The Ultimate List of Resources for How to Draw a Teacup with Pencil, Pen, Colored Pencil, Art Markers, Watercolor, Acrylic Painting, Oil Painting, and More!
Looking for how to draw a teacup? We found the best resources based on your choice of medium!
We included step-by-step tutorials and instructional videos that we felt were particularly helpful. Bookmark, pin, share, or save for later! If needed, you can also trim videos to focus on the most important sections, making it easier to revisit key steps quickly.
To learn how to draw a teacup, you should first recognize each of its elements.
A teacup is composed of a small cup, an ear (the handle) and a saucer. You can choose to omit some elements or embellish others. See how creative you can get!
FUN FACT: People used to drink straight out of the saucer! When the tea was too hot, you’d pour the liquid in the saucer and drink from there!
The rich started to look down on that practice as something only commoners do so it was eventually phased out.
When you were finished, you’d flip over your cup on the saucer to signal to the server that you didn’t need a refill. The more you know, huh?
Elements To Consider When Drawing Teacups
CUP
The cup is the main element here. Without a cup, you literally have only the tea!
Shape – Is it round? More conical? More square? Oblong?
Brim – Does the cup’s brim (top edge) flare out from its main shape?
Foot – The foot flares out from the bottom of the bowl. Some teacups have a small ring (which creates those awesome water rings on the table) while more decorative, vintage teacups actually have little feet to hold the cup up.
EAR
This is the handle. Teacups without an ear are designed to be more stackable.
Shape – Is it more rounded? Square?
Thickness – Is the handle thick? What is the shape of the “hole” in the handle?
Ornaments – Handles may have ornamental reliefs where it meets the cup. Initially, these were designed with a more functional purpose but now has become more decorative.
SAUCER
This is the small plate the cup rests on.
Shape – Is the saucer more flat? Is there more of a curvature to it?
Foot – Like the cup, saucers may have a small ring footing attached to the bottom.
MATERIAL
Teacups can be made of different materials. Although typically made of ceramic, it can also be made of porcelain, wood or even steel.
Depending on what you want to achieve, the material of the teacup may be a factor in the lighting and texture of your drawing.
EMBELLISHMENTS
There’s a lot of room for creativity in a teacup. Not only can you be creative in its design, you can also be creative in the embellishments of the teacup.
These can be added to the cup, ear or saucer. Will your brim have a gold trim? Will the saucer be covered in a floral pattern?
LIQUID
If you are drawing your teacup in the perspective where you can see inside, will it be empty?
Will it be filled with liquid? What kind? Will there be a teabag hanging from the side?
List of Resources & Tutorials for How To Draw Teacups
PENCIL & PEN
ONLINE GUIDES
1. How to Draw a Teapot + Teacup (DrawingHowtoDraw) – A step-by-step guide [Easy]2. How to Draw a Teacup (Sketch2Draw) – 7-step tutorial for a teacup [Moderate]3. How to Draw Teacups and Other Ellipses (Liz Steel) – Detailed instruction using ellipses [Hard]
VIDEOS
4. How to Draw a Teacup (Fun2Fantastic) – Quick and easy demo of a teacup and saucer
5. How to Draw a Chibi Teacup (Sakura) – Quick demo of a chibi teacup
6. How to Doodle a Teacup (Zooshii) – A quick doodle demonstration for a teacup
7. How to Draw a Still Life Teacup (LineArtSchool) – A still-life tutorial for a teacup
COLORED PENCILS & MARKERS
VIDEOS
8. How to Draw and Color a Teacup (Shoo Rayner) – Quick drawing and coloring of a teacup
9. How to Draw a Realistic Teacup (AnnvasArt) – A colored pencil time-lapse (no instruction)
WATERCOLOR
ONLINE GUIDES
10. How to Draw and Paint a Teacup (Craftsy) – How to draw and paint a teacup in watercolor
11. How to Paint a Teacup in Watercolor (Leslie Fehling) – A step-by-step guide for watercolor
VIDEOS
12. How to Paint a Teacup (DrawingTimeLapse) – A watercolor time-lapse (no instruction)
13. How to Paint a Teacup (RhomanysRealm) -A watercolor time-lapse (no instruction)
14. How to Paint a Teacup (Lizzy Hoo) – Another beautiful time-lapse (no instruction)
15. How to Paint a Mixed Media Teacup (TraceyFletcherKing) – Uses watercolor and acrylics
ACRYLIC & OIL PAINTING
VIDEOS
15. How to Paint a Mixed Media Teacup (TraceyFletcherKing) – Uses watercolor and acrylics (9:55)
16. How to Paint a Teacup using Acrylics (Angela Anderson) – A full demo using acrylics (1:25:18)
OTHER MEDIUMS
I couldn’t find any great tutorials that fit here. Let me know if you have one or find one!
