Drawing and learning English at the same time? Yes, please, with this book!
28/9/2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Stefanie Lechthaler
Draw a blood vessel? A poison dart? This drawing journal provides 642 prompts to combat boredom and a lack of ideas. That's why it accompanies me everywhere.
Some days I lack the inspiration to draw. I try to pull something new out of thin air, but in the end, I always end up sketching the same motifs. The drawing journal from Abrams and Chronicle is now helping me get out of such creative slumps.
Drawing and vocabulary training in one
I open the journal. No introduction, no templates, no rules. Instead, the first page starts right away with the term «cupcake sprinkles». I'm at a loss: «Use colors or just sketch?», «Should the cupcake be included too?», «Close-up or the whole object?»
Questions I have to answer for myself.
And that is exactly what stimulates the creative process: before I decide on a drawing style, I have to think about a subject I've never thought about before. Only by leaving my comfort zone can I solve this «task».
Unfortunately (or fortunately?), the little book is not available in German in the Galaxus shop. I have to translate many of the English terms before I can draw them. «A thimble», «a porcupine quill», «a chin cleft» – «what the heck?!», never heard of them. As a side effect, I learn along the way and link the words with the sketches.
Spread across the 304 pages are other whimsical drawing assignments such as «holes from a bookworm», «a lizard footprint» or «0.0000001 percent» (yes, six zeros). Tasks that make me smile and also force me to look at everyday objects from a new perspective.
The journal also encourages me to try out different styles, shading, or materials without pressure, because I know: there are no rules, no right, no wrong. For «a pigeonhole», for example, I shaded with dotwork for the first time.
I did make one mistake, though: I researched on social media how others had solved the tasks. And was humbled afterwards. That's why I recommend you don't make the same mistake. Look away! Believe me.
Creative distraction on the go
I don't leave the house without a little book and a pen anymore. At 11 by 13 centimeters, it fits perfectly in my pockets without weighing me down. The softcover made of firmer cardboard protects the paper from creasing. As soon as boredom sets in, I take it out and face a tricky drawing challenge or look for a simple motif that doesn't require too much brainpower.
Thin paper
The fact that the book is so light is partly due to the thin paper. The downside: while the paper thickness is quite suitable for pencil and colored pencil drawings, the ink from some fineliners and markers bleeds through the paper to the back. The Pigma Micron Fineliner from Sakura, for example, hardly bleeds through, but the ink from alcohol and Stabilo markers is almost completely visible on the other side. For large areas, I therefore avoid felt-tip pens.
Nevertheless, the little book inspires me. With every subject, I learn something new without having to spend hours dealing with the same motif. If I want to pull out all the stops and go completely into depth in one field, it's not a day's work. It never gets bigger than 11 by 13 centimeters – so there's not much time to get bogged down.
If you've developed a taste for daily drawing through the journal, you can keep going. Inktober starts soon: a month where artists create a term in their own style every day.
In a nutshell
Creativity slump? This drawing journal forces you to rethink
"642 Tiny Things to Draw" is a brilliant pastime and accompanies me everywhere. On over 300 pages, there are drawing prompts like "holes from a bookworm" that make me smile and challenge my creativity. As a nice side effect, I am expanding my English vocabulary. The only downside: if you draw with markers, you should switch to thicker paper.
Pro
- Pocket-sized
- exciting drawing assignments
- my English vocabulary is growing
Contra
- paper too thin for markers
Header image: Stefanie Lechthaler
Painting the walls just before handing over the flat? Making your own kimchi? Soldering a broken raclette oven? There's nothing you can't do yourself. Well, perhaps sometimes, but I'll definitely give it a try.
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