80 ideas

Geometric Drawing Ideas for a Compass and a Ruler

Three geometric designs per press, each with the construction that makes it work.

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Circles shrinking along a lineEach circle is half the width of the one before and touches it. They never quite reach the edge.
A spiral from quarter circles in growing squaresEach arc crosses one square corner to corner, and each square is bigger than the last.
Hexagon ringed by six hexagonsAll seven the same size, sharing sides. Draw a smaller hexagon in the centre of each.

Next step More designs inside a circle Patterns that repeat across a page

All 80 ideas

Compass designs 16

A chain of circles, each through the last one's centre Keep one radius and keep stepping along a ruled line. Shade every second lens.
A crescent from two circles Draw a circle, shift the point a little and draw a second the same size. Shade only the sliver left over.
A four-petal flower inside a square Draw a half circle inward from each side of the square, centred on that side. The overlaps are the petals.
A heart-shaped curve from chords of a circle Number 36 points round a circle. Join each point to the one with double its number. A cardioid appears.
A looped curve from a circle rolling in a circle Plot where a point on a small wheel would go as it rolls inside a big ring. Join the dots smoothly.
A rose curve with eight petals Mark eight even spokes on a circle and draw one loop out along each and back to the middle.
A spiral from quarter circles in growing squares Each arc crosses one square corner to corner, and each square is bigger than the last.
A trefoil from three overlapping circles Centre one circle on each corner of a small triangle. Outline only the outer edge of all three.
A tunnel of circles with drifting centres Ten circles, each smaller and each centred a few millimetres to the right of the last.
An S curve that splits a circle in two Two half circles of half the radius, one above the middle line and one below, facing opposite ways.
Borromean rings, three linked circles Three overlapping rings. Make each pass over one neighbour and under the other; no two are linked alone.
Circles packed between three touching circles Three circles that touch, then a smaller one in each gap, and smaller again. It is an Apollonian gasket.
Concentric rings broken into arcs Eight rings on one centre. Rub gaps in each ring at different places and thicken what is left.
Regular hexagon stepped round a circle Keep the radius. Walk the compass round the circle, which takes exactly six steps, and join the marks.
Reuleaux triangle on an equilateral triangle Set the compass to one side. From each corner, swing an arc between the other two corners.
Vesica piscis from two equal circles Put the compass point on the edge of the first circle and draw the second. Shade the lens they share.

Ruler and straight lines 16

A curve made only of straight lines Mark both arms of a right angle every centimetre. Join 1 to 10, 2 to 9, and on. The lines bend into a curve.
A diamond cut into facets A flat top, a pointed base, and straight lines joining the corners across the middle band.
A kite with both diagonals ruled in One long line and one short line crossing at a right angle, off centre. Join their four ends.
A ruled mountain range of triangles Overlapping triangles of different heights. Split each with a line from the peak and shade one side.
A square spiral of right-angle turns Rule one line, turn a corner, rule a slightly longer one. Keep the gap between the arms even.
A staircase of right angles climbing the page Equal steps across and up from corner to corner. Shade every riser and leave the treads white.
A star of pins and threads Two lines crossing at right angles, marked evenly. Join the marks across each quarter to make four curved points.
A zigzag folded like a paper screen Two zigzags one above the other, joined at every corner. Shade alternate panels.
Eight-pointed star from two squares Draw a square, then the same square turned an eighth of a turn on top of it.
Hexagram from two triangles One equilateral triangle pointing up and one pointing down on the same centre. Shade the six tips.
Nine-pointed star from three triangles Three equilateral triangles on one centre, each turned 40 degrees from the last.
Parallel lines that swerve round a circle Rule lines across the page, but lift over a lightly drawn circle as if it were a bump.
Seven-pointed star, drawn two ways Seven points on a circle. Join every second point for a blunt star, every third for a sharp one.
Sunburst of rays from one corner Every line starts at the same corner and ends on the far edges a finger-width apart.
Whirl of squares, each turned inside the last Inside a square, mark a point a little way along each side and join them. Repeat until it closes.
Whirl of triangles spiralling inward Mark a point a little way along each side of a triangle and join them. Repeat. The corners trace three curved arms.

Solids and twisted shapes 16

A ball made of stacked ellipses Draw a circle, then ellipses across it that get flatter toward the middle, like lines of latitude.
A cone beside its unrolled shape The cone is a triangle on an ellipse. Its surface flattens into a wedge of a circle.
A cylinder sliced at a slant Two upright sides, an ellipse at the base and a wider, tilted ellipse for the cut.
A ring doughnut ruled with hoops An ellipse with a smaller one inside. Wrap evenly spaced curved bands round the tube.
A stack of three solids, balanced A cube, a ball and a cone in a tower. Shade the same side of all three.
A step pyramid of five square slabs Each slab is a flat box smaller than the one below and centred on it. Keep every vertical edge upright.
Dodecahedron, twelve pentagons A pentagon in front with five more fanning round it. The back faces show as dotted lines.
Hexagonal prism, like an unsharpened pencil A hexagon at each end and six long edges between them. Only three long faces show.
Icosahedron, twenty triangles Start from a hexagon outline with a triangle in the middle, then join its corners to the outline.
Möbius strip with a half-twist A band whose ends join after a half-twist. Draw an arrow running along it to show it has one side.
Octahedron, eight triangles Two square-based pyramids joined base to base. Draw the middle square as a flattened diamond.
Square pyramid seen from above and from the side From above it is a square with both diagonals. From the side it is a triangle on a line.
Tetrahedron, four triangles One triangle facing you with a fourth corner behind. Dot the three hidden edges.
Trefoil knot from one rope Three loops and three crossings. Follow the rope round and swap over and under at each crossing.
Triangular prism, like a ridge tent A triangle at each end and three long edges between them. Dot the one edge you cannot see.
Twelve pentagons and twenty hexagons on a ball A truncated icosahedron: one pentagon in the centre and a hexagon on each of its sides.

Shapes inside shapes 16

A brick wall that shrinks to a point Rows of bricks between two lines that meet. Every row is a little shorter and narrower.
A circle, a square and a triangle nested The circle fits inside the square, the triangle inside the circle. Give each its own line weight.
A cross that grows a cross on every arm A plus sign, then a smaller plus at each of its four ends, then smaller again.
A square cut by both diagonals, then cut again Halve each of the four triangles from its right angle, then halve those. Shade in a pinwheel.
A square quartered, and one quarter quartered Keep dividing the top right square only. Shade the smallest one solid.
A target of rings cut into wedges Six rings on one centre and twelve spokes. Colour the cells like a chessboard bent into a circle.
A tree that forks in two, again and again A trunk splits into two branches two thirds as long. Split every tip the same way five times.
An octagon divided from its centre Eight triangles meeting in the middle. Split each again with a line from its outer side's midpoint.
Circles shrinking along a line Each circle is half the width of the one before and touches it. They never quite reach the edge.
Hexagon ringed by six hexagons All seven the same size, sharing sides. Draw a smaller hexagon in the centre of each.
Hexagons inside hexagons, midpoint to midpoint Join the midpoints of a hexagon to make a smaller one, turned. Then the midpoints of that. Go six deep.
Koch snowflake, two steps deep On each side of a triangle, replace the middle third with a smaller triangular bump. Repeat once.
Pentagon with its star, and the pentagon inside that Join the corners of a pentagon to make a star. The star's middle is a new pentagon. Repeat.
Sierpiński triangle, three steps deep Join the midpoints of a triangle and shade the middle one. Do the same in each corner triangle, twice.
Squares inside squares, corner to midpoint Join the midpoints of a square to make a diamond, then the midpoints of that. Go six deep.
Triangles shrinking into one corner Draw a right-angled triangle, then a smaller copy in its sharpest corner, and again.

Pictures built from shapes 16

A heart tiled with triangles Outline the heart lightly, fill it with a net of triangles, then rub the outline out.
Bird from a circle and three triangles Circle body, triangle tail, triangle wing, and a tiny triangle beak.
Butterfly from four triangles Two large triangles above and two smaller below, all meeting at a thin oval body.
Cat from two circles and two triangles A small circle on a large one. Triangle ears, and a long thin rectangle curled for the tail.
City skyline of rectangles Rectangles of different heights standing on one line. Rule the windows as a grid of small squares.
Deer head in straight facets Build the face from long thin triangles and kites. Antlers are ruled lines only.
Fish from a lens and a triangle Two arcs make the pointed oval body. Add a triangle tail and a circle for the eye.
Flower from a hexagon A circle in the middle and a petal on each of the six sides, each petal a half ellipse.
Frog from one wide ellipse and two circles The ellipse is the head, the circles sit on top as eyes, and one long curve makes the mouth.
House from a cube and a triangular prism Draw the cube at an angle, then a prism roof sitting on top. Add a rectangle door.
Mountain in flat facets A big triangle split by a crooked line from the peak. One side light, the other in three darker panels.
Owl from circles in a rounded square Two large circles for eyes, two small ones inside, and a diamond beak between them.
Rabbit from two ovals and two long ellipses A small oval head on a larger body. The ears are thin ellipses, one upright and one tipped back.
Rocket from a cylinder, a cone and three triangles Cone on top of the cylinder, a triangle fin each side and one seen edge-on in the middle.
Sailing boat from a flat hull and two triangles A long four-sided hull, wider at the top. One tall triangle sail and one short, on a ruled mast.
Whale from one long arc A half ellipse for the back, a flat belly line, and a tail of two leaf shapes.

How it works

These geometric drawing ideas are single designs, each built with a compass, a ruler and a pencil. Every hint gives the construction in a line or two, so the shapes come out true.

Read the full guide

Compass first, ruler second

Compass designs holds 16 that grow from one radius, such as Regular hexagon stepped round a circle: keep the radius, walk it round, and it takes exactly six steps. Ruler and straight lines has 16 more, including a curve made only of straight lines.

Solids, nesting and pictures

Solids and twisted shapes covers four of the five Platonic solids and a Möbius strip. Shapes inside shapes repeats one rule until the pencil gets too blunt. Pictures built from shapes turns circles and triangles into a frog, a whale or a city.

Draw construction lines so lightly you can barely see them, then go over the design itself.
A compass slips on a bare desk. Put three sheets of scrap paper under the drawing.

Questions and answers

What are some geometrical drawing ideas for beginners?

Vesica piscis from two equal circles, Eight-pointed star from two squares, and A curve made only of straight lines. Each takes one tool and one rule.

What do I need for geometric drawing?

A compass that holds its radius, a ruler, a sharp hard pencil such as a 2H for construction lines and a softer one or a fineliner for the final lines.

How is this different from the pattern ideas?

Pattern drawing ideas are repeats that fill a page. These are single designs with a beginning and an end: one star, one solid, one nested figure.

Notes

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