54 Reasons Why People Like Drawing (Real Artist’s Responses)

Drawing is fun, relaxing and satisfying (if it turns out right). But what are some other reasons why people like drawing?

I asked my email subscribers why do you like drawing? Why is drawing so fun for you?

And 50 artists from the list shared their thoughts and feelings with us. (If you participated, thank you!!).

I want to publish their answers for you in this post.

What Are The Reasons Why People Like Drawing?

First, let me share with you my thoughts and the research I did on the benefits of drawing. From what I gather, there are many, but I want to let you in on some of the most important things.

#1. Drawing improves drawing skills.

Hard work pays off, and that’s a pretty obvious point, I know. Yet, seeing your creative skills grow in anything is a very rewarding experience.

Repeatedly picking up a piece of paper and creating something out of nothing is the best way to become a better artist and accomplish great things with your work.

Improving drawing skills is sure to boost your self-esteem in accomplishing other tasks as well because you’ve done it once already!

• Pst… You can join my free 7 Day Drawing Challenge to boost your art practice!

#2. Drawing helps with mental health.

As an artist, you may have noticed how drawing improves your mood, makes you feel less anxious and can really turn around a bad day.

According to this HealthLine article, drawing can also help reduce stress, boost mindfulness, interrupt rumination and help you enter a flow state.

Art therapy has helped many people since its introduction in the mid-1900s, so a little bit of creative activities that we often take for granted can really influence our quality of life. Isn’t it one of the best reasons to practice drawing daily?

#3. Drawing improves your emotional intelligence.

Drawing is a creative activity in which you often put down your emotions on a piece of paper. A piece of art can express all of the good things and the bad things in your life, so you can live them fully, process them, and potentially let go.

It’s a healing process, really.

By going through this creative process, you might better grasp your various emotions. According to this article by Hessam Moussavi, this can benefit you and those around you since you will be able to understand them better as well.

#4. Drawing helps you find your art style.

There are as many art styles in the world as there are artists. But I believe that the simple act of drawing or doodling in your sketchbook will help you develop a strong art style, not just an incidental one.

Making a finished work of art is wonderful, but in that same time it takes you, you could do many pages of sketches in your sketchbook to actually figure out how you like to present things.

Next time you finish a few drawings, try to think about the best things you like about each and focus on them in your next batch.

# 5. Drawing strengthens focus and creative thinking.

When drawing, we use the left side of the brain and the right side of the brain. This brain activity helps with focus and strategic thinking, Invaluable shares in their article.

Spending a little time in this creative flow does a brain tune up in a way, and has a profound impact on both sides of the brain. Spending your free time making new art is definitely not a waste of time.

Why Do You Like Drawing? – 50 Artists’ Responses

#6. Drawing makes you happy.

”It makes me happy.” – Aryan Chauhan

#7. Drawing helps to forget everything else.

“I forget everything when I’m drawing.” – Raghad 

#8. Drawing allows you to express yourself.

“Drawing helps me to calm down, get my feelings out, and express myself freely.” – Anonymous

#9. Drawing is a superpower.

“It’s pure creation. Anything I can envision, I can bring to life with pencil and paper. It’s almost like a superpower!” – Paul

#10. Drawing is freedom.

“I love drawing because of the satisfaction it gives me during the process and after. When I see the final product, I always think to myself, ‘did I actually create that piece?’.

And that’s when I know drawing is really my hobby and something I enjoy without having to compare it or profit from it. It’s freedom.” – Karina

#11. Drawing allows sharing your imagination with others. 

“I like having the ability to recreate pictures in my head for my friends and family to see.”- Joe.

• Learn the 3 steps To Get Better At Drawing From Imagination

#12. Drawing is a grounding experience.

“Drawing feels like a reprieve; it’s a need. Days passed by without drawing, I wouldn’t be able to regulate my emotions, express them or even center myself. Drawing is a grounding experience for me.” – Felicia

#13. Drawing is relaxing.

“Drawing allows me to be creative, it’s calming, it clears my head, and it’s one of the most relaxing things I do for myself. From as far back as I can recall, drawing was what I always loved. Of course, I wasn’t good at it for a long time, but it really is true. If you practice, you can improve.

And for that, I owe a huge thanks to drawing tutorials. Following along really helps ideas to form and you learn new techniques or easier ways to get the results you want. If I want to try something new, I just look for a tutorial and I’m on my way.” – MagPie

#14. Drawing brings happiness to others.

“Drawing for me has been an avenue to bring happiness to other people in times of joy, as well as comfort in times of hardship or sorrow. Much like singing.” – Anonymous

#15. Drawing is calming.

“It helps keep me calm and just takes my mind off things. It’s fun to see where your mind can go with things.” – Anonymous.

#16. Drawing is a way to relieve stress.

“It lets me escape from the stress of the day, and I can draw or color anything I want to and it’s not “looked down upon” as much as writing might be.” – Anonymous

#17. Drawing is permanent.

“I love to capture emotion or inspiration and make it permanent on paper, so I can revisit it anytime or share it with others.” – Sherry

#18. Drawing makes me feel in control.

“I like drawing because it is the only thing that makes me feel in control. It is the only thing that helps me enjoy a bit of freedom. It makes me feel like I can make anything happen and as if I can design my own world the way I like it. I needed an outlet to express my feelings.

Words do nothing but entrap me within labels or compartments that I am constantly struggling to break free of and barely grasp the true meaning of.

Drawing is different.

You have a blank page and trillions of possibilities for where a stroke might go. Each stroke got emotion and a life of its own. Putting those strokes down on paper lifts a huge weight off my shoulder in a way words can never do.” – Shams Walid

#19. Drawing is a passion.

“I like drawing because this has been a passion of mine since 2nd grade. It not only is a good coping skill and time killer, but it also is something I’ve always praised myself for.” – Kiwi

#20. Drawing is a source of comfort.

“When I first started drawing, I really didn’t have a goal. It was just something fun that I liked to do for no reason at all. But looking back from 2017 and to where I am now, the reason I like drawing is that it gives me a source of comfort when I need to spill something out.

Also, a kind of creative freedom when creating an image or an illustration of both what I thought in my imagination and stuff/certain parts and scenes that I want to see that either don’t exist much or are not drawn/talked about often in real life. 

My favourite part of drawing is where I get to see the process from start to end, be it the draft, sketch or the final art piece itself. Like it’s just so satisfying seeing a blank paper filled up with your creativity and all kinds of things.

And to see the masterpiece that you, yourself, have created at the end. It won’t always be perfect, but for me, it’s always something that I see as an achievement whenever I get a drawing piece done, be it perfect or imperfect.” – S.N.

#21. Drawing gives a sense of euphoria.

“I love drawing because it gives me the freedom to think of whatever I please. It gives me a sense of euphoria knowing that no matter what I think of, it can be a drawing or a cartoon one day.” – Bryanna Scott

#22. Drawing allows seeing from a new perspective.

“Drawing is for me like yoga, meditation, peace, etc. With it, we have the ability to see the world in a different perspective and feeling. In education, it helps to learn more.” – Harshita

#23. Drawings are words made into lines.

“I like to convert words into the lines or drawing.” – Sachin Kshirsagar

#24. Drawing is a safe space.

“Well, as an introverted person and someone who doesn’t really share anything, drawing became my safe space to vent out or get lost in my world. Every time I do it, I become so engrossed that I am lost in thoughts on what I want to say with the artwork.

It’s like the art I create are unsaid words allowing themselves to just form and shape into something. Words that would probably never be heard unless someone asked. A reflection, maybe.

On the bright side, well, drawing is fun! Time would always fly fast just by doing it. I like it also because you can document your life with it and carry those with you until you grow old.” – Ban.

#25. Drawing brings stories to life.

“I love telling stories through art! I’m not very good at writing, and I don’t have the skill to make films, so I just love to draw to make the stories in my head come to life either through comics or animation.” – Lisa

• Check out how I challenged myself to make my own manga story in 7 days, without ever drawing manga before!

#26. Drawing makes us seen and not alone.

“I like drawing because it can bring stories to life and make others feel seen and not alone.” – Anonymous

Note from Anna: I absolutely love this response! The idea that your drawings will be seen by others who can relate to it and feel less lonely. I think that’s especially true in comics or story-based illustrations. 

I bet you’ve been scrolling through social media at some point and a piece caught your eye that you could really relate to. That just shows how we are all one world, one people, and are never alone in anything we face.

#27. Drawing is a way to escape reality.

“To create fantasy and escape reality.” – Julija

#28. Drawing connects me with other artists.

“For me drawing is a way to have something in common with other artistic people. It’s also an escape into my mind where I can make up whole worlds and the drawing puts them on paper for people to see.” – Anonymous

#29. Drawing connects me with my inner child.

“For me drawing is a way of connecting with my inner child and a way of staying curious about my passion for art and design.” – Pri.

#30. Drawing allows sharing ideas from other mediums.

“When I hear words, ideas, poetry, I see images in my mind. By drawing continuously, I have, over the years, raised my skills level to the point where I am starting to be able to draw these images. What I draw and what I imagine are coming closer together.” – Drawing my imagination

• By the way, Proko has some great free art lessons from professionals (just toggle the “free” option on the top right).

#31. Drawing is a way to express yourself.

“Art makes me feel something. Drawing helps me express myself.

 It helps me feel more happy and confident and has given me an extra sense of identity and purpose in life.” – Sara.

#32. Drawing brings out your creative side.

“It makes me calm and brings out my creative side.” – Anonymous

#33. Drawing helps to specialize in different mediums.

“I like drawing because I love creating new pieces and specializing in different types of art mediums. I can also do digital and traditional art, and my styles vary from cartoonish to semi-realistic designs.” – Flamez.Da.Artist

#34. Drawing distracts from compulsions.

“I have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and my compulsions involve my hands. To distract from the compulsive thoughts and actions, I draw and draw and draw some more. If I’m using my hands to draw, they can’t be used in negative ways!” – @dawnlovestodraw

#35. Drawing helps in understanding yourself better.

” It’s a form of meditation for me, as well as being a means to understand myself better and share my imagination with the world.” – Néné

#36. Drawing is a way to comfort yourself.

“I like drawing since it’s not hard and I feel comfortable doing so. I don’t know how to Express emotions through drawings but whenever I feel anything I draw to comfort myself.” – Fati

#37. Drawing forces you to pay attention to life.

“I like drawing because it forces me to pay more attention to life. What I mean by that is how I’m always observing people and their “energy” and their expressions.

Before I started taking art more seriously, I used to not care about photography at all, but now I’m snapping pictures of pretty much everything sometimes just because, sometimes to have references for later.” – Dallin

#38. Drawing is a way to let out emotions.

“It’s a way to let out emotions/ideas, it’s fun, and it’s a way for me to create new things.” – Zin

• Ever wonder what’s the meaning and emotions behind certain colors?

#39. Drawing is satisfying.

“I like drawing because it satisfies me. Though at first, I found my drawing ugly, but as time passed, it got better and better. When I was a kid, my dad and other people said that drawing is something I can learn, but it might take a lot of time and effort.

I find drawing amazing, and it’s one of the things that you can’t learn at birth; it takes time and effort. These are all the reasons I like drawing; it’s amazing. At first, I thought drawing was so hard, but it’s not. You just need to focus, and spend time on it until you feel satisfied. It sure will be worth it.” – Anonymous

#40. Drawing is sharing one story with different meanings.

“I like drawing because I’m able to tell stories that I want to tell, whether it is a painting or animation. The best part is that many people perceive the story differently, so it also becomes a fun community discussion. One painting can relate to many, depending on how they see things.” – Torwitt

#41. Drawing is a way to learn about the world.

“Drawing is a way of learning about the world, but also allows an escape from said world. It is a great way to feel better about myself because of how peaceful it is while letting me improve.” – Gavin Hulet

#42. Drawing has no limits.

“I like drawing because it has no limits, it connects to nature, it’s alive….. Drawing is meditation, and yes, it makes me happy.” – Rashi Mittal

#43. Drawing changes how you process information.

“I love to draw! I think people can easily express their feelings with the help of drawing. I also like drawing because it teaches me to rewire how I process the information of objects around me.” – Saba Umar

#44. Drawing is a way to connect with the universe.

“Art is not limited to a small canvas; look around, art is everywhere. God is the artist, and we all, the whole universe, is His canvas. From the blue sky on a sunny day to a stormy night, a tree or a bird, a face or something abstract. Inspiration is everywhere. Let God’s canvas inspire your own canvas.” – Sadiq

#45. Drawing has the power to speak intimately.

“I tend to see the world through art. When I look around and observe how light, shadow, colour and atmosphere dance together in beautiful harmony, I itch to capture it all on paper.

Clouds are not seen as fluffy white blobs but delicate brush strokes flicked on a cerulean blue wash. Trees are rich textures that come alive with shadows and light masterfully scribbled.

Drawing has the power to speak intimately to those willing to listen. It is that language I seek to decipher and why art remains connected to my soul.” – Dale Swackhammer

#46. Drawing is peaceful.

“Honestly? Drawing is so peaceful when you have the motivation and inspiration. Every line, color and shape just inspire greatness. Something I love drawing is couples that enjoy each other. Every detail I draw brings out the drawing more and makes it YOU.” – N. Rivera

#47. Drawing fills you with a feeling of accomplishment.

“Drawing brings me in touch with my inner realms. The more I put into it, the deeper it takes me. Viewing a finished drawing that I worked hard on fills me with a wonderful feeling of accomplishment .” – Accessing the Deep Realms

#48. Drawing allows you to create something from nothing.

“I think the biggest reason is the ability to create “something from nothing”; To start with a blank page and gradually build up a beautiful scene or portrait. Secondly, the sense of accomplishment when an art piece turns out well; the satisfaction of achievement.” – David Church

#49. Drawing allows you to create what you enjoy.

“I love to draw, mostly, OCs (a.k.a. original characters), pinups, furries, and sometimes fanart.” – Dominique Shanta Squire

#50. Drawing takes you to where anything is possible.

“It’s a means to a world where anything is possible. Just like movies. It’s a beautiful way to give life to imaginations.” – Rohan

#51. Drawing makes you feel positive.

“I like drawing because while I might not be able to express myself as well as some others, just starting to paint just makes my mood a whole lot more positive and relaxed. It’s pleasant for me and something I’m passionate about.” – Dahlia

#52. Drawing is art therapy for your soul.

“Drawing for me is a therapy for my soul.” – Christiane B.

#53. Drawing is something you can’t live without.

“I’ve always liked it; I don’t have a specific reason. I watched my elder brother using paints growing up. I wasn’t allowed to use them since I was too young.

I just practiced with other things until I was old enough to use paints. During that time, I really started loving it. From then on, the fascination only grew. Before I knew it, I was an art student. But honestly, I couldn’t live without drawing.” – Asher.

#54. Drawing is a rewarding process.

“Well, since I was a child, drawing and seeing art I liked always inspired me. Also, I like to be able to draw the characters I imagine in my head (which are so many since I’m constantly making up new characters).

Another thing is expressing things that I can’t put into words as easily. And it’s a very rewarding process when I love the result.” – Selma

Reasons Why People Like Drawing – Final Thoughts

Fifty artists responded to this survey sharing their personal thoughts on the topic of reasons why people like drawing. I love how different the answers are, and yet, I’m sure that all of us artists can relate to most of them. Why you draw is unique to you, and it is sure to change throughout your creative journey.

Why do you like drawing?

What is the best reason to continue drawing for you?

What’s the most important factor?

What do you think are the main reasons why people like drawing?

Let us know in the comments below!