Watch it draw itself · tap to replay
How to Draw a Blacktip Reef Shark
Draw a blacktip reef shark in 13 easy steps, about 10 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: pointy snout.
Step 1: Pointy snout
Start high on the left. Draw a snout sloping down to a soft point, then curve back and stop lower.
Step 2: One big eye
Behind the nose draw one big round eye. Fill most of it with a black dot. Add a white shine.
Step 3: Back and fins
From the head draw a long back with a tall fin and a tiny second fin. Stop at the neck.
Step 4: Tail
Start on the neck. Draw a tail with a long point up and a short point down. Stop underneath.
Step 5: Tummy and stripe
Draw the tummy from the chin to the tail. Add a stripe above it that meets it near the tail.
Step 6: Smile and gills
Under the eye, draw a small smile curving up at the back. Add 4 gill curves behind the eye.
Step 7: Side fin, black tips
From the tummy, draw a pointy fin sweeping back, then up to the tummy. Add lines across 3 fin tips.
Tip Black tips: back fin, side fin, bottom of the tail. That's the name!
Step 8: Coral reef and sand
Draw a wavy sand line along the bottom. Add a 3-armed coral on the left, a dome on the right.
Step 9: Bubbles
In front of the nose draw 3 bubbles floating up: small, bigger, biggest.
Step 10: Cream tummy, sandy floor
Colour the tummy under the stripe cream and the floor sandy.
Step 11: Blue bubbles
Colour the bubbles light blue.
Step 12: Orange and pink corals
Colour the branching coral orange and the brain coral pink.
Step 13: Colour the shark grey
Colour above the stripe and the side fin grey, the 3 fin tips black. Leave the eye white. Done!
Your finished drawing
Follow the steps above and this is where you end up: a blacktip reef shark, drawn by you.
Every step in one picture
