how to draw a pyramid shape

A pyramid has a polygon-shaped base and several lateral faces that converge at the vertex. Many ancient civilizations built pyramid-shaped structures, some of which are still intact today. They tower over many modern buildings, leaving us to wonder about the ingenuity of early human engineering. The next time you are sketching architectural designs reminiscent of the past or are simply doodling, follow these steps for drawing a three dimensional pyramid shape.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. • 1
     

     Draw a horizontal line.
   • 2
     

     Draw a downward-facing diagonal line that begins at the left end of the horizontal line and forms a 45 degree angle.
   • 3
     

     Draw a horizontal line from the end of the diagonal line. Be sure to make this line longer than the initial horizontal line from step 1.
   • 4
     

     Connect the right edges of the two horizontal lines with a diagonal to form a trapezium-shaped base.
   • 5
     

     Place a small dot above the base to mark the vertex. This point should be located slightly to the left or right of the center of the initial horizontal line.
   • 6
     

     Connect the top and bottom left corners of the base to the vertex with diagonals. Repeat this step on the top and bottom right corners to complete the pyramid's lateral faces

how to draw and shape and sp

Why do you want to be able to draw a sphere? Because from there it's not far from drawing an egg, or a human head. Here's the process in a few easy steps!

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Charcoal, a black Conte crayon or a soft lead art pencil. It works with a regular HB pencil, but the darker the better.
• Drawing paper or sketchbook
• Kneaded eraser
• Krylon or Blick matte fixative
• Optional tortillon, stump, chamois or other blender

1. • 1
     Freehand circle in charcoal

     Draw a freehand circle. It's important to do this freehand because the more often you draw freehand circles by eye, the easier it gets. It doesn't need to be perfect or have a smooth exact outline, but don't go too heavy in fixing it.
   • 2
     Shadow and highlight spot are sketched in

     Decide which direction the light's coming from. Draw a flattened oval for the shadow going off at an angle, and lightly draw a smaller circle on the face of the future sphere. I did this with a dotted line because it's charcoal, but you can just go lightly if you're using pencil. It doesn't have to be perfect or permanent, just mark an area opposite the shadow. If you look at a ball on the floor with a strong light to one side, you can see the spot of highlight falls opposite the direction of the shadow. If we had more than one object in this drawing, the light would have to be the same on everything, that would make it a realistic drawing.
   • 3
     Core shadow and deep shadow sketched in, the darkest shadows

     Sketch in the core shadow on the sphere. Look for it when you draw from real eggs, balls or whatever. It's subtler than it looks in a drawing, but it is there. So is the reflected light right at the edge of the shadow. The core shadow does not go right to the edge of the sphere on the dark side. It curves around and either forms a crescent or a crescent with slightly flattened ends. I drew it in good and dark so it's easy to distinguish. I also darkened where the sharpest little dark line of shadow appears under the sphere within the shadow shape.
   • 4
     Halftone (sometimes called midtone) smudged in, cast shadow shaded

     Blending the halftones. We have big white areas and a stark black core shadow. Let's smudge it. If it wears down too light it can be built up again. There is a little reflected light under the core shadow where light bounces up off the surface even within the cast shadow -- that's the oval one that makes it look like it's laying on a table. Halftone is the shaded area between the very dark core shadow on the sphere and the light highlight, which we will leave white. Very lightly shade in the cast shadow darkest toward the outline and lightest where it's right next to the sphere. This exaggerates the light reflecting off the sphere into the cast shadow. Doing these light and shadow effects bolder than life makes it art, it gives it a lively three dimensional look.
   • 5
     The finished sphere, a little shinier and darker with a smaller highlight

     Finish by darkening the core shadow and blending it gradually into the midtone. Smudge the cast shadow texture smooth, and darken it by rubbing over it with your finger or blender after strengthening the core shadow shading. Clean up around the edges with your kneaded eraser. To soften the highlight, squish it into a rounded shape and press it on the center of the highlight, then lift. Spray your sketched sphere with matte fixative, or it will smear all over the page.

     You can practice this sphere in a sketchbook, or start doodling it small with a pencil at work. Doodling an art exercise like this on scratch pads and phone pads is a good way to get so used to it that you'll never forget it -- and apply this kind of shading when it's a soccer ball, an egg or someone's head.

     Spheres like this in strong bright colors are often used in pop art to contrast with other shapes and with the background

Tips & Warnings

• Shading with tortillons (one-ended cardboard blender) or stumps (two-ended blender) is a way to get softer grays in charcoal. Use the point to rub into a very dark area, then draw with the blender rather than the charcoal stick.
• You can also shade a sphere with crosshatching, stippling or curving hatching lines that are darkest in the core shadow. Look at the AT&T logo for a sphere done with curved thick and thin hatching lines.
• Wash your hands often while charcoal drawing, it's messy and finger smudges can give you unintended darks.

Draw Spiderman's Face

Spiderman is one of the most well-recognized and famous super heroes of all time. His face is iconic and has appeared on everything from bottles of soda to Halloween masks for kids. You can use the instructions below to draw your own Spiderman face but you can also use this as a template for a costume or birthday cake for the little dork in your life, or even make your own Spiderman decorated cookies.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencil
• Black ink pen
• Red marker
• Kneaded eraser

1. • 1
     
     

     Draw an oval that comes to a point at the bottom for the face. Add a vertical line down the middle of the face. Draw a curved horizontal line running across the face so that you create a "t" or cross shape. This will act as a guideline for the eyes and mask details.
   • 2
     
     

     Draw two slightly curved triangles for the eyes. Tilt these so that the inside points are turned diagonally.
   • 3
     
     

     Draw curved lines running over the entire face. Don't worry about overlapping lines for now. In between these lines draw curved semi circle shapes to make the characteristic webbing across Spiderman's face. Darken around the eyes with thick strokes. Erase the overlapping lines and the guidelines.
   • 4
     
     

     Ink the entire drawing. Let the ink dry and carefully erase the pencil lines. Color the face with red marker to give Spiderman his classic look. Now you have a quick template to create your own Spiderman face.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure to slip a sheet of paper under your drawing so that the ink and marker does not bleed through. Let the ink dry before you erase or your picture will smudge.

how to draw customized cars

Customized cars come in all shapes and sizes.

One of the most rewarding aspects of drawing is the ability to create objects that don’t exist in everyday life. For the car enthusiast, this means drawing a souped-up fantasy car. Drawing this kind of car requires the same basic skills that any other kind of drawing does. It’s the way the artist uses those skills that allows him to put the fantasy car he has in his head down on paper.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Drawing supplies
• Reference photos
• Textual references

1. • 1
     Look at customized cars for inspiration. Often by looking at other examples, you’ll get inspired. Take along your sketchbook. This allows you to record details that you liked on certain cars. It also strengthens your drawing and observation skills.You can also take pictures, but don’t skimp on the drawing step.
   • 2
     Gather reference photos of different cars. Some of the photos you’ll already have from your excursion, but also get photos of normal cars. These will become the visual building blocks to which you'll add your own ideas as you draw.
   • 3
     Remember to scout out unusual items for visual references as well. For example, different kinds of bugs or animals may provide you with just the feature that you need to make your customized car. Collect photos of these as well.
   • 4
     Look to textual references for inspiration. If that cool car is something you’ve read about in a novel, you may try your hand at illustrating it. Also look at the work of other illustrators who create fantasy cars and objects. Links to a few of them are below.

     James Gurney: Pellucidar

     jamesgurney.com/pellucidar.html

     Deviant Art: Sketch a Fantasy Car by Toonrama

     fc03.deviantart.com/fs30/f/2008/096/d/0/Sketch___A_Fantasy_Car_by_toonrama.jpg

     Comic Book Bin: Secret Origins of the Batmobile

     comicbookbin.com/bubble120.html
   • 5
     Make rough concept sketches of your ideas. Don’t be afraid to use up the pages of your sketchbook.
   • 6
     Draw the cars in basic geometric shapes first. This helps you ensure that you’ll have proper placement on the page. It allows you to work out proportion. Use a grid in your drawings if you need extra help. All drawing uses the same basic skills, just in different measure.
   • 7
     Refine your lines and erase the extra lines that come from this phase.
   • 8
     Begin your drawing. Be sure that you have all of your visual references, and refer to them often as you draw

Tips & Warnings

• Most artists creating new objects rely heavily on the concept sketches phase. This is the time for you to figure out if your ideas, like the bug legs, will work visually on the body of your car.
• Don’t skip the concept drawing phase. This allows you to work out visual problems on your car before you begin drawing the final version of it. Even though you make up these cars from your imagination, they still need to make visual sense. For example, think about the Transformers, and the way that that they fit together. Because you see things like wheels on them even when they are transformed, they make sense. Your designs should have the same kind of logic.

There isn't a right or wrong way to draw a car. cars come in different models, different sizes, and they vary in design from year to year. In addition, any drawing of a car, no matter how simplistic or complex, no matter how realistic or how stylized, is perfectly valid. Still, if you learn how to draw one type of car, you should be able to translate that information into another type of car or another drawing style.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencil
• Eraser

1. • 1
     Sketch a rectangle approximately 2 inches long and 1/4 of an inch tall. Draw the rectangle lightly in pencil so it can be changed or erased later. Draw the top side of the rectangle so that it bulges upward slightly. This is the body of the car. The reason that the top side is slightly curved is because the hood of the car and the trunk of the car are often at a slight incline.
   • 2
     Draw a trapezoid on top of the body of the car in the center. This is the section of the car that features the windows. The base of the trapezoid should be flush with the top of the rectangle you drew in step 1. The sides of the trapezoid should slant slightly inward to represent the incline of the windshield and rear window. Erase the line between the rectangle you drew in step 1 and this shape, so that the two shapes appear to be unified. This is the body of the car.
   • 3
     Draw a set of wheels. The wheels should be represented by circles that overlap with the base of the car. One wheel should be located near the front of the car, one near the rear. Erase the line of the base of the car that passes through the wheels.
   • 4
     Draw a trapezoid inside the trapezoid you drew in step 2; this is the window on the side of the car.
   • 5
     Draw two vertical lines descending from corners of the base of the trapezoid you drew in step 2 to the bottom of the rectangle you drew in step 1. These lines represent the sides of the door.
   • 6
     Draw a small oval at the front of the car in the place of the headlight.

Tips & Warnings

• Add details to the car as desired—door handles, the sliver of front and rear windows or the exhaust pipe.
• Color the car with markers, colored pencils or another

how to draw trucks

Draw Monster Trucks

Monster trucks are powerful automotive behemoths. These terrifying creatures of steel, rubber and smoke barrel across dirt arenas and crush regular sized cars beneath their monstrous wheels. Creating an illustration of a monster truck can be an activity for any person who is a fan of these gigantic trucks. Like most automotive illustrations, a drawing of a monster truck can be created with a few simple geometric shapes that are placed together to create a simple framework.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencil
• Black ink pen
• Kneaded eraser

1. • 1
     

     Draw a large, long rectangle to create the body of the monster truck. Create the large characteristic wheels of the monster truck with two large circles under the left and right side of the body of the truck. Add two smaller circles inside the wheels. Place these one inside the other.
   • 2
     

     Draw the cab of the monster truck with square shape coming up from the middle top of the truck body. Add a triangle to the left side of the square. Draw a curved line on the body of the truck just above each wheel. Add a small square shape for the truck bumper to the bottom right corner of the truck. Add the door handle with a small rectangle just below the bottom right corner of the cab. Create the headlights with a rectangle attached to the left side of the body of the car.
   • 3
     

     Create the doors on the monster truck with a vertical line coming down from the bottom left corner of the triangle shape on the cab. Add another vertical line coming down from the bottom right side of the cab and continuing down across the body. Add a small horizontal line in between the two wheels. Create the side view mirror with a small square shape at the bottom left corner of the cab.
   • 4
     

     Ink the monster truck illustration with your black ink pen. Let the ink on illustration dry and carefully erase your pencil strokes

Tips & Warnings

• Use a compass or an overturned coffee cup to create the wheels
• Be sure to hold the illustration down firmly as you erase the pencil lines so that you do not accidentally crumble or fold the paper