Monthly Art Challenges [ULTIMATE LIST]
Check out these Monthly Art Challenges! Find your favorite art prompts for each month, and join the rest of the artists!
Last time I gathered a general list of art challenges. I’ve received some questions if there are any art challenges in a particular month. So I started doing research, with an idea in mind that I will extend this previous article. But frankly, I think that creating a separate article, dedicated just to monthly art challenges will be more useful, especially to those who just want to join art challenges in a certain month (because that’s when they have more free time).
So from now on, if there will be any art challenges related to a certain month, I will update this article, and leave the previous article list of art challenges to all of the rest (no-time limited) challenges.
ART CHALLENGES CALENDAR
I’ve prepared an excel file with a calendar of monthly art challenges. You can copy and modify it for your own personal use. On the right side I also included non-montly challenges. Have fun!
OPEN THE ART CHALLENGES CALENDAR
Here’s a .jpg calendar, you can print it if you want 🙂 back-white, and color version. Click to zoom-in the calendars:
List of Montly Art Challenges with brief descriptions
Most of the art challenges listed here have an official prompt list published every year on the internet. But there are artists that create their own prompt lists, use other lists, or just draw what they are feeling at the time. There are no strict rules on what art tools you have to use – you can use both traditional and digital media.
The main goal of these challenges is to create a drawing/sketch every day of the respective month. And of course, to have fun!
Also, I’ve already created some articles dedicated to certain challenges listed here – you can click on highlighted art challenge’s name to go to its page and learn more.
Pick your favorite art challenge and give your best!
January Art Challenges
Creatuanary
This is a challenge created by Dibujante Nocturno, Rafater and Joshua Cairós. A few years ago they decided to draw a creature per day in January in order to start the year with good artistic vibes. Great challenge if you want to improve your creature designs!
hashtags: #creatuanary
February Art Challenges
Fairyary
Fairyary is a challenge that was initiated to invite artists to draw more fairies and spreading fairies love during February. The goal is to draw one fairy each day of February. There’s no restrictions in regards t what tools you can use: “Write if you prefer writing to drawing, whatever!”
Febirdary
A cute art challenge, dedicated to drawing birds. The rules are really simple: just draw one bird each day the month, post it to social media, and tag it with hashtag: #Febirdary.
There are no restrictions on what tools you have to use, it can be digital or traditional media.
Figuary
Figuary is a 28 day Figure Drawing Challenge that takes place during February, and it’s a project created by lovelifedrawing, with help of Croquis Cafe.
#28DrawingsLater
28 Drawings Later is a challenge to do something creative every day in the month of February.
March Art Challenges
Magical March
Magical March is an art challenge where artists draw a magical girl (or something related to this subject) every day for the month of March! There’s an official prompt list published every year by Mariana Real.
March of Robots
The goal is to draw a new robot illustration each day for 31 days. You don’t have to do a drawing every day. Drawings can be digital or traditional, but it must be drawn by you and it has to be a robot or depict a scene featuring a robot.
Monster March
A perfect challenge for monster lovers – it is dedicated to drawing monsters. Doesn’t really matter what kind of monsters. It’s a great opportunity for artists looking to challenge themselves, and come up with new creature concepts.
Frog March
An art challenge dedicated to drawing frogs!
April Art Challenges
April showers
April showers daily prompts are related to rain and storms, for example, “Rain boots”.
After all, April showers brings May Flowers. There are many prompt lists created by various artists which you can use.
Plein air april
*description will be added later*
May Art Challenges
MerMay
MerMay is an art challenge where artists from all around the world draw mermaids. The name MerMay is a combination of two words – Mermaid, and May. The goal is to draw a mermaid every day, following the prompt list (one prompt per one day of May)
Munchy May
Munchy May is an annual project based in the month of May. Every day when artists across the globe submit their artworks to social media, they are asked to reflect on their meal, artwork, and outer life, and explain in the artwork’s description for what grateful for they are at this moment.
Artists draw mostly food they have eaten at that day.
June Art Challenges
Junicorn Drawing Challenge
As the name indicates, it’s a challenge dedicated to drawing unicorns, every day for the month of June. There are no restriction to what media you have to use, you can also create your own prompt list or use other artist’s prompt list, as long as your drawings will be related to unicorns.
Kaijune
is a 30-days art challenge that takes place in June. The goal is to draw a new creature or your version of a classic creature, every day of the month, following a prompt list.
*There’s no official prompt list. Many artists create their own lists and publish on social media, allowing others to use it. So, you can create your own prompt list or use an existing one. The most popular Kaijune prompt lists are created by @flancortes
Junebug
During the month of June, Junebug challenge encourages you to doodle, draw, paint, photograph, or even sculpt some artworks based on insects, and post to social media.
JuneFae
A similar art challenge to Fairyary (from February). Draw a fairy every day – you don’t have to stick to the daily routine. The goal is to draw faeries, pixies, brownies, hobgoblins, etc. during the month of June.
July Art Challenges
*Kaijuly
It’s KaiJune – but for those artists who didn’t have time to participate in this challenge the previous month, June.
Julycanthrophy
This is a drawing challenge running from July 1st to July 31st. This challenge focuses on drawing wolves and werewolves (or other canine creatures).
August Art Challenges
Smaugust
August in the art community is the month of dragons, dubbed #Smaugust, where every day of the month you attempt to draw a dragon in any way, shape, size, medium, or fantastical method you desire.
Doggust
Doggust a daily challenge for the month of august to draw a dog every day, according to the prompt list.
Use any medium you want and feel free to join in any time!
September Art Challenges
Sketchtember
Create one digital or traditional sketch every day in September. The main goal is to create sketches, not finished illustrations.
Swordtember
It’s a sword-themed art challenge that takes place in September. Its goal is to draw a sword – inspired by a daily prompt list, for each day of the month.
*You can interpret it as a fantasy art challenge instead of a sword-specific challenge.
October Art Challenges
- Many artists refuse to participate in Inktober. Therefore, there’s a huge list of alternatives. Read the article to find more art challenges here: LIST OF INKTOBER ALTERNATIVES – It’s a list dedicated entirely to October’s Art Challenges. Here I’m just listing the most popular ones.
Inktober
Inktober is an art challenge that takes place in October. Its name comes from two words – October and Ink.
Every October, artists from all over the world take on the Inktober drawing challenge by doing one ink drawing a day the entire month.
Drawlloween
Drawlloween is the Halloween-based art challenge started by Brian Soria in 2012. Inspired by Jonathan Coulton’s “Thing A Week”, it began as a series of warm up prompts for his Austin-based “Society of Malice” art group. The challenge found it’s way to online art forums, took off and is now enjoyed around the world!
Drawtober
Drawtober was created in the spirit of Halloween and hosted by Vonnart, Gawki, and Diandrapopart.
Goretober
Goretobers gives artists a different and new drawing challenge every day that revolves around gore.
Catober
Catober is an art challenge dedicated to cats and other feline animals.
Foxtober
A challenge created by Martith, where your drawing subject are foxes! Your goal is to draw one fox per day, inspired by the prompt list.
OC-tober
*descriprion will be added later
November Art Challenges
Huevember
Its goal is to draw one drawing each day, for all days of the month of November, in a given hue. Each day is linked with a certain hue – you can use all colors you want in your drawing as long as the hue of the day stays the main visible color of the image.
Slowvember
Slowvember is about quality and getting something you really like. During this challenge, work on one image and make it as good as you can. Finish a 1 portfolio-level drawing in one month.
Dinovember
Dinovember is a challenge where everyone draws one dinosaur per day to learn about the prehistoric past! It doesn’t matter your skill level, it’s just for fun!
December Art Challenges
Drawcember
Every December, artists from all around the world, create a drawing for each day of December. The prompts are mostly Christmas related.
Talecember
Talecember is a daily challenge that focuses on worldbuilding. Any medium and genre are allowed, you can draw, write stories, descriptions, create maps and games inspired by a given prompt.
Decembird
Decembird (similar to Febirdary) invites you to have fun making birdy art and to grow as an artist.
DnDecember
*description will be added later*
Digicember
*description will be added later*
Treecember
*description will be added later*
Please let me know if there are art challenges that should be included in this list.
I will try to update this article in the future.
*Thank you for every comment, I wouldn’t be able to create such a long list without your help!
Inktober Alternatives – Art Challenges for October [2023 update]
Magical March – Drawing challenge
Hello! Great list, thank you. You could add figuary, figure drawing month in February. It’s done with croquis café and love life drawing.
Hi Gen, thanks a lot for the info! I will check out this challenge and update the article at weekend 🙂
Can I share this calendar to a Facebook group?
Yes, thank you! 🙂
DnDecember
Hey, great article 🙂
Shouldn’t the dibovember be in November?
I looked it up out of curiosity and there’s a “dinocember’ I am wondering if maybe that’s what they meant; some of them I think can be used for more than one month! I hope this helps:)
I found a art challenge for March called Frog March where you draw frogs. Whether real or fiction.
Wow, that’s a cool idea! Definitely will check it out and add it to the list!
I saw one in passing, can’t remember what it was called exactly, but it was Disney in December (Dis-ember? idk.) Anyway, Disney December.
Plein air april! Or something of the likes. A good excuse to go outside 🙂
Plein air april.. or something like that. A good excuse to draw outside 🙂
Thanks for the info! 😀
Heyo! This is fantastic! The only issue is that Dinovember should be in November (It’s gotta be one of my favorite monthly challenges ^^)
Hey, Thank you for pointing this out! I will check this again – I remember I had troubles with where I should place this challenge because there were people doing it in both months 🙂
Btw, do you have any sources? I remember I found an article where parents placed dinosaur toys in various places for the whole month, and convinced their children that the dino toys are alive and play around when the kids are asleep. That’s sorta what started the challenge (that evolved also into drawing), and I think that was the oldest article called “dinovember” I was able to find.
Hi! Since 2018 I’ve been making an October art prompt list for Foxtober where you have to draw foxes (or fox-based OCs) accordingly to the prompt – if you’d like to add this challenge, it would be great! ♥ Here’s last year list for example https://www.instagram.com/p/CFNzGGEp5JZ/
Thank you!
Wow, your illustrations are so pretty! And a great idea for a drawing challenge, I will add this challenge right now 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
Thanks for this list! Was looking for some particular months. Also maybe add #28DrawingsLater. It’s a drawing a day challenge for February.
Sure! I will check it! 😀
Found some fresh september challenge – swordtember
Hi! Yeah, recently some other artists mentioned it too, I should finally update the list – sorry for the late response – ^ ^”
Digicember for the digital artists I’ve seen every year. Basically draw something digitally.
This one sounds great, I’ve seen some art challenges dedicated to traditional media, but never one that’s entirely dedicated to digital media. Thanks for the info! 🙂
huevembre
Shouldn’t it be “Huevember”? It’s already listed 🙂
Ya forgot about OC-tober! It’s in October and all about developing your OCs!
You are right! I recently updated the “https://brushwarriors.com/inktober-alternatives/” list and added it there, but forgot to add it to the monthly list. Thanks for noticing!
I actually recently saw someone use the term “Swordtember” for a drawing prompt in September.
Thanks! you are the third person who mentioned it to me. I should finally look at it and add it to the list ^ ^” I will do this in the evening!
Nibvember?
Hi, if you’re still interested there’s another dinosaur drawing challenge in June “Jurassic June”.
Recently heard of a new challenge for November called Gnomevember! Missed it this year but hope to do next time! But I did work on ‘witchtober’
Commentthis is sooooo cooool and even if its not the year your in you can olso do it its wooooooooooonderfull and worth it
Treecember in December is missing!
Apoctober
It’s all about apocalypse drawings
There is also OCember. It’s a challenge in December.
It’s where you draw a original character everyday of the month.
HI! I really loved this list! Could you add Funguary?
It’s in February and its all about mushrooms and fungi!
Oh, I saw this one! But forgot to include it ^ ^”
Ah man, I can’t keep up with writing posts about these art challenges and updating articles XD So many new ones are popping out! I’m glad I have you guys here, I probably wouldn’t be able to create such a long list without your help!
For the past five years I’ve been running an art challenge in July called Huely, which is all about limited colour palettes.
Hi,
For the past five years I’ve been running an art challenge called Huely – which is all about limited colour palettes. Though, it’s not really caught on that much (I don’t have a ton of followers), but it’s still a really fun challenge.
I will join this challage
There’s also ‘Witchtober’ for the month of October. It’s becoming very popular over the years.
I am totally going to start these challenges, probably next month. I’ve done Smaugust and Kaijune, kinda Pokemonth (Pokemon monthly challenge.) I think Talecember seems pretty cool, so I’ll probably do that
I also kinda made one of these called WoFebruary, which is a Wings of Fire-themed challenge.
I totally love the sound of Talecember, and I might do it! I’ve done Drawloween, Smaugust, and Pokemonth (which is a pokemon-themed monthly challenge that you should totally add to the list) and am really interested in worldbuilding.
I made up my own kinda thing called WoFebruary which is where you draw and improve on a Wings of Fire OC every week.
Hi! Thanks for making this list that we could refer to!
I have heard of “Sculptember” but I don’t see it on the list…
Also, I hope you could add there “36 Days of Type” 😀
I know that a lot of people participate in Witchtober where you draw a different witch based on a prompt every day of the month!
I keep coming back to this site to remember what the art challenges so I can participate in as many as I can! I love it so much. I have a few monthly art prompts of my own, inspired by this site, but don’t know how many I’ll actually continue to do in later years.
For November I did “Peridot-vember” drawing rocks and gemstones, as well as “Growvember” to have my day 1 be something small like a vole and grew into something enormous like an elephant!
For December I did “Decembear” drawing a themed bear every day, which was actually inspired by someone I saw on DeviantArt doing “Novembear,” though idr their username.
For January I did “Januaviary” which was similar to Febirdary or Decembird, but they were instead griffons (and maybe in the future harpies, sirens, phoenixes etc…just every mythical winged creature).
For February I did “Febloomary” which is a month of drawing flowers whether from grass, weeds, trees, etc.
Love that you’re sharing people’s monthly art challenges. It’s truly inspiring so I, and others, don’t ever run into an artist’s block like I used to.
Hey there ! thank you so much for that list !
I keep finding out some more art challenges on twitter and they’re honestly great 😀
Funguary, by feefal : https://twitter.com/feefal_/status/1611410538029793282
Mythic May, by Audre Schutte https://twitter.com/charamath
(in april ) Purrbloom by Maloviyua : https://twitter.com/hashtag/maloviy_purrbloom?src=hashtag_click
Invertober, by fossile forager https://twitter.com/fossilforager
Comment#julybrary
Checked it out, sound awesome! Will add to the list in free time!
Cool list 🙂
Last year I did Lemontober, which is a bit of a smaller one dedicated to the music artist Lemon Demon and his songs, usually takes place in the subreddit r/lemondemon
There is a youtube channel named Subjectively that has a challenge for october named Apoctober which has drawing challenges to make apocalyptic scenes everyday
Honestly this has been so helpful, I love doing challenges like these, so this has been really cool, but also, I think you can also add frightober to October, not exactly sure what it’s about but i think its just making a drawing, or character from some Halloween based prompts every day!
i think dinovember is a november prompt