Q&A for How to Draw a Hexagon

You can buy a small wheel that shows ratios. Use it to scale up the drawing to the same proportions.

Charcoal is great for shading. It is fast and easy to erase, correct, move around, and work with instead of a pencil.

If you know the diameter of a circle that touches the corners of the hexagon, this is easy. Halve the diameter to get the length of your hexagon's sides. The reason being, a regular hexagon can be divided into six equilateral triangles by drawing straight lines between opposite corners. These lines are the diameter of the circle that touches the corners of the hexagon, and also twice the length of a triangle side. If you mean you know the diameter of a circle that fits inside the hexagon, then this takes a little more math, but once again cut the number in half. That's the height of one of your equilateral triangles. Knowing that, you can once again calculate the length of the sides.

Using a compass, just set the compass to any random setting and start marking points. Placing the last point is a little rougher -- just draw circles around the two end points and put the final point at one of the two intersections of the circles.

Yes, because a regular hexagon can be made using six equilateral triangles, so the radii of the hexagon will be equal to the side lengths.

The radius of a circle is the distance from its center to its edge.

Use the instructions to draw a perfect hexagon, then erase the bottom three lines. Connect the left and right lines with a straight line. The trapezoid is complete.

You need the inscribed hexagon for the vertices as references. From the center, use a straightedge to draw a notch at each vertex radially outward, or perpendicular to the surface of the circle. Use a perfect corner to draw a transverse line left and right of the vertex notch, extending past the projection of the bisecting normal of each inscribed hexagon side wall. Repeat for all six and you have a circumscribed hexagon that is the exact orthogonal to the inscribed.

Use a compass to draw a circle, draw 10 points evenly spaced around the circle, and then connect them with straight lines.

The side length is the radius of the circle. Set your compass to the side length and from the center of the hexagon draw your circle. The circle will inscribe the hexagon. The center of the hexagon can be found by drawing lines from each point of the hexagon to the point opposite. They will all intersect at the center.

A hexagon has six lines of symmetry. Having just two of them, you can easily construct a triangle and then just repeat it. Consult Draw a Regular Hexagon with Only a Ruler for additional guidance.

Height corner to corner = 2 x side length. Height side to side = 2 x side length * sin(60 deg) (~ .866).

A six-inch hexagon likely means each side is six inches long. If it is a different measurement, the pattern will probably say what it is measure somewhere. Take a close look at the pattern and its finished size, if you aren't sure.