Comparing Art Prompt Books: Are Any Better Than Create This Book?

For this video, I tested four different art prompt books to see how they compare to Create This Book by Moriah Elizabeth. Instead of only flipping through the books, I completed two prompts from each one so I could get a real feel for the prompts, the style, the difficulty level, and how inspiring each book felt in practice.

The four books I tried were Create This Book by Moriah Elizabeth, How Much Art Can You Make? by Chantelle Arts, Draw Stuff Outside! by Emma Naseby, and The Art Journey Sketchbook by The Cassie Projects. Each book had a totally different personality, and by the end, I realized there is not really one “best” art prompt book for everyone. It depends on whether you want beginner-friendly prompts, cozy relaxing art, creative character ideas, or a challenge that pushes you outside your comfort zone.

Create This Book by Moriah Elizabeth

I started with Create This Book by Moriah Elizabeth, which is such a classic in the art prompt book world. My first impression is that this book has a huge, supportive community around it, which makes it especially fun if you enjoy sharing your art online or seeing how other people interpret the same prompts. The book has a wide variety of general prompts, so it is easy to pick and choose what inspires you. I also love that many of the prompts encourage mixed media, unusual materials, scraps, recycled items, and different art supplies.

This book is very open-ended, which can be a good thing or a challenge depending on what kind of artist you are. If you like creative freedom, it gives you plenty of room to make each page your own.

Create an Unusual Combo

For the Create an Unusual Combo prompt, I stretched the idea a little by creating unusual animal-inspired characters instead of a regular object made from an unexpected material. The first character was Eliza, a jungle elephant with leopard spots. I loved figuring out where the spots should go and giving her little nose freckles, which made her feel even sweeter and more expressive.

Eliza’s backstory became one of my favorite parts of the page. She is the first leopard-print elephant of her kind, and the theory is that a family of leopards took her in and loved her so deeply that their spots grew onto her too. Because of that love, she developed the ability to feel what others feel and make everyone around her feel included. This prompt turned into a cute character design page about belonging, kindness, and making unusual combinations feel magical.

I also created Lenny and Lucas, two flying fish who evolved after migrating to the jungle. They developed parrot-inspired colors, full wings, and the ability to fly through the air. They are already an unusual combo as flying fish, but adding bright jungle bird colors made them even more fun. The black outline felt a little harsh at first, but the final page still became a colorful and imaginative take on the prompt.

Create an Alien

For the Create an Alien prompt, I made my own alien bean body inspired by Moriah Elizabeth’s alien characters. I wanted mine to feel like it could fit into that world while still being different, so I used a warm blend of yellow, orange, and pink. The colors reminded me of a rosy maple moth and also a little bit of Morpeko from Pokémon, so the design became a mix of several inspirations.

Her name is Millie, and she has crystal wings that sparkle even though they look far too heavy to fly with. Since she is from space, I decided gravity probably does not matter as much for her anyway. I added lots of white highlights, sparkles, a blue galaxy background, and stars to make the whole page feel magical. This prompt was a fun reminder that Create This Book is great for character creation, playful ideas, and turning a simple prompt into a whole little world.

How Much Art Can You Make? by Chantelle Arts

Next, I tried How Much Art Can You Make? by Chantelle Arts. My first impression was that this book is incredibly creative and thoughtfully organized. I love how the prompts are grouped in a way that helps you explore yourself as an artist, and the whole book feels imaginative from the start. The cover is also soft and satisfying to hold, which is a small detail, but it made the book feel extra cozy.

The prompts I chose from this book felt very fun and expressive. The only downside I noticed is that some prompt spaces are pretty small and can be a little harder to read or work in, but overall, the creativity of the book really stood out.

Was That a Mermaid?

For the Was That a Mermaid? prompt, I created a bright Lisa Frank-inspired mermaid. I wanted her to be eye-catching, colorful, and full of personality, so I gave her long multicolored hair, big expressive eyes, and a vibrant mermaid tail. The design also gave a little bit of Betty Spaghetty energy, which made the nostalgic theme even stronger.

The background is where the Lisa Frank inspiration really came through. I added rainbow animal print spots because nothing says playful 90s-inspired art quite like bright colors and leopard print. The more rainbow details I added, the more I loved the page. This prompt was cheerful, nostalgic, and a perfect example of how How Much Art Can You Make? encourages creative, high-energy ideas.

What Makes You Nostalgic?

For the What Makes You Nostalgic? prompt, I immediately thought of Pokémon. I grew up loving Pokémon games, and Pokémon Diamond was one of my favorites as a kid. For this page, I recreated the iconic battle moment where you get to encounter and catch Dialga, one of the legendary Pokémon from Generation 4.

This page was a love letter to childhood gaming memories. I painted Dawn, Dialga, and the battle scene, then added final details to make it feel like a nostalgic Pokémon moment. Even though the washi tape lifted some of the paper during the process, the final page still captured the excitement of reaching that legendary battle in the game. This prompt was a great example of how art books can help you revisit childhood memories and turn them into a finished sketchbook page.

Draw Stuff Outside! by Emma Naseby

The third book I tried was Draw Stuff Outside! by Emma Naseby. This one immediately stood out because it asks you to leave your usual art space and actually go outside. I am not the biggest outdoor person, so this book pushed me outside my comfort zone more than the others.

My first impression was that the book is not just about drawing. It encourages you to try activities, notice your surroundings, and interact with the world around you in a different way. I also loved the little characters you complete as you finish each prompt. The fact that there is a character named Coco and another named Evie made it feel extra special to me.

Make Them Giant

For the Make Them Giant prompt, I went outside on a rainy day and drew creatures I saw or thought about during my walk. The final page included giant earthworms, a slug, and a duck. Since Eddie, the character on the page, is a snail, the slug felt especially fitting.

This prompt was not my favorite final artwork, but it was one of the most calming experiences in the whole video. Instead of watching something while drawing like I usually do, I was fully focused on being outside, listening to the rain, and enjoying the quiet. It felt peaceful and surprisingly refreshing. Even though the final piece was simple, the process made me appreciate this book more because it encouraged me to slow down and be present.

Bring Objects to Life

For the Bring Objects to Life prompt, I looked around outside and gave faces and personalities to ordinary objects. I drew a fire hydrant, stop light, lamp post, tire, leaf, trash can, and rocks. Most of them were man-made rather than natural, but they were outside, so I decided that counted.

To make the page even more fun, I matched the objects to the seven dwarfs. The fire hydrant became Sneezy because of his nose chain and bubbling water, the stop light became Sleepy because he works day and night, the lamp post became Bashful because he is tall and awkward, the tire became Dopey because he is always dizzy, the leaf became Happy, the trash can became Grumpy, and the rocks became Doc. Adding lots of stars helped fill the empty space and made the page feel more complete. This prompt was a great creativity exercise because it made me look at ordinary surroundings in a much more playful way.

The Art Journey Sketchbook by The Cassie Projects

The final book I tried was The Art Journey Sketchbook by The Cassie Projects. My first impression was that this book feels very beginner-friendly while still offering plenty of creative prompts. I love the seasonal sections, the large pages, and the variety in difficulty. Some pages are simple coloring activities, some are full prompts, and others give you just enough direction to get started.

I also really liked the advent calendar at the beginning of each section. It makes finishing prompts feel like opening a little gift, which is such a cute motivational detail. The only downside is that I wish the book had page numbers because it is a large book and could be easy to lose your place.

A Fruity Character

For the A Fruity Character prompt, I could not choose just one idea, so I created three fruit-inspired characters: Shelly the blueberry turtle, Sherry the dragon fruit fox, and Kelly the cherry frogs.

Shelly is a blueberry pie turtle with a crust-colored body and a shell full of blueberry filling. Even though she looks delicious, she does not love sharing the filling from her shell, so she became a baker who always carries pastries to share instead. Sherry is a dragon fruit fox with a mellow personality and a giant dragon fruit tail that makes her look like a houseplant when she curls up for a nap. Kelly is a pair of cherry frogs who share one brain stem and prefer to be known together. They are happy, relaxed, and always ready for an adventure.

This prompt was one of my favorites because it combined character design, storytelling, fruit themes, and cute animal art all in one page.

Roll the Dice

For the Roll the Dice prompt, I used dice from my Altoids tin game holder to randomly decide what to draw. The result was pastel colors, impressionistic style, and a drink. That started in my comfort zone with pastels and a drink, but the impressionist style was definitely a challenge because I had never really tried it before.

After doing some research, I started by blocking in the main colors, then added short strokes on top to capture the feeling and movement of the subject instead of focusing on every detail. I ended up having way more fun than I expected. It was relaxing to work loosely, and the page came together much faster than some of my more detailed pieces. This prompt showed me that trying a new style can be intimidating, but it can also be freeing.

Final Thoughts

After trying all four art prompt books, I do not think there is one single winner for everyone. Each book has its own strengths, and each one inspired a different kind of creativity.

Create This Book is great for beginners, variety, mixed media ideas, and anyone who wants to be part of a large creative community. How Much Art Can You Make? has some of the most imaginative and unique prompts, with a really thoughtful structure. Draw Stuff Outside! was the most intimidating for me, but also the one that pushed me the most as an artist and helped me slow down. The Art Journey Sketchbook felt the coziest and most beginner-friendly, with large pages, seasonal sections, and a relaxing range of prompt styles.

Overall, I had so much fun comparing these books. They are all special in their own way, and the best one really depends on what you are looking for in an art prompt book.