How I Built a Free Random Object Generator for Artists and Writers

I had a simple problem. Every time I sat down to draw something, I would spend more time thinking about what to draw than actually drawing. Writers I know have the same issue with scene props and story details.

I looked around for a tool that could just throw a random object at me. Most of what I found was either cluttered with ads, required an account, or gave the same ten objects on repeat.

So I built my own.

What the Tool Does

RandomToolsLab.com has a free random object generator. You open it, choose how many objects you want, and hit generate. Results show up instantly as clickable tags. There is a unique mode that stops the same object from appearing twice in one session.

No account. No ads. No setup. Just open and use.

Why I Kept It Simple

A lot of tools try to do too much. Filters for every category, sliders, dropdowns, settings panels nobody uses. That stuff slows people down.

The whole point of a random prompt tool is to remove decisions, not add more. So I kept the interface to three things: a number input, a checkbox, and a button.

The Tech Behind It

The tool is built with plain HTML, CSS, and vanilla JavaScript. No frameworks, no build tools, no dependencies. The object list has over 80 everyday items that work well as drawing or writing prompts.

Here is the core logic:

function generate() {
  const count = parseInt(document.getElementById('count').value);
  const unique = document.getElementById('unique').checked;
  let picked = [];

  if (unique) {
    const shuffled = [...objects].sort(() => Math.random() - 0.5);
    picked = shuffled.slice(0, count);
  } else {
    for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {
      picked.push(objects[Math.floor(Math.random() * objects.length)]);
    }
  }

  document.getElementById('result').innerHTML =
    picked.map(o => `<span class="tag">${o}</span>`).join('');
}

The Design

I wanted the tool to feel good to use, not just functional. Dark navy background, purple gradient button, pill shaped result tags with a pop animation. The whole color scheme uses two values: #0a0e1a for the background and #7c3aed to #a855f7 for the purple gradient.

What I Learned Building This

Three things stood out.

First, simple tools are harder to design than complex ones. When you strip everything down to the minimum, every decision shows. The spacing, the button size, the font weight — all of it matters more when there is nothing to hide behind.

Second, object lists need curation. A truly random list would include things like "nuclear reactor" or "aircraft carrier" which are useless for a sketch prompt. The list I built focuses on objects that have interesting shapes, textures, and details worth drawing.

Third, people actually use simple free tools. Since launching the site, the feedback has been consistent: people want fast, clean, no-friction tools that work on mobile without installing anything.

What Is Coming Next

More tools on the same site. A random color palette generator, a random animal generator for character design practice, and a random scenario generator for writers. All free, all no signup.