Make a speed sketch
Create several quick timed sketches of everyday objects or people using pencil and timer to practice observation, speed, proportion, and confident mark-making.
Step-by-step guide to make a speed sketch
Step 1
Sit in a comfy spot with your paper and pencil ready.
Step 2
Place a few small everyday objects in front of you so you can see them clearly.
Step 3
Do a 30-second warm-up of loose lines and simple shapes on the corner of your paper.
Step 4
Pick the first object to draw.
Step 5
Set your timer for 60 seconds.
Step 6
Draw the first object for the full 60 seconds focusing on big shapes and fast marks.
Step 7
Pick a second object to draw.
Step 8
Set your timer for 30 seconds.
Step 9
Draw the second object for the full 30 seconds focusing on where parts sit in relation to each other.
Step 10
Set your timer for 15 seconds.
Step 11
Do three 15-second gesture sketches of different objects or poses, making quick confident marks each time.
Step 12
Share your finished creation on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use instead of paper, pencil, or a timer if we don't have them?
If you lack a pencil, paper, or timer use a pen, crayon, marker or charcoal on a cereal-box or notebook page and time the 60-second, 30-second, and 15-second rounds with a phone, kitchen timer, stopwatch watch, or by counting aloud.
I'm getting too detailed during the 60-second object draw and not finishing — how can I fix that?
If you keep adding detail during the 60-second step, remind yourself to focus on big shapes and fast marks as the instructions say, do the 30-second warm-up loose lines in the corner first to loosen your hand, and set a visible 60-second timer to force quicker decisions.
How can I adapt the times and materials for younger children or older kids?
For younger children shorten the rounds to about 20 seconds, 10 seconds, and 5-second gestures and use chunky crayons and big simple objects, while older kids can lengthen the 60- and 30-second steps to 2–3 minutes, choose more complex objects, or add timed blind-contour variations of the 15-second gesture sketches.
How can we extend or personalize the speed sketch activity after finishing the timed drawings?
To extend or personalize the activity, turn your timed sketches into a mini-gallery or flipbook, add color or mixed media over the fast marks, write short titles or notes about each object's shapes, and then share the finished collection on DIY.org as suggested.
Watch videos on how to make a speed sketch
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Facts about observational drawing for kids
✏️ A 2B (or similar soft) pencil is popular for speed sketches because it makes bold, confident marks with little pressure.
⏱️ Many artists use 30–120 second gesture sketches to train fast observation and proportion skills.
👁️ Blind-contour drawing is a classic exercise teachers use to improve hand-eye coordination and observational accuracy.
🗒️ Leonardo da Vinci filled thousands of notebook pages with sketches and notes — practice was central to his process.
🎯 Quick sketching forces you to capture big shapes first, which helps improve overall proportion and drawing confidence.
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