How do you create an empty database in SQL Server Express 2008 R2?

Step 1: Connect to SQL Server Express 2008 R2 in the SQL Server Management as shown.
Right click the Databases node and from the drop-down list shown  click New database.

Step 2: In the New Database window that pops-up provide a name for the database you want to create, herein Htek. If you want you can choose a size different from default size of 2 MB.

Click OK.
This is all that is necessary for creating an empty database on the server. You may click the navigation on the left side for working with file groups and many other options.

After clicking OK you will see the Htek database added to your Databases node which earlier had only System databases. Note however you may need to refresh by right clicking the Databases node and choosing Refresh at the bottom of the list.