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How to Draw a Basking Shark
Draw a basking shark in 11 easy steps, about 8 minutes. Free, with a printable worksheet.
Each picture adds one red line. Draw that line, then scroll to the next picture. Rub out any dashed helper lines at the end. First up: gaping mouth.
Step 1: Gaping mouth
Start on the left. Draw a top lip, a deep mouth, the chin. Join the lip tips with a curve.
Tip The whole front of a basking shark is its mouth: a big open cave.
Step 2: One big eye
Above the mouth, draw 1 big round eye with a big black pupil and 2 white shines.
Step 3: Back and top fin
Start at the top of the head. Draw a hill up to a tall fin, then slope to the neck.
Step 4: Crescent tail
From the neck, swing up and back to a point, in to a notch, then a shorter point, ending below.
Step 5: Round tummy
Start at the chin. Draw 1 big round sag under the body, then curve up thinner, ending under the tail.
Step 6: Long gills
Behind the eye, draw 3 long curves side by side, like ) ) ), sweeping down almost to the tummy.
Tip The gill slits are enormous: they almost go right round the head.
Step 7: Tummy stripe
Start on the mouth corner. Draw 1 long curve back along the side above the tummy, ending at the neck.
Step 8: Side fin
Start on the stripe behind the gills. Draw a big fin sweeping back to a round tip, then back up.
Step 9: Bubbles
Above the snout, draw 3 bubbles floating up: small, bigger, biggest.
Step 10: Cream tummy, blue bubbles
Colour the tummy under the stripe and the bottom jaw cream, and the bubbles light blue.
Step 11: Red mouth, grey top
Colour the mouth red, then everything above the stripe and the fins dark grey, around the mouth and white eye.
Your finished drawing
Follow the steps above and this is where you end up: a basking shark, drawn by you.
Every step in one picture
