Brown table radio with rounded cornersA wide box with soft corners: speaker slots on one side, a round dial on the other. Color it brown-black.
Candlestick telephone with the earpiece on its hookA round base, a thin upright post, a cup on top to speak into. The earpiece hangs from a hook at the side.
Cathedral radio with a rounded topAn upright box whose top is one arch. Repeat the arch as the speaker opening and put two knobs below it.
Console radio standing on the living room floorA wooden cabinet on four short legs. Dial and knobs sit in the top third; speaker cloth fills the rest.
Crystal radio set with a pair of earphonesA flat board, a coil drawn as a striped tube, and one wire running off to two round earphones.
Early radio set with a horn speaker beside itA long low box with three large knobs in a row. Beside it stands a horn bent like a question mark.
Pocket transistor radio with a wrist strapA rounded rectangle, a round dial in one corner, rows of dots for the speaker and a loop of strap.
Radio dial with a needle and a row of numbersA half circle of tick marks, a few numbers along it, one thin needle and a single knob underneath.
Radio headphones on a flat metal bandTwo flat round earpieces joined by a thin double band, with one wire dropping from each.
Radio mast sending out ringsA tall thin triangle of crossed lines. From its tip, draw arcs that widen like ripples on each side.
Rotary dial seen straight on, ten finger holesOne large circle, a smaller one inside it, and ten small circles in a ring between the two. Number them.
Studio microphone hung in a ringA ring on a short post, a round microphone held in its middle by four short lines, and a sign: ON AIR.
Switchboard with six crossing cordsA panel dotted with rows of small circles. Six cords rise from the desk as loose curves, each to its own hole.
Telephone booth with a door of small panesA tall box with a flat roof. Rule the door into a grid of panes and letter TELEPHONE across the top.
Tin can telephone on a tight stringTwo cylinders seen at an angle and one straight line pulled tight between them, knotted inside each can.
Tombstone radio, tall and narrowA tall narrow box: a square of speaker cloth in the top half, one round dial and three knobs in the bottom.
Bicycles and cars 16
Boneshaker bicycle with wooden wheelsTwo wheels with thick wooden spokes and a dark iron rim, joined by one stiff curved bar that carries the saddle.
Brass-era car with two round lampsA box on four thin spoked wheels with a flat roof on posts. Two circles in front are the brass lamps.
Bubble car with a glass domeAn egg lying on its side with small wheels tucked under. A curved window covers the whole top half.
Car horn with a rubber squeeze bulbA long thin cone that flares wide at one end. At the narrow end, draw a ball the size of a fist.
Child's tricycle with a bell on the handlebarOne wheel in front, two smaller ones behind, a curved frame between them and a tiny dome for the bell.
Delivery bicycle with a lettered board in its frameAn ordinary bicycle with a square basket in front and a board that fills the triangle of the frame.
Front of an old car: grille, round headlights, one bumperA tall rounded grille of upright lines, a circle each side of it, and one curved bar underneath.
Gas pump with a glass globe on topA tall box with rounded shoulders, a clock-like dial in the middle, a hose looped at the side, a ball on top.
Motor scooter with a round headlightTwo small wheels, a wide curved front shield, a flat floor for the feet and a long seat over the back wheel.
Motorcycle with a sidecarTwo wheels and a low body, then a bullet-shaped pod beside it riding on a single wheel of its own.
Open-top car with whitewall tiresA long low body with no roof and a slanted windshield. Leave a white ring inside each black tire.
Penny-farthing with one huge wheel and one tiny oneOne big circle, one small circle behind it, a curved bar joining them over the top, and a seat up high.
Safety bicycle with two wheels the same sizeTwo equal circles, a frame of two triangles between them, and a chain loop running to the back wheel.
Tandem bicycle with two seatsStretch the frame long, then give it a second seat, a second handlebar and a second pair of pedals.
Toy pedal car with a number on its sideA small open car body on four small wheels, a steering wheel poking up and one big number on the side.
Woodie wagon with wooden side panelsA long box with a rounded hood. Rule the sides into frames and fill each frame with plank lines.
Fashion plates 16
Bow tie and suspenders on a striped shirtA shirt front of thin stripes, two triangles tip to tip at the neck, and two straps running down to the belt.
Bowler hat on a hat standHalf a circle for the hard round crown, a narrow curled brim, then a thin post and a round foot.
Button boot with a low curved heelA sock shape with a pointed toe and a small heel. Run a line of round buttons up the outer side.
Cat eye glasses with upswept cornersTwo rounded lenses whose outer top corners lift into points. Add three dots at each corner.
Cloche hat pulled low over the eyesA bell shape that covers the forehead. Show only the nose, mouth and chin beneath its edge.
Dress with a bustle, drawn in profileTurn the figure sideways: the skirt falls flat in front and gathers into a shelf of folds at the back.
Fashion plate figure in a hoop skirtA small oval head and a narrow top, then a skirt drawn as one big bell that hides the feet.
Long gloves laid beside a clutch bagTwo long narrow hand shapes, crossed at the wrist. Beside them, an envelope shape with one round clasp.
Open parasol with a scalloped edgeA shallow dome split into curved panels, a wavy lower edge, and a thin straight handle ending in a hook.
Pair of saddle shoes, one tipped overA rounded lace-up shoe in white with one dark band across the middle. Draw the second lying on its side.
Pillbox hat with a small bowA short cylinder with a flat top and no brim. Show the top as a thin oval and pin one bow to the side.
Poodle skirt spread out wideA wide half circle hanging from a narrow waistband, with one curly poodle shape near the hem.
Stack of round hatboxes tied with ribbonThree short cylinders in falling sizes. Stripe one, dot one, and tie a bow on the lid of the top one.
Straight shift dress on a hangerOne long rectangle hanging from the shoulders with no waist. Add a single bow or a band at the hip.
Straw boater with a striped ribbonA flat oval brim, a low cylinder with a flat top, and a band around it with two stripes.
Three fashion plate figures, a different hat on eachThree tall simple figures with small heads. Keep the faces plain and alike: a plate shows clothes, not a person.
Labels and signs 16
Arrow sign edged with light bulbsA fat arrow outline with small circles all around its edge for bulbs and one word lettered inside.
Barber's pole in red, white and blueA tall cylinder with a ball at each end. Slant every stripe the same way so they seem to wind around it.
Bottle cap with a crimped edge and a starA circle with a zigzag rim, a smaller circle inside it and one five-pointed star in the middle.
Enamel street sign with a white borderA wide rectangle with rounded corners, a thin inner border, a dot in each corner and a street name in capitals.
Faded ghost sign on a brick wallDraw rows of bricks, then letter one word across them lightly, leaving gaps where the paint has worn off.
Fruit crate label with one big orangeA wide rectangle: one round fruit with two leaves on the left, a made-up farm name in block letters beside it.
Hanging shop sign shaped like a bootAn iron bracket drawn as an L with a curl in its corner. From two short chains hangs the outline of a boot.
Ink bottle label with a pen nib on itA small square with clipped corners, one nib shape in the middle and the color's name lettered below.
Luggage label for a hotel you inventA circle or a shield with one palm tree or mountain inside and the hotel's name curved around the edge.
Oval house number plaque with two screwsAn oval with a thin inner line, one large number in the middle and a small dot for a screw at each end.
Pointing hand sign that says THIS WAYA hand with a buttoned cuff and one finger pointing. Set it in a long rectangle beside two words in capitals.
Ribbon banner with one word on itA long strip that curves up in the middle. Fold each end back and cut a V into it. Letter along the curve.
Roll of ADMIT ONE tickets, two torn offA spiral for the roll and a strip of small rectangles running from it. Dotted lines mark each tear.
Round candy tin lid with a border of dotsA circle inside a circle, a ring of dots between the two, and a made-up name on a band across the middle.
Shop window with its name in an arch of gold lettersA big rectangle of glass. Arch the name across the top and underline it with one long flourish.
Starburst price card with a number insideA circle with twelve short points around it, like a flat sun. Letter a price in the middle, large.
How it works
A candlestick telephone is a post on a disc. A cathedral radio is a box with an arched top. That is why these make easy vintage drawings: 64 things from before 1970, each hint naming the shapes to start from.
Read the full guide
Which decades they come from
Hoop skirts came into fashion in the mid-1850s, and the penny-farthing was popular in the 1870s and 1880s. Brass-era cars were built from 1896 through 1915, and the candlestick telephone was usual from the late 1890s to the 1940s. The cloche hat had its best years from about 1922 to 1933. Poodle skirts are 1950s, and the first transistor radio went on sale in 1954.
Outline first, then one detail
Draw the outline as plain shapes: two circles and a bar for a bicycle, a bell for a hat, a wide rectangle for a sign. Then add the one detail that dates it, such as a dial, a brass lamp, a spoked wheel or a striped ribbon.
Letter a sign in capitals between two ruled pencil lines, then thicken only the upright strokes.
Questions and answers
What are easy vintage things to draw?
A rotary dial seen straight on is circles and nothing else. A straw boater with a striped ribbon is an oval and a low cylinder, and a barber's pole in red, white and blue is one cylinder with slanted stripes.
What counts as vintage on this list?
Anything made or worn before 1970, from hoop skirts to pocket transistor radios. The peace signs and painted vans of the 1960s have a list of their own: easy hippie drawing ideas.
What is a fashion plate?
An illustration that shows the fashionable clothes of its day. Most appeared in fashion magazines, chiefly in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and were traditionally colored by hand. Their figures are general ones, not real people.
How do you make a drawing look vintage?
Keep the outline even and the colors few and dull: two or three of dull red, cream, brown and bottle green. Rule a border around a label or a sign. Cream or tan paper does a good share of the work.