Cool illustrations perfect for graduation. A collection of ideas you'll want to copy.
As graduation season approaches, many of us find ourselves wondering what illustrations to draw for graduation albums, message boards, or chalkboards.
If you’re going to do it, you probably want something more special than a typical design—something cool that really stands out.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of cool illustrations perfect for graduation.
From stylish designs to dynamic, eye-catching pieces, we’ve gathered illustrations in a variety of styles.
You’re sure to find a favorite idea that will brighten your important new beginning!
Cool illustrations perfect for graduation. A collection of ideas you’ll want to copy (1–10)
horse
The sight of a galloping horse is impressive, powerful, and gives a sense of freedom, doesn’t it? That image also overlaps with graduates embarking on a new journey.
So how about incorporating a horse into your graduation illustration? Since horses look straight ahead and run forward, it’s a great idea to draw one next to future dreams or a positive message.
Horse drawings can be hard for beginners to balance, but there’s an easy method to create a realistic horse just by layering circles—feel free to use it as a reference.
pigeon
Doves are considered symbols of peace and hope, making them a perfect motif for graduation, which marks leaving the nest and a new beginning.
While we often see doves walking on the ground, it’s good to depict them in flight to convey dynamism and a sense of soaring.
There are many ways to express this in a drawing, and how you depict it is up to you.
A simple line drawing is fine, and if you want to add a playful touch, drawing it as a piece of trick art is also recommended.
Feel free to express your own image of a dove.
classroom
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpfb5P9SpGW/The classroom is the place where students spent the most time.
It’s probably where they have the most memories, too.
Desks and chairs, the blackboard, the teacher’s podium, large windows, the hallway beyond the door… Try drawing an illustration while tracing your memories.
Express the unique air and atmosphere of the classroom that can only be felt in that moment, and create a lovely piece that feels as if it preserves those precious times just as they were.
It’s also a great idea for the cover of a class anthology or the title page of a class section.
Drawing it using only pencil is also recommended.
dinosaur
Although they are already extinct, there are lots of dinosaur encyclopedias, picture books, and toys featuring dinosaurs.
In that sense, dinosaurs feel familiar to us—almost like creatures that naturally exist around us.
So why not incorporate dinosaurs into your graduation illustration? When you think of dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus is famous, but there are many others everyone knows, like Pteranodon and Triceratops.
Put your support for graduates who will take flight and thrive in new places into your work, and draw a cool dinosaur!
pupil
Eyes tell a quiet story of farewell.
The sparkle in the pupils conveys the poignant feeling of graduation as a turning point.
Countless emotions are embedded in the eyes, like ripples of memory shimmering across a still water’s surface.
For instance, if you reflect the classroom scene within them, it will lead every viewer into a world of wistful nostalgia.
It’s the moment when a page in a sketchbook transforms into the culmination of one’s school life.
I recommend using colored pencils or pastels to render expressive, emotion-rich eyes.
It will surely become a graduation memento that lingers in the heart.
starry sky
A starry sky is an idea that works both as the main subject and as a background for illustrations.
You can make a person or animal the main focus and paint a starry sky behind them.
Alternatively, you could showcase a beautiful starry sky across the whole piece, or focus on constellations and planets.
You can also add touches like shooting stars or the moon, and it’s fine to switch between a realistic or anime style.
Depending on how you draw it, you can achieve just about any impression.
hand
Hands are surprisingly complex and easy to give up on.
But if you can draw hands well—like hands shaking, making a peace sign, or waving—you’ll greatly expand your expressive range.
That said, once you actually try, there are lots of points that can trip you up, like finger bends and lengths.
In those cases, it’s best to simplify the hand and sketch it loosely first, then add each finger one by one.
To be able to draw hands from any angle, train yourself to internalize their three-dimensional structure.