How to Draw a Double-Decker Bus | in 10 Easy Steps

Here are ten simple steps to finish designing the ideal double-decker bus. This educational lesson will not only teach you how to draw a double-decker bus but also how to enhance the drawing by adding color and background accents!

Any kind of bus or rail with two floors, one above the other, is called a double-decker. With this design, the length and width of the vehicle remain the same, but it can hold more passengers on board.

Did you know that there wasn’t much room on congested city streets and that horse-drawn carriages were the main form of transportation in the 19th century, when double-deckers were invented?

In order to increase passenger capacity without enlarging the vehicle’s size, double-deckers were thus brought on the scene.

Designs like these are among my favorite because they’re easy to understand, and minimalistic while being incredibly effective. This is undoubtedly a fantastic place to start if you want to explore your artistic and design abilities, so let’s get right to it!

What You Will Need

• A4 sheet of paper
• Pencils (HB, 2h and 3b)
• An eraser
• A ruler
• Coloring supplies
• 30-35 minutes

How to Draw a Double-Decker Bus

While it may seem daunting at first, this tutorial is entirely achievable with a little bit of practice, patience and a keen eye for detail.

Before you begin drawing, make sure you have the proper tools at your disposal to create a cool design.

A combination of HB and thick lead pencils like 2h and 3b are great to start with while drawing vehicles.

If perhaps you’re not looking to free-hand much of your drawing today, a ruler and a mathematical drawing compass may come in handy, as well!

Step 1: Draw the Base

Since you are drawing a large vehicle, flip your drawing paper in a landscape orientation for more room. Start by drawing the base of the bus along the bottom half of your page.

Draw a long and thin horizontal rectangle for the base, also known as the chassis. Make sure you leave some space at the bottom for other components of the bus like the wheels you will be adding later on.

To add the driver’s cabin, draw a square on the right end of the rectangle. The square should take up less than a quarter of the length of the rectangle.

Next, erase the top right corner and make it rounded. You should now have something that looks like this.

• Flip your drawing paper in a landscape orientation for more space
• Draw a long and thin horizontal rectangle for the base of the bus
• Draw a square with a rounded side above the right-side of the base

Step 2: Draw the Lower Deck

To add the lower deck, draw a small rectangle above the driver’s cabin. This one should include straight lines on all sides though. This will add more structural depth to your sketch.

For the bulk of the lower deck, draw a larger horizontal rectangle to the left of the driver’s cabin to extend the shape of the bus. Once this shape is added on, you should be able to visualize the bottom outline of your double-decker bus.

• Draw a small rectangle above the driver’s cabin for structural depth
• Draw a large horizontal rectangle above the base of the bus for the lower deck
• Ensure your drawing matches the image below

Step 3: Draw the Base for the Upper Deck

Just as you have done with the lower deck, you now need to add a base of the upper deck. This step is important because it will make your drawing look more realistic seeing as real double-deckers often showcase this element.

To complete this step, draw a thin horizontal rectangle above the lower deck. Ensure that the shape matches the length of the lower deck and that it’s relatively the same size as the lower deck’s base, and you’re good to go!

• Draw a thin horizontal rectangle above the lower deck for the base
• Ensure the shape is the same length as the lower deck and side cabin
• Follow the image below for a guide on the dimensions

Step 4: Draw the Upper Deck

Drawing the upper deck is relatively easy. Simply add a rectangle over the base you drew for the upper deck in step three.

Seeing as this is the uppermost part of the entire bus, round the upper corners of the rectangle to mimic an authentic double-decker.

If you find it easier to do it all in one go, that’s wonderful! However, you can use the ‘erase and polish’ method, and draw a standard rectangle before erasing the upper corners and polishing it off by sketching the rounded corners afterward.

• Draw a large horizontal rectangle above the base for the upper deck
• Erase both the upper left and right corners of the rectangle
• Replace them with round corners instead to give it an authentic look

Step 5: Draw the Wheels

Now that the basic outline of the vehicle is complete, it’s time to add on the wheels.

If you’re using the freehand method, jump right in, and if not, be sure to grab your mathematical drawing compass or a small circular household object like a coin or bottle cap for this step.

Start by drawing two small circles along the bottom base of the bus. You want your first circle to be placed over the center of the driver’s cabin, and the second one to be placed more towards the back of the vehicle.

Once you have smooth circles that are exactly the same size and aligned with each other, add a smaller circle inside of each circle to create the standard tire shape. Erase any lines that cut through the wheels, and you’re all set.

• Use the freehand method or drawing tools to create smooth circles
• Draw two circles spaced apart along the bottom base of the bus
• Add a smaller circle inside each big one to create the shape of wheels

Step 6: Draw the Passenger Door

The next detail you will be adding is that of the door. You will be adding the door in the middle of the lower deck.

Remember that this is still the same door used by passengers heading to the upper deck. As a result, it needs to be taller but the height should not go up to the upper deck.  

Draw a vertical rectangle in the middle of the lower deck using your ruler. The rectangle should start on the lower base and almost touch the upper base.

Next, use your eraser to remove the sharp top left and right corners of the rectangle and make them rounded. You should have something that looks like this.

• Draw a vertical rectangle on the center of the lower deck
• Ensure the rectangle doesn’t overlap with the upper base
• Erase the sharp top corners and replace them with round corners instead

Step 7: Draw the Windows

Any vehicle would be incomplete without windows, as is the case with this double-decker bus drawing. So for this step, let’s start adding on the windows. We’re going to do this by first sectioning the bus off in two areas: the upper and lower deck.

For this step, you will be adding the lower deck’s row of windows. Use the freehand technique or grab your ruler and draw a set of five small rectangles along the lower deck.

Be sure to add three on the left side of the passenger door, one on the right side and one within the driver’s cabin. Additionally, ensure that each shape is the same size, aligned with each other and spaced apart to avoid making your drawing appear to clustered.

• Draw a set of five small rectangles along the upper part of the lower deck
• Draw three to the left of the passenger door and two to the right side
• Ensure the window in the driver’s cabin features a round left corner

Step 8: Add Windows to the Upper Deck

Now that your double-decker bus has a set of windows on the lower deck, it’s time to complete this sketch by adding windows to the upper deck.

To complete this step, draw a set of six small rectangles along the top part of the upper deck. Ensure each rectangle is on the same alignment – which you can ensure by placing your ruler beneath them to line them all up nicely.

As you’re checking to see if all windows are equally spaced apart, erase the corners of each rectangle you drew, replace them with round corners for a realistic edge, and voila, you’re all done.

• Draw a set of six small rectangles along the top part of the upper deck
• Ensure each rectangle is the same size and aligned
• Erase the corners of each rectangle and replace them with round corners

Congratulations! Your Double-Decker Bus Drawing is Complete

Your double-decker bus is now complete! So, how did you fair drawing this robust vehicle? Was it perhaps easier than you expected, or did you find yourself struggling with certain parts? We’d love to hear from you so feel free to drop a comment on our YouTube video detailing your experience!

Compare your design with that of the image below and make any necessary corrections before you complete the final two steps. Psst, a little hint: you surely don’t wanna miss out on those! 😉

Taking Your Drawing To The Next Level

Here at Edits101, we regularly encourage our students to push themselves a step further and challenge their artistic abilities. Think about it like this, why leave your double-decker drawing as it is now, when you can exponentionally improve the design by adding a background and some color?

step 9: Adding a Background

This step is all about letting your creativity out to play as you sort through various background ideas.

In our illustration, we have kept things simple by adding a horizontal line beneath our bus to signify a road. We have also drawn a series of rectangular and circular shapes to represent a stop sign.

If you like the way this looks, you are more than welcome to incorporate it in your design. However, you are not limited to these ideas.

You can go a step further and draw a few shrubs or trees next to your bus, or a few buildings in the surrounding to hint that your bus is in an active city center.

You can also elongate the road and add a few other vehicles next to it, such as a car, a motorcycle, or other kinds of busses. Picture them all stuck in traffic, alongside one another.

step 10: adding Color

When you are satisfied with your drawing, take out your coloring supplies and add color to the double-decker bus. You can use any color you want. Here is what we did with ours.

Conclusion

Drawing a double-decker bus is pretty straightforward. You need to start by drawing the base, then add the lower decker and then the upper decker. Adding the wheels, door, and windows brings the double-decker bus to life. You can then add any background you want and color your drawing for it to stand out.

To become a great artist, you need to keep practicing. If your drawing doesn’t look good after the first and second try, don’t be afraid to give it another try. Always remember to have fun.  

Thanks for reading & feel free to check out more of our articles!