How to Draw a Sphere

By Matt Fussell

When you draw any object, you must consider your light source.  Your light is everything in your drawing.  When you draw, you create the illusion of a light source to your viewer.  The better you create this illusion, the more realistic your drawing becomes. 

The steps to drawing a sphere are pretty simple.  Draw a circle-add value.  That's it.  What's important is adding the value correctly.  There should be several clear parts of your drawing of the sphere.

There should be a highlight.  The highlight is lighter in value (tint) and represents the area where light is directly hitting the object. 

There should be a midtone.  Midtones are the middle values on an object.

The sphere should have a core shadow.  The core shadow is the area where light is depraved from hitting the object.  The core shadow is found on the object and is usually a dark value(shade). 

There should also be a cast shadow.  The cast shadow is the area on an adjacent object or surface where light is depraved because of the placement of an another object.  It is the shadow cast by an object.

Learning how to draw a sphere accurately is not just about learning how to draw a sphere.  It about learning how to draw a form.  It is about understanding a light source and how it affects the way we see form. 

If you are able to draw the form of a sphere, then you are then equipped to draw and define the form of any object.  Practice creating a smooth gradation of value when you draw your sphere.

Drawing a Sphere Video-