How to Draw Round Barns

A round barn's shape is similar to that of a silo.

Round barns appear on farms around the country. The circular barns may include silos for food storage at their centers. As you draw a round barn, it is important to use shading to help create the shape. Light will hit the closest portion of the barn and the sides will be farther away from you in the shadows. Draw the roof as a conical shape with shading and highlights.

Things You'll Need

• Round barn photo
• Drawing paper
• B art pencil
• Ruler
• Art eraser

Instructions

1. Draw two straight vertical lines for the sides of the barn using a soft B pencil lead. An HB lead is too hard for the soft shading technique. Refer to the photo of a round barn and draw a straight horizontal line across the paper where the center of the top of the barn will be.

2. Place a ruler on the paper. The ruler should touch the outer edge of the line on the right side of the barn and the outer edge of the right side of the horizontal line at the top of the roof. Draw a line along the side of the ruler to make the angled drop from the rooftop to the main barn wall. Use the ruler to make the roof line for the left side of the drawing.

3. Draw a line across the bottom of the roof line and the top of the main building to mark the edge of the bottom of the roof. Place the side of the pencil lead under the edge of the roof and move it gently back and forth creating a shadow beneath the roof edge.

4. Place the side of the pencil lead against the edge of one vertical wall of the barn. Rub the pencil up and down the side of the barn to create a dark shadowing effect.

5. Move the pencil outward using a lighter pressure for a lighter shadow as you get closer to the center of the front of the barn. Lift the pencil from the paper to leave the center area clear. Rub the lead down the side of the second wall to create the shadowing on the side of the barn drawing.

6. Shade the side of the roof where the sun is putting it in shadow, using the side of the pencil lead.

7. Use the ruler to sketch in the straight edges of any window or door shapes using the barn photo as a guideline. Add details with a sharpened pencil.

References

• VREUG: Round Barns
• Discover How to Draw: How to Draw 3D Shapes With Shading