How To Draw a Sandpaper?

Here are the steps towards drawing a sandpaper.

Step 1 – Laying Out the Rolled Sandpaper Shape

Begin by imagining the sandpaper as a flexible sheet rolled into a cylindrical form rather than a solid object.
Lightly sketch a long horizontal rectangle to define the length and width of the sandpaper roll.
On one end of the rectangle, draw a smooth curved line to indicate the rounded edge created by the roll.
Add faint perspective guidelines so the roll appears slightly angled instead of perfectly flat.
Keep the lines soft and sketchy, focusing only on proportion and placement.
Ensure the top and bottom edges subtly taper to suggest depth and perspective.
Do not add texture or heavy outlines yet; this step is purely about establishing the overall form.
This initial framework helps capture the basic silhouette of rolled sandpaper before adding complexity.

Darken the outer contour of the sandpaper roll, smoothing the curves to make the form more natural.
Draw an elliptical opening at the front to show where the sandpaper curls inward.
Add a second inner ellipse to represent the thickness of the sandpaper layers.
Sketch the loose flap or overlapping edge at the bottom, indicating that the sandpaper is partially unrolled.
Refine the curvature of the roll so it feels flexible rather than rigid.
Begin adding light shading inside the roll to suggest depth, keeping strokes consistent with the curve.
Emphasize the edges where layers overlap to distinguish separate sheets of sandpaper.
At this stage, the object should clearly read as rolled sandpaper rather than a generic cylinder.

Start applying fine stippling and small dot patterns across the surface to represent the gritty texture of sandpaper.
Increase the density of dots in shadowed areas to enhance contrast and depth.
Darken the interior of the roll, making the inner layers appear progressively darker toward the back.
Add subtle shading along the outer curve to emphasize the cylindrical shape while maintaining a rough surface feel.
Reinforce the loose flap edge with slightly darker lines and texture to show separation from the main roll.
Apply a soft cast shadow beneath the sandpaper to ground it on the surface.
Vary pressure and spacing of texture marks to avoid uniformity and keep the surface visually interesting.
Erase remaining construction lines and refine edges to achieve a clean, finished drawing.
This final step brings the sandpaper to life by combining form, texture, and shading into a realistic illustration.