“Drawing glass is really no different than drawing any other subject. Attention to detail and accurate values are what creates the illusion of shiny glass”.----Karen Cardinal, Colored Pencil Forum.

Glass is made of light, reflection and sand. Don’t concentrate on the problem of drawing the glass—think about what about what the glass “sees” and shows back to you—the reflection. Think about the shape of the glass—are there curves? Are there patterns in the glass—is there water in the container—are there distortions—what is or are the light sources? Is the glass colored OR is the reflection of the glass creating colors and patterns that you can exploit to create the illusion of glass. What about stain glass—how does light and reflection effect this type of glass. Is the glass clean—what if the glass is dirty—does the dirt distort the reflections? What is in, beside or behind the glass—what about windows, glasses, skylights, fishbowls. Consider the thickness of the glass—what about prisms.

I am not an expert at drawing glass, but I thought everyone might find something useful from the things I've learned doing this so far.

Drawing glass is really no different than drawing any other subject. Attention to detail and accurate values are what creates the illusion of shiny glass. There are a couple of tips that I've picked up though that help with that illusion and I'm more than happy to share them with you.

All objects reflect the colors of objects around it and shiny objects even more so. To create clear glass you can't try to draw the glass, but draw the reflections on the glass and the objects inside of or behind the glass. For colored glass you still are drawing the reflections, and surrounding objects, but you will also be "tinting" the area of the glass to create the right color. You have to be aware of highlights, shadows and reflected light and always try to avoid outlining.

When drawing glass, the color is unimportant. The illusion depends completely on accurate values. If your colors are perfect but your values are off, the glass won't look like glass. The only time you will worry about getting your colors "right" is when you are showing a reflected object in the glass.

It doesn't matter whether you create a grisaille or outline your patterns , it's the contrast of light and dark that will help to create shiny glass.

If you are drawing on white paper, keep a few bright highlight areas free of any pencil. The best white is simply to let the white of the paper show.

The shape of your highlight depends on the shape of your object. Some are short and round and some are long and thin, but I've found that leaving a small "dot" of untouched white paper in the center of the highlight and using my white pencil to "drag" the highlight from the center to the edge of the highlight helps keep it looking more realistic.

A ring of cloud blue on the edge of a highlight helps make the highlight area sparkle.

To really make the glass shine, use high contrast. Place very dark areas next to your lightest areas

No matter how see-through the glass is, an object behind the glass will be at least slightly distorted and the colors will either be a little less bright (if it's clear glass) or tinted to the color of the glass in front of it.

It doesn't matter how you get your colors on the paper, but if you want to make realistic glass you must be aware of all the reflections and imperfections in the glass. Small scratches and distortions in the glass adds a level of realism.

The same methods for drawing glass can also be applied to other shiny object including eyes.

As with any other subject, sketches are very important! Most of the time I like to make color sketches so all my tough decisions are already made. With the glasses and reflections I didn't realize the problems of trying to interpret a fabulous photo until I made my color sketches.

I hope these tips are helpful for you!