How to Draw an Under the Sea Theme

Draw an undersea image using variations of color to create depth.

Drawing an underwater scene is challenging. An artist must practice patience to capture the constant motion of the ocean in a drawing. In addition to the movement, water is transparent, which creates another challenge for the artist. The surface of the water is visible as well as the objects under the water's surface. Movement and transparency are created on a two-dimensional page with simple drawing techniques.

Things You'll Need

• Underwater photographs
• Paper
• Colored pencils or crayons

Instructions

1. Study underwater photographs from books and magazines or photographs you have taken yourself. Notice how the water surface is reproduced in the photograph. Study the ripples in the water and how these ripples and waves create movement. Pay attention to the details in the photograph.

2. Orient your drawing properly on the page. Determine if you will draw a partially submerged picture that shows the sand bed below and the sky above, a scene from above looking down into the water, or a completely underwater scene.

3. Draw the sand with yellows and browns.

   Hold the pencil or crayon on its side using all four fingers and your thumb so that the pencil is perpendicular to the paper. In smooth, slow motions, gently press the end of the pencil to the bottom of the paper. Increase and decrease the pressure on the pencil to make the color darker and lighter as you move across the page. Move the pencil in small arcs and circles as you work on the sand to create the uneven texture of sand.

   Alternate colors, layering each color over the others, without completely covering the bottom colors, to create depth and movement in the sand. Use a black or gray pencil to create shadows and rocks on the sandy surface.

4. Add creatures, coral, seaweed, or divers above or in the sand to create the focus of the underwater scene. Remember that all the members of a school of fish should have similar features. Draw seaweed pointing upward toward the surface of the water, but the seaweed should not go straight up. Draw the seaweed slightly skewed to one side to create movement in the water.

5. Add the water to the drawing with a light blue or blue-green pencil. As you move up the picture and further into the background, the water grows increasingly darker shades of blue. If you are drawing the water's surface, create waves and ripples in the water with dark blue and white drawn in swirling patterns. Add curved lines in the water around moving objects or creatures in the picture with a darker shade of blue to mimic the ripples created by movement.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice drawing a replica of an underwater photograph before creating your own scene. When you recreate a photograph, you can identify problems with the drawing by comparing the two.

References

• Kinderart Drawing for Kids: Under the Sea
• Lets Draw It: How to Draw Underwater Effect with Pencil