60+ Environment Drawing Prompts to Elevate Your Art

Creating complex and visually captivating environments is actually one of the best ways to level up your artwork. Our environment drawing prompts help you design backgrounds that serve the main focus of your painting while telling a story of their own.

Let’s explore over 60 environment drawing prompts grouped by theme, plus our expert tips to design environments tailored to your artistic goals!

Why use environment drawing prompts?

Environments, more than any other element of your drawing, test your ability to convey depth, mood, and detail. They're also fantastic for enhancing world-building and creating settings for characters.

You can build environments to support your main characters, but they can also exist as standalone challenges. In fact, some of the world renown painters such as Claude Monet, made their fame primarily by painting complex and compelling environments.

Let’s dive into themed prompts designed to inspire!

Environment drawing prompts by theme

Natural landscapes

These nature drawing prompts celebrate the beauty of the natural world. Add wildlife, weather elements, or dramatic lighting to bring these settings to life.

1. Lush rainforest: towering trees, dangling vines, and misty undergrowth teeming with life.
2. Desert oasis: a sparkling water source surrounded by palm trees in a vast desert.
3. Rocky coastline: jagged cliffs meeting crashing ocean waves under a dramatic sky.
4. Mountain range at dawn: soft golden light illuminating distant peaks.
5. Frozen glacier: an icy expanse with dramatic cracks and towering icebergs.
6. Tropical island: pristine beaches, turquoise waters, and dense jungle interiors.
7. Windy grassland: an endless field of tall grasses rippling in the breeze.
8. Cascading waterfall: water plunging into a crystal-clear pool in a lush valley.
9. Sunlit canyon: sheer rock walls glowing red and orange under a blazing sun.
10. Volcanic landscape: dark lava fields with plumes of smoke rising from craters.
11. Starry desert night: a desert illuminated by starlight and a glowing moon.
12. Foggy mountain pass: mist weaving through jagged cliffs and ridges.
13. Wildflower meadow: a kaleidoscope of colors under a wide, open sky.
14. Hidden lagoon: a secluded pool surrounded by dense jungle and rocky outcrops.
15. Savanna sunrise: acacia trees silhouetted against a fiery orange horizon.

For more unexpected or varied options, check out our landscape art prompt generator. 

Urban environments

Urban prompts push you to capture structure, scale, and movement. Play with bustling city life or hauntingly empty spaces.

1. Bustling city market: a chaotic yet colorful street full of vendors and shoppers.
2. Rooftop garden: a green sanctuary nestled high above the city.
3. Rainy alleyway: reflections of neon lights on wet cobblestones.
4. Abandoned warehouse: dusty interiors with broken windows and scattered debris.
5. Subway platform: commuters waiting as a train barrels into the station.
6. Old clock tower: towering over a historic city square with gears visible through cracks.
7. Street festival: strings of lanterns, lively performers, and a joyful crowd.
8. Skyscraper skyline: buildings piercing the clouds under a vibrant sunset.
9. Bridge over a canal: gondolas gliding beneath an ornate city bridge.
10. Construction site: towering cranes and half-finished buildings bustling with activity.
11. Quiet library: rows of towering bookshelves under soft, warm lighting.
12. Train station: travelers, luggage, and the energy of departure and arrival.
13. Deserted amusement park: rusted rides and faded signs in eerie silence.
14. Fire escape view: a cozy balcony scene overlooking a lively street.
15. Underground tunnel: a forgotten space with flickering lights and graffiti-covered walls.

Fantasy worlds

Fantasy environments let your imagination roam free. Combine natural elements with surreal, magical features for one-of-a-kind settings.

1. Enchanted forest: trees glowing with bioluminescence, hiding mystical creatures.
2. Floating islands: lush islands drifting in the sky, with waterfalls cascading into the void.
3. Crystal cave: sparkling minerals and shimmering pools of light in an underground world.
4. Dragon’s lair: a cavern filled with treasure, bones, and scorch marks.
5. Underwater city: vibrant coral structures with schools of fish swimming through.
6. Witch’s hut: a mysterious house surrounded by a dense, foggy marsh.
7. Castle in the clouds: a towering fortress that seems to float in a sea of mist.
8. Giant’s playground: oversized structures like massive stone chairs and tables.
9. Ancient ruins: moss-covered remnants of a lost civilization deep in the jungle.
10. Firelit cavern: lava flows and glowing crystals lighting up the shadows.
11. Magical library: endless shelves of enchanted books and glowing orbs.
12. Portal forest: glowing doorways between trees leading to other worlds.
13. Frozen wasteland: a barren, icy plain with towering ice spires.
14. Celestial temple: a structure glowing with light, suspended in the night sky.
15. Rainbow springs: a hidden valley with pools of water in every color of the spectrum.

Post-apocalyptic settings

Post-apocalyptic prompts invite experimentation with decay, survival, and the unexpected beauty of ruins.

1. Ruined skyscraper: a skyscraper overtaken by vines and erosion.
2. Desolate highway: cracked pavement stretching endlessly through an arid wasteland.
3. Survivor's hideout: a makeshift shelter pieced together from scrap materials.
4. Overgrown suburb: crumbled houses with trees growing through windows.
5. Flooded streets: a city submerged, with rooftops barely visible above water.
6. Burnt forest: charred tree stumps and smoldering embers after a wildfire.
7. Collapsed bridge: a destroyed overpass with twisted metal and rubble.
8. Abandoned mall: empty stores with scattered debris and fading advertisements.
9. Radiation zone: glowing green pools and deformed plants under a toxic sky.
10. Deserted theme park: dilapidated rides surrounded by overgrown weeds.
11. Crashed spaceship: futuristic wreckage in a barren, alien-like setting.
12. Bunker interior: a small, dimly lit space filled with survival gear.
13. Overgrown train station: moss-covered tracks and rusting locomotives.
14. Wrecked carnival: tattered tents and a broken Ferris wheel in eerie silence.
15. Skeleton city: a metropolis reduced to skeletal remains of buildings.

Seasonal and weather-based scenes

Explore how different weather and seasons transform familiar landscapes.

1. Spring meadow: wildflowers blooming under a clear, sunny sky.
2. Summer beach scene: waves crashing against a sandy shore filled with beachgoers.
3. Autumn forest: vibrant red, orange, and yellow leaves cascading to the ground.
4. Winter village: a quaint town covered in snow, with smoke curling from chimneys.
5. Stormy coast: dark clouds rolling in over churning waves and jagged rocks.

Want to explore seasonal art on a broader scope? We’ve prepared separate lists, like winter drawing prompts that cover fun and creative winter drawing ideas, winter drawing challenges and more.

Tips for designing stunning environments

Once you’ve chosen a prompt, the real challenge is translating your vision onto the canvas. These tips will help you design environments that are both dynamic, memorable, and unique.

1. Start with research

Research builds your understanding of the environment you’re creating. Study real-world locations, reference photos, or films to get inspired.

• Use image references: look at natural landscapes, architecture, or digital concept art.
• Explore art styles: experiment with detailed realism or a stylized, painterly approach.
• Visit locations: sketch or take photos of places that spark your creativity.

2. Focus on composition

Composition directs your viewer’s eye and sets the tone for your environment.

• Rule of thirds: divide your canvas into thirds and place key elements along these lines.
• Foreground, midground, background: layering creates depth and adds realism.
• Focal points: highlight areas of interest, like a towering tree or glowing building.

3. Use color and light to set the mood

Color and lighting transform your scene’s atmosphere. Think about how they interact with the setting.

• Warm vs. cool colors: warm tones feel inviting, while cool tones evoke calm or mystery.
• Natural light: consider the time of day—dawn, midday, dusk—for your environment.
• Dramatic lighting: use strong contrasts for dynamic scenes, like moonlight or firelight.

4. Add storytelling elements

Details within your environment can tell a story without words.

• Objects: a tipped-over chair or broken glass suggests past events.
• Signs of life: include footprints, graffiti, or shadows to hint at characters.
• Weather effects: rain, fog, or snow adds movement and emotion to the scene.

5. Embrace iteration

Don’t expect perfection on your first try. Developing environments takes practice and patience.

• Thumbnail sketches: create small, quick drafts to explore ideas before committing. You can check out our random object prompt generator for simple doodle ideas.
• Experiment with angles: try different viewpoints—bird’s-eye, close-up, or wide shot.
• Refine details: once the composition works, focus on textures, colors, and finishing touches.

Advanced techniques for environment artists

If you’re ready to push your skills further, explore these advanced techniques:

• Perspective drawing: master one-point, two-point, and three-point perspective for architectural accuracy.
• Texture brushes: use digital tools like Procreate or Photoshop to add realistic textures.
• Atmospheric perspective: gradually desaturate and lighten objects as they recede into the distance.
• Dynamic lighting studies: practice drawing light from unusual sources, like glowing crystals or bonfires.

Final thoughts

Environment drawing prompts are an excellent way to create more dynamic paintings or even explore environment art as a standalone concept. By focusing on themed prompts and applying thoughtful design strategies, you’ll create settings that convey a story, mood, and bring extra value to your art.

Start small, experiment boldly, and watch your skills grow. With over 60 prompts and expert tips, the possibilities are endless