Drawing does burn calories, though only marginally more than sitting completely still. Every physical process your body undertakes requires a continuous supply of energy, which is measured in calories. Even when relaxed, your body constantly expends energy to maintain basic life functions. This energy expenditure acts as a baseline, and any activity, including the small movements of drawing, increases the rate slightly above this minimum.
Understanding Calorie Burn While Sedentary
Even when seated, your body uses a significant amount of energy to keep its systems operational. This baseline rate of energy use is known as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) or Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). This rate powers functions like breathing, blood circulation, and brain activity. The majority of your daily calorie expenditure is accounted for by this resting rate, not by structured physical exercise.
Drawing falls into a category of energy use called Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT). NEAT covers all the calories burned outside of sleeping, eating, or structured exercise. This includes subtle movements like fidgeting, maintaining posture, and the small, repetitive motions of drawing. These minor movements add a small but measurable amount to your overall daily energy output.
Estimated Caloric Expenditure for Drawing
To quantify this energy use, scientists use the Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET). One MET represents the energy expended while sitting quietly. Drawing while standing is typically assigned a value of approximately 1.8 METs, meaning it requires 1.8 times the energy used at rest. This value places drawing in the category of light-intensity activity, similar to reading or typing.
For an average adult weighing around 70 kilograms (154 pounds), drawing while standing burns roughly 2.1 calories per minute. This translates to about 125 to 175 calories per hour, depending on the individual’s weight and the intensity of the movements. Simply sitting and watching television registers at about 1.0 MET, illustrating the small increase drawing provides over total rest.
How Physical Factors Affect the Calorie Count
The specific physical factors involved in the artistic process can significantly alter the calorie burn rate. Changing your posture from sitting to standing while drawing or painting increases the MET value to the 1.8 MET estimate. Standing requires continuous, low-level muscle engagement to maintain balance and stability, which increases energy demand.
The scale and intensity of the artwork also play a large role in determining energy expenditure. Vigorous artistic activities, such as painting a large mural that requires reaching, climbing, or using large muscle groups, have a much higher MET value, sometimes reaching 4.5 METs or more. These larger movements involve more muscle mass and greater exertion compared to the fine motor control needed for small-scale sketching or tracing. The brain’s energy consumption from mental focus does not significantly increase the overall metabolic rate beyond the physical effort involved.