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How to Draw a Mudskipper

14 steps · Medium · about 11 min

Draw a mudskipper in 14 easy steps, about 11 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: head and body.

Step 1: Head and body
From the thin right end, go up over a big blunt head, round the chin and back. Close the end.
Tip Keep the back low at the right: the tail end lies on the mud.
Step 2: Eyes on top
On top of the head draw 2 round eyes poking up, the front one bigger. Rub out the line inside.
Tip Mudskipper eyes sit on top of the head, like a frog's.
Step 3: Dots and smile
Add a big black dot to each eye. From the front, draw a long smile curling up under the eye.
Step 4: Round sail fin
Behind the eyes, start on the back. Draw a round sail fin up, over and down to the back.
Step 5: Fan tail
From the top of the thin end draw a round fan tail, ending at its bottom. Add 2 lines inside.
Step 6: Gill
Behind the eyes draw a short C for the gill, from below the back down to above the tummy.
Step 7: Two arm fins
Start under the head, draw an arm to a wide fan hand, and stop back up. Add one peeking behind.
Tip Mudskippers crawl on their 2 side fins like little bent arms.
Step 8: Fingers
Draw 3 short finger lines on the front hand and 2 on the hand behind.
Step 9: Tummy line
From the chin, draw one long tummy line along the body to the tail end.
Step 10: Mud and puddle
Draw a long mud line under the hands and tail, stopping near each edge. Add a puddle below.
Step 11: Cream tummy, blue puddle
Colour the tummy cream and the puddle light blue.
Step 12: Tan mud
Colour the mud tan, around the puddle.
Step 13: Light brown body
Colour the head and body light brown, around the tummy. Leave the eyes white.
Step 14: Dark brown fins
Colour the sail fin, the tail and both arms dark brown. Go over your lines!