5. Add wheels.
This step can be a trouble spot for car drawings, but it’s important to put in the time to get it right. “Your ovals will really sell it,” says House. “Think of them in the same way you think of the car as a whole. Fit the wheels in a block and use perspective lines to carve out your wheel.” You can turn the front wheels out a bit to add some movement to your drawing. Begin to darken your final lines and start shading your drawing.
6. Hone the details and shade for dimension.
“Every little detail counts toward making a car recognisable,” says House. Features like a licence plate, door handles and cross-hatching on the headlights will go a long way toward boosting the realism of your car. Make sure that you give your drawing a ground shadow and don’t neglect interior details. Sketching the steering wheel and seats in darker shades gives depth to the inside of the car. To really make it pop, add highlights and shadows to show where the light hits the car.
Drawing a conceptual car from the side view.
In this second art lesson, designer Jay Shuster lays out a guide to the rough-and-ready drawing style that car designers use. Follow along with Shuster’s step-by-step drawing instructions to get your own results in minutes.