Download Article
Master the art of sketching a perfect circle by hand
Download Article
If you’ve ever tried to draw a perfect circle by hand, you’re probably well aware of how tricky it can be. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools and everyday objects you can use to make drawing a circle super easy. Check out the methods below as well as our tips for drawing a flawless freehand circle. Drawing circles will be a breeze once you find the method that works for you!
Things You Should Know
- Trace a circular object, such as a cup, candle, or roll of tape.
- Or, tie one end of a string around your pencil and hold the other end down on the paper with your finger. Pull the string taut and move the pencil around your finger to draw a circle.
- Alternatively, press the outside of your wrist that’s holding your pencil onto the paper. Lower the pencil as you spin the paper under your wrist to draw a large circle.
Steps
-
Place 2 pencils at each end of a paperclip. Place your paperclip down on a piece of paper where you want to draw your circle. Then, take 2 pencils and place their tips inside the paperclip on opposite ends. [1] X Research source- Or, use 1 pencil and another object like a short skewer, the tip of a pen, or even the tip of your finger. Just make sure the object is thin enough to fit inside the paperclip.
-
Move 1 pencil around to draw your circle. Determine which pencil will act as the anchor and which one will do the drawing. The anchor will be the center of your circle, and the other pencil will draw the outside of the circle. Press down firmly on the anchor to keep the paperclip steady as you move the other pencil around the center to draw your circle. [2] X Research source- If you used 2 pencils, there will likely be a small dot in the center of your circle when you’re done. Erase this if you don’t want it in your drawing.
Advertisement -
Separate the paperclip to draw a bigger circle. If you want to draw a larger circle, bend the paperclip so that it spreads out and forms an S shape. Place a pencil inside each of the rounded ends of the paperclip. Hold one pencil down as your anchor and move the other pencil to draw a circle around it. [3] X Research source
Advertisement
-
Place the wrist of your drawing hand on the paper. Hold your pencil in your drawing hand and place the outside of your wrist down on the paper. Position your wrist so that the bone at the base of your hand on the side of your pinky finger is pressing down on the paper. Your wrist will act as your anchor while you draw and will mark the center of your circle. [4] X Research source- Using your wrist as an anchor lets you draw a large circle.
- To draw a medium-sized circle, use the second knuckle of your pinky finger on your drawing hand as your anchor.
- To draw a small circle, press the tip of your middle finger on your drawing hand onto the paper.
-
Spin the paper underneath your hand. Use your free hand to spin the paper around on the table. Press down with your wrist, knuckle, or finger hard enough so that it doesn’t move from its spot, but not so hard that you can’t spin the paper. [5] X Research source
-
Lower your pencil onto the paper. Keep spinning the paper and slowly lower your pencil until the tip touches the paper. Hold your pencil with a firm grip and do your best not to move it as you draw your circle. Spin the paper around until you have a complete circle. [6] X Research source
Advertisement
-
Find something round that you can trace. Any round object will work. Use a glass with a round top or bottom, the bottom of a candle, a roll of tape, or a circular piece of paper. Choose an object that’s closest to the size you want to make your circle. Just make sure the rounded edge is smooth so that you can easily glide your pen or pencil around it. -
Place the round object on a piece of paper. Take the round part of the object and place it flat on the paper where you want to draw your circle. Use your hand that’s not doing the tracing to hold the object firmly in place so it doesn’t move when you’re tracing.
-
Trace around the edge of the object. Take a pen or pencil and follow along the round edge of the object until you’ve completed the circle. When you’re finished, take the object off the piece of paper and you’ll have a perfect circle.
- If there are any gaps in the circle after you remove the object, fill them in with your pen or pencil.
Advertisement
-
Tie a piece of string to the pointed end of a pencil. Or, tie a loop at one end of a piece of string and insert the tip of your pencil into it. The longer the piece of string you use, the bigger your circle will be. [7] X Research source
-
Hold the other end of the string down on a piece of paper. Use your fingers to press down on the end of the string not attached to your pencil. Wherever you press your finger down on the paper is where the center of the circle will be. -
Pull the string taut and move the pencil around the center. Hold the end of the string down firmly as you draw a circle with the pencil. Keep the string pulled taut as you draw your circle to end up with a perfectly round circle.
Advertisement
-
Place your paper on top of a piece of cardboard. Any kind of cardboard will work, as long as it’s thick and a pin can push through it. This is meant to protect your table or whatever surface you’re drawing on from getting any holes in it. [8] X Research source- Keep in mind that the pin will leave a hole in your paper when you’re done drawing. If you don’t want to punch a hole in your drawing, use a different method.
-
Push a pin through the paper and the cardboard. Position the pin so it’s in the spot where you want the center of the circle to be. Press the pin in deep enough so that it doesn’t wiggle around. If it moves while you’re drawing, you’ll likely end up with a squiggly circle. [9] X Research source -
Put a rubber band around the pin. Place the rubber band so that it’s around the needle of the pin, not the plastic top. The larger the rubber band, the bigger your circle will be. If you want to draw a small circle, use a small rubber band or wrap the rubber band around the pin multiple times until it’s your desired length. [10] X Research source
- If you don’t have a rubber band, tie a loop into a piece of string and place it around the needle of the pin.
-
Place the tip of a pencil at the other end of the rubber band. Position the rubber band so that it’s just above the lead of the pencil. If you place it too high, you might accidentally pull the pin out of the paper as you’re drawing. [11] X Research source- If you’re using a string, tie another loop into the other end of the string. Then, place your pencil in the loop so that the string sits just above the lead of the pencil.
-
Pull the rubber band taut and draw a circle with the pencil. Pull the pencil away from the pin until the rubber band is taut. Maintain the same distance as you move the pencil around the center to draw your circle. [12] X Research source
- Don’t pull too hard on the rubber band since this might cause the pin to come out of the paper.
- If you’re using a string, pull on the string until it’s taut, and then draw your circle.
Advertisement
-
Lay a protractor flat on a piece of paper. Position the protractor on the paper where you want to draw your circle. The flat edge of the protractor is where the center of your circle will be. -
Trace the curved edge of the protractor. This will be the first half of your circle. Don’t trace the flat edge of the protractor unless you want a line running through the center of your circle. Press down on the protractor using the hand that’s not doing the tracing to make sure it stays in place.
- If your protractor has a semi-circle cutout in the middle, trace this to make a smaller circle.
-
Rotate the protractor and trace the other half of the circle. Line the straight edge of the protractor up with the ends of the curved line you drew on your paper. Then, trace the curved edge of the protractor once again to close your circle.
- If you used the smaller semi-circle cutout to draw the first half of your circle, line up the straight edge of the cutout instead of the long straight edge on the outside of the protractor with the ends of your first curved line.
Advertisement
-
Insert the pencil into your drawing compass . Insert the pencil in the slot at the end of the compass and tighten it into place so it’s secure. Make sure that the lead of the pencil is evenly in line with the compass’s needle. [13] X Research source- If you don’t have a compass, make your own with pencils and rubberbands.
- Take two pencils and place them side by side. Then, tie them together with a rubber band just below the end where the erasers are. [14] X Research source
- Spread the 2 pencils apart so that they form a V shape.
- Then, place a third pencil (or another straight object, such as a popsicle stick) across the 2 pencils just above their tips. The 3 pencils should look like the letter A.
- Finally, tie 2 more rubber bands around the spots where the 3 pencils intersect. Now you have your own hand-made compass!
-
Adjust the compass arms depending on how big you want your circle to be. If you want a big circle, pull the arms of the compass away from each other so the angle between them is bigger. If you want a small circle, push the arms closer together. [15] X Research source
- If you made your own compass out of pencils and rubber bands, move the 2 pencils that form a V shape further apart or closer together before laying the third pencil across them.
-
Place the compass where you want your circle to be. The end of the compass with the pencil attached to it will be where the outside of your circle is. The other end of the compass (the needle) will be the center of the circle. [16] X Research source- If you’re using a hand-made compass made of 2 pencils, choose which end will act as the needle and which end will be doing the drawing.
-
Rotate the compass to draw a circle. Keeping both ends of the compass on the piece of paper, rotate the compass so the end with the pencil spins around and draws a circle. Be sure to press down with a bit of pressure on the needle so that it doesn’t slip or move around. [17] X Research source
- If you used 2 pencils to make a compass, go in and erase the dot left in the center of your circle when you’re done drawing.
Advertisement
-
Hold your pencil above the paper and move it in a circular motion. Hold your pencil in your drawing hand and let it hover above your paper. Then, slowly move your shoulder in a circular motion without letting the pencil touch the paper. Keep your wrist locked in place to prevent the pencil from moving within your grip. [18] X Research source
-
Lower your pencil onto the paper and make several light circles. Keep moving your arm and shoulder in a circular motion as you slowly lower the tip of your pencil onto the paper. Draw several overlapping circles on the paper with very minimal pressure so that they show up as light sketches. Don’t worry if they’re not perfectly round yet. [19] X Research source
-
Use the light lines as a guide to draw a darker circle. Stop moving your arm in circular motions and go in with your pencil to trace a darker circle. Put a bit more pressure on the tip of your pencil to make your lines darker. Use the lighter sketches as a guide and trace along the curves to make a more perfect circle. [20] X Research source- If you want, erase the lighter circles to make the darker circle look cleaner when you’re done.
Advertisement
Community Q&A
Search
-
QuestionIs it possible to draw a perfect circle?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerIt’s hard to do it freehand, but you can make a perfect or almost perfect circle pretty easily by tracing a circular object or using a compass.
-
QuestionHow do you draw a big circle?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerYou can set a compass at a wide setting or trace a large circular object, such as a dinner plate or the bottom of a flat frying pan.
-
QuestionWhat are the parts of a circle?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerThe distance around the outside of a circle is called the circumference, while the distance across is called the diameter. If you measure from the center of the circle to a point on the outer edge, that’s the radius. Other parts include a sector (a wedge or slice of the circle that goes from the center to 2 points on the outer edge), an arc (part of the outer edge of the circle), and a chord (a line drawn through any 2 points on the circle—the diameter is a kind of chord).
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Video
Tips
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMGn-N4_jBo
- ↑ https://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/mathematics-statistics/geometry/content-section-2.4
- ↑ https://www.wtamu.edu/academic/anns/mps/math/mathlab/col_algebra/col_alg_tut29_circles.htm
- ↑ https://salovey.yale.edu/writings-and-speeches/speeches/drawing-larger-circle
- ↑ https://somerset.edu.pe.ca/sites/somerset.edu.pe.ca/files/chapter_8_circles.pdf
- ↑ https://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/mathematics-statistics/geometry/content-section-2.4
- ↑ https://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/mathematics-statistics/geometry/content-section-2.4
- ↑ https://www.andrews.edu/~calkins/math/webtexts/geom14.htm
- ↑ https://www.rose-hulman.edu/~bryan/claylessons/straightedgecompass2.pdf
- ↑ https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/circle.html#:~:text=You%20Can%20Draw%20It%20Yourself,stretched%20and%20draw%20the%20circle
- ↑ https://www.khanacademy.org/math/cc-seventh-grade-math/cc-7th-geometry/cc-7th-area-circumference/v/parts-of-a-circle
- ↑ https://dcmp.org/media/14914-drawing-spheres-part-1
- ↑ https://www.mathsteacher.com.au/year8/ch10_geomcons/03_circles/comp.htm
- ↑ https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/how-to-draw-a-circle-without-a-compass
- ↑ https://www.rcboe.org/cms/lib/GA01903614/Centricity/Domain/2859/Lesson%20Constructions%20Unit%202.pdf
- ↑ https://www.snow.edu/academics/science_math/math/resources/Cindy_Alder/pdf_lecture_notes/chapter11/11.2%20Circles%20and%20Ellipses%20Conic%20Sections.pdf
- ↑ https://www.mathcentre.ac.uk/resources/uploaded/mc-ty-circles-2009-1.pdf
- ↑ https://www.cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/health/ephti/library/lecture_notes/env_health_science_students/engineeringdrawing.pdf
- ↑ https://www.isbe.net/CTEDocuments/TEE-L600175.pdf
- ↑ https://www.exploratorium.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/Drawing_circles.pdf
About This Article
Article Summary
X
To draw a circle, take a compass with a pencil attached and place the ends on a piece of paper. Then, keeping the end without the pencil stationery, rotate the compass 360 degrees so the pencil draws a perfect circle. If you don’t have a compass, you can draw a circle using a piece of string instead. First, tie one end of the string to the tip of a pencil. Next, hold the other end of the string down on a piece of paper where you want the center of the circle to be. Then, just pull the pencil so the string is taut and draw a circle around the end of the string. If you want to learn how to draw a circle using a protractor or a pin, keep reading the article!
Did this summary help you?
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 902,055 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "First of all, thank you so much for a simple way of drawing circles, and I really like your instructions, they are so easy to follow." ..." more
Advertisement
"First of all, thank you so much for a simple way of drawing circles, and I really like your instructions, they are so easy to follow."
..."
more
