How to Draw Ellipses

Construct an ellipse by first drawing an axis.

Ellipses are an important part of geometry and can be used to calculate dimensions in everything from landscaping to art work. An ellipse is basically a perfect circle seen vertically or in perspective on a sheet of paper. That means when you draw an ellipse, you'll see what appears to be a perfect circle, no matter what angle you turn the piece of paper. Try these two drawing techniques to help you create a relatively perfect ellipse quickly without need of excessive mathematical calculations.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Ruler
• Compass
• Piece of string
• Two pins
• Pencil

Instructions

Starting a Gardener's Ellipse

1. Try this ellipse technique that was so named because it can be used to get dimensions for gardens to create elliptical flower beds. With a piece of paper and ruler, measure and draw a horizontal line that's the width of the ellipse you want. Draw a vertical line through the center of the horizontal line using the same procedures, so it creates an axis.

2. Look at the lines of your axis and see which line is the longest. It should be the horizontal line. The longest line is known as the major axis. The shortest line will be the minor axis.

3. Pick up your compass and place its left point on the center of the axis. Set the right point of the compass on the far right end of the horizontal axis line. After you do this, the compass will be stretched across the horizontal line's right half or semi-major axis.

4. Remove the compass where it is and place a compass point on the top point of the vertical line. With the pencil in the compass on the other point, draw a small arc through each end of the horizontal line. The arcs should look somewhat like a "C" on the left side of the horizontal line and backwards "C" on the right side. These are called the foci of the ellipse and where you'll soon anchor a string to help you draw the ellipse.

Drawing the Ellipse

1. Label the foci points on your horizontal axis line with an F1 and F2 in place of the arcs.

2. Find and cut a string to the length of the horizontal axis line. Place pins on each end of the string and place into the F1 and F2 points. Stretch the string across the horizontal line, so it's as taut as possible.

3. Take a pencil and place its point in the center of the string. Pull the string with the pencil tip, so the string stretches to the top of the axis. Hold the pencil in place and start drawing a large arc all the way around, so it connects to each of the farthest points of the vertical and horizontal lines.

4. Study the ellipse you just drew and see how perfect it looks to the eye.

Drawing an Ellipse to Learn Perspective

1. Take a piece of paper and draw a rectangle at a slight angle to show it going into perspective. Perspective means showing an object angled, so it's turned toward a point on the horizon. The height and width of the rectangle can be any length as long as it fits within the center section of the paper you're using.

2. Construct your angular vertical and horizontal line axes inside the square using a ruler. Draw the vertical line down the center of the rectangle and the same across for the horizontal line. Be sure the horizontal line is in the exact middle point of the paper's dimensions.

3. Use your pencil to draw an arc in the top left quadrant of the axis. Start at the top point of the vertical line and move the arc down, so it hits the far left point of the axis.

4. Turn the paper 90 degrees and draw an identical arc in the upper right quadrant. Turn again at 90 degrees and draw an arc in the lower right quadrant. Move the paper one last time 90 degrees and draw an arc in the lower left quadrant.

5. Look at the ellipse in the axis. It should look like an angled ellipse going into perspective. This can be a starting point in learning how ellipses work in art to draw wheels and other circular objects at different angles.

Tips & Warnings

• So much more is involved in constructing ellipses that use complicated mathematical procedures. Learn as much as you can about them and you'll not only become a better artist, but also be able to use ellipses to calculate dimensions for outdoor and even indoor projects.

References

• Math Open Reference: Draw an Ellipse Using String and Two Pins
• Mike Sibley Fine Art: Drawing Ellipses

Resources

• University of Wisconsin-Green Bay: Constructing Ellipses