Capital letters that fold in half: A, H, M, T, U and YDraw each one big. The fold line runs top to bottom and both halves are the same shape.
Castle front with a tower on each side of the gateLine through the gate. Every window, flag and notch on the left needs a twin on the right.
Crab seen from above, one claw on each sideLine down the shell. Four walking legs and one claw a side, each bent the same way.
Folded ink blot turned into a creatureFold the paper over a wet blot and open it. The fold is the mirror line; add eyes and legs in pairs.
Fox face matched across the nose lineLine down the nose. Ears, eyes and cheek fur pair up; the nose and mouth sit on the line.
Moth with a matched eyespot on each wingLine down the body. Each eyespot sits the same distance out and the same distance up.
Oak leaf with its lobes paired along the midribThe midrib is the line. Give every lobe a partner of the same size, straight across.
Orchid bloom with one mirror lineAn orchid flower matches left to right only. Line down the middle petal; pair the side petals.
Owl facing you with its wings foldedLine down the beak. Match the two eye rings first, then the wing edges and the feet.
Robot with matching arms and antennasLine through the chest panel. Count the bolts on one side and repeat the count on the other.
Rocket standing on its finsLine through the nose cone. Draw the left outline, then copy it on the right: fin, window, flame.
Stag beetle drawn one side first, then matchedLine down the back. Draw the left jaw and three legs, then repeat each one on the right.
Reflections 12
CHOICE and DECIDE written on a lakeCapitals B, C, D, E, H, I, K, O and X match top to bottom, so these words read the same in water.
Face meeting itself in a hand mirrorThe glass is the mirror line. Whatever is nearest the glass on the face is nearest it in the copy.
Heron and its upside-down doubleThe waterline cuts the legs. Flip the bird below it, then break the copy into short ripples.
Kitten looking down into a puddleThe puddle edge is the line. The copy looks back up, so the two noses point at each other.
Lighthouse on a calm bayWaterline under the rocks. The tower hangs straight down and its beam leaves at the same angle.
Mountain peak pointing down into a still lakeThe shoreline is the mirror line. Each peak points down as far below it as it stands above.
Row of beach huts above a tide poolThe pool edge is the line. Roof points turn into downward points, door for door, stripe for stripe.
Row of pines doubled in a pond at sunsetHorizon across the middle. Trees and sun repeat upside down; shade the lower half a little darker.
Row of street lamps doubled in a wet roadMirror line at the curb. Each lamp gets a streak of the same color straight below it.
Sailboat on water as flat as glassMirror line at the hull. The mast below is as long as the mast above, and the sail keeps its side.
Stone bridge whose arch and reflection close a circleDraw the half-circle arch on the waterline and the same half below it. Together they make a ring.
Swan gliding on top of its own reflectionThe line runs where body meets water. Neck above and neck below curve the same way.
Around a center 12
Bicycle wheel with evenly spaced spokesHub in the middle. Rule a cross, then halve each gap again until every spoke has the same gap.
Clock face with twelve matching marksCenter pin first. Mark 12, 6, 3 and 9, then two marks in every gap. Leave the hands off.
Daisy head with every petal spaced evenlyMark the center dot. Space the petals evenly around it so any two neighbors match.
Dandelion puff as a ball of equal stalksEvery stalk leaves the same center point and stops at the same distance, so the head stays round.
Ferris wheel seen face-onAxle at the center. The cars hang at equal steps around the rim, each a copy of the last.
Five-pointed seed star inside a sliced appleSliced across the middle, an apple shows five seed pockets ringing the core. Space them evenly.
Jellyfish from above in four equal partsSome jellyfish repeat their body four times around the center. Draw a quarter and turn it three times.
Kaleidoscope view from one wedge repeatedA kaleidoscope repeats one slice with mirrors. Draw a wedge of shapes and flip it around the circle.
Orange cut across into wedgesCenter where the wedges meet. Every wedge is the same pie slice, with the same seeds and rind.
Sea star with five matching armsFive arms around the center, equal in length and width. Mark five points on a circle first.
Spider web strung from one center pointSpokes run out from the center, then rings join them. Each ring crosses every spoke at one distance.
Umbrella top with eight matching panelsThe tip is the center. Eight ribs divide the circle and every panel has the same curve at the rim.
Turning 12
Hubcap with five curved slotsFive slots around the center, a fifth of a turn apart, all curving the same way.
The letters S, N and Z after a half turnDraw each one big and turn the page upside down: it reads the same. The center is mid-stroke.
Playing card of your own that reads either way upThe card's center is the turning point. Whatever fills the top half goes in the bottom, upside down.
Ring of four cats, each chasing the next tailDraw one cat along the top edge, turn the page a quarter and draw it again. Do that four times.
Ship's propeller with three bladesEach blade tilts the same way. It matches after a third of a turn but has no mirror line.
Spiral galaxy with two armsTwo arms leave the core on opposite sides and curl the same way. Half a turn puts one on the other.
Storm seen from space, arms curling from the eyeFour cloud arms bend the same way out of the eye, a quarter turn apart.
Three bent arrows chasing in a loopThree arrows around a triangle, a third of a turn apart, each pointing at the next one's tail.
Three running legs around one hubThree bent legs leave the center a third of a turn apart. Turn the page and it looks the same.
Two lizards head to tail around one pointCenter between them. After half a turn each lizard lands on the other, so draw them as twins.
Windmill sails that match after a quarter turnFour sails around the cap. Put the lattice on the same side of every arm so it turns but never mirrors.
The word swims lettered to read upside downHalf a turn sends w to m and m to w, and each s onto itself. Shape the letters until both ways read.
Break it on purpose 12
Alien face with one antenna bentMirror eyes, ears and antennas across the middle of the head, then kink one antenna.
Ceiling fan with one blade droopingFour blades around the hub, a quarter turn apart. Tilt one down; it stands out because the others match.
Four-leaf clover with one leaf too bigFour leaves around the stem, a quarter turn apart. Draw three the same and let the fourth outgrow them.
House front with one window litLine through the door. Windows pair up left and right; color one yellow and leave its twin dark.
Ladybug with one spot missingLine down the wing split. Pair every spot across it but one, and leave that place empty.
Pair of mittens, one with a holeThe pair mirror each other across the gap between them. Give one a hole and a loose thread.
Pizza with one slice pulled awayCut the circle into equal slices around the center, toppings matched, then slide one slice out.
Reflection in a pond that waves backMirror the figure across the waterline, then raise the copy's hand. Keep everything else matched.
Snowman with one stick arm and one broomMirror the snowman down its buttons, then swap one arm for a broom. One break is enough; two looks like a mistake.
Symmetrical face with one raised eyebrowMirror everything across the nose line, then lift one brow. Both eyes stay level.
Tile border with one tile turnedRepeat one tile along a strip so each mirrors the next, then turn a single tile upside down.
Two matching trees, one in leaf and one bareMirror trunks and branches across the middle of the page. Put leaves on one tree only.
How it works
A symmetry drawing starts with one decision: where the line or the center goes. These 60 are sorted by kind of symmetry, from a fox face matched across the nose line to a hubcap with five curved slots.
Read the full guide
A line, a waterline, a center dot or a turn
Mirror halves puts the line down the middle of a beetle or a rocket. Reflections lays it flat along a waterline, so the copy hangs upside down. Around a center starts from a dot, and one slice repeats like pieces of a pie. Turning holds 12 with no fold line at all, such as the letters S, N and Z and three running legs around one hub. Turn the page to check those.
Draw the line or the center dot first, in light pencil, and erase it last.
For a mirror drawing, finish one half. Then measure how far each point sits from the line and mark its twin.
Questions and answers
What is an easy symmetry drawing?
Start with the Mirror halves group. Fox face matched across the nose line and Rocket standing on its fins each need one center line and a few shapes drawn twice.
What kinds of symmetry can I draw?
Two main ones. Reflection symmetry, also called line or mirror symmetry, matches across a line. Rotational symmetry matches after part of a turn around a center. A daisy or a sea star, which repeats one part around its center, is called radially symmetric.
How do I draw rotational symmetry?
Mark the center and draw one part. Turn the page by the same amount each time and draw the part again: a third of a turn for a three-bladed propeller, a quarter for four windmill sails. Tracing paper pinned at the center helps.
Does a symmetry drawing have to match exactly?
No. Break it on purpose holds 12 that match everywhere but one place, such as Ladybug with one spot missing. The eye goes straight to the break, so choose it with care.