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Categories
Hobbies and Crafts
Drawing
Drawing Shapes
How to Create a Perfect Circle Without Tracing Download Article Reviewed by Jeanine Hattas Wilson
Last Updated: March 10, 2025
Download Article
Compass
|
Pencil Tip
|
Square
|
Video
|
Q&A
|
Tips
|
Things You'll Need
|Show more|Show less X
This article was reviewed by Jeanine Hattas Wilson. Jeanine Hattas Wilson is a Professional Painter and the President of Hattas Public Murals, Inc. With nearly 20 years of experience, Jeanine specializes in creating, overseeing, designing, and painting murals. Jeanine holds a BA in Advertising from Marquette University and a Studio Painting Minor from The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. She has studied at The Atelier Artien in Paris, France, Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, and under renowned artists such as Robert Liberace, Michael Siegel, and William Cochran. To date, Hattas Public Murals has painted nearly 5,000 commissioned works of art in homes and commercial and public spaces. This article has been viewed 146,910 times.
Need to draw a perfect circle, but don't have anything to trace? You can create a circle with a compass or even just with a pencil and eraser.
Steps
Method 1 Method 1 of 3:
Compass
Download Article
1 Find a drafting compass. You can buy one at office supply or drafting supply stores.
2 Put your pencil in the open leg of the compass. Advertisement
3 Adjust the compass for the radius of your circle. For a bigger circle, spread the compass wider.
4 Set the stationary leg of the compass where you want the middle of the circle.
5 Keep the stationary leg stable as you move the pencil leg around in a circle.
Advertisement Method 2 Method 2 of 3:
Pencil Tip
Download Article
1 Choose a well-sharpened pencil.
2 Choose a piece of paper. Place the paper on a flat, clean surface. The easier the surface is to move the paper on, the better, such as a well-polished table. Also, be sure to have plenty of space to be able to move the paper on the work surface.
3 Place the pencil on the paper. Press down on the point where the exposed wood on the pencil meets the painted part.
4 Have the tip of the pencil touch the paper, so that the eraser end is sticking up.
5 Rotate the paper. While your index finger is holding the edge of the pencil described in Step 3, rotate the paper beneath the pencil with your free hand.
6 Continue the rotation until a full circle is formed.
7 Congratulations! You have now completed your circle.
Advertisement Method 3 Method 3 of 3:
Square
Download Article
1 Draw a square.
2 Divide the square equally into 4 smaller squares using a pencil and ruler.
3 Draw round lines in one smaller square. Start from one end of a bisecting line and take the half circle shape up to the next bisecting line, with the rounded edge sitting against the edge of the large outer square.
4 Repeat for each small square until one large circle has been created inside the large square.
5 Erase the square lines. Leave behind the circle.
Advertisement
Community Q&A
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Question How can I draw a small circle? CyanCoding Community Answer You can create a small circle with a compass by shortening the length between the point and the pencil. If you would like to draw the circle alone on paper, move the paper less when turning it. Similarly, with the square, you can make a smaller square to make a smaller circle. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 7 Helpful 17
Question What if the paper moves the wrong way when I'm rotating it? Community Answer Don't worry, mistakes help you improve! Just start over or erase your mistake. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 26 Helpful 38
Question I tried it and my pencil wouldn't move, why didn't it work? Community Answer You may be pushing down too hard. Make sure your pencil is fairly sharp too. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 6 Helpful 10
Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement
Video
Tips
Keep your hand steady! Thanks Helpful 17 Not Helpful 8
For a perfect circle, use a compass. Thanks Helpful 26 Not Helpful 27
Don't be disappointed if you end up with a slight spiral design, you just need to press down on the pencil harder. Thanks Helpful 23 Not Helpful 29
Show More Tips Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement
Things You'll Need
Paper
Pencil
Clean and flat work surface
Drafting compass (optional)
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About This Article
Reviewed by: Jeanine Hattas Wilson Professional Painter This article was reviewed by Jeanine Hattas Wilson. Jeanine Hattas Wilson is a Professional Painter and the President of Hattas Public Murals, Inc. With nearly 20 years of experience, Jeanine specializes in creating, overseeing, designing, and painting murals. Jeanine holds a BA in Advertising from Marquette University and a Studio Painting Minor from The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. She has studied at The Atelier Artien in Paris, France, Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, and under renowned artists such as Robert Liberace, Michael Siegel, and William Cochran. To date, Hattas Public Murals has painted nearly 5,000 commissioned works of art in homes and commercial and public spaces. This article has been viewed 146,910 times. 210 votes - 61% Co-authors: 25Updated: March 10, 2025 Views: 146,910 Categories: Drawing Shapes In other languagesSpanish
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Mar 1, 2017
"It helped me, and now I can finish my project."
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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Reviewed by: Jeanine Hattas Wilson Professional Painter 210 votes - 61% Click a star to vote Co-authors: 25Updated: March 10, 2025 Views: 146,910
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Mar 1, 2017
"It helped me, and now I can finish my project."
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Jul 27, 2016
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Download Article Reviewed by Jeanine Hattas Wilson 
Cutting Circles Out of Cardboard: Nifty Tips & Tricks 
How toDraw a Square 
Advertisement 
Reviewed by: Jeanine Hattas Wilson Professional Painter This article was reviewed by Jeanine Hattas Wilson. Jeanine Hattas Wilson is a Professional Painter and the President of Hattas Public Murals, Inc. With nearly 20 years of experience, Jeanine specializes in creating, overseeing, designing, and painting murals. Jeanine holds a BA in Advertising from Marquette University and a Studio Painting Minor from The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. She has studied at The Atelier Artien in Paris, France, Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, and under renowned artists such as Robert Liberace, Michael Siegel, and William Cochran. To date, Hattas Public Murals has painted nearly 5,000 commissioned works of art in homes and commercial and public spaces. This article has been viewed 146,910 times. 210 votes - 61% Co-authors: 25 Updated: March 10, 2025 Views: 146,910 Categories: Drawing Shapes In other languagesSpanish 
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641 
1 Find a drafting compass. You can buy one at office supply or drafting supply stores. 
2 Put your pencil in the open leg of the compass. Advertisement 
3 Adjust the compass for the radius of your circle. For a bigger circle, spread the compass wider. 
4 Set the stationary leg of the compass where you want the middle of the circle. 
5 Keep the stationary leg stable as you move the pencil leg around in a circle. Advertisement 
1 Choose a well-sharpened pencil. 
2 Choose a piece of paper. Place the paper on a flat, clean surface. The easier the surface is to move the paper on, the better, such as a well-polished table. Also, be sure to have plenty of space to be able to move the paper on the work surface. 
3 Place the pencil on the paper. Press down on the point where the exposed wood on the pencil meets the painted part. 
4 Have the tip of the pencil touch the paper, so that the eraser end is sticking up. 
5 Rotate the paper. While your index finger is holding the edge of the pencil described in Step 3, rotate the paper beneath the pencil with your free hand. 
6 Continue the rotation until a full circle is formed. 
7 Congratulations! You have now completed your circle. Advertisement 
1 Draw a square. 
2 Divide the square equally into 4 smaller squares using a pencil and ruler. 
3 Draw round lines in one smaller square. Start from one end of a bisecting line and take the half circle shape up to the next bisecting line, with the rounded edge sitting against the edge of the large outer square. 
4 Repeat for each small square until one large circle has been created inside the large square. 
5 Erase the square lines. Leave behind the circle. Advertisement 
CyanCoding Community Answer You can create a small circle with a compass by shortening the length between the point and the pencil. If you would like to draw the circle alone on paper, move the paper less when turning it. Similarly, with the square, you can make a smaller square to make a smaller circle. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 7 Helpful 17 
Community Answer Don't worry, mistakes help you improve! Just start over or erase your mistake. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 26 Helpful 38 
Community Answer You may be pushing down too hard. Make sure your pencil is fairly sharp too. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 6 Helpful 10 