How to Draw a Soccer Ball
Build a soccer-ball pattern in eight steps: a circle, a central pentagon and the connected patches around it. Print an outline and tracing practice sheet.
No special drawing tools needed. Go slowly and adjust the lines as you learn.
A soccer ball with connected patches
Draw the visible pattern of a classic 12-pentagon, 20-hexagon ball. Curved seams follow the round surface; some outer patches are hidden.
1. Draw a light circle
Draw a round outline. Keep the first line light so you can adjust it.
Check: Leave space around the circle.
2. Place the center pentagon
Draw a five-sided patch near the middle. Start with the top point and work around it.
Check: Count five edges; this patch is not a hexagon.
3. Start the surrounding patches
Extend one short line outward from each corner of the pentagon.
Check: There are five outward lines, one from each corner.
4. Connect the upper-right seams
Follow the new lines to connect the first surrounding patches.
Check: A full center patch has five sides; the neighboring full patches have six. Edge patches are only partly visible.
5. Continue around the right
Continue the pattern toward the round edge. Keep the center patch unchanged.
Check: A full center patch has five sides; the neighboring full patches have six. Edge patches are only partly visible.
6. Join the lower patches
Add the lower seams, joining endpoints without crossing another seam.
Check: A full center patch has five sides; the neighboring full patches have six. Edge patches are only partly visible.
7. Complete the left and upper seams
Work upward on the left and join the remaining upper seams. Check the complete outline before adding any color.
Check: A full center patch has five sides; the neighboring full patches have six. Edge patches are only partly visible.
8. Shade the pentagon patches
Shade the central five-sided patch and the five visible outer pentagon patches. Leave the hexagons light.
Check: Every boundary is already present in step seven; no new seams are added here.
Try it on paper
The practice PDF has one page for each drawing method: a finished example, a light tracing guide and space to try it yourself. Print at actual size.
If your drawing looks different
My center patch has six sides.
Count five corners before adding the outward lines. The center patch is a pentagon; the patches touching its edges are hexagons.
The edge patches look smaller.
That is expected in a front view of a round ball. Follow the visible seam endpoints and do not draw hidden back patches.