How to Draw Motorcycles & Choppers
- 1). Select some reference photos of motorcycles or choppers that appeal to you. Choose these photos based on the overall shape of the bike and the small details like a logo on the tank or the speedometer on the handle bars. Find a picture that measure 8-by-10 inches or greater. It'll be easier to draw the details because you'll be able to see them on the reference photo.
- 2). Make a grid with 1-inch squares on the motorcycle picture.
- 3). Draw a grid on your illustration board that possesses the same measurements as the motorcycle picture. Make the same number of squares also.
- 4). Look at the grid squares on the motorcycle picture until you find the one that holds the front wheel. See how the circle that forms the wheel curves within the grid square. Notice how the circular lines intersect the walls of the grid.
- 5). Find the corresponding square on your illustration board.
- 6). Make a line drawing of the wheel within the grid square. Draw the lines in the same way they curve within the square. If a line intersects the bottom grid square line in the middle, draw the line the way you see it. This is a key to solid drawing skills; draw the details as you see them. Look at your reference picture often as you work.
- 7). Draw the rest of the motorcycle or chopper using the grid in the same way. Draw the lines that form the body of the bike just as they look in each grid square. The more accurately you draw the lines as they appear, the more accurate your finished drawing will be. Concentrate on areas like the handle bars, the curve of the seat, a bar on the back of the seat or a side car if there is one. These details help to identify that particular bike.
- 8). Erase the grid around the bike.
- 9). Shade the motorcycle drawing using pencils and charcoal pencils. Use the side of the pencil lead, moving your hand in even back and forth movements so the shading looks uniform. Draw the patterns of the shading and shadowing on the bike using light pencil strokes just to get the patterns down over the whole drawing. Once that's done, darken the places that need it by going back over it with pencil or charcoal pencil.
