Sketching and Coloring Questions for Design Entrance Exams

Sketching and Coloring Questions for Design Entrance Exams

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Sayeba
Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager
Updated on Aug 4, 2025 17:51 IST
Sketching and coloring questions are a crucial part of most design entrance exams like NID, UCEED, and NIFT. These questions test a student's creativity, observation, imagination, and visual storytelling. The article highlights commonly asked themes, techniques to improve sketching and rendering skills.

Want to get into a top design college? Mastering sketching and coloring questions could be your golden ticket. In this article, we will be sharing questions that are generally asked in the entrance exam. Read on to get detailed information.

Sketching & Coloring Questions

Sketching & Coloring Questions

Sketching and coloring questions are one of the most common question types asked in the Design Entrance Exam. Almost all entrance exams, such as NIFT, NID, CEED, UCEED, and others, include this section to assess the candidate's ability, creativity, observation, composition, and storytelling skills.

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Table of contents
  • Why are Sketching and Coloring Questions Important in Design Exams?
  • Sketching Questions for Design Entrance Exam
  • Sketching & Coloring Questions for M.Des

Why are Sketching and Coloring Questions Important in Design Exams?

We cannot deny that design is a visual discipline. It is the ability that helps to communicate visually any idea through sketches, illustrations, doodling, storyboards, etc. The sketching and coloring section tests the following:

Q:   Can I carry the NID question paper with me after the exam?
A:
No, the candidate is not allowed to carry the question paper of the NID exam with them after conclusion of the exam. In fact, the question papers of NID will not be released neither for that Prelims or that Mains. The reason for the non release of the question paper is because the NID question papers are highly subjective in nature. The question paper of NID DAT will be set in English language. Note that the candidate can download unofficial versions of the NID question papers released by the coaching institutes. These question papers will be mostly memory-based, compiled with the help of questions shared by candidates.
Q:   How to download the NID sample papers?
A:

NID sample papers can be downloaded from website of NID. To download sample papers

  • Candidate needs to click on relevant sample paper
  • There is no need to log in to download the sample papers
  • The sample papers are available in downloadable pdf format

Candidates may note that sample papers contain questions similar to the ones that are asked in the actual exam.

Q:   How many questions are asked in NIFT GAT?
A:

The exam pattern for NIFT GAT varies from one course to another. The total number of questions asked in NIFT GAT is mentioned below: BDes: 100 questions, BFTech: 150 questions, MDes: 120 questions, MFTech: 150 questions, MFM: 150 questions. Note that the GAT or the General Ability Test will be conducted in a computer-based mode. Questions will be objective-type. The GAT paper for the B. Des and M.Des programs will be of 120 minutes. However, the GAT paper for the B.FTech, M.FTech, and MFM courses will be for 180 minutes.

  • Creative thinking
  • Knowledge of proportion and perspective
  • Ability to express emotions and ideas
  • Knowledge of color theory and composition

Some of the topics on which sketching and coloring questions are based are daily life observation scenes, storyboarding, product design, scene transformation, etc.

How to Practice Sketching & Coloring Effectively?

The following tips will help you master sketching and coloring:

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  • Sketch every day: Practice sketching every day because practice makes a human perfect. Your practice should include a variety of objects around you and scenes in public places.

  • Practice timed drawing: Allot time to yourself and try to finish your drawing in that time, as most exams are strict on time.

  • Refer to past-year papers: Go through previous year question papers, sample papers to understand the type and pattern of questions. Many are available online.

  • Take feedback: Get regular feedback from mentors, friends or online design communities.

  • Explore different mediums: Always use different medium to practice your sketch and drawings, pencil, pen, color pencils, and markers.

Sketching Questions for Design Entrance Exam

Some of the sketching questions for B.Des are:

1. In the box given below, you have been given an object. Draw any ONE of the following options to complete the scene. a. Two human figures b. Two animal figures c. One animal and one human figure. Give a suitable title/ caption to the completed scene.

2. Draw a workstation of a tailor.

3. Design a comic strip (black and white) in the four given boxes on any ONE of the topics: a. My journey to Mars; b. Me as a fish c. My appointment with the dentist

4. Illustrate your morning routine as a comic strip.

Q:   Can SEED sample papers be used as study material for the design entrance exam?
A:

The SEED sample papers are not a replacement for textbooks and other study material. The main function of sample papers is to be used as practice material only. The candidate will not be able to learn the basic concepts and theoretical aspects of the subjectwithout the relevant text books. The candidate must only start solving sample papers after they have completed the theoretical undestanding of the process. By solving sample papers, the candidate will be able to better understand the concepts and lean how to use them to solve problems.

Q:   Where can I download SEED question papers with solutions?
A:

The Symbiosis Institute of Design (SID) doesn’t release any answer keys for the SEED exam. So, you will not find any official answers to the questions asked in the SEED entrance exam. That being said, there are some coaching institutes which may release the unofficial answers to the questions asked in the entrance exam. 

The coaching institutes may also release sample papers with solutions. But note that to be able to download these materials, you will most likely have to pay a subscription fee.

Q:   Can I download the SEED question paper after exam?
A:

The SEED 2026 exam will be administered in a remote-proctored mode. Also, the question papers for the exam will not be made available after the exam. However, some coaching institutes may release memory-based questions asked in the exam. The candidate may check out these questions. Note that the Sybmiosis Institute of Design may however release sample papers that the candidate can use to prepare for the exam. 

5. Colour any ONE of the patterns given below, to design a fabric for any one of the following occasions/themes: a. Festival b.Meditation c.Travel. Explain the reasons for the choice of the colours for the specific theme in 60-80 words.

6. Design a new product for village.

7. Design a bird’s eye view of a park.

8. Design a mascot for any ONE of the following campaigns: India Against Corruption; Pulse Polio; Keep City Clean Narrate the concept briefly in the space provided. Write the option chosen in the space below, before attempting the question.

9. Attempt any ONE of the following:

  • Portray in four pencil sketches the movement of an aircraft arriving to land at an airport. 
  • Draw four landscapes for spring, summer, autumn and winter. Colour suitably. Write the option chosen in the space below, before attempting the question. 

10. Design a creative poster with an attractive tag line on any ONE of the following:

  • Cyber Cafe
  • Book Shop
  • Cinema CD Shop
  • Fruit Shop

Write the option chosen in the space below, before attempting the question.

11. Imagine yourself as a lizard on the wall of a room, and draw the view from that position in the box given below.

12. Visualize and illustrate any FIVE of the below given words in colour in the blank boxes. Sharpness, Speed, Passion, Storm, Happiness, Love, Hatred, Tsunami, Summer. Write the word chosen and express each of the visual composition/concept in the ruled boxes provided against each blank boх.

13. Draw and explain an interesting pattern using any THREE of the given motifs in the grid using colours. The concept is applied on the opposite page.

14. Your State Tourism Department would like to introduce a uniform for the licensed Tourist Guides. Design a uniform for male Tourist Guides considering the following: 1. Cultural Background. 2. Social Sensibilities. 3. Functional Utility.

15. Visualize pollution in a lake.

16. You have gone on a long trekking expedition. Picture your feelings, emotions and physical states from beginning to end of the expedition in the following four boxes.

17. Design a poster to enhance voter awareness in the box below. Explain the concept applied in the opposite page.

18. Sketch a person walking in snow/rain.

19. Sketch a classroom during exam time.

20. Sketch a concert/food festival.

21. Sketch the process: How to make tea?

22. If birds were frogs and frogs were birds. Draw how the frog and bird would look. Use dry colors.

23. Design a poster for social campaigns of the Government of India- Inclusion of LGBTQ - Communal Harmony. Use dry colors.

24. The United Nation member states have agreed upon the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Take any one goal agreed by them and prepare a poster to promote that goal. Use dry colors.

25. Express the four seasons with colours.

26. Design a Raskshabandhan-themed packaging Design./ Design a festival-themed packaging design.

27. Colour a marketplace during sunset.

28. Illustrate in colour a print on a T-shirt on any one of the following topics:

  • Music is the soul of life
  • Save future wild life
  • Dignity is aged

29. Show the following procedure in four steps: a. Placing a bulb on a holder b. A paper folding into a boat.

30. Express the below-mentioned emotions through colors:

  • Sorrow
  • Happiness
  • Rebellious
  • Astonishment

Sketching & Coloring Questions for M.Des

Sketching Questions for M.Des are:

1. Using the given 4 boxes, sketch a day of your life, imagining yourself as any one of the following. You can write text by making dialogue bubbles/boxes. (Attempt any one).

  • You have lost your way in a jungle and also find yourself shrunk to half your size. Sketch any one situation where you can use your reduced size to your advantage.
  • You are a superhero traveling on very bumpy terrain. Design the dashboard of your futuristic car.
  • You are invisible for a day. How will you use your invisibility to help someone?

2. Sketch and/or render any one of the following. (Attempt any one)

  • In the recent floods in various parts of the country, it was reported that many pet dogs died because they became too heavy to lift and transfer into a rescue boat/chopper. Sketch a pet rescue device that can lift a dog to the surface of the water.
  • Use combination of English and Hindi/regional language to create a tagline of any one of the following brands. • Kellogg's • Surf Excel • Mountain Dew
  • The mandate of the government is to convert all vehicles using petrol into electric vehicles in the next decade. In this scenario, the present petrol stations are going to be replaced by public electric charging stations. Imagine and sketch one such charging station.

3. From a balcony of your fourth-floor apartment, you are looking at a small place of worship surrounded by a garden. Depict the scenario on a busy sunny day. Use an appropriate pencil as a medium.

4. Using desired numbers, the basic geometric shapes found in a bicycle make a visually appealing composition without overlapping the piece. Colour it by using three colours in a medium of your choice.

5. Sixteen wooden cubes in four different colours are available for you. Make a show pie by using of these cubes, which can be displayed in your drawing room.

6. Draw the scene of a man, who is sitting on an elephant in a large hall with one circular opening in the roof.

7. You have been provided pieces of coloured paper in the shape of red triangles, circles and blue yellow squares.

8. Make a composition in the given space by using a maximum five pieces.

9. Five bricks, four circular wooden logs and six balls are given to you. Make an interesting three dimensional stable composition a these elements and show the effect d and shadow on the composition.

10. Imagine that your size has been reduced significantly and you are standing in a pencil box that has three pencils, one sharpener, one compass, one small piece of paper, eraser and one fountain pen. Draw what you would see standing inside pencil box with the lid of the box open.

11. Draw a visually appealing composition using the five given shapes and colour it by a four colours. You can use any shape more than once. However, each shape has to be used at least once.

12. Make an interesting three-dimensional composition using three bottles, two balls! One lampshade in the space provided, show the effect of light and shadow on the composition.

13. Draw a logo for kabbadi game rectangles, circles and triangles. Use three colours.

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About the Author
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Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager

Sayeba Naushad is a commerce postgraduate from Banaras Hindu University. She has over five years of experience in content writing and editing. She has a nose for current events in design field. At Shiksha.com, she s

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