How to draw a car

Cars are made of geometric shapes, which makes them very satisfying to draw: get the rectangles and circles in the right places and the result looks right immediately.

The important detail is the wheel arches — cutting the body around the wheels is what makes it look like a car rather than a box on circles.

Step-by-step: how to draw a car

1. 

   1Guide shapes

   Draw a long rectangle for the body, a trapezoid on top for the cabin, and two circles at the bottom corners for the wheels.

2. 

   2Outline the body

   Draw over the guides with rounded corners: a curved nose at the front, a slanted windscreen, a flat roof and a sloped back window. Leave gaps at the bottom where the wheels go.

3. 

   3Add the wheels

   Draw a circle in each gap, then a smaller circle inside each one for the hubcap.

4. 

   4Windows and door

   Draw two windows inside the cabin following its slope, a vertical line for the door and a short handle.

5. 

   5Lights, speed lines and road

   Add an oval headlight at the front, a tail light at the back, a few speed lines behind the car and a road line underneath. Erase the guides.

6. 

   6Colour it

   A bright body colour, light blue windows, black tyres with grey hubcaps and a yellow headlight.

Tips for a better car

• Wheels a third of the height. Too-small wheels make a car look like a toy brick.
• Cut around the wheels. The body should arch over each wheel, not sit on top of it.
• Speed lines sell motion. Three short horizontal lines behind it and the car is driving.

Try a variation

Stretch the body for a limousine, raise it and add a big back box for a truck, or lower it with a pointy nose for a race car.

More things to draw

Level up

• Basic shading
• Colour theory for beginners
• Drawing ideas
• Easy things to draw