The humble bus has come a long way since the initial prototypes from horses to steam, and from steam to sustainable fuel powered by electricity. We must remember, however, the most important person in all this: the bus driver themselves, without whom, these vehicles would be rendered useless. So, without further ado, let’s draw our very own bus driver!
Tutorial Video
Step-By-Step Images and Instructions
1.
Start with a gray pencil and a ruler and draw a line about an inch at the bottom of the page – this should be around 3 inches in length. Next, draw two more lines, roughly the same length, this time moving vertically up the page, in line with the end of the bottom line. In short, you should end up with the bottom of a square shape, but with the corners unconnected for now.
2.
Use the gray pencil to join the tops of the two vertical lines together with a single curved line.
3.
Now, use the gray pencil and ruler to draw another horizontal line around an inch above that you have created at the bottom. Then, add another, slightly shorter line in the middle of these two.
4.
Move to the ends of the shoreline you just created and join these to the middle line with two slightly curved lines, creating a “dish” shape.
5.
Now, replicate this “dish shape” with a straight line just above the very bottom line, this time slightly longer than the one above it, and join the ends of this line downwards to the bottom line with diagonal marks.
6.
Now return to the top of the shape, and draw two small rectangles, one slightly to the right of the right-hand line, the other slightly to the left of the left hand line, leaving a small gap between the edges of these on the edge of the shape. Then, join the inside corners of these rectangles to the main shape with a short horizontal line, and add two more lines to make another rectangle shape.
7.
Connect the outside corners of the small rectangles to the top of the smaller rectangles you just created using a curved line – this forms the outline of your bus.
8.
Now, add another horizontal line just above the curve at the top of the shape, slightly shorter than the width of the main shape.
9.
Next, add two small rectangles to the bottom of the shape, one on either side, to represent the wheels of the bus.
10.
Just inside the main shape, create a rectangle shape in the top, bring the vertical lines right down to the bottom, and leaving a gap at the top corners.
11.
Now use a vertical line to divide this latest rectangle in half. Add two smaller rectangles – one inside each new half – and add a horizontal line to the bottom of the smaller triangle in the left-hand panel. From the end of this line, at a slightly diagonal line to the central division.
12.
Return to the bottom section of the bus and add two “teardrop” shapes just below the curved sections – these will be the headlights.
13.
Take a black pen and a ruler, and use this to outline the central windshield, the dividing line, the headlamps, and the diagonal line you just drew. You can also add a small circle in between the two headlamps.
Then, take an orange pen, and use this to fill in the curved top of the bus, the spaces down the sides, and the two wing mirrors, leaving the top curved corners of these blank for now.
14.
With a black pen, add a single curved line just in front of the rectangle in the right-hand panel – this will be the wheel.
15.
Now use the black liner to draw a “V”, with the point in the bottom center of the steering wheel. Connect the tops of the “V” to the bottom line with curved line on either side – these will be the shoulders of the driver.
16.
Connect the top lines of the “V” together by drawing an “X” in the middle of the “V”, with the bottom lines joining the sides of the V and connect the top of the X to the top of the V with short diagonal lines.
17.
Now, add a “U” shape just above the X you drew, add two smaller “bumps” to the top on either side – this is the body and the bottom of the head of the driver.
18.
Connect the two sides of the “U” together with another curved line to finish the head and add a small circle to the top center of the head. Then, add a wider circle around this first one.
19.
Bring some detail to the driver’s face with a curved line for a smile, and two small eyes in the top of the face.
20.
Use the black to fill in the arms of the driver, on either side of the steering wheel.
21.
Grab a blue pen and use this to fill in the circle on top of the driver’s head, leaving the smaller circle empty, to form a hat. Add the same shade to the space inside the arms, to give your driver a smart blue uniform.
22.
Grab a red pen, and use this to create a tie for your driver…
23.
Before using a red highlighter pen to add color to the left-hand side of the front of your bus.
24.
Grab the black liner and ruler, ad go over the shape at the bottom of the front of the bus…
25.
Before adding small, blocky oval shapes beneath the headlamps. Add smaller circles inside these main shapes.
26.
Use the red highlighter pen to fill in the remainder of the bottom section of the bus.
27.
Now use a blue pen to fill in the gap in the center at the bottom…
28.
And fill in the wheels with the black pen.
29.
Now, grab an eraser, and use this to erase the pencil marks on the lights
30.
Take a dark orange pen to add color to the top half of the headlamps.
31.
Use a gray pen to add two small circles in each of the bottom halves of the headlamps…
32.
And then fill in the space outside this.
33.
Use a gray pencil to join the line at the top to the main top of the bus using slightly curved lines.
34.
Now, use the gray pen to add a stripe to the bottom of the windshield.
35.
Take the blue pen and add color to the two seats.
36.
Use the eraser to remove the pencil marks on the mirrors…
37.
And use a cyan pen and a ruler to draw straight, diagonal lines across the windshield, creating “strips”.
38.
With a cyan highlighter pen, fill in the second strip from the bottom.
39.
Then use a darker cyan pen to fill in the strip beside this.
40.
Use a blue pen to fill in the corners…
41.
And a lighter cyan pencil to complete the design.
And just like that, you have created your very own bus driver – the most important aspect of any bus journey! Now is the time to let your imagination run wild and imagine the kinds of journeys that your bus driver may decide to embark on!
In the modern world, many of us take the humble bus for granted. It is an accepted means of getting from A to B, an eco-friendly alternative to the car, and a convenient method of transport which can usually help you to save money.
In fact, buses have become such an accepted part of our society, that it can be almost impossible to imagine life without them – but our ancestors did just that. The first version of buses appeared in the 1820s, and existed in the form of horse-drawn carriages, with a bus carrying passengers travelling behind.
Shortly after this, in the 1830s, steam buses entered the picture; these offered greater power than their predecessors and could typically carry a larger number of passengers.
Electric trolleybuses hit the scene next, before the internal combustion engine was created in 1895 – these then lead to the buses we know and recognize today.
In recent years, there has been a focus on helping to make buses and other forms of transport more eco-friendly, which includes researching hybrid buses, using compressed natural gases, biodiesel and other sustainable sources, or investing in 100% electric vehicles.
In addition, while many buses still retain their original job of transporting passengers, they have also taken a popular role in promotion, particularly for political rallies and campaigns, as well as forming the must-have method of transport for musicians – both rockstars and popstars have opted for personalized buses on their tours, and in many cases, a specific style and decoration of bus has become synonymous with celebrities and a rock and roll lifestyle.
