How to Draw a Toyota Corolla

We really love luxury cars such as Lamborghini or Bentley, but in order to dilute this collection of cars for the Forbes list, we sometimes create tutorials about simpler cars. For example, now we want to show you how to draw a Toyota Corolla.

This car is the best-selling car in its class in many countries around the world. This is primarily due to a very good combination of low prices, fairly high quality, and good equipment.

In addition, the car has a small size, which is an important condition in order to move along narrow streets and park in narrow places. For this parameter, the Toyota Corolla is much better than the Lamborghini or Audi R8.

How to draw a Toyota Corolla: step-by-step

Step 1 – Mark the overall car placement on paper

Begin with very light lines to sketch the placement of the Toyota Corolla on the sheet. Outline the body parts in a simplified way to set proportions overall silhouette. Keep the shape simple, typical of a compact sedan. Don’t add details, just try to convey the shape and make it believable.

Step 2 – Draw the arches of your Toyota Corolla

Add the front and rear wheel arches with smooth curves. Sketch the lower edges of the bumpers to connect the arches. Check symmetry between the two arches to avoid distortion. A light line for the side skirt can also be added here.

Step 3 – Detail the recognizable front and rear areas

Depict the headlight and tail lamp, keeping their shapes accurate. Add the air intake under the front bumper and sketch a small fog light. These details are important to make the car recognizable as a Corolla. You may also lightly mark the texture of the lamps.

Step 4 – Adjust the Corolla roofline and windows

Draw an elongated window frame in the upper part of the Toyota. Smooth the roofline of your compact car. This is a compact car, so unlike sports cars of supercars, the window frame does not have to be too narrow or elongated.

Step 5 – Draw both doors of the Corolla

Add the central pillar within the window frame, dividing the glass into front and rear sections. Draw the doors of your Toyota. The middle vertical line should extend down from the top of the pillar almost to the base of the body.

Step 6 – Place the handles and rearview mirror

Sketch the side mirror at the corner of the front window. Draw two door handles, keeping the rear one positioned slightly higher than the front. These details make the body look more convincing and complete. The handles should be simple. At this stage, you can also add a thin molding line along the doors.

Step 7 – Erase the guides and place the wheels

Remove extra guidelines from the body. Draw the front and rear wheels as perfect circles. Inside, add the rims, trying to make them symmetrical and even. Check the alignment of both wheels. Adding texture to the tires will make them look realistic.

Step 8 – Illustrate the symmetrical rim pattern

Mark the central hub or point in each rim as a small circle. From this center, sketch spokes radiating evenly outward like petals of a sunflower. Each spoke should connect to the rim edge. You can also mark the brake discs behind the spokes.

Step 9 – Create some shadows and mid-tones

Add shading to the darkest areas, starting with the wheel arches and lower parts of the bumpers. Next, apply mid-tones to create volume. Leave highlights on the windows and represent reflection. For more realism, you can add highlights on the lamps. Also, you can draw seat headrests behind the windows.

Drawing compact cars after the Toyota Corolla

The Toyota Corolla belongs to the category of compact cars. Even though its size has gradually increased over the years, it still remains in the compact or subcompact segment.

With every new generation, designers update the shapes and details, but the core design principles remain the same.

That means by following this tutorial, you can apply the same approach to drawing both earlier and later Corolla models.

To strengthen your skills in drawing compact and subcompact cars, be sure to check out our tutorial on how to draw a Ford Focus RS, where we explain the specific features of this popular American model.

You should also visit our Honda Civic drawing lesson, another compact car from a Japanese brand, which in this case is presented as a hybrid.

Just like with the Toyota Corolla, the same techniques can be used to illustrate both older and newer generations of these cars, giving you flexibility when practicing different versions of compact vehicles.

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Share this guide with friends or classmates who are also interested in drawing, and keep practicing with our other tutorials to improve your skills.