How to draw a car

How do you draw a car? Well, if you’re one of those annoying people with inherited and effortless artistic talent, you simply snap your fingers, grab a pencil and hey presto, a Lamborghini Countach.

Car designers make this look almost infuriatingly easy, as did those kids at school who could knock up a Pagani on their pencil cases.

Today, of course, you just need something to draw with, something to draw on (perhaps paper rather than a pencil case) and the internet, which can pretty much teach you to do anything this side of brain surgery.

Chances are you’ve tried drawing a car before; it’s one of those instinctive doodles – like stick figures or cartoon suns in the corner of a page.

Maybe your car drawing was a masterpiece, or maybe it joined a collection of oddly proportioned dogs and lopsided houses in the margins of your notebooks.

Either way, with the right approach you can learn how to draw a car worthy of a Bugatti design studio (or at least, one that doesn’t look like it’s been crashed).

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to go about it. Whether it’s a cartoon car drawing, something resembling race car clipart or a detailed car sketch that kickstarts your career as a car designer, here are three of the best sites to teach you how to draw a car.

1. How to Draw a Car Step by Step for Kids - MomJunction

If you're looking for a fun resource to explore car drawing for kids, or if you draw like a penguin wearing oven mitts, MomJunction is the place to start. This free website offers step-by-step guides designed for young artists, breaking down simple car drawings into easy shapes.

Even as someone who finds stick figures challenging to draw, I found the instructions here temptingly easy. It’s all about breaking it down into simple steps.

The tutorials cover a range of vehicles, including a police car, race car drawing, other easy cartoon drawings and car cartoon images. They start with basic outlines and gradually add details like wheels, windows, and headlights. This makes it great for beginners, but there's also room for kids to experiment and add their own creative touches.

Why it works and why it's fun

Momjunction (yes, that spelling of Mum is infuriating) is super easy to follow, each step is clearly illustrated, so kids never feel lost. It also encourages creativity because kids can colour and customise their cars however they like. It’s a true, back to basics guide for simple car drawing that’s also good for people who’s drawing skills never eclipsed those of a child.

2. Drawing Cars with Charles Hu – New Masters Academy

If you’re serious about improving your car sketching game, however, it’s time to drop some dollars on Drawing Cars with Charles Hu at New Masters Academy. This paid course is all about dynamic sketching techniques – helping you nail proportion and structure when drawing cars.

The course focuses particularly on sketching classic cars, so if you’re interested in drawing an old car, like a vintage Ford Mustang, this could be the site for you.

Why it works and why it's fun

This course is all about levelling up your foundational skills, teaching gesture and structure, which are important for making cars look dynamic and realistic. It’s also perfect for different skill levels.

Taught by an industry expert, it's best suited to artists with some experience, althoughbeginners who want a challenge will also benefit.

3. Car Design Academy – Professional Online Training for Aspiring Automotive Designers

Maybe you naturally find car drawing easy, or you’ve sketched out enough cool car drawings that your friends are starting to wonder if you secretly work for McLaren. If that’s the case, it might be time to take your skills beyond the sketchbook and into the world of automotive design.

Over at Car Design Academy, you’ll find advanced paid courses ranging from Car Design 101 (which includes live online training and personal mentoring), to a six-week intensive Gravity Sketch Certified Training Course.

The latter helps you master 3D modelling with industry-standard software – giving you the skills to transform your next Lamborghini drawing into a rendering worthy of a picture frame.

Why it works and why it's fun

The curriculum is designed to teach the skills with the greatest demand in the automotive industry, to prepare you for professional roles, and it uses expert instructors, like Eric Stoddard, who has more than 25 years of design experience with companies including Ford, Chrysler and Hyundai.

It also provides interactive learning environments, using platforms like Bluescape for virtual classrooms and Gravity Sketch Collab for immersive VR learning.

If structured courses aren’t your thing, don’t worry - there are plenty of free resources out there as well. And then it’s all about practice. YouTube is packed with tutorials and advice from industry heavyweights like Frank Stephenson (one of the few people in the world who really knows how to draw a Ferrari).

Even if you’ve never managed to draw anything that looks structurally plausible in car terms before, these sites might just get you there. Which can be hugely satisfying for that frustrated school kid inside you.