an an impossible prospect, begin to break it down into easier steps. First, focus on the shape of the vessel. Then, look for strong highlights and contrasts. Begin to add shadows and color, and you’ll see that piece by piece, your drawing will begin to come to life. 

black and white close up drawing of a realistic eye

Eye study via GemmaFurbank

3. Eyes and facial features

Eyes are one of our favorite things to draw! The face is the most important part of any portrait, and it’s full of tricky features such as curvy ears and noses, subtly arced cheek bones, rounded lips and of course the pièce de resistance: the eyes. In portraits, the eyes are often the focal point. 

Eyes are a deceptively hard thing to draw. Yes, there are plenty of technical challenges, including scale, shapes, detail and reflection. But what is perhaps even more challenging is managing to master the technical details of drawing eyes while retaining a clear expression and personality. It can be easy to end up with precise-looking eyes that appear expressionless, as if the subject in question is engaging in a staring match.

This class Step-by-Step Photorealistic Colored Pencil Portraits will show you how to build up color and texture, with several videos dedicated to drawing eyes.

sepia pencil drawing of a muscular body

Copy from the masters via Roberto Osti

4. Human figures

Drawing the human figure is a cornerstone of artistic education for a reason. It’s a foundational skill that underpins countless figure-based art styles. Mastering accurate proportions and capturing expressive movement can be a lifelong pursuit, even for seasoned artists. However, one of the most common stumbling blocks is a lack of anatomy knowledge. By investing time in studying human anatomy, artists can significantly improve their ability to create dynamic and realistic figure drawings.

To learn more about figure drawing check out our classes Human Figure Sketching, Figure Anatomy for the Artist, Drawing the Draped Figure, and Figure Drawing: An Essential Guide

color pencil drawing of an adult hand holding a baby hand

Holding Pawpaw’s hand via Stacy Powers

5. Hands and feet 

Despite a solid foundation in human anatomy, drawing hands and feet remains a formidable challenge for many artists. While they may excel at creating fluid and natural figures, their appendages often end up looking block-like and stiff. A common pitfall is to render over-realistic hands that can weigh down a piece, detracting from its natural look. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. As the above colored pencil piece demonstrates, hands can be realistically depicted while maintaining a sense of softness and subtle movement.

By focusing on drawing hands and feet, learning more about the specific anatomy and range of motion of the fingers, toes, wrists, and ankles, an artist can gain confidence in drawing these challenging parts of the body.

Our friends at Artist’s Academy have a great article How to Draw Lifelike Hands in 4 Steps to help you understand the basics.

realistic colored pencil drawing of a silver Porsche

Porsche via Michael Vizard

6. Automobiles

Drawing automobiles presents a unique set of challenges for artists. From capturing the shiny highlights and mechanical precision to rendering the complex interplay of curves and angles, mastering the intricate details of these vehicles is no easy feat. However, with practice and patience, even the most daunting car designs can be brought to life on paper.

Start by focusing on the basic shape of the automobile, as if you were capturing its anatomy. This will provide a strong foundation for your drawing. From there, approach the piece like a sculptor, gradually refining the subtleties of the shape before working into the intricate details.

To get started, try this class on Realistic Textures in Colored Pencil which has a whole section dedicated to metallic textures.

colored pencil yellow and red rose close up

Mom’s rose via Terri Lancaster

7. Flowers

Flowers are a unique, versatile subject matter because they can be as simple or as complex as you’d like. Perhaps when you’re first starting out in your colored pencil flower drawing, you’ll draw simplified petals and leaves. As you advance, so can your floral shapes. The above colored pencil rendering is a breathtaking example of how a flower is anything but ordinary when it is realistically rendered in colored pencil with shadows, color graduations and delicate petals in various stages of unfold.

graphite drawing of an apple with water droplets

Apple and water droplet study via StephenAinsworth

8. Water and water droplets

Whether it’s delicate drew drops or a wide ocean, can prove challenging to master in a drawing. Once again, you have challenges similar to drawing glass: a translucent sheen, bright highlights and reflective qualities. But then you also have the element of movement. The above image, rendered in pencil and white pastel, elegantly captures droplets of water have a sense of movement, as if they may at any moment drip down the fruit. Much of this is thanks to expert shading and application go highlights. 

What do you find challenging to draw?


Craftsy membership banner offer with photos of laptop, desktop, tablet, and cellphone screens displaying Craftsy content

Looking for more drawing inspiration and ideas on what to draw? Craftsy has several classes to help you get started:

7 Days of Drawing
Perspective Techniques for Better Drawing
Light & Shading With Colored Pencils

Our friends at Artist’s Academy also have a variety of videos to help you get started on your drawing journey below!

Loosen Up! Simple Hand/Eye Training for Drawing
Drawing on Colored Paper & More
Setting Up a Model at Home
Finishing a Pencil Portrait Drawing
How to Draw Fabric & Leather With Colored Pencil
How to Draw Metallic Texture With Colored Pencil

Share tips, start a discussion or ask other students a question. If you have a question for the instructor, please click here.

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25 Responses to “Ready to Advance Your Art? Draw These 8 Challenging Subjects”

  1. Nico

    GIVE ME THE MAN

  2. Jean Williams

    These lessons exactly what I need! I’m feeling a little stuck in more than one area. Thank you!

  3. khafi ayan

    made by khafi ayan

  4. John

    Hi, My. Name. Is. John. Been. Sketching. For. Many. Years. My. Interest. Is. In. The. Human. Face. Extremely. Extremely. Challenging. Difficult.

  5. Path Pandey

    Boys

  6. Abhipsa Mandal

    thanks for sharing

  7. N

    WOW.

  8. Thepreson

    Eyes are pretty easy for me and also animal drawings but human fingers and hand/feet are some of the hardest things to draw but that’s my preference

  9. zhenai bulade

    i love crafty i go on hear 217

  10. Makayla

    I loved the Art! The only thing I had t keep trying was the apple