How to Draw Lightning McQueen
Use the video and step-by-step drawing instructions below to learn how to draw Lightning McQueen from Disney•Pixar's Cars. A new drawing tutorial is uploaded every week, so stay tooned!
Intro: Start off with a pencil sketch. In the beginning stages, don’t press down too hard. Use light, smooth strokes for sketching.
Step 1: Start with a square near the middle of the page. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s just a basic guide for the main part of Lightning McQueen's body. Leave enough space on the left and right side for the front and back part of the car.
Step 2: Next, draw two intersecting lines across the square, one vertical and one horizontal. The vertical line goes straight through the middle. The horizontal line is closer to the top at about one-third of the way up. These will be construction lines that will help you place Lightning McQueen's features later on.
Step 3: Draw a big arc on the right side of the square as a guide for the front part of the Lightning McQueen. Notice that the arc begins on the right side of the horizontal construction line and ends at the bottom of the square. The width of the arc should be about one-third the width of the square.
Step 4: Draw another arc on the left side of the square as a guide for the back part of Lightning McQueen's. This arc should be more square, should start a bit above the horizontal construction line and end just above the bottom of the square. Its width should be about half the width of the square.
Step 5: Draw two ovals on the lower part of the shapes as guides for Lightning McQueen's tires. The oval on the left should be near the back of the second arc. The oval on the right should be on the right part of the square and overlapping the vertical construction line just a bit. The height of the ovals should be about two-thirds the height of the square, although the one on the left should be a little smaller because of perspective.
Step 6: That's it for the initial sketch! You have the basic shape for Lightning McQueen from Disney•Pixar's Cars. Now go in and tighten your drawing. From this point on, press harder with your pencil in order to get darker lines and a more defined sketch.
Step 7: Draw Lightning McQueen's windshield/eyes sitting on top of the horizontal construction line inside the main square. The shape of the windshield is similar to a long rectangle with a pointy end on the lower right side.
Step 8: On the lower part of the windshield and on either side of the vertical construction lines, draw two circles for Lightning McQueen's irises. Inside each iris, draw a smaller circle and shade it in for the pupils. Draw an even smaller circle in each eye to represent glare.
Step 9: Inside the windshield, on the top part above Lightning McQueen's eyes, draw a long wavy line for his eyelids. Use the top of the square as a guide to draw the top part of the car by drawing a line that extends to the arc on the back.
Step 10: Draw the front part of Lightning McQueen by using the arc on the right side as a guide. Basically darken the line for the arc, and when you get to the tire guide, curve the line up and across the tire, and curve the line above the tire to end on the upper left side of Lightning McQueen's tire.
Step 11: On the front part of Lightning McQueen, draw two small rectangle-like shapes with a line in the middle of them for the headlights. The shape on the left should be right below the horizontal construction line inside the main square, and the shape on the right should be smaller and all the way on the right side of the front of the car.
Step 12: Draw Lightning McQueen's mouth on the front part of the car under the headlights. The mouth consists of a couple of lines that curve up. Draw a line in the middle for the teeth and a couple of smaller lines on the sides for the smile lines.
Step 13: Use the arc on the left side as a guide to draw the back of the car. Darken the arc until it touches the top part of the tire. Draw an angular line above it for Lightning McQueen's spoiler.
Step 14: Draw the side windows in the small area between Lightning McQueen's eyes and back part of the car. The window on the left is basically a small triangle, and the one on the right is a shape similar to a square with rounded corners.
Step 15: Draw the lower part of the car by drawing a line that begins on the upper left side of the tire, then curves down across the tire and continues to the right. The line ends on the left side of the front tire. Draw two small circles on the bottom left side for Lightning McQueen's exhaust tips.
Step 16: Darken the ovals for Lightning McQueen's tires. Draw the visible part of the front tire on the other side as a couple of small lines on the right side of the car. Draw a smaller oval inside the other two tires for Lightning McQueen's tire hubs.
Step 17: Inside the smaller oval of each tire, draw the detail for Lightning McQueen's tire hubs. First draw an even smaller oval, then draw the five rectangle-like shapes around it. Draw only the visible portion of these shapes for the tire in the back. You don't have to draw that much detail if you want Lightning McQueen to have white wall tires.
Step 18: Draw Lightning McQueen's big number 95 on the side. Place the number in between the left edge of the main square and the right edge of the guide for the back tire. Tilt the number a bit to follow the shape of the side of the car.
Step 19: Draw the lightning bolt using a series of zigzag lines behind and below the 95. The lightning begins on the left side of the front tire, then moves back in a zigzag motion. Use the picture above as reference when drawing the lightning.
Step 20: That’s it! You now have a nice sketch of Lightning McQueen from Disney•Pixar's Cars. You can stop at this quick drawing for a rough, sketchy look or go for a more finished look by continuing to the next step.
Step 21: For a more finished, inked look, carefully draw over the final sketch lines with a pen or marker. Wait for the ink to dry, and then get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser. You now have a finished inked drawing of Lightning McQueen! You can stop here or go to the final step to complete your Lightning McQueen drawing.
Final Step: For a completely finished Lightning McQueen drawing, you have to color it. You can use markers, color pencils or even crayons! The main part of the car and the small portion of the tires is red. His eyes are blue, and the windows on the side are gray. The lightning, the number on the side and a portion of the headlights are yellow with a bit of orange. The tires are black. That’s it! You now have a completed drawing of Lightning McQueen from Disney•Pixar's Cars.
