how to draw a padlock clipart

In this tutorial, you will learn to draw a padlock clipart filled with cool effects in just a few basic steps. Adding shadows and reflections is not such a difficult task once you know how and where to place them properly. Padlocks come in a wide variety of shapes and designs. Some can be opened using keys while others require a simple code. For this lesson, let's draw a simple cartoon padlock filled with a hole and drawn using basic shapes.

working on the silhouette of the cartoon padlock

First, let's draw the silhouette of the object using basic shapes and lines. The body of the padlock is made from a simple square. On top of the body, you can draw the shackle using two thick curved lines. Just make sure the shackle is large enough so that you can add all digital effects inside this part of the object later in the tutorial.

Next, you can draw the hole for the key near the middle of the object. This new shape is made from a circle and a rectangle that are joined together. This new shapes must be large enough to be seen, but not too large either since the space available around it will be filled with cool effects too.

It's time to add some colors using gradients. The shackle is filled with a light gray color. The body is filled with a golden color. The hole can be brown. Notice how the addition of gradients can help create some depth. Indeed, the bottom of the object is slightly darker than the top. Don't forget to add some colors inside all strokes too.

creating shadows to enhance the object

This cartoon padlock is visually amazing, but we can definitely do better. For the next steps, let's add some shadows inside the illustration to create more volume. All new shapes must be filled with a darker color.

It's also a good idea to play with the opacity of all new shadows. In some cases, these shadows can also be partially hidden. In this step, let's add a rectangle on the left side of the body. You can see the new shape below (surrounded by a temporary pink outline).

Another simple shadow can be drawn near the junction between the shackle and the body. In this case, the right side of the shape is partially hidden. The bottom is also slightly darker to create more contrast with the body.

Inside the shackle, let's draw a darker area to create even more volume. This step is slightly more challenging since the edges of the shape are blurred. You can see the new addition below (temporarily filled with a pink color). In fact, this shape must be colored in black.

Two more shadows are added inside the illustration. First, you can draw a small shape on the left side of the shackle (near the bottom). Make sure that the top is partially hidden. The second shadow is drawn inside the hole of the padlock clipart.

Let's create two more shadows before proceeding with reflections. On the left side of the body, you can draw a long shape made from a curved line. Once again, make sure that the top of the shadow is partially transparent. Finally, create once last shape around the hole. This new addition can be slightly darker than the body.

adding highlights and reflections

Dark shapes are nice, but adding reflections and highlights is also a good idea. After all, padlocks are mostly made from shiny materials. For this first step, let's draw a bright area near the top of the shackle. Simply make sure that both sides of the new shape are blurred.

Another long and narrow reflection can be drawn inside the shackle. In fact, this new shape can be seen in the middle of the object, from top to bottom. Once again, it can be a good idea to make sure that both ends are partially transparent.

One last reflection is added inside the body of the padlock clipart. For this step, all you need to do is draw a large rectangle. This object is invisible on the left and partially visible near the right.

nice work drawing this fun padlock clipart

Now that all steps are completed, you should end up with something similar to the illustration displayed below. This image might seem complicated at first, but once you go through all steps carefully, drawing this padlock should be easy.

Remember that padlocks come in various sizes, shapes and colors. They can be opened using keys, numbers or through signals. Don't hesitate to draw more versions using different patterns, textures or even perspectives. Just have fun!

All steps needed to draw our lovely cartoon padlock are grouped inside the image below. Now that this tutorial is completed, you are invited to try more objects from the same series here. Have fun drawing and remember to practice as often as possible. :)

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