Pick up a sheet of paper, dip your brush into watercolours and let instinct take over. Across the city, bad drawing parties are encouraging people to put perfectionism aside and embrace creativity. Designed for amateurs, these sessions offer a low-pressure space to sketch, paint and experiment without worrying about the outcome. Whether you’ve never picked up a paintbrush or have drifted away from art as an adult, the trend is helping Delhiites bring the colour back into their lives.
Denise D’Souza, an illustrator, joined her first bad drawing party to meet new people in the city and was soon co-hosting them. “It was liberating honestly, as someone who illustrates professionally It was great to just exist in a space where you’re not expected to think of a brief unidimensionally,” she says (Pic: @westland_books, @terribleartistsunion)
‘The idea is to remove the pressure of creating only good art’Letting go of the inner critic is one of the hardest things you can do. For artists, it comes with a heavy dose of imposter syndrome. “The idea behind a Bad Drawing Party is to remove the pressure of creating ‘good’ art and make people realise that art is not about being good or bad – it’s about expressing yourself. By lowering the barrier to entry, we see many people joining simply to spend time with friends or be part of a welcoming community, even if art is not their main interest,” says Saurav Arya from Small World, which hosts experiences.Hosts provide some prompts to get people started but the idea is rooted in creative flow and expression. Harshita Sharma, who started the Terrible Drawing Club in 2022 shares, “During the session I’ve seen people warm up and let go after the first few prompts that are designed to get perfection and themselves out of the way. I’ve been told that the sessions sometimes help people get over their blocks and get in a state of flow again in their own practice and that’s cherry on top!”
Hands-on experiences are the most sought-after weekend activities, but art and craft make people hesitate because of fear of failure (Pic: @siddhisurte)
‘Great for first dates’Hands-on experiences are the most sought-after weekend activities, but art and craft make people hesitate because of fear of failure. Saurav says, “We’re increasingly seeing people choose activities like these for their first dates. Instead of going to a cafe, many prefer to do something creative together. Having an activity to focus on helps ease some of the pressure that comes with a first date and gives them a more natural way to connect.”‘Such activities help you be more present’“The whole idea of a bad drawing party is freeing because it removes the fear of being judged. People often avoid drawing because they think they’re not good at it. The moment you tell someone that it’s okay to make a bad drawing, they relax and start enjoying the process. Art was never about perfection. It’s about expressing yourself, observing things differently, and having fun,” says Vaishnavi Balodi, founder of the Art Worm, which hosts art and craft workshops in NCR. She adds, “When you’re sketching in a park, a cafe, or a library, you start noticing things you would usually miss: the colours, the sounds, the little details of a building or a tree. Sketching slows you down and makes you more present. You don’t just visit a place; you experience it more deeply.”
We have a rule at the club: ‘Compliments only.’ The result is that people start noticing what’s interesting, charming, or unique instead of what’s technically wrong. Over time, they learn to be kinder to their own work too
Akansha Marwah, founder of an art club
Talking about how creative expression can be therapeutic, Kirti Khatri, psychologist and art therapist, says, “Art therapy is about expression and enjoying the process. A little colour here, a little mess there – the point is to allow yourself to simply be. Sometimes, you don’t walk away with a beautiful drawing, but you leave with a thought, feeling or realisation you didn’t even know you were carrying. In some ways, these gatherings serve a purpose similar to the community spaces older generations had. They give people a chance to socialise, pause, embrace their imperfections and express themselves without fear of judgement. There’s something quite sacred about that.”‘Art can be messy, playful and freeing’Akansha Marwah, artist and founder of Terrible Artists Union, an art club with Misfits community, notes how the joy of creating morphed into the pressure of perfection. “Things changed when my partner gifted me the Wreck This Journal. Prompts like ‘punch it with paint’ and ‘poke holes in it’ reminded me that art could be messy, playful, and freeing. That became the foundation of the Terrible Artists Union: be bad at art. Hobbies used to be something you did for yourself. Now with social media, it can feel like everything needs to be documented, shared, and judged. Somewhere along the way, knitting became a brand, baking became content, and painting became a portfolio.” Harshita shares, “There weren’t any drawing clubs around, and I was on the lookout to make drawings with some friends and also make friends in the city. I was looking for a space that came with no brief of perfection but a space to play and make for the joy of making, and since I didn’t find anything as such at that time, I started the club.”
Hosts provide some prompts to get people started but the idea is rooted in creative flow and expression (Pic: @westland_books)
Being an artist, I’ve slowly realised that one should let out their inhibitions and not be too self-critical nor be afraid of judgement from others. That helps us let out our inner child. I felt the experience will let me have some good play time while keeping worries at bay
Sugandha Mendha, a graphic designer
