How do you draw a circle???

[Katianne]

Yes, I really need to know!

I need to find either a large compass or a piece of equipment that I can use to draw the circles for the bases of my mosaics mirrors. It needs to draw up to a 60cm (diameter) circle.

I just can't think of what I can look for other than a large compass (which I also can't find!) so would appreciate some help re: what to look for and where!

[Pagan]

Take a piece of string and tie one end to a pencil and the other end to a pin. Place the pin in the middle of whatever you want the circle drawn on and then stretch the string out to the length of the diameter you want the circle. using the pencil and keeping the string taut, draw your circle

hth

[RhinosoRoss]

For more accuracy and repeatability you can lay a long thing (metre rule) down, tape the middle of a pencil across one end as the point, then tape a marker/pencil the correct distance along the ruler for the radius you want.
When drawing, have the tip of the pen pointing away from the direction you're dragging it slightly (just off vertical).

One advantage of the string method is that you can make ellipses and spirals too. For an ellipse, make a loop of string loosely wrapped around two heavy things in the middle take up the slack of the loop with the pen and move the pen around keeping the loop taught to draw the ellipse. You get different ellipses for different lengths of slack and separations of heavy middle things.

If you understood that, you probably already knew how to do it!

Good luck!

[woodtattoos]

You can get special long compasses called trammel bars. My partner got one to do her landscape design work. If you have no luck searching for that on Google or similar, let me know and I'll send you a link. I think the company was called Graphics Direct. Sorry for not replying more quickly to the personal message you left me asking this question!

Si.