A cappuccino under a thick cap of milk foamA cappuccino is capped thickly with milk foam. Draw the foam as a low white dome.
A glass mug of mint tea, leaves floatingDraw the mug see-through: the surface oval, then four or five leaf shapes hanging under it.
A latte with a heart poured in the foamLatte art is made by pouring fine milk foam into espresso. A heart is two bumps and a point.
A moka pot steaming on a stove burnerVapor pressure drives hot water up through ground coffee. Draw two stacked chambers with a waist.
A samovar with a teapot warming on topA big metal urn, its tap near the base. Many have a ring on top to hold and heat a teapot.
A small cup of thick Italian drinking chocolateCioccolata calda, the hot chocolate served in Italy, is very thick. Make the surface dark and glossy.
A tea bag steeping, color spreading from itDraw the bag as a small pillow on a string. Darken the water nearest the bag and fade it outward.
Show all 60 ideas (53 more)
Hot drinks, continued
An espresso in a small cup, pale crema on topAn espresso is small, about 25 to 30 ml: a dark body under a lighter foam called crema.
Frothy matcha whisked up in a wide tea bowlMatcha is a fine powder of green tea, bright green in color. Fill a wide bowl with one flat green.
Masala chai in a small glass, steam risingBlack tea brewed in milk and water with spices and sugar. Fill a straight glass with warm tan.
Mate in a gourd with its metal strawMate is served in a calabash gourd with a metal straw, the bombilla, that also works as a sieve.
Turkish coffee frothing in its small potIt is made in a pot called a cezve and served unfiltered, froth and all, in small cups.
Cold and fizzy 12
A glass of fizzy water, bubbles rising in three chainsDraw the bubbles as small circles in three wobbly lines from the bottom of the glass to the surface.
A glass of horchata with a cinnamon stick across itMexican horchata is usually rice, cinnamon and sugar. One stick laid across the rim.
A lemonade stand: one pitcher, a stack of cups, a signChildren in the US and Canada traditionally set up lemonade stands in summer.
A six-pack of soda cans seen from one cornerSix cylinders in two rows of three. The far cans are hidden up to the shoulder by the near ones.
A slushy heaped above the rim of its cupA slushy is flavored ice in a drink. Mound it up above the rim and dot it with shadow.
A soda bottle just opened, crown cap beside itLay the crimped cap on the table with its edge bent, and let a little fizz rise from the neck.
A soda can crushed in the middleKeep the two end ovals whole and fold the wall between them into sharp zigzag creases.
A soda can, tab up, drops running down its sideA can is a cylinder with a flat top and bottom. Add an oval tab and three drops.
A soda fountain glass with a striped paper strawThe modern straw was patented in 1888: paper wound around a pencil and glued.
A tall glass of iced tea with a lemon wedgeIced tea usually comes in a glass, over ice. Stack three ice cubes above the surface line.
Cloudy lemonade in a tumbler, a wheel of lemon on topLemon juice, water and sugar, cloudy rather than clear. A lemon wheel is a circle with spokes.
Lemon soda poured over ice, fizz jumpingDraw the stream as a twisted ribbon. Where it lands, throw small dots up above the rim.
Shakes, smoothies and bubble tea 12
A banana milkshake beside the banana it came fromOne tall glass of pale yellow, one banana lying in front. Give both the same yellow.
A blender half full of fruit, lid onSmoothies and milkshakes are both made in a blender. Draw whole berries above, puree below.
A bubble tea lid from the top: rings and a straw holeThree circles inside each other: the lid, the cup wall, the drink. The straw is a small ring off center.
A chocolate shake, syrup running down inside the glassA milkshake blends milk, ice cream and a flavoring such as chocolate syrup into a thick drink.
A green smoothie beside its spinach and bananaSmoothies can include vegetables as well as fruit. Line the ingredients up in front of the glass.
A mango lassi, thick and yellow, in a tall glassLassi is a yogurt drink as thick as a smoothie. Leave a pale ring where it clings to the glass.
A smoothie in sagging bands of berry, mango and kiwiDraw the bands uneven, each one sagging a little into the band below it.
A smoothie pouring from blender pitcher to glassA thick pour is a wide ribbon that folds over itself as it lands. Tilt the pitcher well past level.
A strawberry smoothie in a jar with a strawA smoothie is fruit and a liquid base blended to a puree. Fill the jar with one flat pink.
An affogato: gelato under poured espressoA scoop of plain or vanilla gelato topped with espresso, often in a tall, narrow-based glass.
An ice cream float, a scoop bobbing in sodaA float is ice cream added to a soft drink. Draw the scoop half above the surface.
Bubble tea in a clear cup, tapioca settled at the bottomThe pearls are chewy balls of tapioca. Draw a row of dark circles and one straw reaching down to them.
Glasses, cups and cartons 12
A bendy straw, the bend drawn as small ridgesTwo straight tubes joined by five small ridges where the straw turns.
A candy-striped paper straw, the stripe spiraling upThe first paper straws were wound around a pencil. Wrap the stripe around the tube like a ribbon.
A child's sippy cup with two handlesA short cylinder, a lid with a small spout on one side and a C-shaped handle on each side.
A drink can seen from above: rim, tab, openingA circle inside a circle for the rim, then the tab as a small oval ring over a rounded opening.
A drinks tray holding four cups with lidsDraw the tray as a square in perspective with four round wells, then stand a cup in each.
A gable-top carton, one side opened into a spoutGable-top cartons, with a top like a roof, are used for milk and juice. Unfold one end of the roof.
A jar mug with a handle, a lid and a straw holeA jar is a cylinder with rounded shoulders and a threaded neck. Add one handle and a flat lid.
A juice box squashed flat after the last sipA juice box is about six layers of paper, plastic and foil. Cave the sides in and leave the straw up.
A teapot pouring, the stream caught in mid-airThe stream leaves the spout as an arc and narrows as it falls. Stop it just above the cup.
A vacuum flask with its cup unscrewedA vacuum flask is two flasks, one inside the other, joined at the neck, with a near vacuum between.
A wide, short teacup next to a taller coffee cupTeacups are often shorter and wider than coffee cups, with a small handle for a thumb and two fingers.
Nested paper cups, rims showing like a ladder of ovalsEach cup is a tapered tube. Draw the bottom cup whole and only the rim of every cup above it.
Drinks with faces 12
A cartoon soda bottle fizzing over, eyes wideFoam pours from the neck like a fountain while the label area holds two big round eyes.
A cocoa mug with puffed cheeks, cooling itself downPuff the cheeks out past the sides of the mug. The steam bends away from the pursed mouth.
A grumpy espresso: tiny cup, big frownSlant two short brows down toward the middle. The handle becomes an arm on its hip.
A pair of ice cubes waving over the rim of a tumblerEach cube is a tilted box with a face on its front side and one stick arm raised.
A shy milkshake peeking from behind its strawDraw the straw in front of one eye. Two small ovals on the cheeks do the blushing.
A sleepy teacup wearing its steam as a nightcapTwo closed-eye arcs and a small o for the mouth. Bend the steam over to one side with a pom-pom.
A smiling smoothie with a strawberry for a hatPut the face on the widest part of the glass. The strawberry sits on the rim, leaves up.
A soda can with a wide grin and a fizz mohawkFace low on the can: two dots and a wide curve. Bubbles burst from the opening like hair.
A sports bottle out for a jog, water sloshing insideGive it stick legs mid-stride and bent arms. Slosh the water line inside to show the bounce.
A surprised glass of juice, one drop jumping outRound eyes, round mouth, and a single drop in the air above the rim with a tiny splash line.
A teapot pouring with its eyes shut tightTip the whole pot forward. Eyes are two creased lines, cheeks puffed, lid lifting a little.
A winking glass of lemonade, lemon wheel for an earOne dot, one short dash and a smile. The lemon wheel on the rim sits where an ear would.
Drinks to draw, 60 ideas in all: hot drinks, cold and fizzy ones, shakes, smoothies and bubble tea, glasses, cups and cartons, and twelve cute drinks with faces. The page opens on the 26 easy ones.
Read the full guide
A drink is a cylinder with a surface line
Most of these start the same way: two ovals joined by two sides, and a third oval inside for the surface of the drink. What changes is the top: crema on an espresso, a heart in a latte, pearls at the bottom of a bubble tea.
Cute and cartoon drinks with faces
Drinks with faces holds twelve: a cartoon soda can with a fizz mohawk, a sleepy teacup, a shy milkshake. Put the face low on the cup, two dots and a curve. Choose Any level under the button for all 60. Kind, under More filters, keeps the list to one group.
Draw the surface of the drink as an oval, never a straight line, unless the glass is at eye level.
Questions and answers
What is the easiest drink to draw?
A soda can: a cylinder with a flat top and bottom, an oval tab and three drops on the side. A glass of iced tea is a tall cylinder with three ice cubes above the surface line. Easy holds 26.
How do you draw a cute drink with a face?
Keep the cup simple and put the face low: two dots set wide and one small curve between them. Steam, a straw or a lemon wheel becomes the hair or the hat. Drinks with faces holds twelve.
How do you draw bubble tea?
Draw a tall cup, a straw reaching to the bottom and a row of dark circles there. The circles are the pearls: chewy balls of tapioca, the bubbles that give bubble tea its name.
What is the foam on top of an espresso called?
Crema. An espresso is small, about 25 to 30 ml, with a dark body under a lighter-colored foam. In a latte, fine milk foam is poured into the espresso to leave a pattern such as a heart.