Submarine Drawing: Step-by-Step Tutorial & Easy Ideas

Learning how to draw a submarine is easier than it looks — the whole thing starts with simple boxes for the body with circles for wheels. This guide walks you through a submarine drawing in six clear steps, then hands you a set of submarine drawing ideas to keep going: easy versions for beginners, cute and cartoon takes, and variations worth sketching when you want more.

Difficulty Medium
Time ~20 min
Tools Pencil, eraser, paper
Starts with simple boxes for the body with circles for wheels

Submarine drawing — hand-drawn submarine illustration with ink lines and soft colors

How to Draw a Submarine Step by Step

Draw the body volume
Block in the submarine's main body as one or two simple boxes. Vehicles are engineered objects — starting from geometry isn't a shortcut, it's how they were designed.
Establish the wheels or base
Place the wheels (or base) with real care: their size and spacing set the vehicle's entire character. Draw them as full circles even where the body overlaps.
Carve the profile
Refine the boxes into the vehicle's silhouette — the slopes, curves, and cuts that make this submarine recognizable at a glance.
Add windows and structure lines
Draw the windows, doors, and panel seams. Keep these lines parallel to the body's perspective or the whole drawing tilts.
Detail the working parts
Lights, grilles, handles, treads — the mechanical jewelry. Pick the recognizable ones and skip the rest.
Ground it with shadow
A flat dark shadow under the body and behind the wheels. No vehicle drawing looks finished while it's floating.

Submarine Drawing Ideas to Try Next

Once the basic submarine clicks, run it through these variations — each one practices a different skill while staying on a subject you already know.

A cartoon submarine with a face
Headlights become eyes, the grille becomes a mouth — instant character, forgiving shapes.
A cutaway submarine interior
Slice the side off and show seats and cargo — the technical-drawing thrill without the precision.
A tiny toy version
Squash the proportions, fatten the wheels, round the corners — the die-cast toy look.
A rusty abandoned submarine
Overgrown, patched with rust, one plant growing through it — texture practice with atmosphere.
Submarine speeding with motion lines
Tilt it forward, trail speed lines, blur the wheels — energy over accuracy.

Tips for Better Submarine Drawings

Wheels first, body second: wheel size and spacing define the vehicle’s character more than any body detail.
Keep panel lines and windows obeying the same perspective as the body — one rebellious line tilts the whole machine.

Not feeling the submarine today?

Let the generator pick your next subject — filtered by mood and difficulty.

🎲 Random Drawing Generator

Submarine Drawing FAQ

How do you draw a submarine easily?

Start with simple boxes for the body with circles for wheels, keeping your lines light. Refine the outline, add the defining details, then erase the construction shapes. The six-step method above breaks this down — most people get a recognizable submarine on their very first try with it.

How long should it take to draw a submarine?

A simple submarine drawing takes about 20 minutes following this tutorial. A quick doodle version can be done in two or three minutes, while a detailed, fully-shaded study might take an hour. Speed comes with repetition — the second attempt is always faster than the first.

What supplies do I need for submarine drawings?

Just a pencil, an eraser, and any paper. An HB pencil for construction lines and a 2B for final outlines is a nice upgrade, and colored pencils or markers finish it off — but nothing on this page requires special supplies.

Is a submarine easy to draw for beginners?

Yes — the submarine is very manageable once you use construction shapes, and this method was written for first-timers. Kids can follow the same steps; just expect wobblier lines and more charm.