Draw Compass Rose Step Step

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The compass rose has a long and colorful history dating back to ancient Greece. It's a valuable tool for cartographers and navigators around the world, and there are many beautiful renderings of this simple, effective device. Below, we will show you how draw a 16-point compass rose of your own.

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1. 1

   On a sheet of sturdy art paper, draw a cross in the center.

   • Make two marks equidistant from the top of the paper, and with a pencil, lightly draw a horizontal line from left to right between them.
   • Mark the center point of the paper a couple inches above and below the horizontal line, then lightly draw a vertical line from top to bottom. It should look like this:

2. 2

   Draw a large circle using your drafting compass. For this example, we'll assume a circle with a 3" radius. This circle will mark the outer edge of your finished compass rose.

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3. 3

   Using a protractor, mark the outer circle at 45°, 135°, 225°, and 315°, and with your pencil, lightly draw connecting lines from the 45° mark to the 225° mark, and from the 315° mark to the 135° mark.

4. 4

   Using a protractor again, make marks around the outer circle at the following points:

   • 22.5°
   • 67.5°
   • 112.5°
   • 157.5°
   • 202.5°
   • 247.5°
   • 292.5°
   • 337.5°

5. 5

   Connect the following points:

   • 22.5° and 202.5°
   • 67.5° and 247.5°
   • 112.5° and 292.5°
   • 157.5° and 337.5°

6. 6

   Draw a second circle with a 2" radius.

7. 7

   Adjust your compass for 1" radius, and lightly draw a third circle in the center.

8. 8

   Lightly draw the arrows for the main cardinal points. Start at the 0° point (N) on the outer circle, and draw to the intersection of the 45° mark and the innermost circle.

   • Do the same from the 0° mark to the intersection of the 315° mark and the innermost circle.
   • ]Repeat this process at the 90° point (E), drawing lines to intersect the innermost circle and the 45° and 135° points; at the 180° point (S), drawing lines to intersect the innermost circle and the 135° and 225° points; and from the 270° point (W), drawing lines to intersect the innermost circle and the 225° and 315° points. Your compass rose should look something like this:

9. 9

   Lightly draw the secondary points. Start at the 45° point (NE) on the outer circle, and draw to the intersection of the 22.5° mark and the right side of the N cardinal point.

   • Do the same from the 45° mark to the intersection of the 67.5° mark and the top side of the E cardinal point.
   • Repeat this process at the 135° point (SE), drawing lines to intersect the bottom of the E cardinal point and right of the S cardinal point; at the 225° point (SW), drawing lines to intersect the left side of the S cardinal point and the bottom of the W cardinal point; and from the 315° point (NW), drawing lines to intersect the top of the W cardinal point and the left side of the N cardinal point. Your compass rose should now look something like this:

10. 10

    Add in the final points, starting with the NNE point. Start at the intersection of the outer circle and the 22.5° mark, and draw a line from the outer circle to the intersection of the middle circle and the right side of the N cardinal point. Do the same from the 22.5° mark to the intersection of the middle circle and the top side of the NE cardinal point.

    • Repeat this process at the 67.5° point (ENE), drawing connecting lines to intersect the middle circle and the bottom of the NE cardinal point and top of the E cardinal point.
    • From the 112.5° point (ESE) to the bottom of the E cardinal point and the top of the SE cardinal point.
    • From the 157.5° point (SSE) to the bottom of the SE cardinal point and the right side of the S cardinal point.
    • From the 202.5° point (SSW) to the left side of the S cardinal point and the bottom of the SW cardinal point
    • From the 247.5° point (WSW) to the top of the SW cardinal point and the bottom of the W cardinal point
    • From the 292.5° point (WNW) to the top of the W cardinal point and the bottom of the NW cardinal point
    • And from the 337.5° point (NNW) to the top of the NW cardinal point and the left side of the N cardinal point;. Your compass rose should now look something like this:

11. 11

    Add the names of the compass points as shown:

12. 12

    Add color to suit your final environment, and happy navigating!

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Add New Question

• Question

  How do I draw a good circle?

  

  You could use a protractor to make a good, clean circle that's neat and accurate.

• Question

  How do I draw a compass rose without a protractor?

  

  Instead of using the protractor to draw the angles, use a ruler and mark each of the sections in half.

• Question

  What are the sixteen points of a compass used for?

  

  Between the cardinal points are the half cardinal points of the compass: NE, SE, SW, NW. Directions dividing cardinal and half cardinal points are called false points: NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW, NNW.

• Question

  How do I draw a simple compass rose?

  

  You can draw a simple square or rhombus, or create an eight (or even sixteen, if you're feeling adventurous) sided polygon and label each point according to its direction (i.e., the topmost point would be north).

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• Search for color combinations on the web to find great sets of matching colors. Use bold colors for a vibrant look, or muted colors on parchment for a great antique look.

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Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Drafting compass
• Protractor
• Ruler

About This Article

Article Summary X

To draw a compass rose, start by drawing a circle with 1 horizontal and 1 vertical line intersecting in the center. Then, use a protractor to mark 16 equidistant points around the circle, and draw a straight line through each point. Next, draw a circle along the 16 points, followed by another circle inside of that one. Finally, draw the main cardinal points and then the secondary and final points inside of the main circle. To learn how to label and color in your compass rose, scroll down!

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Draw Compass Rose Step Step

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Draw-a-Compass-Rose

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