Go, Speed Racer !

Speed lines are a classic device used by cartoonists to imply motion—this device works wonderfully when cartooning cars like the speeding Bugatti Veyron shown here! By combining fragmented and solid speed lines, you can underscore the fast motion of the car.

1 I rough in the body of the car and the wheels, then add lines to indicate the body, roof, trunk, windshield, and headlights. I draw elongated lines coming off the bottoms of the tires and the corner of the roof to indicate the path of the speeding vehicle.

2 Now I add details such as the door, grille, window, and mirrors. I pay attention to the entire car at this stage, even though the rear of the vehicle will be obscured in the final image. It’s important to get the proportions and details correct to make the completed illustration believable—even in a cartoon.

3 After adding the final details and erasing lines I no longer need, I complete the rest of the speed lines. I erase some of the lines I created for the back of the car in step 2 so they appear broken where they overlap the speed lines. This prevents visual confusion and implies momentum. I make the speed lines trail off into dots where they end.

4 When my drawing is finished, I add color. I incorporate some of the colors of the body of the car between the speed lines, softly streaking them so they appear blurry. I make the back of the car much lighter than the front, which also suggests that the image is blurred with motion.