How To Draw a Water Droplet?

Here are the steps.

Step 1 – Sketch the Droplet Outline and Base Shadow Guide

Begin by drawing a wide, flattened oval to represent the droplet’s footprint on the surface.
Slightly thicken the lower edge of the oval by tracing it again, because a droplet often has a darker rim where it meets the surface.
Keep the top edge lighter and smoother, suggesting a gentle curved dome rather than a hard outline.
Add a few short, light horizontal strokes beneath and around the droplet to hint at the surface shadow area (very faint at this stage).
Make sure the oval isn’t perfectly symmetrical—tiny irregularities help it feel more natural and less like a coin.
Keep everything light and minimal; this step is only about establishing the droplet’s shape and where it sits.
Avoid highlights or heavy shading yet—focus on a clean outline that can support the glossy look later.

Start shading the droplet’s body with a light mid-tone, focusing on the side opposite your imagined light source.
Leave a clear highlight patch near the top-left (or top area) by not shading there—this will make the droplet look shiny.
Darken the rim slightly along the bottom edge to show thickness and the way light bends through water.
Add a soft shadow underneath the droplet using light horizontal strokes, darkest closest to the droplet and fading outward.
Blend the shading gently so the droplet looks smooth and rounded, not rough or striped.
Keep the highlight area clean and bright; that contrast is what creates the “wet” glassy effect.
At this stage, the droplet should look like a rounded dome with a visible shine and a subtle grounded shadow.

Increase the darkest tones along the droplet’s lower rim and on the shaded side to give it stronger 3D depth.
Smoothly blend mid-tones into darker areas so the droplet surface looks glossy and curved.
Add a brighter, more defined specular highlight (small white spot) near the main highlight area to mimic reflected light.
Slightly darken the area just beneath the highlight (a soft gradient) to enhance the illusion of shine.
Strengthen the cast shadow around the droplet, making it darker and more concentrated directly under the rim.
Extend the shadow outward with lighter strokes so it fades naturally into the surface.
Clean up the droplet outline: keep edges crisp where the rim meets the surface, and softer where the dome curves upward.
Finish by checking contrast—highlights should stay bright, the rim should be the darkest edge, and the shadow should anchor the droplet realistically.