How to draw an ellipse freehand

An ellipse is a circle seen at an angle, and it is everywhere in drawing: cups, wheels, bottles, eyes, the ends of every cylinder. It is also the shape beginners find hardest to draw evenly.

The two things that make an ellipse look right

• Both ends are round, never pointed. An ellipse is smooth all the way round. Pointed ends (a lemon or an eye shape) are the most common mistake.
• It is symmetrical about its axes. The long axis (major) and the short one (minor) cross at the centre at right angles. In a cylinder, the minor axis runs along the cylinder's centre line.

Degree: how open the ellipse is

A circle seen face on is a 90° ellipse; tilt it away and it narrows, until edge-on it is a straight line (0°). The further an ellipse is from your eye level, the more open it gets: the rim of a glass at eye level is almost flat, the base is wider.

How to draw one

1. Ghost the shape a few times above the page, at its angle.
2. Lower the pen while moving and draw in one even sweep from the shoulder.
3. Many teachers suggest going round two or three times on paper to find the shape; for training, aim for one clean lap.

Practise at every angle

Ellipses tilted at odd angles are harder than flat ones, so the daily set rotates them. Watch the Even score (shape) separately from On target (size and angle): most people fix shape first.

Practise with a score every day →

Questions

Why do my ellipses come out pointed?

You are slowing down and changing direction at the ends. Keep the speed constant through the ends and think of them as the roundest part.

How do I get the angle right?

Ghost along the guide until your arm moves at its angle before drawing. Rotating the paper so the long axis lies in your comfortable direction also helps.

What is the minor axis?

The short axis of the ellipse. In a cylinder or a wheel it lines up with the axle or centre line, which is how you check an ellipse is tilted correctly.