12 Drawing Tips to Win Pictionary & Online Guessing Games
Being good at drawing games has surprisingly little to do with being good at drawing. The winners are the people who communicate an idea in as few strokes as possible. These tips work on paper, on a whiteboard, and in online games like Drawdle.
Getting started
1. Draw the most recognisable thing first
For "elephant", start with the trunk — not the legs. Ask yourself: what single feature would make a stranger say the word? Draw that before anything else.
2. Go big
Use most of the canvas. Tiny drawings are hard to read, especially for players on phones. On Drawdle, pick the medium or large brush for outlines.
3. Skip the details
Nobody needs the fingers on a hand or the leaves on a tree. If a detail doesn't help someone guess, it's wasting your seconds.
4. Use colour with a purpose
Colour is a clue: a yellow curve is a banana, a red circle with a stem is an apple. The fill bucket turns a sky blue or a lawn green in one tap.
When they're not getting it
5. Watch the guesses
Guesses tell you what people see. If everyone types "dog" and the word is "wolf", add a moon and a howl rather than starting over.
6. Use context
Put things where they belong. A fish on its own could be many things; a fish in a bowl on a table is clearly "goldfish". A shark gets a fin above the waterline.
7. Arrows and circles are allowed
Point at the part that matters. Circle the tail, draw an arrow to the handle. They're the closest thing to talking you're allowed.
8. Undo beats explaining
If a stroke goes wrong, undo it straight away. A confusing line can send the whole room guessing in the wrong direction.
Hard and abstract words
9. Break compound words apart
"Sandcastle" = sand + castle. "Firefighter" = fire + a person with a hose. Draw the parts side by side with a plus sign if your group allows symbols.
10. Draw a scene, not a thing
Abstract words need a story. "Jet lag": a plane, a clock, a yawning face. "Recycling": a bin with the three-arrow loop. "Midnight": a moon and a clock with both hands up.
11. Show movement
Actions like "running" or "sneezing" need motion lines, speech-bubble puffs or a before-and-after pair of drawings.
12. Pick your word wisely
In Drawdle you choose one of three words each turn. Early in the game, pick the one you can draw fastest — speed earns points for everyone, including you as the drawer.