Drawing Prompts

Rules and host guide

How to play Drawing Prompts

One player draws a hidden prompt while teammates guess. The artist may use lines and shapes, but no letters, numbers, gestures, or spoken clues.

Materials and setup

Use printed prompt cards, paper or a shared board, markers, a timer, and a score sheet. The browser canvas can replace paper for online play.

Play steps

1. The artist privately draws a prompt card.
2. Start the timer and begin drawing.
3. Teammates call guesses until one matches or time expires.
4. A correct answer earns one point; rotate artists every turn.

Host tips and variants

Decide whether symbols such as arrows are allowed. In relay drawing, each teammate adds to the same picture for ten seconds; in speed mode, teams solve as many cards as possible in two minutes.

Example round

For “birthday cake,” the artist may draw layers, candles, and flames but may not write “cake,” draw the number of a birthday age, or pretend to eat.

Design note

Prompts are selected for visual clarity and work with simple sketches, so artistic skill matters less than communicating the core idea.