Getting cars’ proportions right
Being able to draw is a good skill to have, and one that can be learned. Of course, one of the hardest things to learn is proportions. Granted, other items may have more difficult proportions, but cars also have their own difficulties. The following will discuss how you should create a car drawing while maintaining proper proportions throughout.
First of all, you will want to decide on the type of car you will draw. Is it a sports car, an SUV, a Lamborghini, a BMW, or the car sitting in your driveway? Whichever type you choose, be sure to have clear picture to begin drawing from. More advanced artists may be able to simply sketch out the proportions of the car by looking at the picture, others will need to measure to ensure the drawing of the car will fit on the paper. Additionally, when measuring, you do not have to be super specific, but should use another item to scale your drawing. For example, take a pencil and see how much length the car takes compared to the pencil, and do the same for the height. This will give you a ballpark area of where the car drawing should take place.
You finally have the area of where your drawing will take place, so now it is time to start drawing the proportions. The first item to draw is your actual wheel base, which should only take a couple of lines, before then drawing your wheel within. Make sure the wheels are not too big or too small, dependent upon the height of your vehicle. In fact, you may want to do a pencil measurement again to make sure your proportions are close. For a side view drawing, you will end up with a total of four circles, with two overlapping, to create the impression of the front and backside of the vehicle.
Next, you will want to create the roofline of your vehicle. Obviously this line will take the shape you wish for it take, or be based on your image, but should follow along with the proportions already set by the wheels. Once you know the roofline, and front bumper area, you can then determine where the driver side door will appear. The center of the front wheel should maintain an approximately forty-five degree angle with the windshield of the vehicle. This will give the proportion of the sharp increase for the windshield.
The overhang, or the space in front of the front tire, and behind the back tire, is dependent upon the type of vehicle you are driving. For example, front wheel drive vehicles have more overhang in the front, whereas rear wheel drive will have slightly more overhang in the back.
Lastly, creating proper proportions when drawing cars comes down to the small details. For example, the location of the headlights and tail lights, as well as the placement of the door, and even the design of the wheels. If one of these elements is off, the whole car will seem disproportioned. That is why it is vital to begin with an image in mind, and to do a pencil measurement to make sure the area of space taken up by the drawing is similar to that of the actual picture. Remember, this pencil measurement can even work if you are sitting and looking at a vehicle in your driveway.