Hello there! Cylinders are a tricky subject. Even I sometimes struggle to draw an ellipse correctly from certain angles, lol. But what you need to keep in mind is that the minor axis is the one that really matters when drawing cylinders, since it determines the direction of the cylinder. The minor axis also divides the ellipse into two halves. One way to identify the minor axis is that it runs through the narrowest part of the ellipse, while the major axis runs through its widest part. Keep in mind that the minor axis will always converge toward the ellipse's vanishing point. The only thing you need to remember about the major axis is that it must be perpendicular to the minor axis, meaning they should form a 90-degree angle. This means that the minor and major axes will never form a cross, as if we were looking at it straight on. Instead, their orientation will depend on the angle of the cylinder. What I usually do is draw the minor axis first and then draw the ellipse around it. :) Hope this helps!

CYLINDERS PRACTICE

Artist's notes:

I've been trying to practice cylinders for a while. Since tbh it's what I've been struggling the most with forms. I got the basic idea which is the minor and major axis- and some rules of it. But I still struggle to apply it when it comes to presprective. Id really be greatful if some of you will try to correct it, thanks.

Comments 1

@fosco5 days ago

Hello there! Cylinders are a tricky subject. Even I sometimes struggle to draw an ellipse correctly from certain angles, lol. But what you need to keep in mind is that the minor axis is the one that really matters when drawing cylinders, since it determines the direction of the cylinder. The minor axis also divides the ellipse into two halves. One way to identify the minor axis is that it runs through the narrowest part of the ellipse, while the major axis runs through its widest part. Keep in mind that the minor axis will always converge toward the ellipse's vanishing point. The only thing you need to remember about the major axis is that it must be perpendicular to the minor axis, meaning they should form a 90-degree angle. This means that the minor and major axes will never form a cross, as if we were looking at it straight on. Instead, their orientation will depend on the angle of the cylinder. What I usually do is draw the minor axis first and then draw the ellipse around it. :) Hope this helps!