Draw a Compass Rose

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.

Steps

  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. 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.
  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. 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. 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. Draw a second circle with a 2” radius.
  7. Adjust your compass for 1” radius, and lightly draw a third circle in the center.
  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. 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. 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. Add the names of the compass points as shown:
  12. Add color to suit your final environment, and happy navigating!

Tips

  • 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.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper
  • Drafting compass
  • Protractor
  • Ruler

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