Steam locomotive drawn in black and gray fineliner on pale cream textured sketchbook paper, with a complete silhouette and open margins.
Drawing referenceAbout reference use

Steam locomotive fine ink study

One compact steam locomotive in side three-quarter view, cylindrical boiler, short chimney, cab and a coherent row of connected wheels, no track or scenery. Practice form, overlap and selective shading in fine ink.

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A way into the drawing

  1. Establish the main shapes

    Block in the boiler cylinder and cab box.

  2. Connect the structure

    Attach the chimney and align the wheels beneath the chassis.

  3. Develop the drawing

    Use selective interior marks and local shadow groups to explain the overlaps. Keep the lighter planes open rather than shading every surface.

A small thing to tryKeep the wheel centers on one ground plane.