Draw the Flag

The Instructions for Drawing the Southern Cross Flag on a blank A4 paper start below
The size of the flag is based on "units" of size
- The Southern Cross Flag is 24 units high x 48 units wide
A4 paper, is 21.0 cm x 29.7 cm. The easiest unit size to work with on a standard ruler would be 0.5 cm or 5mm
- The A4 Flag below is 12 cm x 24 cm
Preparation
Draw the Outline of the Flag
This is based on a sheet of A4 paper. This principle will also apply to other sizes of paper, you'll need to work out the most suitable unit size
Margins
Many years ago while at school I did the subject Technical Drawing. We used a basic drafting board, T-square, large set squares, compass and divider set, as well as erasers etc. The first thing we always did was draw a 1cm margin or frame around the paper. This was partly for neatness, but primarily because the paper had been guillotined from large pieces and was not always "square." The frame "squared" the paper. We will skip the margins as a sheet of A4 paper is already perfectly square. If you'd like to add a 1cm margin, be my guest - there is enough room to do it.
Flag Outline
With the paper in landscape, we'll start by centreing the flag on the paper. Draw all lines lightly.
To create the flag outline, always use the corners and edges of the A4 sheet for your measurements. This is because the edges are perfectly square and consistent with less chance of measurement error.
This is a preview of what the should look like before we start on the Southern Cross Flag itself.

Let's Start!
1. Draw the Left Side.
- From the left top corner, measure along the top edge 3cm and make a faint mark
- From the left bottom corner, measure along the bottom edge 3cm and do the same
- Connect the 2 marks with a light vertical line
2. Draw the Right Side.
- From the corner measure 27 cm along the top edge
- From that corner measure 27 cm along the bottom edge
- Connect the 2 marks with a light vertical line
Double Check!
- Measure the distance between the 2 vertical lines.
- You should have two lines parallel to the left and right sides exactly 24 cm apart.
- These lines are the left and right sides of the flag
3. Draw the Top Line of the Flag
- From the left corner, measure down the left edge of the page 4.5 cm and leave a faint mark
- From the right corner, measure down the right edge of the page 4.5 cm and do the same
- Note the two vertical lines and draw a line connecting them. (You can draw from edge to edge, but that's more to erase)
- This is the top line of the flag
4. Draw the Bottom Line of the Flag
- From the top left corner measure down 16.5 cm on the left edge of the page
- From the top right corner measure down 16.5 cm on the right edge of the page
- As before connect the two marks between the vertical lines
Double Check!
- Measure the distance between the 2 horizontal lines.
- You should have two lines parallel to the left and right sides exactly 24 cm apart.
- These lines are the left and right sides of the flag
You should now have a rectangle exactly 12cm x 24 cm and positioned very close to the centre of the page.
Midlines and Centrepoint
Now, we'll lightly draw the midlines on the rectangle.
Vertical Centre Line
- Position the ruler with the 0 in the top corner of the rectangle across the page
- The 24 cm mark should be in the opposite corner
- Make a mark at the centre at 12 cm
- Now do the same for the bottom line
- Connect the marks and draw a very faint guideline down the rectangle
Horizontal Centre Line
- Position the ruler with the 0 in the top corner of the rectangle with the ruler down the page
- The 12 cm mark should be in the opposite corner
- Make a mark at the centre at 6 cm
- Now do the same for the opposite side
- Connect the marks and draw a very faint guideline across the rectangle
You should have something looking like this

1 - Field or Background

You've just drawn the Field or Background of the flag. We'll move onto the cross in the next stages.
Before we get going I am going to add some grid lines to the rectangle. You do not need to add the gridlines to your drawing.
Remember that each gridline is 5mm or 1 unit.
2 - Green Cross - Horizontal Arm
The horizontal arm of the Green Cross is 4 units x 32 units

Find the intersection of the two guidelines. This is the centrepoint:
From the centrepoint on the vertical guide line:
- Measure 2 units up and make a faint mark
- Measure 2 units down and make a faint mark
From the centrepoint on the horizontal guide line:
- Measure 16 units left and leave a faint mark
- Measure 16 units right and leave a faint mark
Connect the marks:
Draw a rectangle that is 4 units x 32 units (2cm x 16cm)
3 - Green Cross - Vertical Arm
The horizontal arm of the Green Cross is 20 units x 4 units

From the centrepoint on the horizontal guide line:
- Measure 2 units left and make a faint mark
- Measure 2 units right and make a faint mark
From the centrepoint on the vertical guide line:
- Measure 10 units up and leave a faint mark
- Measure 10 units down and leave a faint mark
Connect the marks:
Draw a rectangle that is 20 units x 4 units (10cm x 4cm)
5 - Gold Cross or Border
The Gold Border surrounds the Green Cross and is 1 unit wide

- Draw a gold border 1 x unit wide around the green cross
- On the vertical arm it should be 1 unit from the top and bottom edges of the flag
6 - The Stars
There are 5 x 8 pointed stars 4 units x 4 units

Draw the Star
Each star is 4 units x 4 units. A star is made up of 8 isosceles triangles with a height of 2 units and a base of 2 units (or 16 right angle triangles with a base of 1 and a height of 2.)
On this project each Star is 2cm x 2cm
You could draw all 5 stars with a pencil and ruler. Instead, it is recommended to draw one star and use it as a template to draw around.
- All stars are positioned over a guideline
- The centre star directly over the centrepoint of the flag
- Position the other 4 stars at the end of the Green cross so that 3 of the points touch the 3 edges
Go to this Project to learn to Draw the Star
7 - Clean Up
All that remains is to clean up all the guide lines with an eraser so it looks like this.

You have now drawn the Southern Cross Flag!
Finish - Colour the Southern Cross Flag
Now it's drawn and cleaned up it time to finish it off with colour.
Will you colour it with pencils or crayons; or paint it, or something else?

Once you've finished it off don't forget to take a photo and submit the photo so we can add it to our photo gallery!
What's Next? See all the Southern Cross Flag Projects