25 Days to Better Drawings: Drawing Ellipses
Lesson Description
Lesson Three of the 25 Days to Better Drawings Course focuses on one of the most essential but often misunderstood forms in drawing: the ellipse. Whether drawing a simple mug, a vase, a bowl, or even parts of the human body, ellipses appear everywhere. This lesson introduces students to the correct construction of circles and ellipses and explores how perspective and viewing angle affect their appearance. Beginning with the simple circle, students gradually build their understanding until they can confidently draw the elliptical opening of a coffee mug from multiple viewpoints.
Understanding the Circle as a Foundation
The lesson begins with the most basic geometric form: the circle. Matt explains that mastering the circle is crucial, because every ellipse starts as a circle viewed in perspective. Students practice drawing circles freehand, concentrating on smooth, confident motion rather than stiffness or repeated sketchy lines.
Matt stresses the importance of arm movement, recommending that students draw circles from the shoulder rather than the wrist. This encourages fluidity and helps avoid the uneven edges that come from small, tight hand motions. Students are also encouraged to draw circles of different sizes, reinforcing comfort and control.
Through repeated practice, students begin to recognize the common pitfalls of drawing circles—flat edges, angular corners, or irregular bulges—and develop strategies to correct them. Once students feel comfortable creating consistent, well-proportioned circles, they are ready to move on to elliptical forms.
Introducing the Ellipse
With the foundation of the circle established, Matt shifts the focus to ellipses. He explains that an ellipse is simply a circle seen in perspective: when a circular opening is viewed at an angle, its shape visually compresses into an elongated oval. This shape varies depending on how steep or shallow the angle is.
To help students understand this transformation, Matt breaks down the ellipse into its primary components: the major axis, the minor axis, and the symmetrical curves that form the shape. Students learn that the minor axis always aligns with the direction of the viewer’s gaze, and the ellipse must remain symmetrical on both sides of this axis.
This clarity helps demystify a shape that many beginners find challenging, turning it into something logical and easy to construct.
Practicing Basic Ellipses
Students begin practicing by transforming circles into ellipses of varying degrees. A circle drawn head-on becomes a wide-open ellipse; as the viewpoint lowers or raises, the ellipse becomes narrower. Matt demonstrates how to create ellipses that feel balanced, smooth, and precise, reminding students to pay attention to the “common mistakes”—such as flattening the sides or creating two mismatched halves.
Repetition is key at this stage. Students fill a page with ellipses at different angles and widths, training the hand and the eye to work together. This exercise not only strengthens understanding but builds the confidence needed for drawing everyday cylindrical objects.
Drawing the Opening of a Coffee Mug
Next, the lesson introduces a practical application: drawing the elliptical opening of a coffee mug. Matt explains that a mug is essentially a cylinder, and the top opening provides a perfect example of how ellipses function in real-world drawing.
Students begin by identifying the viewing angle of the mug. If the mug is viewed from above, the ellipse appears wide. As the mug tilts, is placed lower, or is viewed more from the side, the ellipse becomes progressively narrower. Matt demonstrates each scenario carefully, showing how the ellipse changes shape while remaining symmetrical and structurally consistent.
Students draw several versions of the mug opening from different perspectives. They focus on keeping the sides gently curved, avoiding flat or pointed areas, and maintaining smooth transitions around the entire ellipse. This exercise allows students to see how ellipses help establish perspective, form, and dimensionality.
Refining the Ellipse within a Complete Drawing
Once students successfully draw the mug opening, they expand the drawing to include the rest of the mug. Matt explains how the ellipse informs the structure of the cylindrical form beneath it, helping place the handle, determine the body’s contour, and establish the sense of volume.
Students see how mastering ellipses unlocks the ability to draw countless real-life objects accurately—buckets, bottles, lamps, glasses, cans, and more. The mug exercise becomes a gateway to confident, dimensional drawing.
Building a Foundation for Future Lessons
By the end of Lesson Three, students gain a solid understanding of how to construct circles and ellipses and apply them to everyday objects. The exercises help demystify a challenging form and build essential skills that will reappear throughout the course. With practice, the confidence students develop here will enhance their ability to draw objects with structural integrity and convincing perspective.
Lesson Materials
Graphite drawing pencil and white drawing paper.
Lesson Resources
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Founder of The Virtual Instructor, artist and teacher. Matt makes learning art easy to understand and enjoyable.
Is the photo reference supposed to be the mugs? I get another copy of the hammer from Lesson 2.
Thanks.
Hi David,
Thanks for letting me know. I’ve fixed the link.
Fabulous!!! I finally drew a cup with the right bottom!!
Thanks, Matt.
Hi Matt. I get 5 minutes into the video and it stops. This is the second time I’ve tried and it stops in exactly the same spot.
Kind regards
Tracey
Hi Tracey, The video is playing normally. You may be experiencing buffering. You could try scrolling over the video and clicking on the gear icon. Change the resolution to a lower quality and see if the video plays without stopping for you.
I’ve used all different resolutions and refreshed the page. I am still getting stuck on the first mug ellipse – is there anything else I should try? Thank you in advance for the assist.
Hi
Thanks Matt, will give that a go
which brand pencils are best for sketching?
excellent tutorials sir.m feeling absoluely lucky to find u online.thnx a lot!
new member and loving it!
i struggle with my perspective with the mugs…can get the circle/ellipses but struggle with the bottom of the mug especially the first one…can’t get it to look as if you’re looking from the top?
Leandri, I’m new and lovin’ it too. But also struggling with the bottoms.. on all the mugs. In true perspective they really aren’t the same ellipse curve as the tops. For Matt’s practical purposes in the lesson they’re the same, but my high school drafting instructor would grade me off for drawing them the same. That fact is most obvious when drawing the mug straight on. The top is mostly level (eye level), but you’re looking down at an ellipse on the bottom. You might have better luck if you also drew an ellipse for the bottoms of your cups. (^o^) (Whisper in class… I find it interesting to see that Matt apparently uses a knife to sharpen his pencils… What’s up with THAT?) LOL
Hi Elmer,
You are very right. The ellipse at the bottom is going to be slightly different from the one at the top, but this can complicate things. As for sharpening with a knife, you can get a sharper and longer point, plus I like to live a little on the dangerous side of life. 🙂
First thing they ticked me off for in art school …….. my sharpener. 😉
Doing your course as revision , loving your work Matt!
Hi Matt,
I haven’t worked out how to download your attachments so i’m Using my own objects based on the daily theme. Also find it easier to draw from real life. Is this okay?
Loved lessons 3! After slacking off for so long already seeing improvements. Thanks for the course it’s given me the motivation I needed to start again 🙂
Hello again Matt. After my comment on 23rd April, I am still experiencing issues with this video. My son, IT literate, has informed me that this is not buffering because of an internet connection issue. His recommendation is that it could be a video player problem. I hope this issue can be resolved. Is it possible to download your videos? I have a copy of the pdf file but my reason for joining your drawing class was the benefit of being able to not only watch you draw but to draw along with you. Thank you for your time.
Hi Vivienne,
The video is playing normally and I cannot recreate the issue that you’re having. The video player is the same player used for every single video on the site. It is not an issue with the video player. If you are outside of the trial period, you can download the video by clicking on the Download Page link in the gray information box above.
I spent an hour drawing circles and ellipes ended up making doodles with them to try getting better circles
Hi Matt,
Great lesson! Can’t believe the improvement I made between the first and the last mug I drew. Keep up the good works!
Hi Matt, have been enjoying your free content and as your summer sale coincided with my birthday two of my lovely children upgraded me, thank you all. Looking forward to continuing this course. I find that making the initial marks from my shoulder is a big improvement but when I try to reinforce the lines with this method it gets very messy and I revert to wrist. Is this a question of practice? As someone who always thought you had to be talented to draw I am so grateful for your enthusiasm and commitment to changing mindsets.
Great instruction and encouragement
Thanks Brenda!
These lessons are so refreshing. I never took many art classes in high school because I was embarrassed by how much better everyone was–and I was always frustrated by the instruction. I honestly feel so empowered going through these lessons–these are the little details that are hard to get from your everyday draw-like-me instruction manuals. I never would have thought to draw from the elbow instead of the wrist! Thanks for this 🙂
Ha, wrote elbow and meant shoulder! Still, I’m simply staggered by the fact that I just assumed everything done with a pencil comes from the wrist!
These lessons are awesome! Everything is organised and fully explained, I’m absolutely stunned for how good they are.
I have one question though, is it part of the exercises to not use an eraser? Because you haven’t mentioned anything.
Thank you very much!
that noisy, creaking chair of yours reminds me of my creaking chair in my studio!
You don’t mention it, but can we use an eraser in these drawings.
Yes if you want to.
anybody notice the way he says drawing
its NOT DRWAUWWWING. LOL
Hi Bethany,
I’m not sure how I’m mispronouncing the word. I’m sure you do realize that everyone speaks a little differently around the world. Just like we are unique as artists, we are also different in many other ways as well.
I think she might mean that you say the ‘w’, instead of it being silent.
More usually it is pronounced ‘dror-ring’, in different accents, of course.
No one way is correct or mispronounced. But I have to admit, I find it distracting too lol
Seriously?
I actually enjoy the way Matt says “drawing”. He adds a little southern drawl to the ” w” sound. Kinda cool, actually!
This was officially the best time I have ever had drawing ellipses. Your lesson provided me with key points I have been missing, Thank you!
I do have difficulty drawing from the shoulder. Might it be easier to use a sloping board?
Dear Matt,
Love the way you explain and reassure that we all have the potential to learn and we all have what it takes.
Been to classes on and off over the years this is by far the best I already see so much improvement in my work and I just started a few days ago.
Thank you Matt.
Heather
Did OK with this exercise. Must have had plenty of practice in the past!
Another great lesson , lots of fun
I did okay, I need to loosen up my shoulder. I get stiff thinking about it, and begin drawing with my wrist. I’m going to practice this for a while. Thank you!
For the darker, detailed work, do you lean your hand on the paper? Or is it all out of the shoulder?
Hi Brand,
Yes, when the detail work begins, the palm of my hand finds the paper and rests there. It’s only really early on, during the sketching process, that I draw with the entire arm.
hello. when you’re drawing loosely with your shoulder, is the side of your hand touching the surface? Thanks!
sorry. you might delete the previous comment. I saw your earlier response.
Got to work on loosening up my shoulder more. I’m so used to just using the wrist and elbow. Excellent lesson.
very helpful indeed, Thanks!
Hi, I just have joined this community two days ago and started from this course. I’m so excited to make a strong art foundation benefitting by this treasure.
Hello Mat
I am new and a beginner, i keep on redrawing each cup till i think it is acceptable, there is a line in the picture that you are not drawing, i find it easier, first drawing the line then the cups, hope that is ok? Sorry i forgot to mention how much i am enjoying your course.
Hi Christiane,
Of course this is OK. We are all different as artists. You should do what works for you.
Something not mentioned but I think important: It can be really important to measure before you draw. I tried drawing a pair of binoculars recently. So there are two ovals, one for each eyepiece. If you want the drawing to look realistic, they need to be very close to being *exactly* as tall and wide as each other. The drawing failed badly at this, so I drew and re-drew many times just those ovals, and using a ruler and pencil to draw faint lines and dots showing height and width made a big difference.
Drawing the circles and ellipses was ok but drawing from the shoulder was is very awkward. I had difficulty with the mug in the first perspective.
Great tutorial I am really enjoying everything about this ! Thank you so much Matt
Loved the drawing from the shoulder idea . . . and the changing perspectives of the coffee cup. Great practice activity!!!
Hi Matt,
I noticed you don’t turn your paper. I’m finding it very difficult to draw without turning the paper. I also draw with the paper to one side, not straight in front of me. Is this a bad technique that might skew my drawings?
Hi Pandora,
I try not to turn my paper because I making videos for people to learn by. It’s easier for folks to see what I’m doing if my paper stays in place. This makes it harder for me sometimes but you are free to draw in any position that you feel comfortable. By all means, turn your paper if it helps.
Hi Matt,
I’m really excited about these courses. I oil painted years ago and only had minimal art classes that got interrupted by life. You have so many media to choose from that I want to do them all. But I felt starting with drawing would help me doing original work easier. Thank you so much.
Loving your classes. I am retired and this is so enjoyable. I practice each lesson several times and have found that it helps me get a little better. Recent right shoulder replacement so using my shoulder is good exercise for me but a littler harder than it used to be. Thank you for your great classes.
Whose is that skull?
Thankfully, I read an article about my personality assessment. The article said that I often feel that my artwork is not good enough. I have been thinking this while doing these drawings and paintings. I have the feeling that no matter how good the drawing is, it is not good enough. It was refreshing to know that this is the characteristic of an INFP. That won’t make sense to you, but it clears up everything for me!;
Mugs didn’t turn out too badly! Good lesson. Thank you.
Great lesson! matt, today at 68 is my first lesson in drawing since i was a kid, and loving it.so far its all in the wrist and so excited and as you keeping saying its all about practice.Is it a good idea to start with cheap sketching paper due to cost and right now my drawing is so bad.?
Thanks for the tips. I’ve heard you mention drawing circles from the shoulder on “Getting Sketchy”. I understand the concept a lot better now.
Hi Matt. When I draw the eclipse for the mug and I draw the lines from the eclipse to draw the sides of the cup. It doesn’t look like a coffee mug. How do you connect the eclipse to the sides of the cup.. my cup just looks like a huge circle and weird sides of the cup. It would be easier to explain if I could show you a picture.
hi matt, is it ok to steady your hand with your little finger,i find it very difficult to just have a steady hand when i draw[shaky i beleive is is a better word in my case]
Hi Chris,
Absolutely. Do whatever is comfortable and increases confidence!
This was a great lesson to do,
drawing looser gets better circles / ovals.
I am a bit confident know that i can learn drawing freehand instead of tracing.
Thank you Matt.
Great lesson. Would not have thought this approach could result in more accuracy.
Have only practiced drawing circles so far… LOTS of them. It made kind of a cool pattern to just draw over the existing ones and darken a few of them. BUT wow, I didn’t realize how stiff/rigid or better yet, un-flowy, my arm is. Took quite a while for my circles to not have a flat spot on them. This seems like a wonderful exercise to do before getting started with any drawing. Along with maybe starting a daily stretching routine 😎
I’m a bit late to the party. Just joined the channel. While practicing this lesson I was surprised to discover that my circles and elipses were more accurate if I drew them in a clockwise direction. Previously I’ve always drawn these shapes in the opposite, or anticlockwise, direction. As I’m drawing I also realize that a human eye is actually a circle within an elipse. Suddenly the idea of drawing realistic eyes seems doable rather than challenging. Mystery solved. Now have the urge to draw lots and lots of eyes. Really enjoying the lessons so far. Thanks Matt.
I am a lefty and, much like a comment above, the circular motion is more comfortable if I draw clockwise. This is a great method for drawing curves! Thanks.
Lesson 3 is much easier than 1 and 2. I suppose it was designed this way.