How to Draw Cartoon Trash filled with odors

I know. Drawing cartoon trash might not seem like a fun activity to do. After all, a pile of garbage is not visually interesting, it smells bad and feels dirty. How could it be fun to work on a subject like this one? Well ... all themes can be fun to illustrate if you are looking for fun challenges.

For instance, how can we represent the smell of garbage in this image? Can we add fun shadows and gradients to create more depth and volume? What is the best design we can use to draw the trash can and make this one easily recognizable?

Let's see how we can answer to all these questions using this fun drawing lesson now. :)

working on the silhouette of the trash can

I usually prefer to create a basic template made from basic shapes to start my drawing tutorials. In this case, I don't think it's necessary. Since the object is rather simple, we can start illustrating this one now using a few curved lines. Let's start with the silhouette using an irregular rectangle. This one is made from four curved lines as shown in the image below. Make sure the object is tall and slightly narrow.

sketching the lid using more basic lines

You can complete the top of the trash can by adding a simple curved line on top to form the opening of the object. For the lid, it can be a good idea to illustrate this one on the side of the trash can. This can make the image more dynamic and give us the opportunity to draw garbage inside the object. You can sketch the silhouette of the lid using an oval shape. A handle made from more solid lines can be drawn on top.

adding some details to create depth on the cartoon trash can

It can also be a good idea to add more details inside this image to create more depth. Having a 3D look using a 2D image is usually not that difficult to achieve. First, you can draw a stripe on the bottom part of the lid.

Next, add another large stripe on top of the trash can. This one can be thicker than the one draw previously on the lid. Finally, add one more stripe (thinner if possible) on the bottom of the object. Great! This drawing of a cartoon trash can is progressing nicely. :)

drawing basic patterns

A typical trash can usually has patterns made from long vertical stripes. In this case since the main shape is made from curved lines, then it can be a good idea to follow the shape of the silhouette when drawing the patterns. Also, notice how both ends of the patterns are created using perfect round lines.

sketching useless objects to give life to the illustration

An empty trash can might feel boring. Let's bring this one to life by adding simple objects inside and around the trash can. You can draw a wide variety of objects filled with various colors to make the illustration more appealing. Once you are done, you can proceed with the next step.

adding odors

The smell of a trash can is definitely something you want to depict in your image. To do so, we can use three basic elements. First, simply sketch a few vertical lines filled with small waves. On top of these thin lines, you can also draw small clouds made from tons of short curved lines. Finally, adding two or three flies can be a good idea to complete this important step of our tutorial.

working with plain colors

Now that the cartoon trash can is drawn, it's time to add basic colors inside the image. For the main object, a light gray color is needed. The vertical patterns inside the object can be darker. The stripes and the bottom part of the lid must also be darker.

Various colors are used for the objects added inside and outside the trash can. In this case, I have used yellow, green and a little bit of red colors. The small clouds are also gray, but all outlines are now removed. Flies are black and white.

adding gradients to complete this fun drawing lesson

If you wish to create something visually more appealing, then working with gradients can be a good idea. This can give a more convincing 3D look to your work. It can be done using a vector application or manually using other drawing tools. As you can see below, the trash can is now darker near the bottom and brighter on top. This effect is also quite visible on the smaller clouds. They are now partially invisible near the bottom.

Nice work! I hope you had fun learning to draw this fun cartoon trash can using this basic tutorial. Don't hesitate to use the image below if you need more assistance. Also, you can draw more versions on your own using various models, objects and textures. Just draw as often as possible. :)

Now that this lesson is completed, you are invited to work with more fun objects like the ones found below. Most of these lessons are simple, but they are still offering different challenges that can be fun to try. Enjoy! :)