In this article, we’ll explore some of the most famous and influential drawing quotes, to capture the power of a single image.
Drawing is a form of art that has been around since the beginning of time. It is a way to express oneself through creating images on a surface. Drawing can be done with many different mediums, such as pencils, charcoal, markers, and even digital art.
In recent years, drawing has become a popular hobby for people of all ages. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, there are many benefits to be gained from taking up this enjoyable activity.
Drawing can help to boost your creativity and imagination, as well as improve your hand-eye coordination. It’s also a great way to relax and de-stress. Plus, it’s a fun way to express yourself and share your artwork with others.
But, if you’re ever feeling creatively stuck, a great way to jump start your brain is by looking through some drawing quotes. Whether it’s a quote about the process of drawing, or simply an inspiring message, reading words from other artists can help get your own creative juices flowing again.
Here are our best collection of drawing quotes to get you started:
Inspirational drawing quotes
When it comes to art, creativity is key. Drawing is a great way to express yourself and tap into your creative side. If you’re feeling stuck or uninspired, these drawing quotes will help you get your creative juices flowing.
A drawing is simply a line going for a walk.
Paul Klee
Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence.
Henri Matisse
The drawing is the honesty of the artist. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad.
Salvador Dali
The act of drawing is a true test of one’s ability and creativity, with no possibility of cheating or faking it. This makes it both a scary and exhilarating process, as any artist will attest to.
Drawing is the root of everything good in art.
Paul Cezanne

As practice makes perfect, I cannot but make progress; each drawing one makes, each study one paints, is a step forward.
Vincent Van Gogh
Drawing is based upon perspective, which is nothing else than a thorough knowledge of the function of the eye.
Leonardo da Vinci
To draw you must close your eyes and sing.
Pablo Picasso
Drawing is the probity of art. To draw does not mean simply to reproduce contours; drawing does not consist merely of line: drawing is also expression, the inner form, the plane, the modeling. See what remains after that.
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
When an artist or student draws a nude figure with painstaking care, the result is drawing, and not emotion.
Henri Matisse
Learn to draw. Try to make your hand so unconsciously adept that it will put down what you feel without your having to think of your hands. Then you can think of the thing before you.
Sherwood Anderson
Deep drawing quotes
When it comes to building emotional intelligence, drawing quotes can be a helpful tool. By taking the time to read and reflect on inspiring or thought-provoking quotes, you can learn more about yourself and how to better manage your emotions. Here are some drawing quotes that you need:
Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehistoric times. It brings together man and the world. It lives through magic.
Keith Haring
Drawing is the artist’s most direct and spontaneous expression, a species of writing: it reveals, better than does painting, his true personality.
Edgar Degas
A line is a dot that went for a walk.
Paul Klee
Lose your schematic conventions by finding some surprising symbol or shape in the welter of shades, and draw that.
Adam Gopnik
Drawing is the simplest way of establishing a picture vocabulary because it is an instant, personal declaration of what is important and what is not.
Betty Goodwin

You can only learn to paint by drawing, for drawing is a way of reserving a place for color in advance.
Andre Lhote
The greatest value of a picture is when it forces us to notice what we never expected to see.
John Tukey
To know what you’re going to draw, you have to begin drawing.
Pablo Picasso
This quote is also relevant for anyone who wants to learn a new skill or develop a talent. You can’t become an expert overnight – it takes time, practice and effort. But if you never start, you’ll never get there. So next time you’re feeling stuck, remember Picasso’s words and just begin.
I sometimes think there is nothing so delightful as drawing.
Vincent Van Gogh
Drawing is not following a line on the model, it is drawing your sense of the thing.
Robert Henri
Drawing quotes inspiration
When it comes to reducing stress, drawing is one of the most underrated activities. While it may seem like a simple activity, drawing can actually help to lower your stress levels and improve your mood. Here are some drawing quotes that show how this activity can help to reduce stress:
Drawing is like a workout for your brain. It can help to improve your focus and concentration.
Dr. Laura Markham
I sometimes draw just for its own enjoyment.
Henry Moore
Drawing makes you see things clearer, and clearer and clearer still, until your eyes ache.
David Hockney
A sketch has charm because of its truth – not because it is unfinished.
Charles Webster Hawthorne
What do drawings mean to me? I really don’t know. The activity absorbs me. I forget everything else in a way that I don’t think happens with any other activity.
John Berger

The act of drawing is one of the great relaxants of the human nervous system.
Robert Crumb
Drawing is a form of meditation. It can help to still the mind and bring about a sense of calm.
Betty Edwards
Let whoever may have attained to so much as to have the power of drawing know that he holds a great treasure.
Michelangelo
Drawing is a form of stress relief that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels. By focusing on the act of drawing, individuals can clear their mind and relax their body. The act of drawing can also help to improve one’s mood and overall sense of well-being.
I’m just interested in meditating on certain ideas, and I like to draw: that’s my way of thinking.
Ben Nicholson
Drawing is like breathing. It’s something you have to do.
Olafur Eliasson
Drawing quotes for Instagram
Some of the greatest artists in history have shared their thoughts on drawing. Here are just a few captivating drawing quotes about from great artists:
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.
Pablo Picasso
The canvas is a living thing, it breathes with you as you work on it.
Jackson Pollock
There is only one right way to draw…physical contact with all sorts of objects through all the senses.
Kimon Nicolaides
Every line means something.
Wassily Kandinsky
For me, drawing is as much about process as it is about product.
Viggo Mortensen
Mortensen’s drawings are both thoughtful and playful, often incorporating natural elements like leaves and stones. Whether you’re an experienced artist or someone who’s just getting started, Mortensen’s words will inspire you to pick up a pencil and start exploring the world around you.

In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing.
Vincent Van Gogh
Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.
Leonardo da Vinci
Drawing is the honesty of art.
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
In drawing, nothing is better than the first attempt.
Pablo Picasso
Drawing is a kind of hypnotism: one looks in such a way at the model, that he comes and takes a seat on the paper.
Pablo Picasso
Is drawing a form of hypnotism? Pablo Picasso seems to think so. The great artist suggests that when one looks at the model intently, he will come and sit on the paper. This is an interesting perspective on the act of drawing, and one that is sure to resonate with many artists.
Creativity drawing quotes
No matter what your level of artistic skill may be, everyone can benefit from some words of encouragement. If you’re feeling stuck or uninspired, try reading some of these drawing quotes. They just might give you the boost you need to get started on your next masterpiece.
Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
Pablo Picasso
Drawing is rather like playing chess: your mind races ahead of the moves that you eventually make.
David Hockney
The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.
Pablo Picasso
Drawing is the cornerstone of the graphic, plastic arts. Drawing is the coordination of line, tone, and color symbols into formations that express the artist’s thought.
John French Sloan
I can’t explain it any other way than there was a God given talent inside of me that wanted to come out.
Mike Wieringo

Drawing is like the first kiss. It carries within it the deepest emotion and the challenge of the first step. It is the first cry after birth
Ala Bashir
Pure drawing is an abstraction. Drawing and colour are not distinct, everything in nature is coloured.
Paul Cezanne
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Realize that a drawing is not a copy. It is a construction in very different materials. A drawing is an invention.
Robert Henri
Those who are not conversant in works of art are often surprised at the high value set by connoisseurs on drawings which appear careless, and in every respect unfinished; but they are truly valuable. They give the idea of a whole.
Joshua Reynolds
Final thought
Drawing is one of the most basic and fundamental forms of visual expression, yet it is also one of the most complex and nuanced. These drawing quotes remind us of the importance of this art form and how it can enrich our lives.
We hope you inspired by our collection of drawing quotes. Let these wise words motivate you to pick up a pencil and get creative. The world needs your art. Thank for reading!
Read more: portrait quotes.