Paired Drawing
Teams of two silently take turns drawing parts of a face, one feature at a time, then name their creation one letter at a time.
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Related Exercises
Janus Dance
Janus Dance is a physical awareness and space exercise named for the two-faced Roman god of transitions, in which participants move through the space while maintaining simultaneous awareness of what lies in front of them and behind them. The exercise trains the expanded spatial attention that performers need when navigating a stage populated by multiple scene partners, objects, and audience sightlines.
Mirror/Follow the Follower
Mirror Follow the Follower is an applied improv mirror exercise in which two participants begin by mirroring each other without a designated leader, then allow leadership to shift organically as the mirror deepens. The exercise trains simultaneous attention and response, the release of the need to control group direction, and the experience of shared movement that arises when both participants follow rather than either one leading.
Alphabet Letters
Alphabet Letters is a physical exercise in which players use their bodies to form the shapes of individual letters. Working alone or in small groups, players translate abstract letter forms into physical configuration, developing spatial awareness, body control, and ensemble coordination.
Incomplete Figure Test (IFT)
Incomplete Figure Test (IFT) is a creativity exercise adapted from the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking in which participants are given an abstract, incomplete line drawing and invited to complete it into a recognizable image within a short time limit. The exercise measures and develops divergent thinking, originality, and the ability to generate meaning from ambiguous visual material. In applied settings, it is used as a warm-up to creativity work and as a gentle, accessible way to activate creative thinking without the pressure of verbal performance.
Swedish Sculptors
Swedish Sculptors is a variation of the Sculptors exercise in which players speak in mock Swedish or gibberish while sculpting their partners into poses. The language constraint adds a layer of physical comedy and forces the sculptor to communicate intent through touch and gesture rather than verbal instruction.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Paired Drawing. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/paired-drawing
The Improv Archive. "Paired Drawing." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/paired-drawing.
The Improv Archive. "Paired Drawing." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/paired-drawing. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.