2500 Drawing Challenge

This is the art challenge if you want to level up your figure drawing skills!

The 2500 Drawing Challenge consist of drawing 1000 heads, 500 arms (including hands), 500 legs (including feet), 250 hands, and 250 feet.

This video provides tips for how to complete the challenge, and the many benefits and skills you will gain by completing the challenge. Demo led by Teaching Artists Jordan McCracken-Foster and Cat Huang.

Jordan McCracken-Foster
Jordan McCracken-Foster

Discord Feedback

Join us in the Art Prof Discord and hang out in the #2500-challenge channel.

Share your progress with others doing the challenge and get feedback and support. Add your progress to this Google spreadsheet too!

Show us what you make!

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Jordan’s Tips

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Spend about 5-10 minutes per drawing.

This is a general guide, the intent is not for you to obsess about whether you’re 20 seconds over or under the mark. If you’re at 15 minutes and still drawing that same head, move on and do better on the next one.

Jordan McCracken-Foster
Jordan McCracken-Foster

If anyone is spending less than 5 minutes on a drawing, I really question how much you’re actually studying what you’re looking at.

Take regular breaks & stretch your wrist.

After every 20-30 minutes stretch out your wrist and hand. Study your own drawing mechanics. We all develop habits that are not good for us when drawing.

Jordan McCracken-Foster
Jordan McCracken-Foster

Use no more pressure on your pencil than you would if you were petting a cat. Keep things gentle, and don’t over extend yourself.

Exercising helps

By doing exercises that target the fingers, wrist, etc., it will limit your chances of developing arthritis or carpal tunnel. Squeezing a rubber stress ball will help. Also stretch your neck and back!

Jordan McCracken-Foster
This challenge is not worth harming yourself

If you need to do fewer drawings a day or your wrist is gonna blow out, just listen to your body.

2500 Challenge

  • 1000 heads
  • 500 arms(includes hands)
  • 500 legs (includes feet)
  • 250 hands
  • 250 feet
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Trent’s Tips

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I think it is good to have a routine even without inspiration. I used to do lots of “100 challenges.” Clothes, heads, animals, vehicles, anything really.

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The trick is to just find a way to not constantly ask yourself “What should I draw now?” The more decisions between you and a task, the less likely you are to do it.

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Maybe today you could simply just choose a topic and clear some space, and then tomorrow you can get right into it.

Trent is a moderator in our Discord server.

Anatomy Resources
Draw a Skull Inside a Portrait

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