How to Draw a Burger
In this lesson we will go through four instructions and learn how to draw a burger, everyone’s favorite American fast food dish.
How to Draw a Burger: Introduction
This tutorial on how to draw a burger is a focused exercise designed to help young artists refine their skills by working with a really recognizable food. Drawing a burger is not only fun but also a valuable opportunity to understand how to arrange elements in a stacked composition while paying attention to small details.
Burgers are iconic food items, and drawing one teaches how to represent food in a visually appealing way, useful for projects like menu illustrations or product design. Training your skills with this tutorial will help you to become more confident in complex still-life drawings.
A burger contains a variety of textures: the smooth surface of the buns, the rough patty, and the crisp lettuce. Learning to depict these parts with simple linework helps young artists build the foundational skills needed for more detailed compositions.
Also, remember that burgers come in a variety of shapes and types, and with a variety of fillings. When drawing a burger, keep this in mind, because at any time you can add details and ingredients that are not in my example.
Burger Drawing Tutorial
Materials
- Pencil
- Paper
- Eraser
- Coloring supplies
Time needed: 35 minutes
How to Draw a Burger
- Sketch the top bun of the burger.
Begin the drawing of your burger by sketching the top bun. Create a simple curved line resembling a semi-circle or semi-oval. Keep the curve smooth to make the bun look soft and appetizing. Use the smoothest lines possible, trying to maintain proportionality.
- Complete the top bun.
Close the bottom of the bun by adding a slightly curved horizontal line under the curved top. This line connects the ends of the semi-circle, creating a complete, oval-shaped top bun for your burger. The curve of the lower edge of the bun should be noticeably less pronounced than the upper edge.
- Add a lettuce below the bun.
Underneath the top bun of the burger, draw the uneven edges of the lettuce. Use wavy lines to give it a natural texture. These wavy edges represent the crisp leaves peeking out from beneath the bun. Keep the lettuce slightly wider than the bun so it’s visible in the final burger drawing.
- Sketch a tomato slice.
Directly below the lettuce, draw the outline of a tomato slice. Use a long, curved line to create the bottom edge of the slice. Keep the outline clean and free of irregularities to represent the smooth surface of a fresh tomato slice. You can adjust the thickness of the slice to your liking.
- Add a slice of cheese.
Next, draw the cheese slice as an angular outline beneath the paddy. Let the cheese corners extend outward to give the burger a stacked appearance. The edges should be straight and sharp to contrast with the soft, wavy lettuce and paddy layers above.
- Draw the burger patty.
Below the lettuce, draw the patty as a long, slightly curved line. The outline of this line should closely follow the shape of the bottom edge of the top bun. You can make the patty look more realistic by drawing the bottom edge using more jagged lines to convey texture.
- Sketch the bottom bun.
Now, using a long, smooth line, draw the curved edge of the bottom bun of the burger. This part of the hamburger should repeat the outline of the bottom edge of the top bun, as well as the outline of the patty from the previous step.
- Add sesame seeds to the bun.
Improve your burger drawing by adding sesame seeds to the top bun. Sketch small drop-like shapes scattered across the surface of the bun. These seeds make your drawing of a burger look more natural. Keep the placement random.
- Color the burger.
Start with the top and bottom buns, shading them in a light brown or golden tan. For the lettuce, apply a green color. Next, color the tomato slice in a rich red tone. The cheese should be a bright yellow or orange. For the patty, use a deep brown.
Additional Content
This drawing lesson is now complete. Were you able to follow all the steps correctly while drawing the burger? I hope you achieved a satisfactory result and are pleased with your work. Follow me on social media and share the lessons you found most useful. A condensed version of this tutorial is available in PDF format, which you can download and use at your convenience.
How to Draw a Burger: Alternative Techniques
Now that you’ve completed the main tutorial on how to draw a burger, why not try exploring additional methods? Below, you’ll find several alternative tutorials that demonstrate different approaches and styles for drawing a burger. These tutorials are great for experimenting with new techniques and expanding your drawing skills. Choose the one that interests you the most and continue practicing to build confidence in your artwork!
Alternative Hamburger Drawing Technique
Let’s try another, a bit more simplified method, to learn how to draw a burger. The main difference between this tutorial and the first is the orientation and stacking of the burger. In this guide, you will draw a hamburger right from the side. Also, in this guide we will illustrate the dish from the bottom to the top.
To draw a burger with this technique, begin by sketching the bottom bun as a wide, curved shape with a flat base. Next, add the patty and a wavy layer of lettuce above the bun, ensuring the edges look uneven to represent the texture. Directly above the lettuce, draw the slice of cheese as a horizontal shape with a wavy bottom edge.
Add a layer for the tomato above the cheese slice, using smooth lines. Then, draw the top bun as a large curved shape, placing it symmetrically over the bottom layers. Include small, evenly spaced sesame seeds on the top bun to create detail. Continue by carefully outlining and refining each layer. Color the hamburger with recognizable colors.
Simple Burger Drawing Method
Now let’s look at how to draw a burger starting with basic shapes. First of all, we will draw the base, then add the necessary details. In this sample instruction, you can see a classic burger with one meat patty, a slice of cheese, a tomato, and a leaf of lettuce. You can add different foods to your burgers, such as other burgers, exotic vegetables, or sesame.
To draw a burger using this simple technique, start by outlining the basic outline as a large rounded rectangle. Next, add the bottom edge of the top bun and tomato slices beneath it by drawing simple curved shapes. Below the tomatoes, include a cheese slice by sketching a triangular shape with its corners extending beyond the burger’s sides. In the next step, draw the burger patty as a thick horizontal band beneath the cheese.
Add a wavy line underneath the patty to represent the lettuce layer, making sure the edges are uneven for a realistic texture. Once all the layers are in place, carefully erase any guidelines or extra lines to clean up the drawing. Finish by adding color: use golden brown for the buns, red for the tomatoes, yellow for the cheese, green for the lettuce, and dark brown for the patty.
How to Draw a Burger for Preschoolers
This tutorial is the simplest version and designed specifically for preschoolers. Unlike the first burger drawing tutorial, this one uses basic shapes and avoids complex details such as multiple curved layers or small textures. The steps are fewer and look really simple.
To draw a burger for preschoolers, start by sketching the bottom bun as a long oval with flat top and bottom. Add the patty and lettuce layer above it by drawing a wavy line. Add the tomato slice above the lettuce as a simple rectangle with rounded edges to maintain uniformity.
Complete the burger by drawing the top bun as a large curved shape that covers all the layers. Use smooth and simple lines throughout the process to make the drawing look simple. Finally, color the drawing: use brown for the patty, red for the tomato, green for the lettuce, and light brown for both buns.
Conclusion
This lesson demonstrated how to draw a burger, starting with a classic design using a simple and straightforward approach. Following that, three additional methods were introduced, each showcasing different styles and techniques for creating a burger. These variations allow for learning unique approaches to drawing the same subject.
Feel free to share your thoughts on how helpful these lessons were and what tutorials you would like to see in the future. Additionally, visit the Food category on the website to learn how to draw other dishes. For example, you can follow tutorials to draw an apple or learn how to draw a cake, expanding your skills in depicting food items on paper.
Stay connected by subscribing on social media to receive updates about new tutorials. On Pinterest, you can find a wide variety of illustrations, while my YouTube channel offers video tutorials on how to draw different objects. These resources provide more ways to practice and improve your drawing techniques.
