How to Draw a Fish
Are you wondering how to draw a fish? You have come to the perfect place! In just a few easy steps, anyone can create a wonderful ocean friend from scratch. Grab your pencil and let's get started on this fun art adventure together.
- Easy
- 10 Minutes
- Ages 4+
- Animals
- Ocean
- Beginner
About This Simple Tutorial
Learning to draw simple animals is a wonderful way to practice connecting basic shapes. We will start with a simple oval for the main body and add easy triangles for the fins to build our drawing.
How to Draw a Fish Step by Step
- 1Step 1 of 6
Draw the main body
Start by drawing a large oval shape right in the middle of your paper. Make it look slightly pointy on both ends, similar to the shape of a football or a lemon. This simple outline will become the main body as you learn how to draw a fish.
Tip: Draw lightly so you can easily erase any mistakes later.
- 2Step 2 of 6
Add the tail fin
At the back end of your oval, draw a triangle pointing outward. You can make the back edge of the triangle slightly curved or wavy to give the tail some graceful movement. This helps your fish look like it is swimming through the water.
Tip: Make the tail as big or as small as you like!
- 3Step 3 of 6
Draw top and bottom fins
Now, let us give our swimmer some balance. Draw a small, curved triangle on the top of the body, and another one on the bottom. These fins do not have to be perfectly straight, so feel free to curve them back just a little bit.
Tip: Curving the fins makes them look soft and natural.
- 4Step 4 of 6
Draw the face details
Near the front rounded point of the body, draw a small circle for the eye. Place a tiny dot inside the circle for the pupil. Then, draw a little curved line right at the very front tip to give it a happy smiling mouth.
Tip: A higher curved line makes a bigger, happier smile.
- 5Step 5 of 6
Add the gills and scales
Draw a curved line just behind the face to separate the head from the body. This is the gill line! Next, draw a few small curved lines shaped like the letter 'C' on the main body to show some shiny, smooth scales.
Tip: You only need a few scales to suggest wonderful texture.
- 6Finished drawing
Add simple color
You have completely finished learning how to draw a fish! Now it is time to grab your favorite crayons or markers. You can color the body bright orange, yellow, or blue. Keep your coloring nice and simple, staying inside the neat lines you drew.
Tip: Use bright, cheerful colors to make your artwork pop!
Draw Fish in 6 Easy Steps
Anyone can learn how to draw a fish — no drawing experience needed.
6
Simple steps
10 Minutes
Start to finish
Ages 4+
Great for
Fun Ideas for Your Drawing
Once you master how to draw a fish, you can change its look with a few simple tweaks. Try these fun variations to make the artwork your own!
Change the size
Draw a huge adult and a tiny baby swimming side by side.
Different fins
Make the fins extra long and flowy for an elegant look.
Add bubbles
Draw small and large circles floating up from the smiling mouth.
Common Drawing Mistakes
Making the body too round
If the body looks like a perfect circle, simply erase the ends and stretch them out into a gentle football shape.
Drawing fins too small
Fins help it swim! If they look too tiny, just erase them and draw slightly larger triangles.
Pressing the pencil too hard
Always sketch lightly at first so you can erase the overlapping lines where the tail meets the main body.
How to Draw Fish: All 6 Steps at a Glance
Here is the whole fish drawing, step by step, in one picture — save it or print it to follow along.
