How to Draw Water Animals
A water animal can be easy or complicated for an artist, depending on the nature of the animal and the type of drawing the artist is attempting to make. Drawing a cartoon fish, for example, is much easier than drawing a serious portrait of a sperm whale. However, the basic process of drawing either image is much the same: draw the outline, draw the details and shade the subject.
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Instructions
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1
Select the water animal you'll be drawing, whether it's a fish, a whale, a shark, a seal or a sea lion or something else. Choose a picture of that animal to draw from. For the most realistic results, it is best to look at a picture of the animal rather than drawing from memory.
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2
Divide the animal into shapes and then very lightly draw each shape. For example, a sea lion sitting on the beach may be composed of two ovals for the body (the front half bent upward is one oval; the back half trailing behind is a second oval), and an oval for the flipper on the side. Drawing the structure of the body this way will allow you to build the structure of the animal in a way that is proportionate and planned.
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3
Draw the outline of the animal around the shapes you just drew in step 2. The shape of the outline should be based on the photograph you have selected to draw from. The vast majority of water animals have smooth forms that glide easily through the water, thus the outline should be drawn with smooth, unbroken lines. If need be, draw the outline lightly (so it is easy to fix if you make an error) then draw a darker outline on top of that when you're sure the outline is accurate.
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4
Draw details of the animal's body in order from biggest to smallest. This should include a line for the mouth, circles for the eyes and lines for gills. The smallest details should be addressed last, and the largest and most important details should be addressed first.
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5
Draw any spots, patterns or textures on the body of the animal. Shade the areas where appropriate, starting with light shading and then darkening as necessary.
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Tips & Warnings
Draw the environment around the water animal---whether it is a beach, a coral reef or the surface of the water.
Color is good to use for many tropical sea animals, because they tend to be very colorful. Use colored pencils, markers, pastels or crayons.
If you are drawing a serious study of a water animal with graphite, use a blending stick to create more realistic shadows and shading on the animal.
References
- Photo Credit beluga,whale,arctic,water,underwater,mammal,animal image by Earl Robbins from Fotolia.com
