An easy drawing you can start today

Place a cup beside a small plant and look at them for thirty seconds before making a mark. You will move from two large shapes to a readable drawing in four repeatable stages. You need only paper and a pencil.

Explore Drawing & Painting

Large shapes only
Marks that identify each object: a handle and three leaves
One shadow, one light direction
Review it at arm's length

Set up the scene and block the shapes

Place the cup on one side and the plant on the other with space between them. Sketch a light oval for the cup's opening and a rounded rectangle for its body. Give the pot a simple outline and mark where the stem begins. Ignore individual leaves for now. Compare the cup's width with its height before darkening the line; a quick correction at this stage helps more than decoration later.

Add the details that identify each object

Use two short curves for the handle so it does not overpower the cup. Give the plant just three leaves, turning one in a different direction. Remove construction lines that make the image harder to read. When a detail goes wrong, return to the large silhouette. Compare steps 1 and 2 in the drawings above: the first is shape only, the second adds the details that identify each object.

Use one clear light direction

Imagine light coming from the upper left. Darken the cup's right side and put a small shadow beneath it. Keep a light area untouched; a modest difference in value is easier to read than even shading everywhere. Hold the paper at arm's length. If the cup and plant are clear, the exercise has worked even if your lines are imperfect.

Make a second drawing, not a perfect first one

Draw the same cup from another angle or move the plant to change the composition. Then explore drawing foundations for proportion and light. Zayenha Arts also has a digital drawing lab, but it currently requires sign-in; the exercise on this page can be completed immediately on paper.

Frequently asked questions

Must my picture look exactly like the example?

No. The images demonstrate decisions at each stage, not a shape you must trace.

Which pencil should I buy?

A regular pencil is enough. Do not let equipment delay your first drawing.

Your next step

Draw an object on your desk in four stages, then explore drawing and painting