How to draw the London skyline on a coffee cup

The artist

Caroline Smith

I’ve been drawing and painting all my life and have a passion for sketching urban cityscapes. A career in Interior Architecture combined with a desire to travel, have allowed my skills to develop and interest to grow. These are the main ingredients that have formed the brand ‘Urban Sketchliner’. I also have a love for coffee and usually end up doodling on take away cups where possible, to create a little mobile art.

It is great to take this a step further with Winsor & Newton to produce a set of Urban City Cups using the wonderful and versatile Watercolour Promarkers. I have always loved blending loose ink lines with watercolours so this was the perfect opportunity to combine these mediums.

Step 1

Begin with a blank canvas (or found object like a coffee cup) and use pencil to sketch the focal point, such as a key building, while letting the rest of the cityscape fade out on either side.

Step 2

Using Winsor & Newton fineliner, outline the main building forms, keeping the lines loose and natural for a free-flowing feel.

Step 3

Take a Promarker pen, especially Payne’s Grey, and use it to create depth and tone by focusing on shadows and darker areas.

Step 4

Continue shading with the Promarker to add layers of light and dark, emphasising the focal point with richer tones.

Step 5

Refine finer details using the fineliner again and adjust the amount of detail towards the edges to maintain the faded effect.

Step 6

Decide whether to keep the work in black and white or add colour for a striking finish and review the composition to ensure balance and focus on the main subject.

Related products

Fineliner - Black
Fineliner

Black

£3.85
Studio Collection Graphite Pencil x6
Studio Collection Pencils

Graphite Pencil Set x6

£9.65
Promarker Watercolour - Payne's Gray
Promarker Watercolour

Payne's Gray

£4.45