How to Draw Cars - Beginner Tips & Tools for Success

Learning how to draw cars is not as difficult as you may believe. Many beginners when attempting to draw cars will fail at first because of that "I can't do it" mentality. They will see all of the details, the shadows and the highlights and become intimidated and lose confidence. In order to succeed, to really learn how to draw, you must remove all preconceived notions about drawing.

Learning how to draw is really a matter of breaking down what you see into smaller parts or shapes. You have to look at the picture as a smaller step by step process. When you break things down like this the problem at hand becomes easier to draw. But before you go off and start to draw those cool muscle or race cars, you really need to understand a bit more about the supplies you will need. How else are you going to draw those cool cars?

Having good supplies is definitely going to make it easier to draw and more enjoyable, but it won't make you a better artist. You must learn and understand the basics first. Quality equipment is an aid, but it is not a substitute for your skills or abilities.

The first thing you are going to need is a good surface to draw on. You will need a solid sturdy table, desk, or drafting table. Whatever you choose to draw on, make sure the surface does not wobble and is level. Do not settle for a cheap surface. It will only frustrate you and make things more difficult. Many artists like to work on a surface that is on a slight angle towards the artist which promotes a better posture. Being comfortable is very important.

Make sure you have good lighting. Learning how to draw cars is challenging enough. You do not need the frustration of poor lighting. Your lighting should be even so that there are no shadows or hot spots of light, so you may need more than one light source to draw with. There are specially made lamps for artists that produce light which mimics natural sunlight.

You can purchase these online or at art stores, but I have found that the professionally made lights for artists can be rather expensive. If you happen to live near a Home Depot or other home improvement center, try looking in their lighting department. I purchased my lamps there for under 20 dollars each.

As for what tools you should have on hand to draw with, there are no "One drawing tool fits all" formulas. You will have to experiment with different pens and pencils until you find the ones that are the most comfortable to draw cars with. It is probably best to have a variety of drawing tools on hand.

Many car artists have various pens, pencils, markers and even paints on hand to produce different effects. For instance, some car artists prefer to work with Prismacolor "Verithin" pencils for sketching fine lines and for light shading. Other artists prefer the convenience of mechanical pencils as there is no sharpening needed. Mechanical pencils are not the best for shading in areas however. So you see, having a variety of tools on hand to draw with is essential.

Paper is another item of personal choice. Again, you have to experiment. Just like pens and pencils, there are also a variety of drawing surfaces. Try your favorite pens and pencils on various surfaces. Drawing surfaces have different textures and thicknesses and your drawing mediums will behave differently depending on the surface and how you apply them.

You may also find guides helpful to draw with. Some car artists prefer to use ellipses and straight edges to help create straight lines and circles, while others work free hand.

If you do not happen to live near any art supply stores, you can always purchase your supplies online. Just go to any major search engine and type in "drawing supplies" and you will find plenty of online shops. My recommendation is Misterart.com. I have been buying my supplies there for a few years now and my shipments are always delivered fast and in perfect condition.

I hope these tips and instructions have given you more insight on how to draw cars. The most important thing with drawing cars, or any art for that matter, is to never give up. Keep practicing. Practice every day if possible and keep a sketchbook of your work so that you can keep track of your progress. You will get the hang of this and learn how to draw cars.