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While I was creating a lesson for the Fun Fab Drawing Club the other day, I was having so much fun, I decided to do a similar lesson as a Draw Along party in my Facebook Group!
In case you missed that, or aren't on Facebook, I'm dropping the video on my YouTube Drawing channel as well :) Today's FREE martini glass drawing lesson has a little twist to give us a teensy challenge... 1. No drawing in pencil 2. No drawing freehand Sound fun?! Let's get started!! 
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.
Drawing Supplies for Today
Since we're not drawing in pencil, you might want to grab a few fineliners in different nibs (thicknesses). My favorite fineliner set is by Molotow, below.
Since I plan to use alcohol markers to color in my martini glass drawing, I'm working on a super smooth sheet of cardstock that is similar to Bristol (but waaaaay cheaper).
Next, you're gonna want a straight edge. You can easily use the edge of a book, or whatever you have lying around. Try NOT to reach for a ruler, because I don't want you to start measuring stuff :) I'm using a triangle for my straight edge and NOT measuring on purpose to keep the vibe FUN and wonky! 
I've also got my ellipse and circle templates nearby. I use BOTH of these constantly when drawing faces.
The ellipses are perfect for dropping in facial feature placeholders when I'm sketching in my face drawing guidelines at the beginning of a project. I love using the circle template whenever I'm drawing eyes to help me draw quick irises and pupils (because who wants to spend forever trying to draw a perfect circle?! NOT ME!!). 
If you don't have templates like this, it's totally fine! Use whatever you have lying around in the shape of a circle that you can trace.
My last "supply" for today is seriously just a bunch of cocktail drawing reference images to provide me with a little inspiration and get my creative juices flowing. 
After you've grabbed your supplies, make sure to click over to the video because everything in today's FREE drawing tutorial is step-by-step, and in real-time so you can draw along with me from home :)
How to Make Your Line Drawing Even COOLER!
Once you've got your basic martini glass drawing done, it's time to take your drawing from simple and plain... to awesome! We do that by varying LINE WEIGHT throughout the drawing.
Line variation is super easy to achieve. You can either use fineliners in a variety of nibs (thicknesses), or you can add some wonky lines with a straight edge like I'm doing in today's video, and then color them in! You're definitely gonna wanna see this in action! 
Once you've got some line variation going on in your drawing, you can add even more interest with the addition of a few action lines. Action lines are common in cartoons and anime drawings to indicate movement or energy. I like to use a thinner fineliner for these, like a 0.4.
HOT TIP: Make sure you wipe your straight edge off BEFORE adding action lines around the martini glass because we don't want any excess ink smearing onto your drawing once your template hits the page again.
Once the action lines are in place, it's time for some fruity embellishments, because who doesn't love a little fruit inside a sassy drink?!
Let's Add Color
The first rule of thumb for coloring ANYTHING is to swatch! You can use a piece of scrap paper off to the side of your drawing, or download my FREE Fun Fab Swatch Sheet to make things even more interesting!
I used to hate swatching and think it was boring, but trust me, there's nothing worse than grabbing a marker or tube of paint based on the cap, only to find a completely unexpected color popping onto your page! I've learned this the hard way time and again!
Your future self will thank you for swatching!! 
If you don't have any alcohol markers at home, don't sweat it. Use whatever art supply you have from colored pencils to watercolor!
Wanna Learn MORE About Alcohol Markers?
In case you don't know this about me yet, I'm OBSESSED with alcohol marker art!! I love using my Copics and Ohuhus for shading faces, fairies, art deco fashions, and everything in between!!
Over the years, I've tried just about every alcohol marker brand from dollar store cheapies to my beloved Copics, and have learned a ton along the way. Check out this playlist to watch my BEST ALCOHOL MARKER COLORING TIPS in action, learn about blending, mixing alcohol markers with other media, and SO MUCH MORE!! 
Need More Real-Time Drawing Lessons?
I've got TONS!! Go check out the Fun Fab Drawing Club over at Awesome Art School. There are SO many fun lessons just waiting for you to enjoy!!
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I've been using my Vanish eraser faithfully for a decade, and think it's by far the best drawing eraser out there. I can always find them at my local Jerry's Artarama for $2 each, but I know they're not always easy to find, and can't get over how Amazon charges around $7 a pop for them!
Today I'm on the hunt for a vanish eraser alternative that produces awesome results, is more readily available worldwide, and CHEAPER. Let's get to it!! 
To get us started, I've laid some shading down on drawing paper in graphite, charcoal, black colored pencil, India ink and pastel. Lots of the erasers I've picked up for today's test claim to ERASE India ink! Who knew that was a thing?! Let's see how they do...
As you'll see in the video, I tested my Vanish eraser first. It leaves behind larger chunks of eraser shavings and no dust once used, which I find super easy to clean up.
It did a beautiful job lifting graphite (as always), and even removed a bit of the India ink and pastel - which I never would've guessed was possible! 
The Prismacolor Magic Rub did fairly well, but tended to smear on all mediums tested. It also left behind a LOT of eraser shavings that either made a mess or tried to kinda work their way into the texture of the paper wherever it was used. The price point on Amazon for the Magic Rub was just right at $1-2 each, but overall, I wasn't impressed with its results.
The pentel Hi-Polymer eraser tended to smear like the Magic Rub and also left behind too many eraser bits for me. I found it on Amazon for only about $1/eraser, but felt it was only slightly better than the Prismacolor in performance.
The first one to slightly impress me was by Faber-Castell. It didn't perform drastically different from the others, but didn't smear or leave behind a huge mess, and cost less than $1 on Amazon - so at this point is a contender.
The Factis two-toned eraser by Generals was the first eraser in today's test to give me a noticeable difference from the rest. It left behind large "crumbles" after each use (which I prefer), and seemed to leave the page slightly whiter than my Vanish when erasing graphite!
The downside of this one is price point. I had a hard time finding it for less than $9 each on Amazon. It performed beautifully though, so if you see one at your local craft store for less, I highly recommend grabbing it! 
The Tombow Mono sanded eraser "for ink" (below) has a sanded edge to it, which is kinda unique. I didn't know erasing india ink was a thing before today!
Out of all the erasers tested, the Mono definitely worked best at lifting India ink shading, but it was a little rough on the paper. I felt like if I'd been working on watercolor paper it would've shredded it, so handle with care if you pick one of these up.
The Staedtler Mars plastic eraser did a fantastic job. It was the best at lifting pastel, and did pretty well at lifting India ink. It's got a really nice shape and feels comfortable to hold, is widely available, and only about $1-2 all over Amazon. So far, this might be my fave!!
Make sure you click over to watch the video to see the remaining erasers I tested, and to get my FINAL recommendation if I had to choose an alternative to my beloved Vanish eraser!
Wanna Learn How to Draw a Face?
Feel like you've been putting your erasers to the test trying to draw a face?! I get it!!
If you're not sure how to draw a face, or have just started drawing faces, THIS IS MY JAM!! I'd love to make face drawing easier for you with my FREE whimsical face drawing guidelines. They're super easy to follow and will help you draw proportional facial features every time. Simply click the button below to request your free guidelines cheatsheet, and I'll email it right over! 
Once you print your guidelines out, check out this playlist and I'll teach ya how to use them while we draw and shade an easy face in pencil together, step-by-step.
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Karen CampbellFounder of Awesome Art School. Mixed Media Artist. Author of 18 Instructional Art Books!    
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"Karen is flipping hilarious and she's very real...I like the way she teaches in a way that really gives you confidence, whether you're a beginner or advanced there's always something new to learn!"
- Elizabeth W. |
What Fans Are SayingKaren, you are absolutely fabulous! You make me feel like I can draw anything. I have recently retired and finally have the time to do some of the art that I have loved since I was in school. I am really at the beginning of my art journey and I hope to learn as much as I can. Thank you for all you do. |
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