Sad Drawing Ideas – Let Your Emotions Reflect in Your Drawings
Are you feeling uninspired and a little gloomy? It is difficult to come up with drawing ideas at the best of times, but what if you feel like expressing your unhappy mood? What sad drawing ideas can you try? In this article, we hope to provide you with a few sad things to draw, and hopefully, you can tell your story and create some amazing artwork in the process.
Table of Contents
How to Draw Sad Things
Some days we can wake up energized and hopeful for the day ahead, however, we all have to face those days you simply do not want to even get out of bed. We all experience sadness at some point in our lives, and drawing is the perfect way to express your emotions and not keep everything bottled up inside. As we all experience these emotions, it might be the reason why many of us are drawn to certain things that resonate with us at a particular moment. For example, consider the music you listen to when you are sad, what movies you watch, or you might be drawn to certain drawings or paintings.
These drawings might capture how you are feeling, and you can do the same with your own sad drawing ideas.
The idea of learning how to draw sad things can help you express your sadness, so you can then begin to understand and process your feelings, so you can choose how to react more positively. Drawing can be something that helps make sense of things that happen in your life. There are also other benefits to drawing, such as helping to improve your mood as your brain releases some feel-good hormones in the process. Maybe you are someone who does not communicate well, and drawing can be the tool that helps you express your needs without having to say anything. So, how can you come up with sad drawing ideas?
How to Come Up With Sad Things to Draw?
There are many ways you can look for inspiration, including from books, movies, art galleries, or searching online. Once you have some ideas, you can then experiment with different mediums from pencils to charcoal drawings. Carrying a sketchbook or journal around with you can also help with inspiration.
Whenever something catches your eye or you think of something, you can immediately get it down on paper.
Ideas on How to Draw Sad Things
There are some ideas that can help you capture sad things to draw. For one, when you experience sadness, often things around you seem to lose their brilliance and color. So, you can also use more desaturated colors and certain colors like blue or green. You can also simply go for black and white. Try to create a color palette that reflects how you are feeling. Below are more ideas for how to draw sad things.
- You can make use of shadows and lighting to create contrast, which can add meaning to a drawing.
- Draw from experience, why you are sad at the moment, and what caused it. Knowing this can help you to create a story and makes the drawing more personal.
- Use symbolism in your drawings. Symbols can help to represent your feelings and can be used to express yourself if you cannot voice your emotions. For example, a broken heart.
- Consider using the background to help intensify the emotions. For example, standing in the rain.
- Create a drawing that tells a story, it does not have to just be a sad image.
- There is no wrong way to express yourself, so allow yourself to feel and then let it show in the drawing. Experiment and use different mediums and techniques.
- Close your eyes and consider your emotions and how they can be associated with shapes, colors, and forms.
Sad Drawings of People
There are many sad things you can draw, and you can use your imagination to create anything you want. However, the majority of sad things to draw revolve around people, and expressing yourself through their expressions, body language, and environment. Below you will find some easy sad drawings involving people.
Drawing Sad Expressions or Faces
Facial expressions can convey feelings of sadness, grief, anger, and numerous other emotions. Drawing expressions can be a challenging task, as there are a lot of details to include. To create a sad drawing, you will need to consider frowning and crinkled eyebrows, pouting lips, and tears in the eyes, among others.
The drawing can be simple, with basic eye and mouth shapes that are turned down. Keep practicing and observing.
Sad Eye Drawings
You can also draw the eyes, which can also convey great emotion. You can draw a sad eye by adding a teardrop to help bring across the sad emotion. The way a person draws an eye is an effective method for expressing your feelings. You can focus on the details to make it more effective, for example, you can make the lashes thin and long, or create dilated pupils. Take a look at this how-to-draw tears tutorial that will help you create a compelling drawing.
All these elements are what help to convey sad emotions.
Sad Skull Drawings
The skull can have different meanings; however, it can also represent fear, and depression, and could be something you want to draw when feeling sad. Learning to draw a skull can also have practical applications, as it can help you to become familiar with proportions before you try drawing actual faces. To help get you started, here is a how-to-draw-a-skull tutorial.
Sad Girl Drawings
You might want to draw something that is more real to you, something that represents your feelings. Many of you, have at some point in your lives, curled up with your head on your knees. This can become the sad girl drawing you want to create. However, many other positions also convey feelings of sadness. For example, a girl standing with her hands over her face or mouth, or simply a girl facing away from you.
Since you cannot see her face, the surrounding elements and colors should help to produce the effect you want.
Sad Clown Face Drawings
Clowns are supposed to be happy, or terrifying, depending on your childhood experiences. However, what if you could use a clown face to express your sad feelings? A clown that is crying is neither happy nor terrifying, it is simply sad. It shows that even if you appear to be happy on the outside, underneath lurks a sadness that everyone else might not see.
Sad Couple Drawings
If you have been in a romantic relationship that has ended, this could be heartbreaking and sad to go through. You can draw couples in various ways, for example, drawing two people on different sides of a solid wall. Take a woman and a man silhouetted against the background, and parts of the women are seemingly floating away, which represents the sadness of loss.
There are plenty of ideas out there that can help to inspire your own sad drawings.
Sad Line Drawings
A line sketch is one of the easier sad drawings you can do. The method involves drawing a continuous line that forms a shape without lifting your pencil off the surface. You can draw a side of a face that has a tear in the eye, or a broken heart shape. There are even full figures that can be done in sad postures.
Sad Holding Hands Drawings
Hands are quite challenging to draw and holding hands even more so. Drawing holding hands can mean something sad and comforting. You might feel you need the reassurance or comfort this image can bring. You can also try out this idea by having a look at our how to draw holding hands tutorial.
Happy Drawings
If you are sad, it can also help to draw happy drawings. Drawing something that makes you feel happy is a good way to dispel any negative emotions and distract you from your current situation. Consider drawing your favorite person, place, animal, or food.
Also, consider drawing flowers, kittens or puppies, sunsets, or drawings with a lot of color and light.
Sad Solitary Figure Drawings
When you are sad or depressed, it can feel that you are all alone in the world. To convey this feeling, you can draw solitary figures in many ways. A simple idea is to draw a single figure standing or huddled in an empty and dark room, or just draw a sad figure as your focal point surrounded by dark colors. Another example would be a person staring out of a car, bus, or train window, and watching how the world is passing them by and leaving them behind.
Also, consider a figure drawn in front of a gravestone.
Sad Landscape or Nature Drawings
Nature is beautiful, but depending on our emotions, it can also become something that seems colorless and sad. Instead of focusing on the human figure, you can use the environment to help convey your message. Drawing landscapes can also be soothing, helping you to move towards a more positive mood. If you want a little help with drawing landscapes, have a look at our how to draw landscapes tutorial.
Sad Weather Drawings
Have you ever noticed that in gloomy movie scenes, the weather always mimics the emotion they are trying to convey? You usually see dark stormy clouds, heavy rain, and wind. You can create a barren landscape or add other elements, for example, a child left crying in the rain. Here is a how-to-draw realistic clouds tutorial to help you get started.
Easy sad drawings can also simply involve dark storm clouds.
Wave Drawings
Waves can be a bit tricky to get right, but once you understand the principles and shapes, it can be quite satisfying to draw. Wave drawings can be calming and serene, while others can be tumultuous and dark. It might be quite effective in expressing your emotions. Follow this how to draw waves tutorial for some instructions on how to start.
Just like waves, emotions can be fickle.
Moon Silhouette Drawings
Moon silhouette drawings can be magical and dreamy, but they can also convey sadness. How it comes across depends on what you add, which can be the colors used and the figures used. For example, it could be the moon silhouetting a distant figure sitting as if in prayer.
Dead Tree Drawings
Nature can represent health, life, and vitality, but there are also moments where it can embody sadness and fear. Consider drawing old and leafless or dying trees, or instead of the trees, focus on creating dry leaves. Take a look at our tutorial that shows you how to draw a leaf.
Bridge Drawings
Bride drawings can be romantic and portrays a strong connection and is a symbol of hope. Depending on what colors you choose, and the type of bridge, you can also create a sad setting. Consider an old and crumbled bridge that has seen better days or add a sad solitary figure on the bridge next to a dried-up river. To get going, you can follow our tutorial on how to draw a bridge.
Mountain Drawings
Mountain landscapes can be majestic and beautiful, but depending on how you draw them, they can become darker and more ominous. Add a solitary figure, rain, and other elements to create a melancholy image. If you need a little guidance on how to draw mountains, you can read our tutorial.
Sad Animal Drawings
Animals can be sad too, so if you feel this is something you can draw, consider drawing a sad kitten or puppy. There are also many other animals you can draw, such as a baby elephant, a sad frog, or rabbit, or a donkey. Have a look at our guide which can help you to learn how to draw animals.
Sad Character Drawings
One of the more popular types of sketching includes your anime drawings, a Kind of Japanese animation that can depict a diverse range of emotions and facial expressions. There are also other cartoon characters and simple shapes you can make come to life. Here we have provided a few ideas on sad things to draw.
Sad Heart Drawings
When searching for easy sad drawings, a sad heart is high on the list. If you are feeling heartbroken and sad, you can express yourself through drawing a broken heart. However, you can also add large eyes and tears to enhance the effect. There are many other sad cartoon characters you can create, even if it is a simple sad stick drawing staring into a mirror.
Another idea that comes to mind is an old and broken doll or teddy bear that has been discarded.
Sad Emoji Drawings
Emojis are used every day on our mobile phones to depict how we are feeling. So, why not try your hand at drawing your own sad emoji face, which you can make with simple lines, or you can add in more details?
Sad Anime Drawings
As we mentioned, anime is quite a popular art form and is an ideal way to express your emotions. Anime characters can have large expressive eyes or consider hiding their face altogether. Draw a character alone, or place them in an appropriate environment, for example, in the rain. Follow our basic guide on how to draw anime characters.
You can also leave the characters black and white or include muted colors if you wish.
Sad Fantasy Drawings
Fantasy drawings are only limited to your imagination, and there are many sad drawing ideas you can create. Depending on your drawing skills, it can be something relatively simple like a rose losing its petals, or it can be more detailed, such as a soldier kneeling on a battlefield.
Sad Abstract Drawings
Abstract art can be described as a visual language that uses different forms, colors, shapes, and lines that can represent something in the real world. The ideas can be simple or more complex, depending on the artist. This can be a great way for you to create sad drawings, even if you are not all that good at it. Let us have a look at some ideas for these easy sad drawings.
Sad Doodle Drawings
We have all found ourselves doodling on a piece of paper at some time in our lives. In most cases, we do not even realize that we are doing it. Doodling is essentially freely creating lines, shapes, forms, and repetitive patterns. Doodling can be an effective way to help you process your emotions, as there are no rules, and you simply draw what comes to mind. You can use pencils and pens, and even add color if you wish. Need some ideas, then have a look at our easy patterns guide and our easy doodles to draw guide.
Doodling helps to distract you so that you can take a “mental break” so to speak.
Geometric Shape Drawings
If you really want to get your mind off of things, drawing geometric shapes can be a way to express how you are feeling. Different shapes can be an indication of various emotions, for example, circles can represent calmness, while sharper-edged squares can represent anxiety. Also, darker colors used for the shapes can represent sadness, while lighter colors have happier meanings. Take a look at our guide to abstract designs to help get a few ideas.
Sad Drawings With Deeper Meanings
You can place this idea into the surreal drawing category, where the images can be strange and dreamlike. For example, you can depict sadness as a figure within a cage that is seen as the top part of a person’s head. Only the nose and mouth are seen below the cage. You can do a similar idea with a dark cloud instead of a cage, just include eyes with this version.
Drawing is the ideal way to express your emotions, whether you feel sad or happy. Finding sad things to draw can be an easier way to communicate your feelings, and there is no right or wrong way to create art. We hope that you will use our sad drawing ideas as inspiration, as you explore your emotional and creative skills. There is nothing wrong with being sad, just remember that you can reach out to others. No matter how you do it, sharing your thoughts can be helpful and healing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Colors Are Suitable for Sad Drawings?
You might find that keeping your drawing black and white works well in depicting how you feel. Gray is also frequently used to indicate sadness. If you want to use colors, there is no rule, but options like blue, green, purple, or indigo can be of use. These colors generally tend to be seen as sad, given that they are also found on the cool side of the color spectrum.
What Is the Best Way to Draw a Sad Face?
When drawing a face, there are various facial features that you can focus on. There is the eye shape, which can be turned down at the corners, and the pupils, which can be dilated. The eye gaze can also be turned down, and the head can also be facing down. You can include tears to complete the effect.
Why Is Drawing Good for Helping Sadness?
When you are being creative, like when you are drawing, it helps you to express yourself and can lift your mood. Emotions should not be bottled up, and drawing is a way of getting things out, which can then open a door to helping process the emotions.
In 2005, Charlene completed her Wellness Diplomas in Therapeutic Aromatherapy and Reflexology from the International School of Reflexology and Meridian Therapy. She worked for a company offering corporate wellness programs for a couple of years, before opening up her own therapy practice. It was in 2015 that a friend, who was a digital marketer, asked her to join her company as a content creator, and this is where she found her excitement for writing.
Since joining the content writing world, she has gained a lot of experience over the years writing on a diverse selection of topics, from beauty, health, wellness, travel, and more. Due to various circumstances, she had to close her therapy practice and is now a full-time freelance writer. Being a creative person, she could not pass up the opportunity to contribute to the Art in Context team, where is was in her element, writing about a variety of art and craft topics. Contributing articles for over three years now, her knowledge in this area has grown, and she has gotten to explore her creativity and improve her research and writing skills.
Charlene Lewis has been working for artincontext.org since the relaunch in 2020. She is an experienced writer and mainly focuses on the topics of color theory, painting and drawing.
Learn more about Charlene Lewis and the Art in Context Team.
