How To Sketch a Car

The perspective of the car is important. Make sure that it appears to be aligned with the horizon. This can be done by sketching a very light line in the beginning. This will ensure that the car sits straight and will help keep things in perspective as you continue with the sketch. Many people begin sketching on one part of the car and finish it before moving on. This is a huge mistake! Most people will find that the beginning part looks good, but when they try to add the rest of the car, it doesn't fit with what was already drawn. This is why it is important to get the general shape on the paper first, and then begin adding details. Once the general outline is done, it is much easier to add to the sketch.

You will find that the most time will be spent on the wheels. It may be very difficult for beginners to get the wheel ellipses correct. This takes a lot of patience and practice. Start by lightly sketching in the four wheel ellipses. The shapes can easily be adjusted as long as your lines are not too heavy. The wheels should never be perfect circles. Most car sketches are drawn on an angle, so you may have to spend some time determining the shape of the wheels. This task is much easier if the body of the car has already been sketched, which is why is it always best to leave the wheels for last. Sketching takes a lot of practice, so don't expect to sit down and create a perfect car sketch your first time. If you put in the time and effort, you will develop your own techniques and tricks that will soon have you drawing great sketches. (Link)

Sketch a Car Using Pencil

Have you ever wanted to sketch your dream car? Basically, there are two types of drawings that you can create. A two dimensional drawing of a car, or a three dimensional one.

Before we get started, I'm just going to assume here that you know the basic techniques of drawing as taught in the MyArtPassion.com Home Study Course. The course is not free, but there are free drawing lessons available on the website.

Since some of the materials are readily available, I'm not going to go through them here. What I'm going to do, will be to have a brief discussion on the approach that we should adopt when we're trying to draw a car. Let's get started.

First, pick the car that you want to draw. Depending on your skill level, pick something that you're comfortable drawing. Generally speaking, shadows and reflections on the body of the car creates complicated shapes. And if you're not comfortable, or you don't have the time, you may want to avoid choosing something that's complicated to draw. You can choose a reference image from your favourite car website.

Once you've chosen your reference subject and image, it's now time to start working on your sketch. Remember the two types of sketch? A two-dimensional sketch is easier to draw. You don't have to worry about highlights, shadows, foreshortening and all those drawing techniques. But you do have to get your measurements right. Try drawing the car from the front, side, and back for practice. Once you feel more confident, you can try drawing a three dimensional car.

A three dimensional car gives you more room to express yourself. Also, it present new challenges that'll help you sharpen your skills as an artist. The most challenging part is to get the proportions of the car right. Once you're able to nail that, you're halfway there. The techniques for nailing proportions have also been discussed in the Home Study Course.

When you have the shape and form of the car on paper, start working on the details. Do not worry so much about shades and blending when you start. Give the car more form by darkening the lines and refining the details. Cars often have many small parts that need attention. This require time. So pay attention to these details.

In the final stages of the sketch, do your shading and blending and make sure you bring out the highlights (reflective areas of the car body). Finish off the sketch with a sharp pencil and remove all unwanted lines.

Darren Chow is the founder and developer of MyArtPassion.com, an online website with free drawing lessons, home study courses, and other drawing related resources. For more free resources like the one you've just read, please visit MyArtPassion.com for free online drawing lessons. (Link)