Volkswagen Beetle Drawing

This Volkswagen Beetle drawing was originally intended to be the last of my black on white cardstock print pieces. Last year, I had a lot of people ask if I had any Volkswagens – while I did have one off-road bus, I didn’t have any Beetles available.

The VW Beetle is such an iconic shape and unique mechanical design, that there really is nothing similar. VW fans really love VWs, so I wanted to make this Volkswagen Beetle drawing that would look nice as a print for shoppers at car shows and art fairs this summer.

I started with a simple line sketch in pencil on white paper. The Beetle is unique to draw because it has heavily sweeping lines rather than gentle sweeps that most traditional cars have. I wanted to give this Beetle white wall tires with slightly deeper-than-stock wheels. To achieve that effect, I set the centerline of the wheels inboard of the tires.

Next, I lined the car with Micron pens, and used heavier weights on the lower surfaces to give some depth in the drawing.

I used a fine point Sharpie to fill in the shadows in the body, shadow under the car, and tires. This is the most rewarding part of the drawing because the depth and detail really comes out here. I’m particularly proud of the hubcaps in the center of the rims. The classic VW Beetle hubcaps are very convex and reflect the horizon as a “U” shape.

If you’re interested in purchasing a print on card stock, they will be available in my shop, here!