Yes, you can draw, too!

Even if you think you can’t. In fact, even if you struggling with drawing straight lines or round circles. We promise, you can do it.

But first, let’s explore why you’d want to illustrate the answers to the vision card questions in the first place:

1. In order to draw something, you have to think about it first. Just try drawing an abstract idea like ‘success’. You’ll find you first need to figure out what success looks like to you!
2. A drawing helps you discuss your ideas with others, such as your partner, co-worker, or coach.
3. Your brain remembers images way easier than text. Once you revisit your vision board, your brain gets a quick reminder of everything you want.

A common reason people think they can’t draw is because their sketches don’t look exactly like what they envision. They might say, “It’s not pretty!” However, for a vision board, ‘beauty’ isn’t the goal; ‘clarity’ is. Simple drawings, even stick figures, can be very effective. Consider the popular xkcd comics—simple drawings that do their job perfectly.

6 Steps to Drawing Anything

Ready to start drawing? All you need is some paper and a pen or pencil. Here’s how you get started:

1. Decide what you’re going to draw. Like your dream job. Or your goals for upcoming month.
2. Are you planning to draw a bunch of things (like the answers to 10 of our vision cards) on one page? Roughly map out the amount of space you need for each drawing.
3. Start! Below, you’ll find a couple of tutorials to help you on your way. Try making your subjects specific. Rather than ‘I want more money’, draw ‘I want to make 5000 next month.’
4. Struggling with drawing a particular subject? Just Google it and get inspired by others. It’s not cheating. Watching others is literally how artists learn!
5. Use text if needed. Sometimes, a drawing simply doesn’t cut it. Clarify with words if you need, just make sure the focus is still on the visual.
6. Don’t be afraid to fail. This is not a realistic portraits contest, you’re just clarifying your vision. Did your pen slip? Does your circle look like an egg? Who cares! You’re visualizing your ideas and that’s what it’s all about!

Drawing Tutorial: Draw Yourself

In this simple tutorial, you’ll learn how to draw yourself.

1. Before drawing, consider what makes you stand out. Is it the hoodie you always wear? Your quirky glasses? A tattoo? In this drawing, I chose hair.
2. Start with the shape of your head. Leave the top open so it’ll be easier to add hair later.
3. Eyes: lines, dots, circles… or add some eyebrows to convey emotion.
4. A mouth is a small circle or a line. The shape communicates the emotion. Experiment with some different shapes, give it a shot!
5. Up next: hair. You can use lines or shapes. Pay attention to the length (short, long), texture (sleek, curly) and shape (spikes, pony tail).
6. Two small lines mark the neck.
7. The body is a shape of your choosing. A line, circle, oval, rectangle, triangle… You can pick anything you like. I like this scribble!
8. One or two lines an arm and you’re done. You can bend the lines for body language (like arms in sides)
9. Hands are either tiny circles or a few ovals or lines for fingers.

That’s it!

Bonus: Hair Styles

Notice how each shape is easy, but transforms the face?

Are you drawing multiple figures? The closer they are on the page, the more they seem in touch. Feel free to use symbols to clarify!

Drawing Tutorial: Draw Activities

In this easy tutorial, you’ll learn how to draw a stick figure that’s doing something.

1. Think about the activity you’re drawing. What’s the shape of the arms and legs when one is doing this activity? Are there any objects that should be part of the activity?
2. Start with the first line. Here, it’s an arm and a leg that form a continuous line. The little circles at the endings indicate a hand and a foot.
3. Now, add in the other body parts. We started with the second leg. 
4. Now, the second arm. To be fair, this doesn’t look like an easy yoga posture…
5. This figure doesn’t even have a body. The head is a circle on the crossing of arms and legs. If your body shape needs a body, feel free to add one.
6. Many hobby’s come alive thanks to the corresponding props. Use a rectangle to quickly add a yoga mat.

Drawing tutorial: Draw objects

Sometimes, an object defines the hobby. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to draw a guitar.

1. Examine the object (look it up online if needed). What shapes define this object? Often, you can omit the details.
2. The guitar neck is the easiest part: just a long rectangle.
3. The body is the most defining shape, a pear of sorts.
4. The 6 tuners at the neck’s end: rectangles, triangles, or any other shape you choose.
5. The sound hole is another defining feature. You won’t find one on electric guitars, though.
6. A small rectangle for the bridge.
7. Strings are just lines. Not quite straight ones? That’s alright!

Drawing Tutorial: Drawing a Concept

Concepts are abstract, meaning they’re harder to draw. Here’s how you draw them.

1. First, make your concept tangible. What objects or beings would make this concept come to life?
2. Start with the head. Here, you see the head from the back, so there’s no face.
3. Draw the hair. Note: Longer hair will (partly) cover the head shape.
4. A neck: two short lines.
5. Always know where your towel cape is! Draw a shape with corners close together near the neck and far apart at the bottom.
6. Below the cape – feet. Two fat L’s.
7. A few lines make an arm. Note: The second arm is out of sight, on the other side of the figure.
8. A long, slim, vertical rectangle: a walking stick. The bottom end is near the feet or a bit higher.
9. Adventure is being on the road! Let’s draw mountains in the distance: an open triangle and a piece of another triangle next to it.
10. Want to clarify we’re dealing with mountains here? Add a zigzag line at the top for some snow.
11. The adventurer has a long road before them. Start your road with two lines, one on each side of the figure, and let the lines come together.

Now it’s your turn!

Don’t forget – you’re doing this for fun. There’s no standard to hold yourself to. Enjoy, and before you know, your pages will also be filled with doodles like these: