Sketch Every Day: 100+ Simple Drawing Exercises by Simone Grünewald is a 208-page guide focusing on daily artistic practice, character design, and storytelling through various exercises. The book offers practical lessons on fundamentals like anatomy, perspective, and lighting, aiming to help artists develop a consistent creative habit. Learn more about the book's contents and reader feedback on
The book " Sketch Every Day: 100+ Simple Drawing Exercises from Simone Grünewald
" focuses primarily on character design and art fundamentals rather than a simple 1-100 list of prompts. Instead of specific daily "assignments," the "100 exercises" refers to instructional visual breakdowns and technical tips found throughout its chapters.
Below are key pieces of advice and categorized focus areas from the book to help you start your daily practice: 1. The Habit of Sketching
10-Minute Rule: Dedicating just 10 minutes a day can significantly improve your skills over time.
Recap Your Day: Sit down and draw one thing that stood out during your day, even if it wasn't particularly "special".
Reality as Inspiration: Use real-life situations as a source. If you're stuck on a pose, reenact it in a mirror or use a reference photo of yourself. 2. Art Fundamentals Exercises The book breaks these down into technical visual guides:
Lighting & Shade: Practice basic lighting effects like highlighted edges and accurate reflections.
Composition: Experiment with "planes" (foreground, midground, background) and object spacing to create depth.
Line-Weight: Practice varying your inking thickness to give drawings more "pop" and energy. 3. Character Design Focus Areas
Since the book is heavily character-focused, you can create your own daily exercises based on these sections: Sketch Every Day: 100+ Simple Drawing Exercises by
Making Faces: Spend a day focusing solely on one feature—eyes, then noses, then "lip service" (mouths).
Anatomy Brackets: Dedicate specific days to "Helping Hands," "Feet First," and "Baby Steps" (drawing children and toddlers).
Dynamic Poses: Practice "Caught in Action" sketches—drawing characters mid-movement rather than in static poses. 4. Exploring the Content
If you are looking for a physical copy or a digital preview, you can find it at retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or directly from the publisher 3dtotal. 100+ simple drawing exercises from Simone Grünewald
Introduction
"Sketch Every Day: 100 Simple Drawing Exercises" by Simone Grunewald is a comprehensive guide to help artists of all levels improve their drawing skills through daily practice. The book provides 100 simple and fun exercises to help readers develop their observation, proportion, line work, and shading techniques. In this write-up, we'll explore the book's contents, highlighting its key features, benefits, and what you can expect to achieve by following the exercises.
Overview of the Book
"Sketch Every Day" is a digital book in PDF format, written and illustrated by Simone Grunewald, a professional artist and illustrator. The book is designed to be a daily companion for artists, providing a year's worth of drawing exercises to help improve their skills. The exercises are simple, yet challenging, and cover a range of topics, including:
Key Features
Benefits
What to Expect
By following the exercises in "Sketch Every Day," you can expect to:
Conclusion
"Sketch Every Day: 100 Simple Drawing Exercises" by Simone Grunewald is an excellent resource for artists of all levels looking to improve their drawing skills through daily practice. With its simple and fun exercises, clear instructions, and inspiring illustrations, this book is perfect for anyone looking to establish a consistent drawing habit and take their art to the next level. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced artist, "Sketch Every Day" is a valuable tool to help you achieve your artistic goals.
Finding the PDF is the easy part; doing the work is hard. Here is how to maximize Simone’s method:
Don't skip the "ugly" pages. Simone explicitly states that your sketchbook should be a "messy playground." If you are treating the PDF exercises like a test to be passed, you are doing it wrong. You are aiming for quantity of attempts.
The 80/20 Rule. If you have a busy life, do not try to do one exercise every day. Instead, do three exercises in one hour on Sunday. The "every day" in the title is the ideal, but the reality is "consistently."
Combine Analog and Digital. Use the PDF on your phone. If you are waiting for a bus, do Exercise 14 (Draw five circles inside each other without them touching). If you are on lunch break, do Exercise 33 (Blind contour drawing of your coworker).
In the crowded world of art instruction books, it is rare to find a guide that feels less like a textbook and more like a supportive friend sitting beside you with a cup of coffee. Yet, that is exactly the sensation evoked by Simone Grünewald’s beloved work, often searched for by the keyword: "sketch every day 100 simple drawing exercises from simone grunewald pdf".
For aspiring artists, seasoned illustrators stuck in a rut, or anyone who believes they "can't even draw a stick figure," this book has become a modern holy grail. But why is there such a high demand for this specific PDF? What makes Simone’s approach different from the hundreds of other drawing prompt books on the market? Warm-up exercises : Simple gestures and contour drawings
This article will explore the philosophy behind the book, break down the structure of those famous 100 exercises, and discuss why artists are hunting for this digital resource to transform their daily creative habits.
Before you can draw a face, you must befriend your pen. The first 10-15 exercises focus on mark-making.
To understand the book, one must first understand the author. Simone Grünewald, formerly an Art Director at the legendary Studio MDHR (the creators of Cuphead), is known in the industry not just for her technical prowess, but for the distinct "warmth" of her art. Her characters are expressive, stylized, and possess a tangible sense of weight and emotion.
When an artist of her caliber releases a PDF titled Sketch Every Day, the expectation isn't a gallery of unreachable masterpieces. It is a roadmap of how a professional keeps their skills sharp. The "story" of the book is one of demystification. It removes the ego from art. It tells the reader: Even professionals need to stretch before they run.
Lena worked a desk job and hadn’t drawn since middle school. She bought Simone Grünewald’s book after a friend showed her Simone’s expressive, loose sketches. “100 simple exercises,” Lena thought. “I can do that.”
Day 1: Draw your coffee cup without lifting the pen. Her line wobbled. The cup looked like a melted marshmallow. She almost quit.
But Simone’s book had a quiet rule: “Don’t judge. Just fill the page.”
So Lena kept going. Day 3: Draw a crumpled paper bag—she learned shadows. Day 7: Draw your non-dominant hand—it was ugly, but she laughed. Day 12: Draw the same plant in 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 10 minutes—she saw how speed changed her focus.
By Day 30, something shifted. She stopped erasing. She started noticing light on her keyboard, the curve of a spoon, the way a stranger’s coat folded. Drawing became a form of seeing.
Day 67 was a bad day at work. She didn’t want to draw. The exercise: Draw five circles. Turn them into anything. She made a tired face, a sun, a donut, a wheel, a button. That small act reset her evening. Key Features
By Day 100, she had a stack of ugly, beautiful, quick, and surprisingly good sketches. She wasn’t an expert—but she had a habit, a visual diary, and proof that showing up matters more than talent.
Simone’s book didn’t teach her to be a perfect artist. It taught her that a sketch is a thought, not a masterpiece.