Drawing from instructions: a two-player game with printable cards

Set up the game

You need two people, a pencil, an optional eraser and paper. The PDF has two pages: the secret cards and a sheet with three drawing frames. Print single-sided so the answer is not on the back of the drawing. There is no need to cut the cards out or print at an exact scale.

The person about to draw should look away from the cards and the “Secret cards” section of this page. Cover unused cards with another sheet. Only the describer looks at the card for that round. If someone already knows them all, make a new arrangement using the variation at the end.

Without a printer, the describer can read a card on screen while the other person draws on paper. Draw a wide frame, like a landscape postcard, for each round. Keep the sheet in the same position; left and right mean the drawing person’s left and right. The frame does not count as a shape.

Three rounds, swapping roles

• Round 1: A describes card 1 and B draws. Round 2: B describes card 2 and A draws. Round 3: A describes card 3 and B draws. Pass the drawing sheet to the person drawing; keep the cards hidden. Next game, B starts as the describer.
• The describer can speak and look at the card, but cannot show it, gesture or watch the drawing as it is made. Use shape names and relationships: inside, above, to the left, separate. Avoid naming objects such as “draw a house”.
• The person drawing can ask questions, request a repeated sentence and erase. For example: “Does the triangle go inside the circle or above it?” There is no question limit.
• When the person drawing says “ready”, show the card and compare. If you prefer timed rounds, agree on two minutes for describing and drawing; when time is up, put the pencil down and reveal. Timing is optional, not a speed test.
• Check the card’s three points before making corrections. Award one point for each check met: up to three per round and nine together. There is no individual winner. Then choose one difference, say a more precise instruction and correct it if you wish.

What counts when you compare

Only the three checks written for each card count. “Entirely to the left” means the whole shape is to the left of where the other one begins; “entirely above” means it is above the other shape’s highest edge. Leave a visible gap wherever separation is required. For “inside”, the whole shape stays within the outline without touching it.

A recognisable shape is enough: do not deduct points for slightly oval circles, wobbly lines, different sizes or a drawing shifted within the frame. The upward triangle point helps describe the model, but it is not a fourth check. Do not count the frame or faint erased lines. If you disagree about a point, leave it unscored and note which word would have made the instruction clearer.

A vague sentence and one you can follow

“Put it beside that” does not name the shape, say which side or explain whether the two should touch. Try: “Draw a circle to the right of the square, with a gap between them.” Give one relationship per sentence and wait until the other person says they are ready.

You do not have to read a card word for word. Name the shapes first; then place one and use it as a reference for the others. The spoken examples below are an option, not an answer to memorise.

Secret cards: for the describer only

If it is your turn to draw, stop reading here until the comparison. The PDF arrangements and the descriptions below represent the same three cards.

Card 1: Neighbours

A square on the left and a circle on the right, at roughly the same height. Above the circle is a triangle pointing upwards. The three shapes are separated by gaps.

Example to say aloud: “Draw a square in the left half. To its right, with a gap and at roughly the same height, draw a circle. Leave a gap above the circle and add an upward-pointing triangle.”

• Check 1: There is exactly one square, one circle and one triangle.
• Check 2: The square is entirely to the left of the circle, with a gap between them.
• Check 3: The triangle is entirely above the circle, with a gap between them.

Card 2: Inside and outside

A large circle fills the left half. An upward-pointing triangle is inside it without touching it. A small square sits outside the circle, to its right, with a gap between them.

Example to say aloud: “Start with a large circle in the left half. Draw a triangle inside it: leave space between its points and the circle. Outside the circle, on its right, place a separate square.”

• Check 1: There is exactly one circle, one triangle and one square.
• Check 2: The triangle is completely inside the circle without touching it.
• Check 3: The square is entirely to the right of the circle, with a gap between them.

Card 3: Above the bar

A wide, low rectangle sits near the bottom. Above it, without touching it, are a circle on the left and an upward-pointing triangle on the right. There is a gap between the circle and triangle.

Example to say aloud: “Draw a wide, low rectangle near the bottom. Above its left half, add a circle that does not rest on the bar. Above its right half, add a triangle separated from both the bar and the circle.”

• Check 1: There is exactly one rectangle, one circle and one triangle.
• Check 2: The circle and triangle are entirely above the rectangle without touching it.
• Check 3: The circle is entirely to the left of the triangle, with a gap between them.

Another game without repeating the answers

The describer invents a card on separate paper and keeps it hidden. Use three of the shapes above and write three checks before starting: one about which shapes appear and two about their relationships. For example: one square and two circles; one circle inside the square without touching it; the other entirely below the square with a gap. Do not add criteria after seeing the result.

If a sentence led you to different pictures, keep both versions and explain what each person understood. You can repeat just that instruction in a new frame. There is no need to repeat the whole game.

About this version

Coru prepared these three arrangements, their checks and the printable sheet. The aim of this version is to reproduce relationships between shapes through words. You do not need precise drawing skills.