A handbag drawing is one of the fastest ways to get a whole little fashion story onto one page, and it never demands a figure or a face to feel finished. Alcohol markers love this subject: the leather, straw and velvet all take smooth blended color, and a thin fineliner outline keeps every strap and clasp crisp underneath.
Below you will find 29 bags, each set somewhere specific, on a chair, in a shop window, packed for a trip, so you are never just drawing an object floating on white. Work through them in order if you like, from the simplest shapes to the busier scenes, or just pick the one that matches your mood tonight.
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Start the whole set with a straw tote with flowers, since its basket texture is forgiving and the shapes are simple. Pencil a soft trapezoid body and two curved handles, then fineliner the outline before adding a loose scatter of small flower shapes tucked into the top.
Lay a warm sand marker over the whole bag first, then go back in with a slightly darker tan in short vertical strokes to suggest woven straw, leaving thin gaps of paper showing through as texture. Color the flowers last in two or three pastel shades so they read as a bright accent against all that tan.
The straw texture is where this usually goes wrong if you color it flat: keep the strokes short and a little uneven rather than one smooth fill, that unevenness is what sells straw. If you only own one tan marker, switch to colored pencil for the darker woven lines instead.
Finish by setting the tote on the seat of a beach chair with a stripe of fabric showing at the edge, so the scene reads instantly.
Palette: Sand,Warm Tan,Cherry Pink,Soft Yellow
Move next to a vintage leather purse with a gold clasp, a great second piece because the shape is just one rounded rectangle and all the character lives in the hardware. Draw the body first in pencil with slightly soft, worn corners rather than sharp ones, then ink the outline and the clasp shape with your fineliner.
Block in a rich tan or cognac marker across the whole bag, then go back in with a darker brown along the base and the edges where a real bag would show wear. Add the gold clasp last with a mustard or ochre marker and a tiny white gel pen highlight so it catches light.
Compare the clasp width to the width of the purse body before you commit to it in pen: a clasp drawn even slightly too wide makes the whole bag look cartoonish, so hold your pencil up to the screen or photo for reference and measure before inking.
Sit it on a small side table or a stack of books to finish the little scene.
Palette: Cognac,Dark Umber,Gold Ochre,Cream
After all that smooth leather, a beaded evening bag on a velvet chair is a nice change of texture to draw next. Keep the bag shape small and simple, a rounded pouch with a thin chain strap, and spend your detail budget on the beading instead of the outline.
Color the velvet chair first in a deep jewel tone with heavy, even pressure so it reads as plush fabric, then let that dry before you touch the bag. For the beading, dot a grid of tiny circles over the bag in cherry pink and silver-grey marker, then outline a few of them in fineliner so they catch the eye as texture rather than pattern.
If the beads start looking like random spots instead of beading, slow down and space them more evenly in loose rows, that regularity is what reads as beadwork from a normal viewing distance. No silver marker on hand, a pale grey works just as well with a white gel pen dot on top.
Let the chain strap drape loosely over the chair arm for a relaxed, just-set-down feeling.
You Will Need
- silver or pale grey marker
Palette: Cherry Pink,Deep Emerald,Pale Grey,Charcoal
A handbag spilling lipstick and sunglasses is where this list starts getting playful, since now you are drawing a small still life instead of just one object. Sketch the open bag tipped slightly on its side, then let a lipstick tube, a folded pair of sunglasses and maybe a compact spill out onto the surface below.
Work from back to front: color the bag interior in a dark shadow tone first, then the bag exterior, then bring the spilled items forward last so they sit visually on top. Keep the lipstick bullet a warm cherry red to match your accent color and give the sunglasses a flat gradient lens in grey marker.
Overlapping is the trick that makes a scattered pile read correctly rather than looking like separate floating objects: make sure each item actually tucks behind or in front of its neighbor, even if only by a few millimeters. If your fineliner bleeds on cheap paper, switch to a finer nib for these small objects.
One tip for today: draw the shadow under each item before you color it, that single dark line does most of the work of grounding the whole pile.
Palette: Tan Leather,Cherry Red,Cool Grey,Soft Pink
Bring in a picnic basket bag with a scarf tied on next, a fun subject because the woven texture pairs nicely with a soft fabric accent. Draw the basket body as a simple domed rectangle with a curved handle, then rule in a light grid of horizontal and vertical lines for the weave before inking.
Color the base in warm honey tones, letting the grid lines show as slightly darker gaps, then tie a scarf in your cherry pink accent loosely around the handle with a few soft folds. A common mistake here is drawing the weave lines perfectly straight and even, which flattens the basket, so let a few lines curve gently with the round shape of the bag.
For the quick ten-minute version, skip the full woven grid and just suggest texture with a handful of short diagonal dashes near the edges. The forty-minute version commits to the full grid and adds a folded napkin corner peeking from under the lid.
Set it on a checked picnic blanket corner if you have the patience, even just a triangle of it in the frame.
Palette: Honey Tan,Warm Brown,Cherry Pink,Cream
Set a quilted bag on a cafe table for an idea that leans into pattern practice. Pencil the bag’s rounded square shape first, then rule a diagonal diamond grid lightly across the whole surface before you ink any of it, so the quilting stays even.
Color the bag in a soft blush or dusty pink base, then trace every diamond line in fineliner once the base color is dry, adding a tiny stitch mark at each intersection with a fine black pen. Place a small gold chain strap pooling beside it and a coffee cup half in frame on the table to finish the scene.
The eye level of the table matters more than you’d think: looking slightly down on the bag, as if you are seated at the table yourself, reads as far more natural than a straight-on view, so tilt the table surface into a shallow oval rather than a flat line.
No gold pen for the chain, a mustard marker outlined in fine black works just as well.
You Will Need
- fine black pen for stitch marks
Palette: Dusty Pink,Gold,Cream,Warm Brown
A crossbody bag on a bicycle handlebar adds a little motion to the series without needing a rider. Draw just the top curve of the handlebar and the bell as simple shapes first, then hang the bag’s strap over it so the bag itself sits lower in the frame, pulled slightly by its own weight.
Color the handlebar in cool metallic grey with a quick streak of white gel pen for shine, then bring full warm color to the bag so it stays the clear focal point. Let the strap drape in a soft curve rather than a straight line, since a taut strap looks stiff and unnatural hanging from a bike.
If the bag looks like it is floating beside the handlebar instead of hanging from it, check that the strap actually passes behind the bar in your line work, that single overlap sells the whole hang. Swap in a basket on the front of the bike instead of the handlebar hook if you want a different composition.
Keep the background to one or two simple shapes, a cafe awning edge or a cobblestone suggestion, so the bag stays the star.
Palette: Cherry Pink,Cool Grey,Tan,Soft Blue
A bucket bag with fresh market vegetables turns the handbag into a tiny grocery haul, which is a satisfying one to color. Draw the bag as a wide cylinder shape with a drawstring top pulled open, then let a few vegetable tops, a carrot bunch, a leek, a round tomato, poke out above the rim.
Base the bag in a soft neutral canvas or tan tone, then bring your brightest greens, oranges and reds to the vegetables so they pop as the color highlight of the piece. Work the vegetables in simple rounded shapes rather than detailed produce, a carrot is just an orange triangle with green fronds at this scale.
Varying the vegetable shapes and heights as they poke out keeps the top of the bag visually interesting instead of one flat row, so stagger them clearly before you ink the final lines. Swap in flowers instead of vegetables next time you draw this bag for a completely different mood.
A loose drawstring tie at the top, slightly open and uneven, finishes the just-came-from-the-market feel.
Palette: Canvas Tan,Leaf Green,Tomato Red,Carrot Orange
A canvas tote with books peeking out keeps the shapes refreshingly simple after the market bag. Draw the tote as a flat rectangular pouch with two straight handles, then stack two or three book shapes of different heights peeking above the rim, each a plain rectangle with a visible spine edge.
Color the canvas in a pale oatmeal tone with loose, slightly textured strokes to suggest woven fabric, then give each book a different pastel cover color so they read as a little stack rather than one block. A thin fineliner line along each book spine, with a tiny title mark, if you like lettering, left as a plain line if not, finishes the detail.
If the books look like they are floating above the bag rather than tucked inside it, draw the tote’s front panel overlapping the bottom edge of each book before you ink, that overlap tucks them in visually. This is a nice one to try with collage drawing ideas if you want to add paper or pattern scraps as the book covers instead of flat marker color.
Keep the background to a plain bench or step edge so the tote reads as just-set-down.
Palette: Oatmeal,Dusty Blue,Sage Green,Cherry Pink
A pearl-handled bag on a vanity brings in a softer, more feminine scene with a little reflective surface to practice. Draw the bag with a gently curved pearl handle made of a row of small connected circles, then set it beside a round mirror shape and a perfume bottle to suggest the vanity.
Color the bag body in a pale blush or ivory tone, then render the pearls with a very light grey base and a single bright white gel pen dot on each one for that unmistakable pearl shine. Keep the vanity surface simple, just a flat tabletop plane in a warm wood tone, so it does not compete with the bag.
Comparing the size of each pearl bead against the width of the handle strap before you ink keeps the whole row consistent, since pearls drawn at wildly different sizes stop reading as a matched set. No white gel pen, a tiny dot of white acrylic paint on the tip of a cocktail stick does the same job.
Angle the mirror just slightly in frame rather than full-on to keep the composition relaxed.
You Will Need
- white gel pen
Palette: Blush Ivory,Pearl Grey,Warm Wood,Cherry Pink
A handbag in a boutique window is a chance to draw a tiny shop scene around just one bag. Frame the whole piece as a window: a simple rectangle border, a thin shelf or pedestal inside it, and the bag sitting center stage on that shelf, lit by one soft spotlight shape above.
Color the bag itself in your boldest, most saturated marker so it pops against a cooler, more muted window and glass tone around it. A pale blue-grey wash across the window glass area, left mostly uncolored in streaks, suggests reflection without overworking it.
Keep the window frame and shelf to flat, confident fineliner lines with almost no shading, since too much detail in the background pulls focus from the bag and defeats the whole point of the scene. If a full window frame feels like too much today, just suggest two vertical lines at the edges of the page instead.
One tip for today: leave a diagonal streak of white paper across the glass area unmarked, that single gap reads instantly as a reflection.
Palette: Cherry Red,Pale Blue Grey,Tan,Warm White
A saddle bag on a hook by the door keeps things simple again after that window scene. Draw the bag’s curved saddle flap shape first, with its signature rounded bottom and short buckled strap, then add a plain wall hook it hangs from, just a small curved line and a dot.
Base the bag in warm cognac leather tones, then darken the underside slightly where it would naturally fall into its own shadow against the wall. The buckle is the one detail worth slowing down for: keep it small and precise with a tiny rectangle and a thin pin line in gold marker, since an oversized buckle throws off the whole bag’s proportions.
If the strap looks stiff, draw it with a slight sag where it loops over the hook rather than a perfectly straight line on both sides. Swap the wall hook for a coat rack peg if you want a slightly busier little scene.
Add a coat sleeve edge just entering the frame beside it for a lived-in, just-walked-in feeling.
Palette: Cognac,Dark Umber,Gold,Warm Grey
A woven rattan bag with a silk scarf pairs rigid texture against soft, flowing fabric, a nice contrast exercise. Draw the bag’s structured round or oval shape first and add the woven texture the same way as the straw tote, short uneven strokes rather than a flat fill, in warm honey marker.
Drape a silk scarf over one side in a bold floral or striped pattern using your cherry pink and pastel palette, letting it fall in two or three soft curved folds rather than lying flat. Where the scarf meets the rigid rattan handle is the trickiest spot: let the fabric bend slightly around the handle’s curve rather than cutting straight across it, that small adjustment sells the drape.
If patterned scarves feel intimidating to draw freehand, keep it to simple polka dots or stripes rather than florals for your first try. The quick version skips the pattern entirely and uses one solid scarf color instead, the forty-minute version adds the full print.
Rest the bag on a sunny outdoor ledge or low wall to finish the scene.
Palette: Honey Tan,Cherry Pink,Soft Yellow,Cream
A clutch with a bouquet on a wedding table brings a celebratory moment into the series. Draw a small rectangular clutch lying flat on its side, then build a loose bouquet beside it from three or four simple flower shapes and some trailing ribbon, rather than trying to render every petal.
Color the clutch in a soft pastel satin tone with a gentle gradient, darker at the edges and lighter in the center, to suggest the sheen of fabric, then bring your brightest pinks and whites to the bouquet so it reads as the warmer focal point. A thin gold table edge or lace tablecloth corner grounds the whole scene without much extra work.
The bouquet is the part most likely to turn into a muddy blob: keep each flower a distinct, separate shape with a little white paper gap between blooms rather than letting all the colors run together. If ribbon feels fussy, a single loose loop trailing off the table edge is enough.
Sit the clutch half-under the bouquet’s trailing ribbon for a sense that someone just set it down mid-celebration.
Palette: Blush Satin,Cherry Pink,Ivory,Sage Green
A heart-shaped bag on a bed is a fun, slightly playful subject that is pure fun to color in your cherry pink accent. Draw the heart shape first with soft, rounded lobes rather than sharp points, since a too-pointed heart reads more like a valentine card than a handbag.
Base the whole bag in cherry pink, then shade one side slightly darker to give the rounded shape some volume, and finish with a thin gold chain strap coiled loosely beside it on the bedspread. A soft pillow or folded blanket corner behind the bag gives it somewhere to sit rather than floating in empty space.
If this is your first time drawing a heart shape symmetrically, lightly pencil a vertical center line first and build both lobes to match it before you commit to fineliner. Try the same bag next time in a pastel lilac or mint for a completely different mood from this cherry pink version.
Keep the bedspread pattern to simple stripes or a solid color so the heart bag stays the clear focus.
Palette: Cherry Pink,Deep Rose,Gold,Soft White
A backpack-purse on a train seat moves the series into travel territory. Draw the bag with its slightly more structured backpack silhouette, two thin straps and a front pocket, sitting upright on a simple train seat shape, a rectangle with a slightly curved backrest.
Color the seat fabric in a muted blue-grey or train-upholstery pattern of small simple marks, then bring warmer, richer color to the bag so it contrasts against that cooler seat. The window behind, if you include one, should stay just a soft pale rectangle with maybe one blurred line suggesting motion, nothing detailed enough to compete with the bag.
If the bag looks like it is sliding off the seat, square up its base against the seat cushion line before inking, a bag sitting flat and level reads as stable and intentional. Swap the train seat for an airplane tray table if you want a different travel moment.
Add one small travel sticker or luggage tag on the front pocket for a nice lived-in detail.
Palette: Tan Leather,Blue Grey,Cherry Pink,Soft White
A handbag on a hotel luggage rack keeps the travel theme going with a slightly more structural subject. Draw the luggage rack first as a simple X-shaped frame with two straight crossbars, then rest the bag’s base across those bars so it reads as properly balanced rather than floating above them.
Color the rack in a warm wood or brushed metal tone with a few confident highlight strokes, then bring your full palette to the bag itself as the clear star of the scene. A folded hotel towel or a room key card beside it adds a nice small detail without much extra drawing time.
Getting the bag to actually sit on the rack rather than hover above it is the trick here: let the bottom edge of the bag slightly overlap and compress against the top crossbar, as real fabric or leather would when weight presses down on it. If an X-frame rack feels fiddly, a simple bench works as an easy swap.
Keep the hotel room background to one or two suggested shapes, a lamp or a headboard corner, so it stays a background and not a second subject.
Palette: Warm Wood,Cherry Pink,Cream,Soft Grey
A bamboo handle bag with a lemon pattern is a cheerful, sunny subject that rewards confident pattern work. Draw the bag’s rounded body first, then the bamboo handle as a row of short connected segments rather than one smooth curve, since real bamboo has that distinctive jointed look.
Base the bag body in a soft cream or pale yellow, then scatter simple lemon shapes across it, ovals with a little nub at each end and two tiny green leaves, in a loose, slightly irregular pattern rather than a strict grid. Color the bamboo handle in warm tan with slightly darker rings at each joint to read clearly as bamboo rather than plain wood.
If the lemon pattern starts looking too uniform and sticker-like, vary the size and angle of each lemon slightly as you place them, that small irregularity is what makes a hand-drawn pattern feel charming rather than printed. Try the same bamboo handle shape next time with cherries or oranges instead for a different fruit pattern.
Set it on a sunny outdoor table for a scene that matches its cheerful print.
Palette: Lemon Yellow,Leaf Green,Warm Tan,Cream
A croissant-shaped bag on a bakery counter is one of the most playful subjects on this list, a bag literally shaped like a pastry. Draw the curved crescent body with a few gentle flaky-looking ridges along its surface, then add a small top handle or short strap just like a real purse.
Color the bag in warm golden-brown tones, building up two or three layers of slightly different tan and gold marker along the ridges to suggest that flaky croissant texture, with the darkest tone tucked into the curves. Set it on a bakery counter beside a real croissant or a small pastry for a playful visual echo that makes the joke of the bag land instantly.
The ridges are the part worth lingering on: keep them curving with the crescent shape rather than running straight across it, since straight ridges flatten the whole illusion. If a full bakery counter background feels like too much, a single plate under the bag is enough to set the scene.
One tip for today: leave a few small white gel pen flecks along the ridges for that glossy, just-baked shine.
You Will Need
- white gel pen
Palette: Golden Brown,Warm Tan,Dark Caramel,Cream
A small bag with a cherry charm is a quick, satisfying one to slot in when you want a shorter session. Keep the bag itself deliberately plain, a simple rounded rectangle in a neutral tone, so all the personality goes into the little cherry charm dangling from its zipper pull.
Draw the charm as two small circles joined by a thin curved stem, then color them in your boldest cherry red with a tiny white gel pen highlight on each one and a touch of green at the stem. The charm’s chain or cord should hang with a slight curve rather than a straight line, since even a tiny dangling object has weight and sway.
This is the ten-minute version of this whole list: the plain bag body, inked and colored flat, plus the charm, is a complete finished piece on its own. For a forty-minute version, add a second and third charm, a tiny bow or tassel, clustered together on the same zipper pull.
Keep the background entirely plain so the charm stays the clear point of interest.
Palette: Cherry Red,Leaf Green,Neutral Tan,Soft White
A weekend bag packed for a trip is a great one for practicing a slightly fuller composition. Draw the bag as a wide duffel shape with a rounded top, then let it sit slightly open with a folded scarf, a book corner or a pair of sandals peeking out, just like the earlier spilling handbag but in travel mode.
Base the duffel in a rich tan or olive canvas tone, then bring in two or three contrasting pastel items at the opening so there is a clear bright focal point against the muted bag. A luggage tag tied to the handle, drawn as a simple rectangle on a string, adds a nice small travel detail without much extra effort.
If the open top looks flat and the items inside look pasted on rather than tucked in, draw the bag’s near opening edge overlapping the bottom of each item before inking, exactly like the earlier tote trick, that overlap is what makes things read as inside the bag. Swap canvas for quilted nylon in a brighter color if you want a sportier version.
One tip for today: angle the bag slightly on its side rather than standing it perfectly upright, it reads as far more natural and just-packed.
Palette: Olive Canvas,Cherry Pink,Soft Blue,Cream
A mini bag held in a gloved hand introduces a hand into the composition, which sounds daunting but stays simple at this small scale. Draw a loose, simplified glove shape first, a mitten-like form rather than detailed individual fingers, gripping the top handle of a tiny structured bag.
Color the glove in a soft neutral or pastel leather tone and the bag in your boldest cherry pink or cream for contrast, keeping both shapes smooth and uncomplicated. The hand is only there to hold the bag, so resist the urge to add fingers or knuckle detail, a soft rounded mitten shape reads perfectly well at this scale and keeps the focus on the bag.
If the glove and bag look disconnected, make sure the glove’s fingers (even if simplified) actually wrap slightly around the handle rather than just touching it, that small wrap is what sells the grip. If hands intimidate you entirely, crop the scene so only the very edge of a sleeve cuff shows instead.
Keep the background to a plain page so the glove and bag stay the whole story.
Palette: Soft Tan Glove,Cherry Pink,Cream,Warm Brown
A fringed suede bag at a festival brings texture and a little outdoor energy into the series. Draw the bag’s body as a simple rounded shape first, then add a long row of fringe along the bottom edge, drawn as a series of thin, slightly wavy vertical lines rather than perfectly straight ones.
Color the suede body in a warm terracotta or rust marker with soft, slightly uneven strokes to suggest the nap of suede, then color each fringe strand individually in the same tone so they read as separate pieces moving in the breeze. A small strand or two of beads woven into the fringe adds a nice festival detail in your cherry pink accent.
If the fringe reads as a solid blob instead of individual strands, leave thin slivers of white paper between each line as you color, that gap is what separates the strands visually. Loop the strap over a festival flag pole or a folding chair arm to finish the little scene.
One tip for today: vary the length of a few fringe strands slightly, perfectly even fringe looks stiff and less like real suede.
Palette: Terracotta,Rust Brown,Cherry Pink,Cream
A denim tote with patches is a nice casual contrast after all that suede and leather. Draw the tote as a simple boxy rectangle with two sturdy straight handles, then scatter two or three small patch shapes across the front, a flower, a star, a simple fruit, each with its own little border.
Color the denim base in a classic mid-blue with a few darker streaks near the seams and handle base to suggest the fading real denim gets with wear, then bring bright, varied color to each patch so they pop clearly against that blue. A row of small white top-stitching lines along the seams, added with a white gel pen, finishes the denim look convincingly.
If the denim looks flat and plasticky, add a light second layer of a slightly darker blue in loose vertical streaks rather than coloring it as one even block, real denim always has some tonal variation. Swap patches for simple embroidered-looking initials if you want a more personal version. This pairs nicely with ideas from the drawing challenge list if you want a full week of casual everyday bags.
Keep the patches small and spaced apart so the denim base still reads clearly between them.
You Will Need
- white gel pen
Palette: Denim Blue,Dark Denim,Cherry Pink,Soft Yellow
A bag organizer with makeup inside is a satisfying flat-lay style idea that works well as a smaller, quicker piece. Draw a simple open pouch shape lying flat, then arrange three or four makeup items inside it, a lipstick, a small compact, a mascara wand, each as a simplified geometric shape rather than a detailed product.
Color the pouch itself in a soft neutral or pastel tone, then bring your brightest colors to the makeup items so they read as the clear highlight against that calmer background. Working lightest colors first and your darkest item, often the mascara or a black compact, last keeps the contrast building in the right direction instead of getting muddy.
If the items inside look like they are floating rather than nestled in the pouch, draw the pouch’s near fabric edge overlapping the bottom of each item before inking, the same simple overlap trick from the earlier tote and duffel ideas. Swap makeup for a small sewing kit or art supplies if you want a different flat-lay theme next time.
Keep the pouch opening slightly uneven rather than a perfect oval, it reads as more relaxed and realistic.
Palette: Soft Blush,Cherry Red,Charcoal,Gold
A vintage doctor bag on a desk brings a sturdier, more structured silhouette into the list. Draw the bag’s distinctive rounded top opening and stiff boxy sides first, then the two short handles meeting at a central clasp, keeping every line confident and a little heavier than on the softer bags earlier in this list.
Color the leather in a deep brown or black-brown tone with a lighter highlight strip along the top curve where light would naturally catch a stiff rounded surface, and pick an eye level that looks slightly down onto the desk so the bag’s full silhouette reads clearly. Set it beside a small stack of letters or an old-fashioned desk lamp to complete the quiet, slightly old-world scene.
The stiff, boxy sides are what separate this from the softer bags on this list, so resist curving the body inward: keep the side panels close to straight vertical lines even where they meet the rounded top. If brown leather marker feels too dark to start, build it up gradually from a mid-tan base rather than committing to full black-brown in one pass.
One tip for today: keep the central clasp small and symmetrical, since it is the one detail the eye goes to first on this bag shape.
Palette: Dark Brown,Mid Tan,Gold,Cream
A handbag with a dog peeking out is the one animal subject in this whole list, so make the most of it. Draw a slightly oversized bag shape first, a soft tote or carrier style, then nestle a small dog’s head peeking out from the top opening, just the rounded head, two ears and a little nose rather than a full body.
Keep the dog’s proportions simple and a touch cartoonish to match the clean illustration style: a round head, two ear shapes (floppy or pointed, your choice), and simple dot eyes. Color the fur in warm tan or soft grey with a few short quick strokes for texture, then bring your boldest color to the bag itself so it still reads as the primary subject rather than the dog stealing the whole scene.
If the dog’s head ends up looking too large or too small for the bag opening, hold your pencil up and compare the head’s width directly against the bag opening’s width before inking either one. If you enjoyed sketching this little face, the dog doodles for beginners collection has plenty more quick pups to try.
Finish with the bag’s strap looped casually over a chair back for a relaxed everyday moment.
Palette: Warm Tan,Soft Grey,Cherry Pink,Cream
A raffia bag hanging on a sunny cafe chair closes out the woven-texture family of bags on this list. Draw the bag as a rounded cylindrical shape with a thin woven strap, then hang it from the back of a simple outdoor cafe chair, just a few curved metal lines for the chair’s ironwork.
Color the bag in pale natural raffia tones, using short, slightly scribbly strokes in two shades of cream and tan to suggest its loose, textured weave, looser and more irregular than the tighter straw tote from earlier in this list. A thin strip of sunlight across the bag, left as bare paper or a faint yellow glaze, suggests it is sitting outdoors on a bright day.
If the raffia texture looks too busy or chaotic, pull back and leave more plain paper showing between your scribbled strokes, restraint reads as light and airy rather than overworked. Swap the iron cafe chair for a simple wooden stool if you want a softer, cozier setting instead.
One tip for today: let the strap hang with a gentle double curve over the chair back rather than one stiff arc, it looks far more natural.
Palette: Natural Raffia,Pale Tan,Soft Yellow,Iron Grey
Close the whole series with a velvet evening bag beside opera glasses, a small, glamorous still life to finish on. Draw the bag as a rounded pouch shape with a delicate chain strap coiled beside it, then sketch a simple pair of opera glasses next to it, two small cylinders joined by a short central bar and a thin folding handle.
Color the bag in a deep jewel-toned velvet, cherry red, emerald or midnight blue, building the color up in two layers with slightly more pressure near the edges to suggest the depth and shadow of velvet’s nap. Give the opera glasses a cool metallic grey or gold finish with a bright white gel pen highlight along one edge of each lens barrel to catch the light.
Velvet is the trickiest surface in this whole list to fake convincingly, so resist a single flat fill: glaze a second pass of the same color only along the shadowed edges, leaving the center lighter, since that soft tonal shift is what reads as plush fabric. If your paper puckers under heavy marker layering, let the first layer dry fully before adding the second.
Finish with one tiny cherry pink ribbon tied to the bag’s clasp for your signature accent color.
You Will Need
- white gel pen
Palette: Deep Emerald,Cherry Pink,Gold,Cool Grey
Try the same velvet glazing technique on a small clutch or a jewelry box next, once the tonal shift feels natural it works on almost any plush surface.
What to Do Next
Pick whichever bag matches your mood tonight, grab a sheet of marker paper and your fineliner, and work from the outline out to the color exactly as described. One finished page is plenty for today, and there are 28 more waiting whenever you want to come back.
Frequently Asked Questions
What markers work best for a handbag drawing?
Alcohol-based markers work best for a handbag drawing because they blend smoothly without streaking. Layer light to dark, let each layer dry briefly, and keep a fine black pen handy for crisp clasp and stitching details.
How do you make a drawn handbag look like leather?
Build leather color in two layers rather than one flat fill: a mid-tone base, then a darker shade along edges and folds. A thin highlight line left as bare paper along the top curve finishes the glossy look.
How do you keep the bag’s proportions looking right?
Compare the handle, clasp and body against each other before inking, using your pencil as a quick ruler. Small hardware drawn even slightly too large is the most common reason a handbag drawing looks off.
What is the easiest handbag shape to start with?
A simple rounded rectangle, like a clutch or a canvas tote, is the easiest handbag shape to start with. It needs no tricky handle or fastening detail, so you can focus entirely on getting the color blending smooth.
How do I add a background without it taking over the bag?
Keep the setting to one or two simple shapes, a chair edge, a table line or a window frame, and render it in cooler or more muted color than the bag itself, so the eye goes straight to the handbag first.