How to draw the New York 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

Start with a blank canvas of your choice. I like using white paper coffee cups as they’re perfect to sketch directly onto. Draft the composition in pencil to ensure the scale and proportion are correct.

Step 2

Use Winsor & Newton Fineliners to outline the cityscape with loose lines, adding a little shade and tone as you go. Use Winsor & Newton Fineliners to outline the cityscape with loose lines, adding a little shade and tone as you go.

Step 3

Mix Promarker watercolours, combining with Winsor & Newton watercolour pans if needed.

Step 4

Use a base wash for the sky and building tones before adding detail.

Step 5

Add deeper colour and tone using richer Promarker shades and blend with watercolours to create depth and a more three-dimensional effect.

Step 6

Finish with final details using the Winsor & Newton Fineliner and Payne’s Grey Promarker to add shadows and extra depth and apply the same process to other iconic skylines.