Projects 7 & 8 • Transportation Vehicle Drawing - Colored Pencil

Hand In:

1. Reference
2. Final Illustration on appropriate paper
   
3. Student self-grading sheet: il_grading_sheets.pdf (58K)

 

Directions

Illustrate a transportation vehicle of your choice from photo reference.

Choose something original and interesting. Options include: cars, motorcycles, bikes, boats, planes, trains, ships, space vehicles, electric cars, concept cars, etc.

• Possible reference web site: netcarshow.com (download the largest file possible)
• Elements: One transportation vehicle that holds a minimum of one person/human
  
• Medium: Prismacolor Colored pencils
  
• Surface: White colored pencil illustration paper 10” x 13”. (Instructor will provide)
  
• Size: Fit illustration within a 7” x 10” area on the paper
  
• Color: Full color
  
• Hours to complete: 15–20 (8 hrs in class, 12 hours homework over 3 weeks)

Find Good Reference

Make sure you find real-life, or photography reference for every element you are going to draw/paint in your final illustration. Be sure to review the guidelines for good reference on the Syllabus web page.

Example of good reference for the car drawing:

Transfer Guidelines to Your Paper

You decide how many guidelines you need to achieve a good drawing. If you are not sure how many you need, I suggest drawing as many as possible. You can always erase them.

Use a hard pencil (2H–4H) to transfer your lines. Don't press too hard, and take the time to draw your lines as accurately as possible. You'll thank yourself when you start drawing/painting.

If your lines get too dark, use your kneaded eraser to "stamp" them up and lighten them.

Here is an example of reference lines for the car (these have been darkened to show on the web):

Start Drawing/Painting

Remember… take one shape at a time, slowly. Don't allow yourself to feel overwhelmed. I usually draw a little light until I get about one-quarter done. Just to see how things go. If it looks right, I go back and darken the first one-quarter and move on from there.

Here is the car in progress:

 

Be patient. Go slowly, and before you know it, you'll be done—and hopefully pleasantly surprised and impressed by your talents and skills.

Student Work