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How to Draw a Cipher Wheel
Draw a cipher wheel in 12 steps, about 9 minutes. Free, with a printable worksheet.
Each picture adds one red line. Draw that line, then scroll to the next picture. Rub out any dashed helper lines at the end. First up: the big wheel.
Step 1: The big wheel
In the middle of your paper draw one really big circle, nearly as wide as the page.
Step 2: Two more circles
Inside draw a second circle a thumb in, and a third a thumb inside that: 2 rings and a disc.
Step 3: A happy face
In the middle disc draw 2 round eyes with a dot and shine. Add a smile and 2 cheeks.
Step 4: Outer ring boxes
Across the outer ring draw 12 short evenly spaced lines from the middle circle out to the big circle.
Tip Leave a box right at the top, bottom and each side, then 2 more boxes between each pair.
Step 5: Inner ring boxes
Do the same across the inner ring: 12 short lines from the disc out to the middle circle, lined up.
Step 6: Outer letters
Outer boxes, going clockwise from the top box: J, C, I, L, M, N, O, S, U, V, W, Z.
Tip Big capital letters, one per box. Each can be drawn in one stroke.
Step 7: Inner letters
Write the same letters smaller in the inner boxes, starting 3 boxes further round, so W sits under C.
Tip The 2 rings are out of step: that is the secret code!
Step 8: An arrow
Inside the top of the middle disc draw a small triangle arrow pointing up at the top letters.
Step 9: Sparkles
Draw 4 sparkle stars round the wheel, one near each corner of the paper.
Step 10: Yellow outer ring
Go over your lines. Colour the outer ring, the arrow and the 4 sparkles yellow, going round the letters.
Step 11: Sky inner ring
Colour the inner ring sky blue, going round the letters.
Step 12: White disc, pink cheeks
Colour the cheeks pink and leave the disc and eyes white. Your cipher wheel is ready!
Your finished drawing
Follow the steps above and this is where you end up: a cipher wheel, drawn by you.
Every step in one picture
