How to Draw Broken Glass: Easy 10-Step Guide

Looking to add a dramatic touch to your sketches? This tutorial is perfect for artists ages 7+ who want to practice geometric precision and light reflection. All you need is a pencil, an eraser, and a steady hand to create a convincing shattered glass effect.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

A high-quality, finished illustration of a shattered window with realistic light reflections.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Establishing the Epicenter

A small, irregular jagged shape drawn in the center of the page representing the point of impact for broken glass.

Use light, irregular lines to enclose a small, jagged shape in the center of your page. Teacher's Tip: Think of this as the point of impact where the glass first hit; keep your lines sharp and angular to mimic real shards.

Step 2: Creating Primary Fracture Lines

Long, jagged lines radiating outward from the center shape to create the primary cracks of the broken glass.

Extend long, radiating lines from your center shape toward the edges of your canvas. Teacher's Tip: Vary between straight lines and slight zigzags to make the cracks look more natural and less like a perfect spiderweb.

Step 3: Branching the Cracks

$Secondary fracture lines branching off the main cracks to create a more complex shattered pattern.$

Add secondary lines that branch off your primary cracks. Teacher's Tip: Don't worry about symmetry! Real glass breaks unpredictably, so let some lines intersect while others stop abruptly.

Step 4: Connecting the Fragments

Connecting lines forming a circular pattern of shards around the center of the broken glass.

Draw straight lines connecting your existing cracks to form a rough circular pattern around the center. Teacher's Tip: Keep your pencil pressure light here so you can easily adjust the shape of the shards.

Step 5: Adding Depth with L-Shapes

Small L-shaped lines added to the corners of the glass shards to create a sense of depth and displacement.

Incorporate small 'L' shaped lines at the corners of your shards. Teacher's Tip: These little details suggest that some pieces of glass have shifted or tilted, giving your drawing a 3D effect.

Step 6: Refining the Outer Edges

Refining the outer edges of the glass shards by adding smaller, inset lines for more detail.

Draw additional straight lines inset slightly from the previous edges to create smaller, more detailed fragments. Teacher's Tip: Focus on keeping the lines clean and sharp to represent the hard surface of glass.

Step 7: Expanding the Pattern

$Expanding the fracture pattern with more circular lines to complete the look of a shattered window.$

Continue adding lines in a circular motion around the epicenter to fill out the rest of the window. Teacher's Tip: If you feel like you've added too many lines, use your eraser to 'clean up' the intersections.

Step 8: Detailing the Center

Adding fine, short lines near the center of the impact to increase the detail of the broken glass.

Add short, sharp lines near the epicenter to make the break look more intense. Teacher's Tip: These small marks act as the 'fine dust' of the shattered glass.

Step 9: Finalizing the Outline

$Finalizing the outline by connecting all fracture lines to the edge of the window frame.$

Connect any remaining loose ends to the edges of your frame. Teacher's Tip: Ensure every line feels intentional—glass breaks in straight, rigid paths, so avoid wobbly lines.

Step 10: Adding Light and Color

The finished broken glass drawing colored with light blue and white to represent light reflection.

Color your glass using light blue and white to simulate reflections. Teacher's Tip: Use a white gel pen or leave small white gaps to create a 'glint' effect, which makes the glass look shiny and realistic.