You’ve seen it. Even if you don't know the name, you’ve seen the aesthetic. Those 1950s-style bubble-topped cars flying over neon-lit cities that look like a cross between a Vegas strip and a NASA blueprint. It’s called Retro Futurism. Honestly, if you’re looking for something interesting to draw, this is the rabbit hole you want to fall down.
Most people start drawing and get stuck on the same old stuff. A bowl of fruit. A tired-looking dog. Maybe a mountain range if they’re feeling adventurous. But those things are static. They don't have a soul or a "what if?" factor. Retro Futurism is different because it’s basically an exercise in optimism from a time when we actually thought we’d be living on Mars by 1999. It’s visually loud, technically challenging, and deeply nostalgic for a future that never actually happened.
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The Weird Logic of "The Future That Never Was"
What makes this something interesting to draw is the inherent contradiction. You are drawing the future, but through the lens of the past. Think about the "Googie" architecture of the mid-century. We’re talking sharp angles, upswept roofs, and lots of chrome.
When you sit down to sketch this, you aren't just drawing a building. You’re drawing a dream.
Architects like John Lautner or the designers behind the Theme Building at LAX weren't just making structures; they were making statements. If you want to get this right, you have to lean into the "Atomic Age" vibe. This means understanding how people in 1955 viewed technology. They didn't think computers would be tiny glass rectangles in our pockets. They thought they’d be massive walls of glowing vacuum tubes and clicking reels.
That’s a huge tip for your composition: don't make it sleek in a modern way. Make it "clunky-sleek."
Everything should have a button, a lever, or a visible cooling vent. Why? Because in the 50s, power was visible. It hummed. It glowed. It wasn't silent and invisible like the tech we have today.
Why Your Perspective Grid is Your Best Friend
You can’t just wing it with this style. Well, you can, but it’ll look like a mess.
Retro Futurism relies heavily on aggressive, forced perspective. If you look at the work of Syd Mead—the literal god of this aesthetic who worked on Blade Runner and Tron—his horizons are often low, making the machines and buildings tower over the viewer. It creates a sense of awe.
- Establish a two-point perspective. This is the bread and butter of industrial design.
- Exaggerate the lengths. Make those cars (hover-cars, obviously) twice as long as they need to be.
- Curves meet sharp points. This is the secret sauce. A rounded, bulbous cockpit should transition into a sharp, needle-like tail fin.
If you’re struggling with something interesting to draw within this genre, start with a "monowheel." It’s a real historical concept where the driver sits inside a single giant wheel. It looks ridiculous, but on paper, it’s a geometric playground. You get to play with circles, ellipses, and mechanical interiors all in one go.
The Materials: Chrome, Glass, and Plastic
Texture is where most artists fail when trying to capture this. In the mid-century imagination, the future was shiny.
It was a world of "miracle materials."
We’re talking about Bakelite, Formica, and polished aluminum. When you’re shading, you need high contrast. Deep blacks right next to stark white highlights. This creates that "liquid chrome" effect that was so popular in airbrushed art of the 70s and 80s.
If you’re using digital tools like Procreate or Photoshop, use a hard-edged brush for your highlights. Don't blend them too much. You want that "specular" pop. If you're going old school with pencils or markers, leave the white of the paper untouched for your brightest spots.
It's Not Just About Machines
Don't forget the people. The "Space Age" fashion is a whole sub-genre of its own. Pierre Cardin and André Courrèges were real-world designers who took this stuff seriously. They created "Moon Girl" looks with silver fabrics, oversized helmets, and PVC boots.
Adding a human element gives your drawing scale. A giant robot is just a shape until you put a person in a turtle-neck sweater standing next to its foot. Now, suddenly, that robot is sixty feet tall and terrifying.
The Color Palette of Yesterday’s Tomorrow
Colors in Retro Futurism are specific. You aren't using "natural" colors. You’re using the colors of a 1960s diner or a 1970s sci-fi paperback.
- Teal and Orange: The classic. It’s the contrast between cool machinery and warm energy.
- Avocado Green and Mustard Yellow: For that "homestead on Venus" look.
- Neon Pink and Electric Blue: If you’re leaning more into the "Synthwave" side of the future.
Honestly, the best way to find a palette is to look at old issues of Popular Science or Mechanix Illustrated from the 1940s and 50s. The printing limitations of that era actually created a very specific aesthetic—slightly desaturated but with bold primary accents.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
People often make things too "gritty."
We’re so used to modern sci-fi like Star Wars or Alien where everything is dirty, used, and broken. That’s "Used Future," and it’s a different thing entirely. Retro Futurism is usually clean. It’s a utopia. If you’re looking for something interesting to draw, try to resist the urge to add rust and grime. Make it look like it just rolled off the assembly line in a factory run by robots who wear bow ties.
Another mistake? Making it too digital.
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Remember, this is a future imagined by people who used slide rules. No touchscreens. Everything should have a physical tactile quality. Switches should look like they make a satisfying clack when you flip them.
Real-World Inspiration Sources
If you need a spark, look at these specific creators:
- Syd Mead: Already mentioned him, but his "Sentinel" book is the bible of this style.
- Shusei Nagaoka: He did those incredible, hyper-detailed album covers for Earth, Wind & Fire. Pure space-funk magic.
- The Jetsons: Obviously. But look at the background paintings specifically. They are masterpieces of mid-century modern design.
- Norman Bel Geddes: A real industrial designer from the 30s who designed the "Futurama" exhibit for the 1939 World's Fair. His teardrop-shaped cars and ships are the foundation of the whole look.
Taking the First Step
Stop thinking and just start with a circle.
Turn that circle into a dome. Put a little guy in a bubble-head suit inside that dome. Now, give that dome some fins.
You’ve just started.
Retro Futurism is great because it doesn't have to be "correct." It’s an imagination exercise. Since the future it depicts never happened, you can’t be wrong. It’s one of the most freeing ways to practice technical drawing skills like perspective and lighting without the pressure of perfect realism.
Actionable Next Steps
- Go to a library or use an online archive to look up 1950s car advertisements. Pay attention to the "motion lines" and how they imply speed.
- Practice drawing ellipses. Everything in this style is rounded. If you can’t draw a good ellipse, your flying saucers will look like flat pancakes.
- Limit your palette. Pick three colors and a neutral (grey or black). Force yourself to create depth using only those.
- Focus on one "Hero" object. Don't try to draw a whole city yet. Draw one really cool ray gun. Then draw one really cool hover-bike. Build your world one object at a time.