How do they make it?

The following is not intended as instructions on how to make Crop Circles, but to reveal how simple it really is (as long as you don't attempt to duplicate the "magical" features discussed later in this book). Anyone who wishes can discover these methods (or others) without using this book as a "manual".

The pattern is first designed on a piece of paper or on a computer screen. Most important is to determine the various phases of work and how to deal out the task between the members of the team. The patterns are made of circles and straight lines, because these can be drawn neatly in large scale, when you don't actually see the whole while working. The chief architect needs to have a good spatial sense, so that he or she can see the pattern in his/her mind while working in an unlit field.

The centre points of circles and end points of lines must be accurately determined in advance. There may be surprisingly few of them, even in a modestly complex pattern. It is a fact that a finished Crop Circle design often looks much harder to accomplish than it actually was (you don't need to be a Crop Circle artist to find this out, it is a matter of geometry)!

The tools are simple: To measure out the distances you need a long tape measure. The control points are marked with sharp poles or sticks. Light string is needed to make straight lines between two poles or two people. The flattening of the crop happens using a wooden plank, with a rope attached as a loop in both ends. Also a garden roller can be used.

The "stomper board" is operated by holding the rope with both hands and pressing down the plank with the other foot, flattening the crop below. Once you gain skill and physical strength, you can advance at slow walking speed, flattening a path about 1 meter wide. In this way, even a very large area can be laid down in a relatively short time.

A circle is created so that one person standing in the centre point is holding the end of a tape measure, while another person measures a desired distance and starts walking around the first person. Making sure the measure stays tight all the time, he walks a full (or partial) circle producing a narrow path of bent stalks. The person in the middle turns around on his feet, to prevent being wrapped with the tape. As soon as the circle is outlined, you can start stomping the crop beginning from the outer perimeter. You can either proceed all the way to the centre, or create a ring of desired width. It is also very simple to create several rings with the same central point.

Straight lines can be accomplished as easily. Two people hold tight a string (or a tape measure) while a third person walks along the string to produce a straight path. The string can also be attached into a pole from one or both ends, bun then unnecessary holes are made in the ground.

If you are not too keen to accomplish a beautiful lay pattern, a very small group of people (3-6) can produce quite a large and complex pattern in no more than 2 to 4 hours! I witnessed and took part in the creation of a Crop Circle in 2001. It took a little over two hours to finish by five people, though it was some 50 meters across and consisted of some 30 elements. Three out of five were first-timers (including myself). The floor pattern was a mess, but in the aerial photo the formation looked quite pretty.