# Draw a die in Aquarell: turn three pip faces with the cube

Language: en
Canonical: [Draw a die in Aquarell: turn three pip faces with the cube](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-die-pips-three-faces/>)
中文：[中文 HTML](<https://allluckly.cn/guides/aquarell-die-pips-three-faces/>)
English: [English HTML](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-die-pips-three-faces/>)
Published: 2026-11-06T00:00:00+08:00
Modified: 2026-11-06T12:13:22+08:00
Author: Bison

Hand-draw a die showing one, two and three, checking shared edges, pip orientation, foreshortening and rounded corners.

English translation of the [Chinese original](<https://allluckly.cn/guides/aquarell-die-pips-three-faces/>), translated on 2026-11-06. Original publication dates, attribution, code and version notes are retained.

A die can have correct pip counts while its patterns still resemble flat stickers on the canvas. Build a three-face cube, placing one pip above, two on the left face and three on the right, with positions and shapes following their respective surfaces. This is an invented game-object illustration, not a discussion of throwing fairness or manufacturing dimensions. Use Aquarell for strokes and layers, manually counting pips and checking edges and orientation without assuming an automatic die model.

## Give the three faces one shared corner

Create an approximately 1600×1600 px canvas with a pale blue-grey background. Start with the visible corner where three faces meet, extending edges toward the upper left, upper right and downward, then complete the top and side boundaries. Share the same vertices rather than forcing three independently drawn quadrilaterals together. Separate sketch, body, pips and shadow, leaving pips out initially. Use three greys and reduce the view to check one box rather than three diamonds. Correct doubled or gapped shared edges at their vertices instead of disguising misalignment with heavy outlines; far outer edges must also follow their respective directional families.

## Establish local centre guides on each face

Lightly draw diagonals in each quadrilateral face, using their intersection as a reference centre, then add local centre guides following the face-edge directions. Place the top single pip near its centre, separate the left pair along one local diagonal, and arrange the right triple at two ends and a centre along a readable local diagonal. The pattern orientation is chosen for this drawing but must remain consistent within each face. Do not align all pips with canvas horizontals or find the right-face centre by shifting the left one horizontally on screen. Begin with small position marks, hide the outlines to inspect distribution, then restore them to confirm each group belongs inside its face.

## Foreshorten the circular pips with their faces

Pips are not circular stamps facing the viewer. On the more oblique top, the single pip may become a flatter ellipse; side pips turn their apparent axes with their own faces rather than sharing one ellipse angle across all three. Fill them in one dark grey and compare size and direction within each face. The middle of the three must not suddenly be twice as large. If pips resemble raised black balls, remove strong individual highlights and cast shadows, consistently choosing simple recessed or flat marks. Return from edge-refining zoom to normal size; do not enlarge pips against face boundaries merely to make their elliptical shapes obvious.

## Check counts and margins separately

Read one, two and three face by face, ensuring no sketch position mark survives as a fourth finished pip. Then inspect margins to face edges and clear separation between pips. These are separate checks: correct counts do not guarantee correct placement. If the left pair crowds the shared edge while leaving the other end empty, reposition the group rather than shrinking one pip alone. Hide the other two patterns in a copy and inspect one face at a time, checking that the triple’s middle pip lies between its ends. Do not change a number casually to resemble a familiar photograph; redesign the pattern whenever its count changes.

## Round corners without losing shared structure

Use an ivory body with the top brightest, the right face darker and the left between them. Gently round exterior corners without softening all shared edges into three disconnected bulges. Narrow grey transitions can describe rounding, with bright edges only at selected lit positions. If it becomes a sphere with three colour patches, reduce excessive contour curvature. If it resembles a sharp stone, soften the pointed corners with a little rounded width. Hide pips and confirm the body still works before restoring them. Soft corners and clear faces can coexist through continuous turning zones rather than a white halo replacing boundaries.

## Use contact and shadow to explain the pose

Choose a short bottom edge or small area to touch the tabletop, adding a short dark contact shadow and a softer cast shadow toward the lower right. Do not give each visible face a shadow in a different direction. If the die floats, check its bottom contact rather than blackening the whole shadow. Lighting continues across the body; pips may respond slightly to face lighting but must not become the brightest elements on a dark face. This is one stationary pose, not a prediction of the next throw from its shadow or resting position. Check that shadow stays on the table rather than crossing pips or shared edges on the die’s front.

## Compare plain and deliberately misoriented versions

Keep a plain-body preview, then deliberately replace the top pip with a viewer-facing circle in another copy and compare whether it appears to float off the face. Change only this feature, retaining contour, colour and counts, so the effect of surface direction is clear. In the original, check that one viewpoint explains pip compression across all faces instead of giving every pip a different angle for variety. If uncertain, test orientation with a larger pale-grey mark before reducing it to the required size. This is manual visual comparison, not automatic perspective correction or measurement against real mould details.

## Read the three faces again after export

Save the layered original and count pips face by face in the exported PNG at its intended size, checking whether the darkest face swallows its marks. Adjust pip colour and face value first rather than enlarging all pips into identical circles. Inspect exterior corners and the base for rounding gaps or a shadow that became a heavy black pedestal. A later drawing may retain the cube and use three other invented symbols, but their local face directions require fresh checks. Record a definite location, such as the right face’s third pip crowding its outer corner, instead of vaguely saying the die looks wrong.

## Related tutorials and sources

[Draw a carved knight chess piece in Aquarell: align silhouette, carved planes and base](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-carved-knight-piece/>); [Draw a clock in Aquarell: make marks, numerals and hands show one time](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-clock-dial-hand-time/>).

Sources checked on 6 November 2026: the [official Aquarell App Store listing](<https://apps.apple.com/cn/app/id1591340577>) and [Apple Lookup](<https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=1591340577&country=cn>) show version 1.0.7, requiring iOS / iPadOS 15.0 or later. The drawing uses the publicly described brush, colour, layer and saving capabilities manually. Sizes, shapes and colours are practice suggestions; confirm controls against the installed version. Keep the native artwork for further editing and use PNG for previews. This batch does not claim step-by-step device testing.