Draw a Teacup: Rim Ellipse, Handle, and Saucer

Object Drawing Lessons

This lesson teaches a reliable construction for a cylindrical teacup: an elliptical rim, a body that tapers slightly to the base, a handle attached at two points, and a saucer ellipse that shares the cup's perspective. Work on plain paper with a pencil and eraser. Use light construction lines first, then firm up the final contour. The convention for judging proportions is simple: measure the rim's width and height with a ruler or by marking paper, and compare those measurements to the body height and saucer width. Letter styles and handwriting vary, so the rubric rewards consistent proportions and clear attachment points rather than a single perfect line.

Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.

Reference illustration

Use the stated measurements and conventions for each exercise.

Set the rim ellipse and body cylinder

Begin with a light horizontal line for the rim's long axis. Mark the rim width, then mark the rim height as a smaller distance on the vertical axis. A teacup rim seen from slightly above is an ellipse, not a circle. Draw the ellipse through those four marks, keeping it symmetrical.

From the widest points of the ellipse, drop two nearly vertical side lines that taper inward slightly toward the base. Close the base with a shallow curve that mirrors the rim's curvature but is narrower. This gives a cylindrical cup form with a slight taper, which reads as a teacup rather than a straight-sided mug.

1. Mark the rim width and rim height on two crossing axes.
2. Draw a symmetrical ellipse through the four marks.
3. Drop tapered side lines from the ellipse's widest points.
4. Close the base with a shallow curve narrower than the rim.

Attach the handle at two clear points

Choose a side of the cup and mark two attachment points on the body: an upper point near the rim and a lower point about halfway down. The handle curve leaves the upper point outward, arcs away from the body, and returns to the lower point. Keep the handle's outer curve smooth and its inner curve parallel enough to suggest thickness.

The attachment points matter more than the exact handle shape. Both points should sit on the body contour, not float beside it. A handle that meets the body at two distinct points looks attached; one that touches at a single point looks pasted on.

1. Mark an upper and a lower attachment point on one side of the body.
2. Draw the outer handle curve from upper to lower point, arcing outward.
3. Draw the inner curve to suggest handle thickness.
4. Erase construction lines inside the handle opening.

Build the saucer ellipse and check alignment

The saucer is a wider, flatter ellipse centered under the cup. Mark its width and height on crossing axes, then draw the ellipse. Add a second, slightly smaller ellipse inside it to suggest the saucer's recessed center. The cup's base should sit within that inner ellipse.

Check alignment by comparing the rim ellipse's long axis with the saucer ellipse's long axis. They should be parallel or nearly so. If the saucer tilts differently from the rim, the drawing will look unstable. Adjust the saucer axes before firming up lines.

1. Mark the saucer width and height on crossing axes.
2. Draw the outer saucer ellipse.
3. Add a smaller inner ellipse for the recessed center.
4. Confirm the cup base sits inside the inner ellipse and axes are parallel.

Firm up contours and judge proportions

With construction lines in place, darken the final cup contour, handle, and saucer edges. Erase the light axes and any lines that cross the handle opening. Keep the rim ellipse clean and unbroken.

Judge proportions by measuring, not by memory. For example, a hypothetical teacup might have a rim width of 8 cm, a rim height of 3 cm, a body height of 7 cm, and a saucer width of 12 cm. These numbers are examples only; measure your own drawing and compare ratios. The rim height should be noticeably smaller than the rim width, and the saucer should be wider than the cup.

1. Darken final contours over the construction lines.
2. Erase axes and interior construction marks.
3. Measure rim width, rim height, body height, and saucer width.
4. Compare ratios and adjust any contour that is clearly off.

Worked example

A student draws a teacup with a rim width of 8 cm and rim height of 3 cm, a body height of 7 cm, a handle attached at two points, and a saucer width of 12 cm. The saucer's long axis is parallel to the rim's long axis. Check the proportions and attachment.

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Drawing the rim as a full circle instead of an ellipse. Mark a rim height smaller than the rim width and draw a symmetrical ellipse through four marks.
• Making the handle touch the body at only one point. Mark two distinct attachment points on the body contour and connect the handle curve between them.
• Tilting the saucer ellipse differently from the rim ellipse. Keep the long axes of the rim and saucer parallel, then redraw the saucer if needed.
• Using straight vertical sides that make the cup look like a mug. Taper the side lines slightly inward toward a narrower base curve.

Self-check rubric

• Rim is drawn as a symmetrical ellipse with height clearly smaller than width.
• Body tapers slightly inward from rim to a narrower base curve.
• Handle attaches at two distinct points on the body contour and arcs outward.
• Saucer is a wider ellipse with its long axis parallel to the rim's long axis.
• Cup base sits inside the saucer's inner ellipse.
• Final contours are clean and construction lines are erased.
• Proportions are measured and consistent in the same units.

Questions and answers