In this lesson, let's draw some cartoon chinese take out food, the kind that comes in the waxed cardboard boxes as you'd see in many westernized chinese restaurants.

Looking to the right, it's clear that the main part of this drawing is in fact – a box. And keeping to this shape, a simple rectangle will help as a guideline as you draw from the bottom up.

Once the core part of your drawing's complete both the box and its flaps… drawing in the food and chopsticks in behind it will be a snap.

Then, for a final touch… you can sketch in a simple 'thank you' message, just as I've done in the example.

OK – let's begin!

First Step – Begin by Drawing a Rectangle and a Vertical Line

As we know, the main part of the drawing is in fact – a box. So, it makes sense then to begin by drawing a simple guideline – one that will help maintain the form of your box as you draw it. A simple rectangle like the one below is perfect for the job. A vertical line on top is helpful too as it'll help you draw the flaps on top.

Here's how to draw the box…

Drawing a framework for cartoon Chinese food Drawing the box of the cartoon Chinese food Completing the box of the cartoon Chinese food

Notice the side flaps on either side. Depending on the angle that you're viewing the box from, these side flaps will look either wider or skinnier. But because we're viewing this cartoon Chinese food from straight on – only a small portion is visible to the eye. So in this case – they're skinnier.

Got the box drawn? Great… now let's draw the food inside, along with a pair of chopsticks!

And Then… Sequentially – Draw the Veggies, Noodles, and Chopsticks

For the food itself – in this case a noodle dish… I recommend you draw in the veggies and other colorful parts, before you draw the noodles. Below, a few squares and circles is all it takes to create the appearance of peas and carrots.

Once the veggies are in place, draw some randomly curving lines in behind to create noodles…

Drawing the food in the Chinese food box Drawing the noodles in the Chinese food box Drawing chopsticks in the Chinese food box

The last thing do, finishing off your cartoon Chinese food, is to draw in a couple of chopsticks. Two, long rectangles are all it takes. Oh, and ensure that they're just a tad bit wider at the top.

Well, that's pretty much it. To finish it off – other than coloring it of course – see if you can sketch in an appropriate message in traditional Chinese characters. Get out a red marker or pen, and position it either in the bottom section of the box, on the middle top flap… or both!

And there you have it — that's how to draw 'westernized' cartoon Chinese take out. 🙂