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How to Draw a School of Fish

13 steps · Tricky · about 10 min

Draw a school of fish in 13 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: eye and kissy lips.

Step 1: Eye and kissy lips
On the left draw a huge round eye. In front draw fat kissy lips like a sideways 3.
Tip Leave lots of room on the right for the body and tail.
Step 2: Fat egg body
Start at the lips. Draw a rainbow over the eye, ending at a short neck. Repeat for the belly.
Step 3: Bow-tie tail
Draw a short line across the neck, then a fat C lobe from each end, meeting in the middle.
Tip A sideways bow tie: the neck is the knot.
Step 4: Top fin
Start on the back before the middle. Draw a tall sail leaning back, down to the back past the middle.
Step 5: Gill and side fin
Behind the eye draw a tall C gill, not touching the back or belly. Add a leaf fin behind it.
Step 6: Belly fin
Start on the belly behind the side fin. Draw a small sail down to a tip, up to the belly.
Step 7: Scales
On the back half of the fish draw little U's like tiny smiles in 3 rows, stacked like roof tiles.
Step 8: Bubbles
In front of the lips draw 3 bubbles floating up, small to big.
Step 9: Two little fish
Draw 2 little fish swimming the same way: one above the tail, a smaller one low behind the belly fin.
Tip Little fish are just a body, tail, lips and eye, much smaller.
Step 10: Sand and seaweed
Draw a wavy sand line from edge to edge. Near each side draw a wiggly seaweed blade up and back down.
Step 11: Yellow fins, sandy floor
Colour all the fins and tails yellow, and the floor under the sand line sandy.
Step 12: Pink cheek, blue bubbles
Rub a pink cheek under the big eye, and colour the bubbles light blue.
Step 13: Orange fish, green seaweed
Colour all 3 fish orange, going round the side fin and cheek, and the seaweed green. Leave the eyes white.