Short answer
How to use it: choose pencil, pen or charcoal (or let it pick), choose 5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes, and add a twist when the standard prompts feel easy. Draw from life, a photo or memory. Set a timer and stop when it rings.
Your prompt
Draw a single tree standing alone in a field in late afternoon, when shadows are long. Take 15 minutes and use only three values: paper white, one mid tone, one dark. Use an HB for the layout and a 4B for the darks.
Stuck on the hard part? Read the lesson for it.
How the prompts are built
- A subject from 22 landscape scenes, each tied to the lesson that teaches its hardest part: trees, mountains, water, clouds, perspective and more.
- A light: one of 6 times of day or weather. Light decides where the shadows fall, which is most of what makes a landscape read.
- A time limit with a matching constraint, from big shapes in 5 minutes to a full value range in an hour.
- A medium: pencil, pen and ink, or charcoal, with the tools to use.
- An optional twist such as a low eye level, hatching only, or an off center focal point.
24 prompts to start with
The same generator, written out. Work down the list, one a day.
- Draw a single tree standing alone in a field in early morning light coming from the left, in pencil, 5 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a lake with the far shore reflected in it at dusk, as dark shapes against a pale sky, in charcoal, 15 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a rocky shore with low waves with the sun behind the scene, so shapes are backlit, in pen and ink, 30 minutes. Keep the focal point off center. Lesson
- Draw a path winding into the distance on an overcast day with soft, flat light, in pencil, 60 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a flat topped desert mesa in late afternoon, when shadows are long, in charcoal, 5 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a boulder at the edge of a path at midday, when shadows are short, in pen and ink, 15 minutes. Draw the sky shapes between the trees, not the trees. Lesson
- Draw hills fading into haze, four layers deep in early morning light coming from the left, in pencil, 30 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a snowy slope with dark trees on it at dusk, as dark shapes against a pale sky, in charcoal, 60 minutes. Lesson
- Draw storm clouds over flat farmland with the sun behind the scene, so shapes are backlit, in pen and ink, 5 minutes. Use a single pencil grade for the whole drawing. Lesson
- Draw the view from your nearest window on an overcast day with soft, flat light, in pencil, 15 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a mountain range with three overlapping ridges in late afternoon, when shadows are long, in charcoal, 30 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a sky that is mostly cumulus clouds at midday, when shadows are short, in pen and ink, 60 minutes. Shade only with hatching. No smudging. Lesson
- Draw a street corner seen from the sidewalk in early morning light coming from the left, in pencil, 5 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a park bench under two big trees at dusk, as dark shapes against a pale sky, in charcoal, 15 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a waterfall dropping between two dark cliffs with the sun behind the scene, so shapes are backlit, in pen and ink, 30 minutes. Draw it from a low eye level, as if you were sitting on the ground. Lesson
- Draw a barn or shed in an open field on an overcast day with soft, flat light, in pencil, 60 minutes. Lesson
- Draw the edge of a forest where it meets a meadow in late afternoon, when shadows are long, in charcoal, 5 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a small bridge over a stream at midday, when shadows are short, in pen and ink, 15 minutes. Put the horizon on the upper third of the page. Lesson
- Draw rolling hills crossed by a fence line in early morning light coming from the left, in pencil, 30 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a row of pines along a ridge at dusk, as dark shapes against a pale sky, in charcoal, 60 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a river bending away from you with the sun behind the scene, so shapes are backlit, in pen and ink, 5 minutes. Put the horizon on the lower third of the page. Lesson
- Draw a country road running straight to the horizon on an overcast day with soft, flat light, in pencil, 15 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a single tree standing alone in a field in late afternoon, when shadows are long, in charcoal, 30 minutes. Lesson
- Draw a lake with the far shore reflected in it at midday, when shadows are short, in pen and ink, 60 minutes. Work in a frame no bigger than 2 x 3 inches. Lesson
Make prompts stick
- Date every sketch. Looking back a month later shows progress better than any single drawing.
- Repeat a prompt. Draw the same one a week later and compare the shapes and values.
- Keep a small sketchbook for prompts. A pocket book lowers the stakes; see sketchbooks.
Questions people ask
Is the prompt generator free?
Yes. It runs in your browser, needs no account, and stores nothing.
Do I need to draw from life?
No. Draw from what you can see out a window, from your own photos, or from memory. If you use a photo, lighten the darkest shadows a little, because cameras crush detail there.
What is a good time limit for beginners?
Start with 15 minutes and three values. It is long enough to get the big shapes right and short enough that you stop before overworking the drawing. Use 5 minute prompts as a warm up.
What does three values mean?
Use only three tones: the white of the paper, one middle gray, and one dark. Squinting at the scene helps you sort every area into one of the three. See the value lesson.
Last reviewed October 29, 2026. Product lines and listings change; check the details before you buy.