How to Draw a Cartoon Locomotive

From vintage cartoons to historical children’s books, the cartoon locomotive has been reproduced thousands upon thousands of times. If you want to learn how to draw a cartoon locomotive and add your drawing to the bunch, we can show you how!

Learn how to draw this cartoon locomotive.

In this section, we'll show you how to draw the above cartoon locomotive. You can draw this cartoon locomotive freehand while looking at your computer monitor or print out this page to get a closer look at each step.

Follow the red lines in each illustration to learn exactly what to draw in that step. The lines drawn in previous steps are shown in gray. Here, we'll show you an illustration of each step and then give you a description of how to draw it.

Step 1: Use an oval and a squarish U-shape to form a cylinder on its side. Place another cylinder behind it by first sketching an upside-down U-shape. Attach a large, curved V-shape lying on its side.

Step 2: Put a V-shape on its side at the rear. Add two large and two small ovals for the wheels. Place a U-shape on its side through the rear wheel. Attach a slanted rectangle to an angled diamond. This forms the “cowcatcher” in the front.

Connect an upside-down bowl, two J-shapes (one backward), and two lines to form the smokestack. Place a long curved line under the smokestack and under a half circle (the bell cover). Form the roof by attaching curved lines.

Step 3: Use four rectangles (one partial) for the grille on the cowcatcher. Attach three odd U-shapes for the wheel-bar and cylinder.

Add an oval, half circle, and curved lines to form the eyes, nose-lamp, cheeks, smile, and lips. Detail the smokestack using curved lines.

Step 4: Draw partial circles on the wheels and an oval on the wheel-bar. Use a rectangle and lines for the windows. Add lines under the roof. Place a U-shape by the bell cover.

Add circles along the side. Sketch circles and curves for the eyes and nose-lamp cover. Attach U-shapes and lines to show the smoking stack and clouds of smoke.

Step 5: Darken the irises. Use short lines to shade the wheels, bell cover, smokestack, and clouds of smoke.

Wow! Your cartoon locomotive looks good enough to chug alongside the best. Well done.