3 Ways To Draw A Hexagon - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Draw a Hexagon PDF download Download Article Explore this Article methods 1 Drawing a Perfect Hexagon Using a Compass 2 Drawing a Hexagon With a Round Object 3 Drawing a Rough Hexagon Using Only a Pencil Other Sections Expert Q&A VideoWATCH NOW Tips and Warnings Things You'll Need Related Articles References Article Summary Co-authored by Kelly Medford

Last Updated: February 19, 2026 Fact Checked

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This article was co-authored by Kelly Medford. Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,414,003 times.

Loosely-defined, a hexagon is any polygon with six sides, but a regular hexagon features six equal sides and six equal angles. Look at pictures of hexagons to get a better idea of what you're drawing. In a pinch, consider simply tracing an existing picture of a hexagon. Use a ruler and a protractor to draw a perfect hexagon. For a rougher hexagon, try using a round shape and a ruler to guide your hand. If precision is not paramount, then feel free to sketch out a simple hexagon using only a pencil and a creative mind.

Steps

Method 1 Method 1 of 3:

Drawing a Perfect Hexagon Using a Compass

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  1. Step 1 Draw a circle with a compass. 1 Draw a circle with a compass. Place a pencil in your compass. Widen the compass to an appropriate width for the radius of your circle. It can be just a few inches or centimeters wide. Next, place the point of the compass on the paper and sweep the compass around until you've created a circle.[1]
    • Sometimes it's easier to draw a half-circle in one direction, and then to come back and draw another half-circle in the other direction.
  2. Step 2 Move the compass point to the edge of the circle. 2 Move the compass point to the edge of the circle. Move it towards the top of the circle. Do not change the angle or settings of the compass. Advertisement
  3. Step 3 Make a small mark on the edge of the circle with the pencil. 3 Make a small mark on the edge of the circle with the pencil. Make it distinct, but not too dark -- you'll be erasing it later. Remember to maintain the angle you've set for the compass.[2]
  4. Step 4 Move the compass point to the mark you made. 4 Move the compass point to the mark you made. Place the point right on the mark.
  5. Step 5 Make another mark on the edge of the circle with a pencil. 5 Make another mark on the edge of the circle with a pencil. This should create a second mark a distance away from the first mark. If you’ve been moving clockwise or counterclockwise around the circle, continue to do so.[3]
  6. Step 6 Make the last four marks using the same method. 6 Make the last four marks using the same method. You should end up back at the mark where you originally started. If you don’t, it’s likely that the angle of your compass changed while you worked, possibly from squeezing it too firmly or letting it loosen a bit.
  7. Step 7 Connect the dots with a ruler. 7 Connect the dots with a ruler. The six places where your marks cross the edge of the circle are the six points of your hexagon. Use your ruler and a pencil to draw a straight line segment that connects the adjacent dots.[4]
  8. Step 8 Erase your guiding lines. 8 Erase your guiding lines. These include your original circle, the marks along the edges, and any other marks you made along the way. Once you've erased your guiding lines, your perfect hexagon should be complete.
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Method 2 Method 2 of 3:

Drawing a Hexagon With a Round Object

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  1. Step 1 Trace the round rim of a glass with a pencil. 1 Trace the round rim of a glass with a pencil. This will create a circle. It's important to use a pencil because you'll need to erase the marks you made later. You can also trace the rim of an upside-down mug, a jar or food container, or anything else with a round base.[5]
  2. Step 2 Draw a horizontal line through the center of your circle. 2 Draw a horizontal line through the center of your circle. You can use a ruler, book, or any straight edge to do this. If you do have a ruler, you can find the halfway mark by measuring the vertical length of the circle and splitting it in half.
  3. Step 3 Draw an X over the halved circle, splitting it up into 6 equal sections. 3 Draw an X over the halved circle, splitting it up into 6 equal sections. Since you already have a line running down the middle of the circle, the X will have to be taller than it is wide to keep the pieces even. Just think of this as slicing a pizza into 6 equal pieces.[6]
  4. Step 4 Turn each of the six sections into triangles. 4 Turn each of the six sections into triangles. To do this, simply use a ruler to draw a straight line under the curved part of each section, connecting it to the other two straight lines to form a triangle. Repeat this process six times. You can think of this as forming a "crust" around your pizza slices.[7]
  5. Step 5 Erase your guiding lines. 5 Erase your guiding lines. The guiding lines include the lines in your original circle, the three lines that separate the circle into six sections, and any other marks you made along the way.
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Method 3 Method 3 of 3:

Drawing a Rough Hexagon Using Only a Pencil

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  1. Step 1 Draw a horizontal line. 1 Draw a horizontal line. To draw a straight line without a ruler, just draw a starting and ending dot for the horizontal line. Then place your pencil on the starting dot and keep your eye on the ending dot as you draw a straight line toward it. This line can be just a few inches or centimeters long.
  2. Step 2 Draw two diagonal lines from the ends of the horizontal line. 2 Draw two diagonal lines from the ends of the horizontal line. The diagonal line on the left side should be opening up toward the left, and the diagonal line on the right side should be opening up toward the right. You can think of each of these lines forming a 120 degree angle with the horizontal line.
  3. Step 3 Draw two more diagonal lines moving inward from the bottom edges of the first two diagonal lines. 3 Draw two more diagonal lines moving inward from the bottom edges of the first two diagonal lines. They should create a mirror-image of the first two diagonal lines. The line on the bottom left should look like a reflection of the line on the top left, and the line on the bottom right should look like a reflection of the line on the top right. While the top lines were moving outward from the top horizontal line, the bottom lines should move inward from the bottom edges of the top lines, toward the space where the base will be.
  4. Step 4 Draw another horizontal line connecting the two bottom lines. 4 Draw another horizontal line connecting the two bottom lines. This will form the base of the hexagon. It should ideally be parallel to the top horizontal line. This will complete your hexagon.
    • To improve your artistic skills make drawing fun. Draw whatever makes you happy.[8]
    • Doodle, scribble, make shapes on scrap pieces of paper.[9]
    • Copy drawings and paintings that you like.[10]
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question What is an easy way to scale a drawing? Kelly Medford Kelly Medford Professional Artist Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art. Kelly Medford Kelly Medford Professional Artist Expert Answer You can buy a small wheel that shows ratios. Use it to scale up the drawing to the same proportions. 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 14 Helpful 9
  • Question Why is charcoal suitable for shading? Kelly Medford Kelly Medford Professional Artist Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art. Kelly Medford Kelly Medford Professional Artist Expert Answer Charcoal is great for shading. It is fast and easy to erase, correct, move around, and work with instead of a pencil. 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 5 Helpful 13
  • Question How can I figure how wide the sides of a hexagon should be if I know the diameter? Community Answer Community Answer If you know the diameter of a circle that touches the corners of the hexagon, this is easy. Halve the diameter to get the length of your hexagon's sides. The reason being, a regular hexagon can be divided into six equilateral triangles by drawing straight lines between opposite corners. These lines are the diameter of the circle that touches the corners of the hexagon, and also twice the length of a triangle side. If you mean you know the diameter of a circle that fits inside the hexagon, then this takes a little more math, but once again cut the number in half. That's the height of one of your equilateral triangles. Knowing that, you can once again calculate the length of the sides. 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 32 Helpful 66
See more answers Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement

Video

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Tips

  • For accurate measurements, it is wise to check the angle sizes of the hexagon. Thanks Helpful 15 Not Helpful 6
  • The point of the pencil on the pair of compasses needs to be kept sharp in order to minimize errors from marks that are too wide. Thanks Helpful 15 Not Helpful 7
  • If, while using the compass method, you connect every other mark, instead of all six marks, you will end up with an equilateral triangle. Thanks Helpful 14 Not Helpful 7
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

Warnings

  • A compass is a sharp instrument; please handle with care to prevent injury. Thanks Helpful 13 Not Helpful 3
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Why This Works

  • Either method works to create a perfect hexagon by forming 6 equilateral triangles with the radius as the length of all of the sides. The six radii drawn are all of the same length and the six chords drawn to create the hexagon are each the same length as the radius because the compass width was not changed. Because the six triangles are all equilateral, the angles between the vertices are each 60°.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • A pair of compasses (the kind used for drawing circles is technically referred to as a “pair of compasses” to distinguish it from a navigator's compass, which has a magnetic North/South, etc.) or a glass/mug
  • Something to put under the paper so that the compass point doesn't slip
  • Eraser
  • Protractor

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References

  1. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zvn7dp3
  2. ↑ https://www.mathopenref.com/constinhexagon.html
  3. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zvn7dp3
  4. ↑ https://www.mathopenref.com/constinhexagon.html
  5. ↑ https://youtu.be/50DF2ioy5gI?t=2
  6. ↑ https://youtu.be/50DF2ioy5gI?t=10
  7. ↑ https://youtu.be/50DF2ioy5gI?t=16
  8. ↑ Kelly Medford. Professional Artist. Expert Interview
  9. ↑ Kelly Medford. Professional Artist. Expert Interview
More References (1)
  1. ↑ Kelly Medford. Professional Artist. Expert Interview

About This Article

Kelly Medford Co-authored by: Kelly Medford Professional Artist This article was co-authored by Kelly Medford. Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art. This article has been viewed 1,414,003 times. 329 votes - 69% Co-authors: 84 Updated: February 19, 2026 Views: 1,414,003 Categories: Featured Articles | Drawing Shapes Article SummaryX

To draw a hexagon, start by tracing something round to make a circle. Then, use a ruler to draw a horizontal line through the center of the circle. Next, take the ruler and draw an "x" over the circle so it's divided into 6 equal parts. After you draw the "x," turn each section into a triangle by drawing a straight line between neighboring points along the circle. Finally, erase the circle, the "x," and the horizontal line you drew at the beginning and you'll be left with a hexagon! Keep reading the article if you want to learn how to use a compass to draw a hexagon! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Reader Success Stories

  • John Davis

    John Davis

    Jul 3, 2016

    "Method 1, Step 7, connecting the marks draws the hexagon loud and clear! So for any diameter circle, plot the..." more
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Did this article help you?

Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Kelly Medford Co-authored by: Kelly Medford Professional Artist 329 votes - 69% Click a star to vote Co-authors: 84 Updated: February 19, 2026 Views: 1,414,003 John Davis

John Davis

Jul 3, 2016

"Method 1, Step 7, connecting the marks draws the hexagon loud and clear! So for any diameter circle, plot the..." more Anonymous

Anonymous

Sep 24, 2024

"I had to create a physical product and was struggling to make a perfect hexagon because I wasn't very good at..." more Wayne Dan

Wayne Dan

Mar 28, 2016

"Step-by-step was so easy to follow. I would start with a horizontal line running through the center of my hex area..." more Janine Gibbs

Janine Gibbs

Mar 24, 2017

"Tried doing this shape freehand and was all uneven. Needed to make a hexagon larger that I can print, this is..." more Rated this article: Eileen Starr

Eileen Starr

Dec 3, 2016

"Couldn't find the size hexagon I wanted. Also couldn't remember for sure how to draft one. Now I do...." more Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories

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