How to Draw a Taco

Time needed: 20 minutes

How to Draw a Taco

1. Make the shell’s top edge.

   Food drawings often begin with the main shape, so here the shell comes first. Sketch a wide curved line, almost like a large semicircle. This will represent the outer edge of the taco shell. Try to keep the curve smooth and simple. Imagine drawing half of an oval that’s resting on its side.

2. Draw the bottom edge of the taco shell.

   To make the shell solid, add a straight horizontal line almost connecting the ends of the curve. This creates the flat bottom. You can use a ruler to sketch this part, but it’s better to draw the bottom edge using a more organic line. Don’t afraid to make the line not perfectly straight.

3. Complete the shape of the shell.

   Since tacos are three-dimensional, you need to show that the shell has thickness. To do this, draw another curved line starting from the right edge of the shell and curling backward. This extra line gives the impression that the shell wraps around. This second curve should follow the same flow as the first.

4. Outline peppers above the shell.

   With the shell complete, you can now illustrate the filling. Sketch several small rounded shapes sticking out of the top of the taco. These represent ingredients like tomatoes. Keep them varied in size so the filling looks natural rather than repetitive.

5. Add tomatoes between the pepper.

   A taco is usually packed with more than one ingredient, so add additional curved shapes across the top. These might represent cheese, onions, or other toppings. Try to vary the curves so the filling doesn’t look too uniform. Some can be wider arcs, while others can be small bumps.

6. Draw the lettuce edge.

   Now sketch a wavy line across the top to illustrate shredded lettuce sticking out. This line should be more irregular than the rounded shapes from before, with small waves and bumps. Keep the curves smooth and flowing, as lettuce rarely looks perfectly neat.

7. Outline the ground meat.

   At this stage it’s time to show the main part of the taco’s filling – the meat. Inside the open shell, sketch a large rounded shape that follows the curve of the shell but stays slightly smaller, so it looks tucked inside. Adding small uneven bumps along the edge will make it look more like ground beef or a cooked cutlet.

8. Add texture to the shell.

   Sprinkle tiny dots across the surface of the shell to convey texture, much like the specks you see on a tortilla. These should be spread out, with varied sizes. Don’t them all the same, since repetition can make it look unnatural. Also, check the proportions and erase remaining errors and guidelines.

9. Shade the shell and fillings.

   Any food drawing feels unfinished without color, because it’s the shades that make ingredients recognizable and appetizing. That’s why the final step is to carefully add color to the taco, using a yellow for the shell and cheese, brown for the mead, green for the lettuce, and red for the tomatoes.