How to Draw a Mazda MX-5

Learning how to draw a Mazda MX-5 is what we will focus on in this lesson. The Mazda MX-5 is a car that always catches the eye, and driving this beautiful roadster makes it difficult not to feel positive emotions.

Today we’ll go through the steps together and show you how to capture the proportions and details that make the Mazda MX-5 such an iconic model.

We will also share with you visual techniques for drawing small but powerful cars, and design solutions that professionals use for this.

How to draw a Mazda MX-5: step-by-step tutorial

Step 1 – Outline the base silhouette of the MX-5

Mazda MX-5 is a quite easy and compact vehicle. In the first step, we need to sketch the body, which looks like a simple outline with a protruding windshield and seat. Try to give the shape of the car the appearance of a compact roadster. The hood should be drawn longer compared to the short rear part.

Step 2 – Sketch the main exterior details

Each car has parts, without which the car can not be imagined. We are talking about tires, arches, and lamps. Let’s display them using loose lines. First, sketch two large rounded arches that will house the wheels. Next, draw the wheels of your Mazda the MX-5’s. After that, add the simple lamp shapes.

Step 3 – Draw in detail the front of the Mazda MX-5

Mazda MX-5 does not have a large number of complex lines, and therefore it will not be difficult to detail the picture. So let’s trace the front of our Japanese sports car. First, outline the bumpers by smoothing the shapes at the front. Trace the oval-shaped headlights more carefully.

Step 4 – Draw the windshield and visible seats

This sports car is performed in the coupe body without a roof. Let’s sketch the windshield and the visible part of the seats. Inside the cabin, lightly draw the car seat headrest, visible from this pint. Add the side mirror near the edge of the windshield, angled outward. Finally, erase construction lines that cross into the cabin area so the upper part of the drawing looks clear and refined.

Step 5 – Detail the rear section of your Mazda MX-5

The back of our Mazda also does not have a large number of complex lines and details, and therefore it will not be difficult for us to depict this part of the body. Outline the short trunk with clean lines, giving it a flat upper surface. Add the taillight, making it small and horizontal. Finalize the rear bumper. In addition, mark the rear wheel arch more clearly so the entire back looks finished.

Step 6 – Draw the long coupe door and handle

Most of the coupe cars have two doors (if this is not the Audi A7 or another four-door coupe), and therefore in this step, we will draw this very door and handle. Begin by tracing the outline of the door, making it long. Place the handle just below the beltline.

Step 7 – Add the basic spoke patterns to the wheels

We decided to preserve the simplicity of our Mazda design, and therefore we depicted a fairly uncomplicated design of the rims. Inside each wheel, draw a central hub and extend several straight spokes outward evenly. If you want to draw a Mazda MX-5 in it’s look, five or six spokes will work well.

Step 8 – Add shadows and highlights with hatching

Simple hatching will help your Mazda MX-5 drawing look more natural and dimensional. Apply shading beneath the car’s body planes, under the bumpers, and inside the wheel arches. Draw diagonal hatching for the windshield and windows of your Mazda MX-5 to represent glare.

And now our readers know how to draw a Mazda MX-5, just such a cool compact Japanese sports car.

We truly enjoy drawing cars in coupe and convertible body styles, especially when it comes to premium models or sports cars – and that’s no coincidence.

These vehicles represent the pinnacle of automotive design and engineering, and as car designers we love finding inspiration in them while also sharing that inspiration with you through our drawing lessons.

That’s shy we already have many cool coupe and sports car lessons, for example a Dodge Challenger drawing tutorial and Chevrolet Camaro drawing tutorial.

At the same time, we also appreciate more compact sports cars, like the subject of today’s tutorial.

In this lesson, we’ve done our best to carefully explain all the important nuances of drawing a compact sports coupe, showing how automotive artists bring their ideas and stylistic choices to life on paper.

But your learning doesn’t end with just one drawing. The Mazda MX-5 has gone through several generations, each with its own character, and practicing them will help you understand how design evolves over time.

• NA (first generation, 1989–1997): The most recognizable feature is the pop-up headlights. Keep the body compact, the wheel arches rounded, and the lines soft. Simplicity is the key here.
• NB (second generation, 1998–2005): Similar in size to the NA but with fixed oval headlights. When drawing, pay attention to the slightly sharper front and more modern bumper lines.
• NC (third generation, 2006–2015): Bigger and more muscular. Emphasize a taller body, wider stance, and more pronounced curves around the fenders.
• ND (fourth generation, 2016–present): Very sharp and modern. Focus on the slim, aggressive headlights, sculpted hood, and strong character lines along the sides.

Each generation requires slightly different proportions and details, but the spirit of the MX-5 – lightweight, compact, and sporty – should always come through in your sketches.