How to Draw Transport:

Drawing a Historic Plane

From Scratch
by James Butler11 Nov 2016
Difficulty:IntermediateLength:MediumLanguages:
VehiclesDrawingDrawing TheoryDigital Drawing
This post is part of a series called How to Draw Vehicles.
How to Draw a Classic Steam Locomotive From Scratch
How to Draw Transport: How to Draw a Military Tank
What You'll Be Creating
Powered flight has now been going since 1903 when the first uneasy takeoff by the
Wright brothers in a motorised glider took the human race into a whole new world of
adventure.

With time, however, many distinctive aircraft have emerged, and none more so than
combat aircraft. In this tutorial, come with me as we look at drawing an iconic plane
from World War 2, the Supermarine Spitfire.

1. How to Set Up Accurate Perspective

Step 1
Firstly we are going to establish a guideline for our plane, beginning with a horizon
line. Since the Spitfire has a rather distinctive wing shape, we want to draw the plane
at an angle that best demonstrates this, so you want to be drawing your horizon line
across your page just above the halfway point.
Step 2
For this drawing we are going to be using just a single vanishing point. This particular
point needs to be correctly placed, and with this specific picture you may find this is
off the page. Therefore, to set this up correctly, you may have to use a single piece of
masking tape placed on one side of your canvas (it will be the right side in this
particular case) and then add your point using a steel ruler.
Step 3
Having drawn your vanishing point, take your ruler again and draw a single line from
the point across the canvas marking the middle of the plane body.
Step 4
Next, draw a line that will be used as a guide for the top of the body.
Step 5
Then, draw in a third line that will be used as a guide for the bottom of the body.
Step 6
We need to add pointers for the wings, which of course are essential to any aircraft.
Starting with the wing closest to the viewer, a line needs to be drawn from the
vanishing point to the point where the tip of the wing will be.
Step 7
You then need to draw in another line for the opposite wing. At this point, if you have
placed your points correctly, a fan-like design should be emerging.
Step 8
To finish this stage, we need to add two more lines both at converging angles, which
will be for the rear flaps that come out of either side of the rear of the plane and the
rudder at the rear. These additional parts help steer the aircraft and give it stability in
the air.
Step 9
Now we have rough guidelines that we can use to start blocking our aircraft out.
2. How to Create a Plane From Basic Shapes
Step 1
Now that we have established the perspective setup for our Spitfire, we will block it
out using simple shapes. We shall start with the body, which you can make using a
simple long angled box. If you have set up your guide correctly, it should be fairly
simple to draw this shape.
Step 2
We shall work on this plane going from left to right, but if you are left handed you can
work in the opposite direction. On top of the original box needs to go a smaller cube
for the cockpit area.
Step 3
Alongside our first two shapes need to come the wings, and for these we are looking
to create simple triangles that will form a basic structure of this section of our aircraft.
We shall start with the one closer to us.
Step 4
Don’t forget to draw in another triangle for the second wing on the opposite side.
Step 5
For the rear flaps of the plane, we need to draw another two triangles, but make sure
these are half the size of our first two.
Step 6
For the main section of the rear rudder, we need to add an upward angled triangle.
Step 7
A thin rectangle should then be drawn, placed to the right alongside the triangle in
Step 6, which will be for the steering section of the rudder.
Step 8
You can also add a small cube underneath the body of the plane that will be the
trailing wheel which supports the rear of the aircraft on the ground.
Step 9
Hopefully, you should now have a skeleton of a plane that looks something like
this!
3. How to Draw an Aircraft in Detail
Step 1
Having got the skeleton of our plane set up, we shall now draw it in more detail. You
will have to use a steady hand and a lot of care if you are using ink at this point! Once
more, we shall work left to right and start with the nose of the plane.
Step 2
We then move on to the body section as it follows the nose. At this stage, avoid
drawing in the details in the cockpit section as it's more important to get the main
parts of your aircraft correct before going into fine detail.
Step 3
After the body section, you can now add the wings. The Spitfire has a rather
distinctive rounded wing shape, which makes it instantly recognisable to enthusiasts.
For pilots, it also made it a much better handling machine than its counterparts, so
make sure you take time to get this part right.
Step 4
For the opposite wing, the perspective and angle of the plane affect how much we can
see, so a fair section will be hidden by the cockpit and engine compartment.
Step 5
Like the main wings, the rear flaps have a rounded shape so need to be drawn with
care. The Spitfire was one of the very last front line propeller fighters to feature a
large front wing design; modern-day fighters all adopt a large arrow-like shape.
Step 6
Following on from the flaps, we now move to the tail of the plane. Again,
aerodynamics and easy flying were in mind with the design of this aircraft, so a
rounded tail was a must, with a large rear rudder section.
Step 7
To complete this stage, we can now add the rear trailing wheel in more detail.

Step 8
Now, we should have a more refined illustration to look at. During World War Two,
the Spitfire was assisted in bringing down enemy planes by the Hawker Hurricane.
The Hurricane was of a slightly less aerodynamic design but just as effective at
bringing down enemy bombers. The main fighter plane enemy to face the Spitfire was
the German Messerschmitt BF109, which had a similar top speed to the Spitfire but
was not quite as easy to fly, thus giving British pilots a slight edge in the air.
4. How to Add Finishing Touches to an
Aircraft
Step 1
We now come to the finishing details. This is the part where all the pieces come
together and you can add your own little touches to really personalise your own
creations.

First, we can add the propeller of the plane and, as the aircraft is in motion, it is very
simple to draw a basic ellipse. Be sure to practice drawing these first if you feel you
need to!
Step 2
To give the impression of motion, vary the thickness of your drawn line and erase
little sections of your circle with a fine eraser. If you wish, you can add in some zig-
zag lines to give the impression of speeding propeller blades, but be sparing with how
many you put in. In this tutorial I have used just two lines.
Step 3
Other little touches to add at the front of the aircraft are the series of exhaust vents
that run down either side of the nose, but only one side is visible here.

Step 4
Underneath the Spitfire is a vent that allows direct airflow into the engine system.
Step 5
Now we can draw in the cockpit area, starting with the pilot and what limited control
equipment you can see.
Step 6
For the pilot, you can either use references from various print or online sources to help
construct him or, if you are confident enough with your drawing skills, you can
construct him from scratch yourself.
Step 7
The sliding glass cockpit cover and front screen come next. Thanks to perspective,
parts of these two components may obstruct the pilot and controls, so you may need to
erase little sections in order to bring the puzzle together.
Step 8
Now we move to the wings, and firstly we shall draw in the machine gun holes on the
wings. Thankfully these days these ports are just a showpiece, and they have not been
fired in anger for some time.
Step 9
Don’t forget the steering flaps on the rear of both the wings.
Step 10
On top of the cockpit sits the radio aerial mast. Communication between pilot and
ground control was still as important then as it is now.

Step 11
An aerial line runs from the aerial mast to a clip on the tail of the plane. In these still
relatively early days of air-to-air radio, a line was essential for clear communication,
but as time has progressed this line is not needed. The Spitfire and its counterparts
were actually some of the last aircraft to use this dated system.
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Step 12
As we are approaching the end, any additional small details can be added. At this
point, too, you can add your own little touches to make your aircraft unique.
At Last, the End Is Nigh!
Finally, you can now erase all of your construction lines and clean up your line art,
and we now have a completed historical aircraft to look at!
So there we have a complete illustration of a truly historic piece of flying history that
has been in the skies for the past 80 years. You can now add a touch of colour to this
image if you wish to really bring it to life! I also hope I have at least given you some
inspiration now to go and try it yourself and be adventurous, just as the designers and
pilots of the Spitfires were all those years ago. The sky is the limit!