How to Draw a Flowerpot

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Mark eye level - everything follows from it.

You should be able to say if you are above or level with the rim.

Ṣẹ̀dà nínú àwọn àyọkà àwọn ìṣàmúlò-ètò

Fi àwòrán àwọn àwòrán àwọn àyọkà rẹ pamọ́

A tí fi àwòrán pamọ́ fún ọ. Àwọn àkọlé àwòrán ní pàtó àwọn àwòrán.

Àkóónú àwòrán yìí

A flowerpot is the bucket's taper wearing a collar: the same wider-at-the-top cylinder, plus the thick rim band that every terracotta pot carries - a short cylinder stacked on a tapering one. The band is the drawing; without it you have a paper cup.

Underneath, this is the same two-ellipse build as every cup and bottle here; the object lives in the profile between them.

Àwọn ìṣàmúlò-ètò

Àwọn ìtàn 1

Mark eye level - everything follows from it.

Everything about the ellipses follows from where your eye is. Decide now, consciously, and mark it - letting it drift mid-drawing is how the rim and base end up disagreeing.

Wòyé Not deciding, then drawing contradictory ellipses.

_Ṣẹ̀dà You should be able to say if you are above or level with the rim.
Àwọn ìtàn 2

Draw the opening as one ellipse.

Round three or four times in one fast continuous motion and keep the best pass. Speed is what makes an ellipse smooth - drawn slowly it lumps on one side every time.

Wòyé Building the ellipse from four careful arcs.

_Ṣẹ̀dà The rim should be symmetrical about its long axis.
Àwọn ìtàn 3

Run the sides down from the rim.

Start each side exactly at the widest point of the rim ellipse. A step where side meets rim is instantly visible and almost impossible to hide later.

Wòyé Sides starting inside or outside the rim's ends.

_Ṣẹ̀dà Each side should leave the rim at its widest point.
Àwọn ìtàn 4

Put the bottom in.

The base is further from your eye than the rim, so it is ROUNDER - same width, more curve. Getting this backwards is what makes vessels look like they are sliding off the table.

Wòyé A base flatter than the rim, or a straight line.

_Ṣẹ̀dà The base curve should be rounder than the rim.
Àwọn ìtàn 5

Put a second curve just inside the top.

One curve just inside the rim gives the material its thickness and turns the top from a painted disc into an opening. It follows the rim's curve, not parallel all the way round.

Wòyé Skipping it, leaving a flat disc on top.

_Ṣẹ̀dà A visible band should separate the two curves at the front.
Àwọn ìtàn 6

Draw where the form changes shape.

Where the profile changes is where the form lives. Draw the change on both sides at the same height - a shoulder at two heights makes the whole vessel lean.

Wòyé The profile changing at different heights left and right.

_Ṣẹ̀dà Both sides should change shape at the same height.
Àwọn ìtàn 7

Draw the handle, both ends touching.

Both ends must touch the body - a floating handle is the most common error on any vessel. And it is a strap with thickness, never a single line.

Wòyé A handle drawn as one wire line, or floating.

_Ṣẹ̀dà Both handle ends should touch the vessel's side.
Àwọn ìtàn 8

Put the identifying details in.

The identifying details go on last and they follow the form - a label, a pattern or a spout curves with the surface it sits on.

Wòyé Flat detail pasted over a round form.

_Ṣẹ̀dà Any pattern should bend with the body.
Àwọn ìtàn 9

Shade the side turned away.

A cylinder's darkest band sits just INSIDE the shadow edge, not at it. Lay the strokes vertically, following the form, and build up in passes.

Wòyé Scrubbing horizontal tone across a vertical form.

_Ṣẹ̀dà The darkest band should sit inside the outline.
Àwọn ìtàn 10

Put the reflected light in.

Light bounces off the table back onto the very edge, so leave a thin lighter strip at the outline. That strip is what makes the form read as round rather than flat-shaded.

Wòyé Shading right up to the edge.

_Ṣẹ̀dà A light strip should separate shading from outline.
Àwọn ìtàn 11

Put the cast shadow down.

Darkest where it touches the base, softening as it spreads. The cast shadow is what anchors the vessel - without it the thing floats no matter how well you shaded it.

Wòyé A detached grey blob nearby.

_Ṣẹ̀dà The shadow should touch the base.
Àwọn ìtàn 12

Go over the keepers and erase the guides.

Weight the rim and the silhouette, erase the eye-level guide, and check the two ellipses one last time - they are what the whole drawing stands on.

Wòyé Leaving the eye-level line in.

_Ṣẹ̀dà Rim and silhouette should be the darkest lines.

Àwọn ìṣàmúlò-ètò tí a ti ṣẹ́

Àwọn àwòrán tí a ti pà àwọn ìṣàmúlò-ètò gbogbò nínú àti àwọn àkóónú tí o fẹ́ láti tọjú nínú àwọn à

The finished drawing of a flowerpot with the construction lines erased

Ó kò lè wò nípa yìí, àti pé kò yẹ̀ fun. Ó jẹ́ ìṣàfarawégbèsì àti àwọn ààyè àwọn ààyè tí a tí wọ́ inú, kò jẹ́ àwọn àwòrán tí ẹnikẹ́kẹ́ bá ṣè láti jẹ́ àìbálẹ̀ - àwọn ààyè nípa ìṣàfihàn ọ̀rọ̀ rẹ̀ nípa àwọn ààyè àwọn ìṣàmúlò-ètò.

Ohun ti ọkan yio kọ ọ

The skill underneath is symmetry about an axis: both sides of the profile have to match, and checking beats hoping.

The flowerpot introduces stacked cylinders sharing one axis - collar on taper on saucer - which is the vessel family's version of the pear's compound form. Every ellipse in the stack must agree about the eye level, and there are four of them to keep honest.

Àwọn ìṣàmúlò-ètò: Line confidence Proportion Value range

Ohun tí o fẹ́

A pencil and any paper, or a finger on the canvas above - nothing here needs special equipment. Keep the construction light if you are on paper, because the guides come off at the end.

Tí o bá jẹ́ àìdájú

If it reads as a cup, the rim band is missing: two verticals and a curve below the rim ellipse make the collar, and its bottom edge must curve like the base does.

If the plant looks planted in the rim, drop the soil line: the soil ellipse sits INSIDE the pot, visibly below the rim, and the stem grows from it.

If it floats, give it the drainage saucer: one wider, shallower ellipse under the base - it doubles as the cast shadow's anchor.

Píríǹtì àwọn ìtàtì

Fi o kù nínú ojú-ìwé. Àwọn àtòjọ-ẹ̀yàn ìtàn tí a píríǹtì lórí ojú-ìwé kan.

Àkọ́lé (US) A4paper size

Àwọn Àtòjọ-ẹ̀yàn

How do I draw the rim of a flowerpot?: As a short cylinder stacked on the tapering one: the rim ellipse, two short verticals, and a curved lower edge. That collar band is what says terracotta.
Where does the soil line go in a flowerpot?: Visibly below the rim, as its own ellipse inside the pot, with the plant growing from it. Soil at rim height reads as overflowing.
Which way does a flowerpot taper?: Wider at the top, like a bucket - the base is roughly two-thirds of the rim width. It is the reverse of almost every other vessel here.
Can I draw a flowerpot on paper instead of the canvas?: Yes - print the step sheet and draw beside it. The ellipse practice actually benefits from paper, where your whole arm is free, and a photo of the page gets measured exactly like a canvas drawing.
How do I draw the top of a flowerpot?: As one fast ellipse, going round several times and keeping the best pass. Its roundness depends on your eye level - decide that first.
Why does my flowerpot look like it is tipping over?: The base ellipse disagrees with the rim. The base is always slightly ROUNDER than the rim, never flatter, and both must be the same width.
Can a beginner draw a flowerpot?: Yes, and it is worth it - the ellipse practice transfers directly to wheels, plates, hats and eyes. There is a finish-early step partway through.
How do I shade a flowerpot?: Vertically, following the form, darkest just inside the shadow edge with a thin light strip at the very edge - that strip is what makes it read as round.
What is the hardest part of drawing a flowerpot?: The two ellipses agreeing with each other. Everything else is forgiving; the rim and base are what the eye checks first.