How To Draw A 3D Soda Can Step By Step

At first glance, this drawing looks difficult and confusing. Like where do you even start? But the funny part is it actually comes down to just three simple steps. And I'll show you how each one works. So let's get started. Okay, so the first step is adding the sharp details and building contrast. This is what gives your drawing its structure and stops everything from looking flat. Instead of thinking about outlines, start thinking about depth. Push the darkest areas first, especially in places like the opening of the lid and the deeper folds. So the drawing immediately starts gaining strength using an 8B pencil. Think of this like setting the foundation. If the darks are weak, everything else will feel washed out. As the darker areas are established, the folds begin to make more sense. Because contrast starts separating one plane from another. This is also where most people go wrong. Trying to keep everything light in the beginning. That usually leads to hesitation and hesitation leads to flat drawings. So instead, commit to the darks early and let them guide the rest of the process. By the end of this step, the drawing might still look rough, but the structure will already be clear. All the reference images you need, including the grid and outline versions are available on our Academy site. To make your drawing process smoother and more structured. Now that the contrast is in place, the second step is blending everything into a smooth 3D and controlled surface. This is where the drawing starts shifting from rough to realistic. Use soft blending to connect the tones, but keep it controlled so the structure doesn't get lost. Because the moment everything blends too much, it turns into one flat gray surface. You can also go over the lighter portions and add a very light layer of graphite so they don't stay completely flat and start blending naturally into the form. Work in small sections, letting each area keep its identity while still transitioning smoothly into the next. This is what creates that natural flow across the surface. Instead of forcing smoothness, let it build gradually. You can use a brush for softer layers, tissue paper to smooth out larger sections and even a blending stump for tighter areas. Some areas stay soft, some stay slightly sharper, and that variation is what keeps the surface interesting. At this point, even without highlights, the drawing should already feel solid and three-dimensional. If you want to watch the full step-by-step tutorial of this drawing, you can access it for free on our Academy site. And the final step is highlighting. This is what brings the drawing to life and adds that shiny realistic look. For sharper and more defined highlights, grab a mono zero eraser. Use it along folds and edges where light hits directly. These thin strokes placed right beside darker areas create strong contrast and make the surface look metallic. This is where the magic happens. One thin line can suddenly make everything look 3D. Now for the brightest highlights, use an electric eraser. This pulls out strong, clean highlights instantly and works best for tiny bright spots and sharp reflections. Just don't overdo it. Too many bright spots and the can starts looking like it's made of plastic instead of metal. The same tools used earlier on the lid are now being used across the rest of the can, but suddenly the results start looking completely different. And that's the interesting part. Nothing about the tools has changed, only the surface has. The lid was smooth and controlled, but once the surface started bending and collapsing, the light stopped behaving in a predictable way. It shifts, breaks and wraps itself around every fold. So instead of thinking in terms of adding highlights, it becomes more about understanding how light is reacting to the form. For the softer areas, use a perfection eraser as it gives you more control over the softness of the highlights. Some areas catch light softly, some hold onto it sharply, and some barely reflect anything at all. Because the contrast already defined the structure, the blending already built the form, and now the highlights are simply revealing what's already there. It's almost like the drawing was already complete. The highlights are just switching the lights on. This is also why the same approach works on any simple metallic or crumbled texture. It doesn't matter if it's a soda can, paper, foil or fabric. Once the values are in place, the highlights naturally fall into position. And instead of forcing them, it becomes more about observing and refining. And with that, the crushed soda can is complete. Now I'm curious, which step felt the most challenging? Building contrast, blending smoothly or understanding the highlights? Let me know in the comments. Also, if you are an absolute beginner and want to learn drawing from scratch, you can join our drawing course on AHR Studios Academy. It is now trusted by 20,000 students across 165 countries, and you can enroll today with 90% off. Thank you so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one.