Ever tried to doodle a quick link and ended up with something that looks more like a string of lumpy sausages than actual metal? You aren't alone. Honestly, most people struggle with this because they try to draw what they think a chain looks like rather than how the perspective actually works. Chains are weird. They are repetitive, yet they constantly change direction. If you get the rhythm wrong, the whole thing falls apart.
Drawing is basically just a trick of the eye. When you're learning how to draw a chain, you're really learning how to handle overlapping ellipses and the way light hits a curved, cylindrical surface. It’s physics, basically. But don't worry, we aren't doing math here. We're just looking at shapes.
The One Mistake Everyone Makes
Most beginners draw chains as a series of interlocking circles or "O" shapes. Stop doing that. In reality, when links connect, you rarely see the full "hole" of every link at the same time. Because each link sits at a 90-degree angle to the one before it, you’re always seeing one link head-on and the next one from the side.
Think about a real heavy-duty steel chain. If one link is a wide oval facing you, the next one is going to be a thin, narrow sliver. This alternating pattern is the "secret sauce" of realism. If you draw them all the same shape, it looks flat. It looks like a cartoon. If that's what you're going for, cool. But if you want it to look like it has weight and tension, you’ve got to master the flip-flop of the links.
Breaking Down the Basic Link
A single link is just a torus—a donut shape, basically—that has been stretched out. When you're starting out, draw a simple rectangle with rounded corners. That's your "front-facing" link. Now, the trick is the "side-view" link. This one shouldn't be a rectangle. It should look more like a pinched oval or even a thick "I" shape depending on the angle.
I remember watching an old technical drawing tutorial by Andrew Loomis, and he emphasized that everything can be broken down into blocks. If you can draw a brick in perspective, you can draw a chain link. You just round off the edges of that brick. Simple, right? Sorta.
Step-by-Step: The "C" Method
Forget the "O" method. Try the "C" method instead.
Start by drawing a series of "C" shapes that face each other. But don't make them touch yet. Leave a little gap. This gap is where the "hidden" part of the link goes. Since the links are intertwined, one part of the metal is always passing behind another.
- Sketch a light path. This is your "guide wire." It shows where the chain is going—is it hanging straight down? Is it draped over a treasure chest?
- Draw your first link as a complete oval.
- For the second link, don't draw the whole thing. Just draw the parts that stick out from the center of the first link. It should look like two small bumps or a "U" shape peeking through.
- Continue this, alternating between the wide oval and the "peek-a-boo" side view.
It takes practice. Your first five tries will probably look wonky. That’s fine. Just keep the "guide wire" in mind so the chain doesn't look like it's breaking mid-air.
Perspective and Tension
Chains are heavy. They don't just float. If a chain is holding something up, it should be a straight line. If it’s lying on the ground, it should have "slack."
When a chain is under tension, the links pull against each other. This means the points where they touch are under pressure. You can show this by slightly flattening the curves where the links meet. It’s a tiny detail, but it makes a massive difference in how "heavy" the drawing feels.
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Foreshortening is the Final Boss
If the chain is coming toward the viewer, you’re dealing with foreshortening. This is where things get hairy. The links in the front will be huge and very wide, while the links in the back will get smaller and closer together.
Perspective is everything. If you're drawing a chain receding into the distance, use a vanishing point. Use it. It feels like extra work, but it prevents that weird "funhouse mirror" effect where the chain looks like it's growing or shrinking randomly. Professionals like Scott Robertson talk about this in "How to Draw"—mapping out the "envelope" or the bounding box for your objects before you ever draw a curve.
Shading for Metal Textures
You've got the shapes down. Now, how do you make it look like metal and not plastic?
Metal is all about high contrast. You want very dark shadows right next to very bright highlights.
- The Core Shadow: This runs along the length of the "wire" of the link.
- The Highlight: Usually a thin, bright white line where the light source hits the topmost curve.
- Reflected Light: This is the pro tip. Metal reflects its surroundings. Put a tiny bit of light on the bottom of the link where light might be bouncing up from the floor.
Don't smudge your shadows too much. Clean, sharp transitions make things look harder and more metallic. Soft, blurry shading makes things look fuzzy or soft. You're drawing steel, not a marshmallow.
Different Types of Chains
Not all chains are created equal. A jewelry chain is very different from an anchor chain.
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The Jewelry Chain (Curb Links)
These links are usually twisted. They lie flat against the skin. To draw these, you actually draw the links as "flattened" ovals that overlap significantly. There isn't much space between them. It’s almost like drawing a braid.
The Industrial Chain
These are the chunky boys. They have thick "wire" diameters. Sometimes they even have a "stud" in the middle of the link—a little crossbar that prevents the link from collapsing under extreme weight. If you're drawing something medieval or industrial, add that crossbar. It adds instant "cool factor" and realism.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
I've seen a thousand drawings of chains, and the most common error is "consistent thickness."
Even if the chain is perfectly manufactured, perspective dictates that the parts closer to you are thicker. If you use the same line weight for the whole thing, it will look like a flat icon. Vary your line weight. Make the lines thicker on the shadowed side and thinner on the light side. It creates an illusion of 3D depth without you even having to shade.
Also, watch out for the "tangent." This is when two lines touch in a way that creates visual confusion. If the edge of one link perfectly aligns with the edge of another, it flattens the image. Make sure one link clearly overlaps the other. Overlap is your best friend for creating depth.
Real-World Observation
If you really want to get good at how to draw a chain, go find one. Go to a hardware store or look at a swing set. Take a photo from a weird angle—looking straight down the length of the chain.
Notice how the holes in the links disappear as the angle gets steeper. Notice how the light glints off the "shoulders" of each link. Drawing from life is the only way to truly understand these nuances. Photos are okay, but seeing how light moves around a 3D object in real space is a game-changer.
Why Texture Matters
Is the chain rusty? If so, forget those sharp highlights. Rust is matte. It eats light. You’ll want to use stippling or messy, grainy strokes to show that the surface is pitted and old.
Is it chrome? Then it should be almost black and white with very little gray. Chrome acts like a mirror. You might even see a distorted reflection of the room in the links.
Practice This Every Day
You don't need a masterpiece. Just draw three links. That’s it.
Draw three links hanging, three links lying flat, and three links twisted. If you do that for a week, your brain will start to "see" the links as three-dimensional hoops rather than flat shapes. It’s like a muscle. You have to train your hand to follow what your eye actually sees, not what your brain assumes is there.
Honestly, once you get the hang of the interlocking "C" shapes and the 90-degree rotation, you'll be able to draw chains in your sleep. It becomes a rhythmic, almost meditative process.
Your Next Steps
Stop reading and grab a pencil. Seriously.
- Draw a curved "S" line on a piece of paper. This is your path.
- Sketch your first "front-facing" oval at the top.
- Draw the "side-view" link passing through it.
- Keep going until you hit the bottom of the "S."
- Go back and add a dark shadow where the links touch.
- Erase your guide line.
Once you’ve nailed the basic structure, try adding some weight. Draw the chain wrapped around a pillar or holding up a heavy weight. Focus on that point of contact. That's where the "story" of the drawing happens. Metal on wood, metal on stone—the way those materials interact tells the viewer everything they need to know about the world you're creating.
Drawing is just a series of solved problems. The problem of the chain is just the problem of the rotating torus. Solve it once, and you’ve got it forever. Now, go draw something heavy.