Create an Airplane Drawing

In this article, we are going to learn how to draw an airplane, but not just any airplane. I'm talking about the ones that usually take us on vacation, the ones we are most likely to use: airliners.

Another article will be dedicated to drawing fighter planes, so be patient ;)

Airplanes are very elongated and do not necessarily have many details. They are the simplest to draw.

Before starting to draw, I made a diagram with the main parts of an airplane. I didn't detail everything because there are a lot of parts and most of them have complicated names, so I just noted those that will be important for the drawing.

DRAWING THE BASE OF THE AIRPLANE

We will start by drawing the "body" of the plane. To do this, draw a tube that ends in a tip to make the tail.

Then, add the plane's nose and the rudder control. It has a triangular shape with a flattened top.

Then, we will add the engines. They have a cylindrical shape and are in two parts. The first is a fairly thick cylinder, the second at the end is a smaller cylinder.

The wings are the most complicated parts to draw, especially when viewed from below. They have quite a few small details, but everything is made with simple shapes, mainly rectangles and triangles. I also take the opportunity to add the elevator control.

Once the main parts are drawn, I can start adding some details like the portholes, cockpit windows (front part of the plane where the pilots are), as well as the doors and some grooves to add texture.

DRAWING THE OUTLINES OF THE PLANE IN BLACK AND ADDING THE DETAILS

Our base is now finished. We can move on to the line stage. You will therefore need to go over all your lines in black and take the opportunity to add some details. As with the base, start by doing the line work on the "big" parts of the plane.

Then, add every small detail such as portholes, grooves, etc.

To add more realism to our airplane, we will assign it the name of a company, a serial number, and decoration. I have chosen to model an Air France airplane, so I will write AIR FRANCE in uppercase above the windows, add the serial number to the rear of the airplane, and draw stripes on the rudder control.

Your drawing is finished! You can leave it as is, add some shadows or, like me, choose to add some color...

COLORING THE AIRPLANE DRAWING

There are 3 main colors on our airplane: blue, red, and gray. I will start by applying shades of blue and red, so that I can devote the rest of my time to working on the gray, and hence the texture of the airplane. The AIR FRANCE logo is in blue, just like the biggest stripes. Only the last one is in red.

Next, I apply a medium gray over the entire surface of my plane. This is our base color and the one that will serve as our reference for applying shadows and highlights.

I've decided that my light source will come from above. Therefore, all parts exposed upwards will be in the light, while parts underneath will be in shadow. Using a darker gray, I apply a first layer of shadows on all parts of the plane that are viewed from below: the body, the wing, the tail fin, and the engines. I also use dark gray on the portholes and windows to add depth.

I emphasize the shadows even more by adding an even darker gray that is almost black.

/!\Be careful, you should never use pure black in a drawing, it flattens it immediately and it doesn't exist in reality./!\

To finish, I add a slight touch of light on top of the plane...

I blend my line (or not, depending on your taste) and the drawing is done!

To create a good drawing from A to Z, don't forget to take the time to draw a solid base. Also, to add more realism to your drawing, add shadows and highlights to give it depth and life. A drawing without nuances is a flat drawing, which is fine for certain drawing styles, but it has to be controlled and intentional. So practice managing shadows and highlights :)

Illustrator and writer: Coralie