Easy Patterns to Draw – 35 Pattern Ideas for Drawing

Learning which easy patterns to draw is a fun and useful exercise to practice your drawing skills as well as to learn a variety of new pattern design ideas that can be incorporated into your artwork. Patterns can be used in all sorts of ways, whether they are for abstract artworks or to be integrated into fabric designs for character drawing. The ideas for using pattern design ideas are endless, and in this tutorial, you will be provided with a few fun and simple pattern ideas that you can add to your drawing repertoire.

An Easy Guide to Drawing Patterns

Learning how to draw patterns is a simple task that can easily be followed and adapted into your own creative practice. Pattern ideas for drawing can be a great way to mentally experiment with potential surface and textural ideas that can be integrated into your drawings. In this basic pattern drawing tutorial, we will be exploring a variety of different patterns that can be drawn by understanding a basic descriptive process.

Necessary Materials

This tutorial explores simple easy patterns to draw that can be done with any drawing tool; however, to keep it simple we will be working with some basic pens. We will also want to make sure we have a ruler and some decent paper for the drawing process. Once we have all the necessary materials, we can begin to prepare ourselves mentally for the drawing process by finding a space where we can relax and engage with the tutorial.

• Ballpoint Pen
• Micron Pens
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Paper

Easy Patterns to Draw

In this tutorial, we will be going through a series of 35 simple, easy-to-draw patterns, that can be done with a pen and marker. We will have a brief description of each, allowing us to understand the basic formation process of each basic pattern. There is a combination of various different pattern styles that take only a minute or two to draw. That being said, let’s go through a variety of easy basic patterns to draw.

Preparation

Let’s start by creating a grid with 35 blocks in total. We can do this by dividing our page into 5-cm increments, and we should have a 7 x 5 grid with a total of 35 blocks.

Once we have our grid prepared, we can begin to draw a smaller square within each block. This will give us parameters in which we can draw different patterns, we can keep a 1-cm space along the inside of each block.

Criss-Cross Pattern

The first pattern is a classically styled pattern and is very versatile. This pattern can easily be drawn with a ruler and pen. Simply draw a set of horizontal lines overlapping a set of vertical lines. This can be drawn thin or thick and the result often has a beautiful woven textural effect.

Checkerboard Pattern

Another classic pattern that can easily be utilized within an artwork is the checkerboard pattern. This simple pattern can be drawn by creating a set of evenly spaced blocks of vertical and horizontal lines. You then can simply color in every second square to create the checkered effect.

Triangle Checkerboard Pattern

This is a variation of the same checkerboard but with a twist. This time, as you create a grid of evenly sized squares, you want to draw identical diagonal lines within each square.

From there, you can simply color on the same side of each diagonal line within each square. This will create an interesting triangular checkerboard aesthetic.

Diagonal Stripes Pattern

The next one is really simple. This simple pattern can be drawn by making two diagonal lines that start from the corners of the square and intersect in the middle of the square. From there, you can add more diagonal lines as you wish. You can also leave the pattern blank or fill it in.

Squares-in-Squares-Pattern

This simple pattern can be drawn by drawing a smaller square each time within the last square. You can also color in every second square to create an illusion effect within the pattern.

Diagonal Stripes Pattern

This pattern can be drawn with your ruler and pen, by creating a set of evenly spaced diagonal lines within the square. You then can color in every second stripe.

You can also be creative by adding smaller lines within the open blank stripes in between every black stripe.

Bauhaus Pattern

In a similar process to the previous pattern, we will draw smaller squares each time within the last square. However, this time, we can draw lines within a clockwise motion, allowing for the squares to unfold as you draw a parallel line along the border of the last square.

This pattern creates a geometric-like spiral that can often be visually tied to the Bauhaus aesthetic, making it a great pattern for abstract pattern design ideas.

Tree Trunk Pattern

Nature provides us with a variety of easy patterns to draw and this one has an organic feel and is very simple to draw. We can begin by making a small irregular shape in the middle of the square. From there, we simply enlarge the shape by drawing irregular parallel lines around the irregular shape.

Liquid Effect Pattern

The next easy pattern to draw has a water-like effect and is really simple to draw. We begin by drawing irregularly shaped lines, allowing them to intersect sporadically.

From there, we can draw thinner and thicker marks over various areas of the lines. Drawing thicker marks near the intersecting areas will create a liquid webbing effect.

Line Gradient Pattern

This simple pattern is a great way to create a gradient between lighter and darker marks. We draw this pattern by starting with a dense group of lines in one corner of the block. We then slowly lessen the lines in rows until the other end of the block, resulting in a seamless line gradient.

Wave Pattern

The next pattern is another water-styled pattern. This pattern is really simple and easy to draw. We create this pattern by drawing a set of curved horizontal lines that oscillate up and down.

We can thicken areas in each line that curves upward and downward. We can also add thinner lines in between these thicker wave patterns, to give the pattern more details and nuance.

Cow Pattern

This next easy pattern to draw is inspired by the patterns found on the skin of cows. This can easily be drawn by creating various irregular shapes that form around one another. From there, you can simply fill in the patterns with a marker.

Asymmetrical Polka-Dots Pattern

The next pattern is another classic; however, what makes this pattern a little more unique than regular polka dots is that each dot varies in size and length.

This pattern style of polka dots is really effective when you allow yourself to create variations of polka dot sizes. Some long, some short, some round or some thin – it’s really up to you.

Inverse Cow Pattern

In this easy pattern to draw we will find that it is the same as the last cow pattern, except this time, it is the inverse. This means that we can create a set of irregular shapes and fill in the area around the patterns with a marker.

Net Pattern

The next pattern is a little strange and has an interesting abstract quality. We start by drawing a set of dots that run in vertical and horizontal rows.

From there, we will connect the dots, but we will do so by curving the lines as if they were oscillating up and down in a horizontal fashion or side to side in a vertical fashion. We want to make sure the curved areas move away from each other as the vertical and horizontal lines intersect.

From there, we can embolden the lines in various areas as we like. It is nice to have thinner and thicker moments of lines within this net-like pattern.

Squiggly Spiral Pattern

The squiggly spiral pattern is simple but really beautiful. This pattern can be drawn by starting with a squiggly spiraling shape, that slowly enlarges as you continue to fill the block.

Tree Branch Pattern

Drawing inspiration from nature will always be an effective way of finding patterns. This pattern is inspired by the trunk of the tree. We draw this pattern by creating a set of vertical curved lines that run parallel with one another.

You want to keep the lines skew and squiggly with moments of thick areas in each line. You can also draw thin lines in between these thicker lines to create a more interesting aesthetic.

Retro Squares

This next pattern is super simple and can give off a very retro vibe, which can be great for period-styled drawing ideas. We draw this pattern by creating a set of irregular squares, that are imperfect and different in size.

Overlapping Curves Pattern

This pattern is quite an optical illusion and it is really simple to draw. You basically want to draw curved lines starting from one side of the block. Then, you build up a set of these curves going in various directions.

You then can fill in these curved shapes with parallel lines that run along the curved shape. This creates a unique stacking effect.

Childish Scribble Pattern

This is perhaps the most fun and freeing pattern to draw, and it’s rooted in most of our childhood drawing experiences. You simply allow yourself to scribble in various sporadic directions, allowing lines to intersect.

You then can simply fill in different areas within the scribble to create a strange and playful pattern quality. This can actually be a really beautiful print and addition to various artworks and pattern design ideas.

Zig-Zagging Segments Pattern

This next pattern has a really cool effect and is really simple to draw. you start by drawing segments with your ruler that move in different directions. From there, you start to fill in the segments with lines.

The trick with this pattern is to make the lines in each segment move in different directions. By doing this, you create this weird stacking-illusion-geometric effect.

Tiger Print Pattern

The next pattern is another classic-style pattern that often is used within the realms of fashion. We create this pattern style by simply drawing a set of elongated irregular shapes as if there were stretched-out polka dots.

Cursive “E” Pattern

This next pattern has a very elegant aesthetic and is simple to draw. We draw this pattern by creating horizontal rows of the cursive-styled letter “E” we want to make a row that is upright than a row that is upside down. From there, we can fill in every second row with color.

Cell Pattern

In many ways, there is a lot to nature and how it can inspire design, including the microscopic world. This cell pattern can be drawn by creating a set of randomly-shaped circular patterns. We can create a set of parallel lines within each one.