How to Sketch Sea Anemones

There are many types of sea anemone to draw.

Sea anemones are beautiful creatures, and their graceful form is a fun challenge to draw. Although the main body of the sea anemone is relatively simple to depict, the numerous tentacles create problems for the novice artist. Nevertheless, with a little patience and effort, most anyone can create realistic depictions of these fascinating sea creatures. The artist can draw a simple line drawing or render the creature's hues with watercolors, however any illustration of the sea anemone must begin with a sketch.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Paper
• Optional watercolor paints

Instructions

1. Outline the body of the sea anemone. Use smooth, continuous lines to create the outline, drawing the form lightly on the paper. If the drawn form is slightly off relative to the creature, do not worry about the differences -- what is most important is to capture the graceful nature of the sea anemone.

2. Draw the tentacles of the anemone with light, continuous lines. Try to capture the fluidity of the tentacles ,as they splay out from the anemone body. Draw the outline or profile of the tentacles, and do not shade the forms. If you do not draw every tentacle on the anemone body, do not worry -- it is more important to convey the flowing form of the creature, not a precise anatomical drawing.

3. Build the light outlines of the body and tentacles with continuous lines, mimicking the anemone form. Try not to use an eraser; instead, darken the lines you want to highlight, adding line weight to the line intersections. The line weight across the drawing should vary, adding visual interest to your drawing with differing dark and light elements.

4. Model the anemone form with light shading or watercolor paint. Like the line drawing, start shading very lightly and build upon it. Erasing can hurt the aesthetic of the drawing, so work carefully, shading lightly and then darkening with confidence. Similarly, if you are using watercolors, paint the anemone with weak, light colors, and progressively add more pigment or darker hues.

References

• "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain"; Betty Edwards; 1999.