First, if you want to be able to blend your colors together you need to use alcohol based markers. Bic, Sharpie, and Copic for example. As well as many others.
How to Draw a Cityscape
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Drawing a whole cityscape sounds difficult, right? It’s actually very simple–follow these four steps to make a realistic cityscape of your own.
Steps
Draw a line forming the outline of the buildings. Only use straight lines going up and down, making buildings of many different sizes. Really try to have variety amongst your buildings, or else your cityscape will be pretty uninteresting.
Add a second row of buildings drawn in front of the first. This will add depth and perspective to your cityscape; just make sure you keep everything in proportion and if you mess up, erase very carefully so as to not smudge any part of the other sketched row.
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Color the back row of buildings in a lighter shade of grey than the second, and paint the sky as though it were dawn. If you add more rows of buildings, remember that the farther they are into the distance, the brighter the shade of grey they need to be.
Add details like random lights turned on in the buildings. Use rectangles and squares to mimic the windows. Put many together in groups for larger buildings to make them look like apartments, and for warehouses and similar structures don’t add any light at all.
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Community Q&A
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Question
How can I draw a realistic cityscape?
Community Answer
Adding details will make your cityscape more realistic. Focus on adding textures and working with light and shadows to really make it come alive.
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Question
How can I emphasize a single building?
Community Answer
Try to make the outside lines on the building thicker, or the colors brighter.
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Question
Do I have to use shading to make it realistic?
RainbowSprinklesAJ
Community Answer
No. You can add value if you like. You can make it look whatever way you want. It’s your art, so it’s your choice.
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What is a Cityscape Drawing
Simply put, it’s an artistic representation of an urban landscape. It can be realistic, stylized, or even abstract. You’re the artist and you’re free to draw your cityscape in whatever way you feel moved to create it. If you’re drawing a city with an easily recognizable building you should try to include that in your cityscape drawing. There are so many interesting opportunities for this type of artwork. And they are quick and easy to make which means you can do a variety of different drawings. Art and drawing are skills that are learned. So the more you practice the better you will get. Let’s grab our supplies and get ready to have some fun learning how to make cityscape drawings.
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Art Supplies
- Thin black marker
- Paper or cardstock
- Markers
- Pencil
- Click Eraser, Pink Pearl Eraser
- White Gelly Roll pen
City Skyline Silhouette
Let’s begin today by looking at how to do a city skyline silhouette drawing. For the purpose of this lesson, skyline and cityscape mean the same thing.
Begin by drawing a straight line across your paper.
Starting at the far edge of your paper, draw several different sized rectangles.
Continue working your way across the paper. Be sure to draw your buildings different sizes. This will make your drawing more interesting to look at.
Fill your skyline silhouette in with a black marker.
Add in some towers and smokestacks to the top of some of your buildings.
Use a white Gelly Roll pen to add some lights and windows.
From here there are still lots of options. You could add some color for the sky. Or you could add some additional layers in the distance.
3D Cityscape Drawing
Now that you know the basic concepts involved in drawing a skyline or cityscape, let’s look at how to make it three dimensional using perspective.
Again, start with a horizon line, or draw them right on the bottom edge of your paper. Then draw a short vertical line. This line will be the front corner of your building. The longer you draw this line, the taller your building will be.
These lines can be straight, or you can curve them to give your buildings a bit more style.
Next draw two lines at the top that angle down. It should look like an arrow.
Keep these lines consistent with your first line as far as being straight or curved.
Draw both sides of your first building going from the top where the arrow is, to the bottom of your paper.
For your next building follow that same process, but make sure you draw your top line so it goes past your first building. You can do this by drawing your lines longer.
The length of the top lines will determine how long the side of your building is.
Overlapping Cityscape Drawing
Now draw the lines going from the top (arrow) of your building, down to the edge of your paper or until it reaches the other building.
For the next building, leave a bit of space on your paper. This will help create depth in your drawing by overlapping the buildings.
Draw your next building so it’s behind the ones to the left and right of it.
Notice how the buildings are different sizes. You’ll want to vary your buildings as well.
Continue following the same steps to add more buildings to your cityscape drawing.
If you want to add extra details or windows, be sure to follow the same angle as your buildings.
