30 Face Drawing Ideas for When You're Bored

July 24, 2026 · 5 min read

"Draw something" is a terrible prompt. Blank freedom is why you doodle the same face you've been doodling since middle school. A constraint — even a silly one — is what makes a drawing session actually fun.

Here are thirty face prompts, grouped by flavor. Don't browse the whole list; take the first one that makes you smirk and start.

Emotions (the honest kind)

1. The face you make when the elevator doors start closing and someone yells 'hold it!'
2. Monday morning, before coffee. Be honest about the eyelids.
3. Someone pretending to like a gift. The mouth says yes, the brows say no.
4. The exact moment of remembering something embarrassing from five years ago.
5. Fake-listening on a video call. Eyes slightly off-center sells it.

People you know

6. Your best friend, from memory, in under a minute. Show them later.
7. A family member — but only their three most recognizable features. Nothing else.
8. Your barista, teacher, or bus driver. The people you see daily but never really look at.
9. Yourself, without a mirror. Then with a mirror. Compare and laugh.
10. The last person who texted you, drawn in the mood of their last message.

Characters and archetypes

11. A villain who is genuinely bad at being a villain.
12. A wizard who works in tech support.
13. The world's most confident pigeon (faces don't have to be human).
14. A pirate on their day off.
15. A grandma who definitely races motorcycles on weekends.

Constraints (where it gets interesting)

16. One continuous line — pen never leaves the surface.
17. Eyes closed. The result is always, always worth it.
18. Wrong hand. Left if you're right-handed. Humility guaranteed.
19. Ten seconds, total. Timer on.
20. No circles allowed — every shape must have corners.

Mashups

21. Half happy, half furious — split straight down the middle.
22. A face that is also a food item. Croissant hair is a known classic.
23. Your pet, if your pet were a person. Keep the expression.
24. Two faces sharing one eye. Weirder and easier than it sounds.
25. A robot trying its very best to smile naturally.

Seasonal and situational

26. Someone on the first cold day of the year, refusing to wear a coat.
27. A beach face: sunglasses, sunburn stripe, ice cream mustache.
28. Exam-week face. Students will feel this one.
29. New Year's resolution face on January 1 — then the same person on January 9.
30. The face of someone reading a list of thirty drawing ideas, realizing they've run out of excuses.

Make them public

Doodles get better when someone might see them — you commit to lines instead of noodling. If you want a wall where your #17 eyes-closed masterpiece can live next to strangers' attempts, the open wall at DRAWMYFACE takes anonymous faces with zero sign-up. Pick a prompt, draw it there, and leave it for the next person to find.