How to Draw Water in a Glass

Many beginning artists make pencil drawings of water glasses to study shape, form and the effects of light and shadow. This is also a common object drawn in comics and cartoons, so this type of project can be as simple or complicated as the artist wishes to make it.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Sharpened pencil

Instructions

1. Draw two parallel vertical lines of equal length that are level with each other. These lines represent the two sides of the glass.

2. Draw an ellipse at the top of the vertical lines. This represents the rim of the glass.

3. Draw a horizontal line that dips downward slightly at the bottom of the two sides of the glass, connecting the two ends. This represents the bottom of the interior of the glass.

4. Draw a second horizontal line that dips downward slightly, directly below the horizontal line you drew in step 3. This line should be the same length as and running parallel to the line above it. This line is the bottom edge of the exterior of the glass.

5. Connect the two lines you drew in steps 3 and 4 at the ends.

6. Draw an ellipse in the center of the glass, representing the top of the water in the glass.

Tips & Warnings

• These steps will draw a very basic glass with water inside, appropriate for comic books and cartoons. For a more realistic and detailed drawing, do not draw from imagination--draw from an actual glass of water. Provide a light source for your glass. Shade the edges of the glass, and the thick part of the glass at the bottom, but leave small areas on the side of your light source unshaded, representing the glint of the light on the glass. Then, when you've shaded the edges, lightly shade the interior of the glass as needed, leaving unshaded areas to represent the reflection of light.

• For a more interactive drawing experience, draw with charcoal or vine charcoal. Do all the shading with your fingers.

References

• Rate My Drawings: Glass of Water