Work by Eva Neirynck during Atelier in beeld

Get your sketchbooks ready: A paper / a day is here! For those who missed it: October is drawing month. And we would love to encourage you to keep your pencils within reach for 31 days straight. Since we know inspiration can sometimes be hard to find, we have 31 challenges ready for you.

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What's A paper / a day again?

At Kunstwerkt, we're spreading the joy of drawing during the month of October. This will happen mainly on Instagram: we'll inspire you with videos of passionate creators and provide you with daily inspiration to get started. We also invite you to join our Instagram channel 'A paper / a day 2025', where you will find people who, just like you, enjoy doodling in a sketchbook. At the bottom of this article, you can find out how to become a member! Would you rather stay away from Instagram? Don't worry, you won't miss a thing here on our website either. Check out this list of exercises in October and get drawing!

  • Cut up a copy of an old drawing or photo and rearrange the fragments. Draw the new image.
  • Draw the same object in your surroundings three times in a different style or material.
  • Ask a weird question and draw the answer. Something like: what does silence look like?
  • Merge 2 things that don't belong together in today's drawing. An example: a cat and a clock.
  • Go outside and look for three textures. Tree bark, fabric and skin, for example. Draw these in close-up, using patterns, stripes or dots.
  • Create a drawing that also works upside-down.
  • Draw a playground your remember from your childhood.
  • Draw a secret.
  • Draw the inside of your brain, showing what your thoughts look like today.
  • Create a series of small gods or spirits who govern odd things. Like the god of lost socks!
  • Invent a series of surreal houseplants with emotions. ‘Petty Cactus’ throws shade, for example. Include labels like a botanical illustration page.
  • Set a timer for 1 minute and draw as much of your surroundings as you can.
  • Choose a classic painting, like the Mona Lisa, and redraw it.
  • Draw with both hands simultaneously. Mirror your motions, or let each hand do something different.
  • Draw a still life with the things from your bag. Don't overthink the objects you pick, arrange them in an unexpected way.
  • Put an image or photo upside down in front of you. Try to copy it. Turn it right-side up and add details.
  • Pick one color - like saffron yellow - and draw a creature that represents it emotionally.
  • Draw a chameleon without looking up any images of the animal. Give it a funky pattern and colour.
  • Draw a collection of something you love (flowers, cups, stones...).
  • Draw an animal doing a human job completely seriously.
  • Imitate the drawing style of a 5-year-old, complete with bright colours and exaggerated features.
  • Sketch a figure or object in motion. For example: someone dancing, or a bird flying. Focus on dynamic action lines and rhythm, not anatomy, and capture its movement and tension.
  • Try to draw what you hear around you. You can draw figuratively or use abstract marks or doodles.
  • Draw five strange items in a 'lost and found' box. Who do they belong to? What is the story that connects them?
  • Try a way to draw from another perspective, for example looking up from a hammock or the floor.
  • Draw yourself doing an animal thing.
  • Make a composition based on the last 20 pics in your phone. You can only scroll through the photos for 1 minute.
  • Draw someone you saw or met today, but only as a silhouette. Without any internal detail.
  • Draw something reallllyyyy badly on purpose.
  • Draw a silly animal or object with a speech bubble - they are saying something that doesn't make sense.
  • Draw your expectations of the week in a mini comic. What do you think will happen? What are you looking forward to?
  • Draw with your pen tied to a string or stick.
  • Reverse drawing ! Start with a finished pencil image and erase your way back to chaos.

All these drawing assignments were invented or collected by the illustrators of 'Oops: I arted': an international residency project that took place in Destelheide in the summer of 2025. Thank you to the artists for sharing these assignments with us!

How to participate in A paper / a day?

  1. Follow @kunstwerkt on Instagram and join our channel A paper / a day for daily drawing challenges and a good dose of inspiration. Please note: the channel is only accessible via the Instagram app. Not on Instagram? Don't worry, you can follow along on our website as well.
  2. TDraw, sketch, doodle and scribble. As much as you can. Every day in October!
  3. Share your result on Instagram. You can do this on your own public profile with #apaperaday25 and by tagging @kunstwerkt in the post. Or show your work to our drawing community in our channel A paper / a day! Not on Instagram? Share your sketchbook pages on your Beeld profile.