Simple Circles

John Lovett provides tips on how to use circles in perspective

John Lovett

There are a couple of ways to draw a circle in perspective. In this example a square is drawn using a two-point perspective (blue lines), diagonals are drawn through the square (red lines). The crossing of these diagonals gives us the center of the square in perspective. Running lines back to our vanishing points, through this center point, will divide each side of the blue square in half (indicated by the four arrows). These halfway points can then be used to plot in the arcs of the circle. Notice how the halfway points appear closer to the far end of the blue lines due to the effect of perspective.

The same method can also be used for a square drawn with one-point perspective.

When I was a kid I loved to draw cars and my favorite part was the wheels. I’d draw around a coin and they always looked so good! Unfortunately, the more I drew the more I realized drawing around a coin had its limitations. One of the most useful drawing techniques I was taught was to draw a circle in perspective. We will go over that technique here, and then examine its application to our paintings.

Stage by Stage

This dome-capped building is made up of a series of different sized circles. To draw the building we can use a one-point perspective to construct the series of variously sized and spaced circles to create a framework. Working carefully will give us an accurate rendering of the building.