How to Draw the Space Needle

Seattle's famed Space Needle makes for an interesting art project.

Since its creation in the 1960s, Seattle's famed Space Needle has become a popular tourist attraction. The 600 foot tall landmark towers over the greater Seattle area, bringing in millions of visitors every year. Housing a popular restaurant at its highest point, the Needle is a triumph of architecture. Like any object in the natural or manmade world, drawing the Space Needle is about paying attention to the details and basic geometric shapes to create a reasonable rendition of the subject matter.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Eraser
• Ruler
• Black ink (optional)

Instructions

1. Lay your ruler vertically on your paper and use the ruler's edge to draw a vertical line. Draw the length according to how large or small you wish your final art to be, since this line serves as the basis for the body of the Needle. Turn the ruler horizontally and draw a small horizontal line, about an inch or so in length, slightly below the tip of the vertical line to create the deck of the Needle.

2. Slide the ruler down about an inch or two from the bottom of the vertical line and draw a horizontal line, sized the same as the other horizontal line. Measure the distance between the two horizontal lines and draw a dot on the vertical line to serve as a reference point to draw the supports.

3. Draw the top and bottom supports by drawing lines from the dot that connect to outer left and right points of the horizontal lines, then erase the dot. Add lines to the interior of the support lines to flesh out the supports and to give them a more 3D look.

4. Add two horizontal lines to flesh out the top observation deck of the Needle: Draw one below and another above the original horizontal line. Draw the lines slightly smaller.

5. Beef up the very first vertical line you drew by adding an additional line next to it, thus creating the center tower support/elevator shaft of the Space Needle. Add in the smaller details, such as windows for the top observation deck. Finish the drawing by tracing the Needle with black ink to make the art stand out on the page.

References

• "Architectural Sketching & Rendering: Techniques for Designers & Artists"; Stephen A. Kliment; 1984