How To Draw A Jar Step By Step? Top Answer Update

In this drawing lesson, we’ll look at how to create a realistic drawing of a water glass. This is a great exercise for seeing value relationships and creating the texture of reflective and transparent objects. It’s also a great study of light and how it reacts when passing through glass and water.

It is recommended to use a blending stump or even a rolled up piece of paper instead of your fingers. Using your fingers to blend doesn’t provide enough control or precision. It can also make your drawing appear dirty as the oils from your fingers mix with the graphite and charcoal. This leads to inconsistencies and areas that are difficult to erase and clean up.

We also use a blending stump to blend applications. Using a blending stump allows smooth transitions of tone and value to be used, often resulting in a more representative result. However, not all applications are mixed. The blending stump is reserved for areas where there is a clear transition in value, which is common in this particular subject.

If you don’t have a white charcoal pencil, a white crayon can be substituted. However, it should be noted that we use blending stumps to blend the white charcoal applications. Because colored pencils don’t mix like a powdered material like charcoal, you’ll likely see different results in your drawing.

Although graphite and charcoal are different mediums, we can still successfully use them together. But the order in which we apply the media is important. White charcoal does not easily cover heavy graphite applications. Graphite may be applied over white charcoal with better success, but the reverse is not recommended. Because of this, we’ll be treating many of the highlights early in the drawing process, before darkening the areas with the darkest shadows.

Highlights are especially important in a drawing that has a highly reflective surface like glass. In a typical drawing on white paper, highlights must be preserved or avoided while adding graphite. But since we’re working on toned paper, we can add the highlights with a white medium. In this case, white charcoal is used to develop the highlights and brighter values.

You may find that the 4B pencil isn’t quite dark enough for your drawing. This can happen if you naturally put less pressure on the pen. If this applies to you, you can choose a darker pencil for the darkest shadows. A 6B pencil can be a good substitute.

We’ll start with the lighter pencils and gradually work our way down to the darker pencils, gradually expanding the range of values ​​and contrast in the drawing. (The H pen is the lightest pen while the 4B pen is the darkest.)

Graphite pencils are applied to develop the dark values ​​as well as some of the midtones. The graphite pencils used in this drawing include:

Working on toned drawing paper allows us to start with a medium value or midtone and “push” the values ​​outward. We can add lighter values ​​and darker tones while relying on the surface tone to help with the midtones. For this reason we work on gray toned paper.

The value is to be taken into account in every drawing created by us. Value is the darkness or lightness of a color and is one of the seven elements of art. Creating a full range of values ​​in a drawing is easier when we are working on a tinted surface.

Learn a new drawing concept and skill every day for 25 days. Each drawing concept taught includes a short drawing exercise (less than one hour) that reinforces the concept being taught.

The photo reference

I created a photo reference for this drawing by setting up a defined light source emanating from the top left corner. A single light source is chosen for simplicity. Multiple light sources would create two different shadow areas, which would affect our composition.

Here’s a look at the photo reference…

It is important to study the reference photo before making any markings. Analyze the light and dark shapes and think about how to represent them in the drawing.

How to draw a realistic glass of water

Here are the basic steps we’re going to take to create our realistic drawing of a water glass. Remember, as we are combining graphite with charcoal, the order in which we apply the media is important.

Draw a contour line drawing. Add light mid-tones. Develop the strongest highlights and highlights with white charcoal. Develop the darker tones and shadows. Refine the drawing and add a drop shadow.

Draw a contour line drawing

We start the drawing with a contour line drawing with the graphite pencil H. This means that we only focus on the outlines that we observe from the subject. These contours include not only the lines that define the boundaries of the glass, but also the shapes of different values ​​that we see.

To ensure accuracy, we can use measurement techniques. Using your pencil as a measuring tool allows you to make comparisons between different areas of the drawing. Look for possibilities by comparing larger shapes first.

In this case, the drawing created will be the same size as the printed reference photo. This means we can measure on the photo reference and use the exact measurement on the artboard.

By measuring, we can draw the basic shape of the jar, including the ellipse that represents the opening at the top. Ellipses are a distortion of a circle. In many cases, an ellipse is simply an oval. But depending on the angle, an ellipse can be more complicated.

We will also add the forms of value that we observe in the glass and in the water. Pay attention to contrasts when drawing these shapes. If you’re having trouble spotting these forms of value, try blinking at the subject. By squinting our eyes we simplify the details and often easily discern the larger forms of darkness and light.

Add light mid-tones

Staying with the H graphite pencil, we’ll start developing the lighter mid-tones. As we do this we also add this lighter application of graphite over what will ultimately be the darkest areas on the glass and in the water.

Moderate pressure is added to create an even application. A circular stroke pattern is used when applying the pencil. This does not mean that small circles are visible on the surface. Instead, the stylus is pressed lightly while moving your hand in a circular direction.

Make sure you keep the areas where you see the brightest values. In the next step, we will apply white charcoal to these areas.

Develop the strongest highlights and light values ​​with White Charcoal

Next we focus on developing the lighter values ​​and highlights with white charcoal. Make sure your pen is nice and sharp and start applying where you see the lightest values.

Because glass is both transparent and reflective, you’ll find that some of these highlights are in areas you might not expect. We see the highlights at standard positions, e.g. B. on the side of the glass that is closest to the light source. But we also see them on the opposite side, in the glass and in areas in the water.

The best practice is to simply observe the reference photo and note the shape and location of these lighter values ​​and place them in the same places on your drawing.

After adding the highlights with the white charcoal pencil, we can use the Blending Stump to smooth out some of the applications. The Blending Stump can also be used to tone down the intensity of the highlights if needed.

Develop the darker tones and shadows

With the highlights in place we can start to darken the values ​​with softer graphite pencils. We start with an HB pen with moderate pressure. With darker values, the contrast also increases, making the highlights appear brighter.

Developing the darker tones requires additional application to areas previously covered with the H-pen. However, we do not cover all of these areas again. Some areas of the lighter graphite may remain visible.

This is a process that requires patience, and since we’re making multiple passes with different graphite pencils and white charcoal, it can feel like you’re drawing the subject multiple times. This is to our advantage, since every time we add a slightly darker application we may find bugs that should be fixed or ways to make the drawing more accurate. Take your time and be patient. This slow and layered approach is essential for developing realism in drawings.

After the HB pen has been applied, we can use the Blending Stump to smooth out value transitions. Again, the blending stump is not used everywhere. It is only used in areas that have a transition, or in places where the tooth or texture of the paper is distracting.

Now it’s time to make the values ​​even darker and expand the range of values ​​and contrast. We switch to the 2B pencil and again make another pass over the drawing. Again, we’re leaving some of the H and HB pen applications visible. This creates more diversity in values.

This application is also gently blended with the Blending Stump in certain areas.

We now focus on the darkest values ​​on the value scale and develop the remaining areas of darkest tone and shadow. Using our darkest pencil, 4B, we go back into the drawing and darken the areas of the darkest shadows in the glass and water.

Refine the drawing and add a drop shadow

Glass and water are almost ready. We now need to add a drop shadow below and behind the glass. But as you can see from the reference photo, we’re not dealing with an ordinary drop shadow here.

The glass and the water are transparent objects. Light passes through them instead of being reflected back to the light source. The light actually gets more intense as it’s refracted, resulting in an area of ​​very light value where we would expect the darkest shadow.

Before developing the darkest shadow areas, we must first define the shape of this strong light. We’ll first define the outside edges of the shape using a 2B pen.

Then we use the white charcoal pencil to fill in the shape with a heavy fill.

A blending die is used to smooth out this job and work the material into the texture of the paper. This results in a more natural and even shadow.

We can then expand the area with the darkest tone to fill in the rest of the largest area within the umbra. You will notice that there is a primary area of ​​drop shadows. This is a shape that resembles a skewed version of the shape of the glass. This area with the darkest value is called the occlusion shadow.

But the drop shadow itself extends a little further outward. This area is slightly lighter, but is still considered part of the drop shadow. Since this area is lighter, the HB pencil is applied and gently blended with the Blending Stump.

The occlusion shadow is not a uniform value. Although it’s quite dark, some areas are a bit darker than others. To target those areas with the darkest value, we’re going to revisit the shadow in areas with our 4B pen.

The darkest value within a drop shadow is often directly below and directly behind the object. If the shadow extends away from the subject, the shadow can become a little lighter. This also applies to our topic. The area of ​​darkest hue within the drop shadow is just below the glass where it makes contact with the surface.

Again, this application is blended with the blending stump to eliminate any visible texture created by paper.

Finally, final touches are made with graphite and/or white charcoal to complete the drawing. Here is the finished drawing…

Conclusion

It may seem difficult to create in a drawing the illusion of transparency and reflection that we see with our water glass. But this illusion is not as difficult as it may seem. We just have to remember to start with general shapes and their relationships, develop the outlines and then patiently develop a whole range of values ​​with our drawing medium of choice. It requires patience and of course – close observation. However, this applies to any subject that we want to draw realistically.

You can follow this tutorial in two ways. You can simply copy my actions to create a nice, realistic glass drawing, but you can also carefully read the explanations to learn how to render glass objects in the future outside of this tutorial. It’s your decision!

what will you need

HB pencil

5B pencil (or anything much softer than HB)

ruler

eraser

pencil sharpener

1. How to draw thick/solid glass

You can use this lesson to create a solid glass sphere or rod.

Step 1

Draw a circle with the HB pen. You can start with a cross to achieve a perfect shape. Lightly draw the lines – this is just a base. The lines are dark in this tutorial so you can see them clearly, but you should barely see them in your drawing.

step 2

Extend the vertical line and draw the sides of the bottle neck.

step 3

Finish the “solid bottle” shape by adding some ellipses that define the perspective.

step 4

Take the ruler and draw a checkerboard background. Since we can recognize glass by how it affects its background, this will be very useful for us.

step 5

A solid glass sphere acts like a convex lens. This means that we need to enlarge the checkerboard squares inside the outline. This is easy to do by turning the lines into ellipses. First create a wide ellipse in the middle…

…then more ellipses around. Each one should be closer to the previous one until you reach the main outline.

step 6

Do the same with horizontal ellipses. Feel free to break the symmetry for a more interesting effect.

step 7

Use the same rule in the bottleneck. This time draw lines, not ellipses, since the cross-section of a cylinder is a rectangle, not a circle.

step 8

Cross the lines with vertical ones. You can achieve a more natural effect by breaking the symmetry again.

step 9

Our “bottle” has no opening – at the top is a flat surface visible through the glass. And since we’re seeing it through the glass, it must be distorted.

step 10

We’ve got a kind of double distortion here, so break the rhythm:

step 11

Here is a difficult place. The glass here is thick and irregular in shape. The same would happen at the bottom of a real bottle. You can skip this part if it’s too difficult, but it adds a really nice effect.

step 12

Time for the most important thing: reflections! If your glass is part of a scene, you need to match the reflections to the lighting in the scene. If not, you can just create whatever reflections look good.

In my case, I created a rectangular light that bounces off the side…

…and is then mirrored (and magnified!) in the bottle on the other side.

Finally I added a series of rectangular lights above the bottle to create lots of small reflections. Note the reflection of the top on the bottom!

step 13

You can relax now because everything is well defined and we can finish it step by step. Tilt your pencil and fill in half the squares on one side with gray (on the left side if you’re right-handed and vice versa).

step 14

Take the 5B pencil, tilt it and fill in the other spaces. Don’t press too hard, try to create a nice contrast.

step 15

Now focus for a while on filling in the spaces inside the glass outline. Do it box by box and try to see them in the rows you defined earlier. If you are in a reflective area, press lighter.

step 16

Now take the HB pencil again and fill in the other fields. Keep the areas bright white.

step 17

Remember that thick/irregular spot in the middle? Keep it dark with a tiny tiny checkerboard pattern hidden within. If your glass had a color cast, it would be most visible here.

step 18

Now do the same with the other half.

step 19

Finally, you can take the eraser and subtly wipe it over the reflections. Feel free to pin them with pencils as well.

2. How to draw thin/empty glass

You can use this lesson to draw a drinking glass or an empty sphere.

Step 1

Start with the same checkerboard-backed bottle as before.

step 2

Define the thickness of the glass by drawing the inner wall.

step 3

This time it will be a little different. Draw the ellipses inside the outer circle but end them abruptly in the inner circle.

All ellipses should stay inside the inner circle.

step 4

Draw the lines in the neck of the bottle, again just “inside” the bottle.

step 5

The rim of the bottle opening is also visible through glass, so we need to use the same trick as before.

step 6

This time the opening is open so there is only a layer of glass through which the background can be seen.

step 7

This difficult spot is even more difficult in an empty glass. Notice how it seems to bend inward. Also, don’t forget to draw the warp inside the wall – it’s so narrow that it’s best to draw it with simple lines.

step 8

Time to think!

step 9

Now the most enjoyable part. First fill in half of the squares with an inclined HB pencil.

step 10

Then fill in the other half with an inclined 5B pencil.

step 11

Fill in the small boxes in the bottle. They should be really, really tiny near the wall. Keep them light within the reflections.

step 12

Draw the distortion inside the wall with dark, thin lines. Keep contrasting white lines in between.

step 13

Make this spot dark and thick in the center.

step 14

Take the HB pen again and fill in the remaining squares, leaving the reflections white.

step 15

Repeat the process for the other side of the image.

step 16

You can use the eraser tool to make the reflections pop.

Nice!

As you can see, glass isn’t that difficult to draw once you know how it all works! If you liked this tutorial, don’t forget to read more:

Article overview

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To draw a water bottle, start by sketching a rectangular shape for the cap. Draw a narrow band under the cap to represent the seal that will break when you twist off the cap. Then add two short lines extending down from the cap to represent the neck of the bottle. Continue the lines of the neck but curve them outward and away from each other to represent the top of the bottle. Next, draw the body of the bottle. If you like, you can do this by sketching a basic rectangular shape and then adding details like ridges, curves, and indentations. For example, some water bottles are slightly narrower in the middle for a better grip. Fill in other important details like the ridges around the cap and the label on the bottle, then go in ink over the outline of your drawing. Erase any guides or extra pencil marks. If you want, add color and shading to make the bottle look more realistic.

We’ve compiled a list of ideas, tips, and resources to boost your creativity regardless of your drawing experience – grab your tools now and get started.

Drawing ideas: people

Draw a caricature of yourself.

Represent yourself as a superhero.

Draw self-portraits from different perspectives. Try positioning a mirror from different angles.

Sketch your hands in different positions. Draw your feet.

Draw a close-up of the eye. Try your teeth. Study the ears of different people.

Draw a self-portrait of your reflection in a spoon.

Draw yourself twice your age.

Study and draw people in cafes, parks and public transport.

Get access to the full CreativeLive library and learn different drawing techniques to express your creativity. Learn more.

Drawing ideas: landscape/perspective

Draw the view out of a window.

Draw the clouds.

Capture the view from your car’s rearview mirror.

Play with perspective: look up under a bridge, between skyscrapers, or at the ceiling of an ornate building. Look down over an overpass, a cliff, or from a balcony.

Drawing ideas: imagination

Draw an object and give it a face.

Create an alternative cover for your favorite book or album.

Illustrate a scene from your favorite song.

Draw a scene or character from your favorite book.

Illustrate your favorite fairy tale.

Invent your own insects.

Draw an intricate imaginary flower. Make a bouquet out of it.

Design your own font.

Draw something true.

Draw something wrong.

Create your own game board.

Combine animals to create your own mythical creature.

Draw a scene from a dream you had.

Draw a home in space.

Play the exquisite corpse drawing game.

Fill the page with things with wheels.

Fill the page with things that float.

Fill the page with robots.

Combine two subjects that don’t belong together in the same scene.

Design your personal logo.

Divide a piece of paper into 6 sections and create a different pattern in each.

Ideas for drawing: still life

Draw a towel in different positions: crumpled, hanging, scattered on the floor.

Get a handful of utensils and throw them on the table. Draw them when they land.

Draw a still life using items from your fridge or pantry.

Draw the ingredients for your next meal before you prepare it.

Draw an old pair of shoes.

Draw a stack of unfolded laundry.

Draw a sliced ​​fruit or vegetable.

Draw the inside of your closet.

Draw your room before it is cleaned.

Draw the same still life three times, zooming in further each time.

Drawing Ideas: Weekly

Make 7 random doodles or shapes in your sketchbook. Complete each drawing over the course of a week.

Illustrate your to-do list for the week

Draw every meal you eat for a week

Choose a theme and illustrate it in a different way for 7 days.

Document the course of your week as a comic strip.

Get access to the full CreativeLive library and learn different drawing techniques to express your creativity. Learn more.

drawing exercises

Blind contour drawing: Without looking at your paper, draw any object, e.g. B. Your own hand, in one continuous line, without lifting your hand from the sheet. Grab a partner while taking blind contour portraits of each other.

Subtractive Drawing: Try charcoal. If you use it horizontally, shade your paper with an even gray value. Now “draw” with your eraser – erase the highlights of your subject.

Left & Right: Draw something with your dominant hand, then your non-dominant hand.

Everything Else: Draw the negative space around an object.

Upside down: Draw a portrait from an upside down photo.

Scenes from Memory: Sketch 3 scenes from your day from memory. Play with perspective and try every day.

Copy the Masters: Draw a painting of your favorite painter. Or go to a museum and draw works that you like.

360 degrees: Choose an object and draw its outline. Rotate the object slightly and draw the outline again. To repeat.

Minimalist: Draw something with as few lines as possible.

Get the basics straight: Gesture drawings are a great way to approach drawing the human body, capturing the basic shape of your subject in a casual way that often expresses emotion. Try to limit your time to 10-30 second gesture drawings.

Different Techniques: Try shading in different ways: hatch, crosshatch, stipple and more.

Light it up: Play with the lighting. Draw outdoors at different times of the day and indoors with multiple or single light sources from different angles.

Drawing Tips

Consider the following tips to improve your drawing skills:

Try different media

Pencil drawings are just the tip of the iceberg. Try charcoal, pastels, pencils, markers, crayons and Conte crayons. Experiment and mix media to find what brings out your best drawings.

Draw daily and at the right time

Don’t just wait until Inktober to get started. Find the time of day when you have the most creative energy and don’t waver from it. After the first week it will become routine.

Commit to a drawing series online

Tumblr and Instagram, among other platforms, offer daily drawing challenges (think Inktober, but year-round). Joining one of these and posting your drawings will increase your accountability and motivation. Not only do set themes give you direction and just the right amount of constraints to work within, you’ll also join a creative community that shares feedback.

How can you learn and improve your drawing skills?

For more drawing ideas, see the following resources:

Drawing Courses & Tutorials:

CreativeLive.com is full of drawing courses. Cash:

Additional Resources:

Drawing Ideas e-book by Mark Baskinger and William Bardel, Watson-Guptill Publications. Buy here.

Drawing: A Complete Guide (Paperback – Illustrated) by Giovanni Civardi. Buy from Amazon.

The Master’s Guide to Drawing Anime by Chris Hart. Buy from Amazon.

365 Days of Drawing by Lorna Scobie, Chronicle Books. Buy here.

Get access to the full CreativeLive library and learn different drawing techniques to express your creativity. Learn more.