How to Draw Pyramids

Co-authored by Grace Imson, MA

Last Updated: April 8, 2024

Ready to take your drawing skills to the next level? A simple pyramid is a great way to get started. Although this shape is 3-dimensional, it's a lot easier to sketch than you might think. We've outlined everything you need to know, so you can get right to sketching.

1

Choose the size of the front of your pyramid.

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2

Draw a line at the base of your pyramid.

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Using your compass, measure from the point to the pencil at 5 centimeter (2.0 in).

3

Sketch part of a circle.

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Doing this, draw part of a circle. Repeat with the other end of the baseline. Doing this, you should have both lines crossing in the middle.^{[1]
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Grace Imson, MA
Math Instructor, City College of San Francisco

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4

Connect the baseline and the cross together.

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Grace Imson, MA
Math Instructor, City College of San Francisco

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5

Erase some of the lines.

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6

Draw an extension to one side.

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Make sure the baseline of that side is above the first baseline you drew.

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How can I find the surface area of a pyramid?

Grace Imson, MA
Math Teacher
Grace Imson is a math teacher with over 40 years of teaching experience. Grace is currently a math instructor at the City College of San Francisco and was previously in the Math Department at Saint Louis University. She has taught math at the elementary, middle, high school, and college levels. She has an MA in Education, specializing in Administration and Supervision from Saint Louis University.

Grace Imson, MA

Math Teacher

Expert Answer

To find the surface area of a pyramid, start by calculating the area of the base and the lateral sides. The area of the base is simply the area of the geometric shape forming the base, such as a square, rectangle, or triangle. Next, determine the number of lateral sides, which corresponds to the number of faces of the pyramid. For most pyramids, these lateral sides are triangular. To calculate the area of each triangular lateral side, identify a triangle that intersects a vertex at the top of the pyramid. Define 'H' as the perpendicular distance from this vertex to the center of the base of the pyramid. If the height of the pyramid is given, use this information to find the lateral height, which is the slanted height along the surface of the lateral side. Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to find the lateral height. If the base of the pyramid is a regular polygon, such as a square or equilateral triangle, the lateral sides are also triangular. However, if the base is irregular, the lateral sides may not be uniform triangles, and each lateral side would need to be treated individually. In summary, to find the surface area of a pyramid, calculate the area of the base and add it to the total area of the lateral sides, which involves finding the area of each lateral side and summing them all together.

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How do I draw a three-dimensional pyramid?

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1.) Draw a triangle. 2.) Find it's middle point (connect each corner with the middle of the side it faces). 3.) Draw a straight line up from the middle point. 4.) Connect each corner of the triangle to the top of this line.

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How many faces edges and verticals does a square based pyramid have?

Mia Forte

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A square based pyramid will have one square face on the bottom and four diagonal faces (one for each side).

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Tips

The sides don't have to be the same length, e.g. 4x7cm.

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If you're making it look like the Pyramids at Giza, for example, do remember to draw in details behind, around, and on it.

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If you want to create an actual 3D pyramid, draw the triangular shape shown in parts 1-4 and add little extra parts at the side for gluing. Remember: a triangular pyramid has 4 triangles, one for a base, and a square pyramid has 4 triangles and a square base.

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