How to Draw Lightning McQueen

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Last Updated: June 5, 2020

Lightning McQueen is the main character of the Disney Pixar films Cars and Cars 3. In appearance, he's very similar to a NASCAR car--what really matters is that he's a great subject for an artist. Follow this tutorial to learn to draw Lightning McQueen!

Steps

Draw two ovals for the front of the car, and two large ones to form the body. Draw a curved trapezoid for the head and a rectangle to shape the back of the car.
Pencil in the lines for his eyes, mouth, tires, windows, etc., as shown in this image.

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Add two circles to the windshield area for the eyes. Draw smaller circles inside each of these for the pupils. Add in eyelids to give more life to Lightning. Don't forget his lively smile, including his teeth and tongue.
At this stage, you need to add perspective to create the sense of dimension and depth. Add details to the wheels by sketching in smaller circles for the rims, with smaller circles in the middle and small squares around the rim.
Draw Lightning's stickers, Rusteez logo, and a couple of lightning bolts. Mark his side with the number 95. Outline the number in shadow to create depth.
Color in the black areas, such as the tires, pupils, and part of the mouth as shown in the image. Erase any excess guidelines.
Use the colors shown here, mostly red and yellow/orange for his detailing. While you're coloring, add shadows and highlights, and you're done!

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Question

How can I color to my drawing to make it look like an animation?

Community Answer

You could try making the features look a bit blurry. This technique tricks the eyes into thinking a drawing is moving. Drawing light lines with a light gray colored pencil can give the illusion of movement as well.

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Tips

If you want to use markers/watercolors to color your drawing, use paper that is relatively thick and line over your pencil more darkly before doing so.

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Draw lightly in pencil so that you can easily rub out mistakes.

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