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How to Draw a Reef
Draw a reef in 12 easy steps, about 9 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: the sandy floor.
Step 1: The sandy floor
Low on your paper, draw a long, gently wavy line from the left edge to the right edge.
Step 2: A brain coral
In the middle, sitting on the sand line, draw a big round dome, like half a ball.
Step 3: A happy face
Low on the dome, draw 2 big egg eyes with black dots and a shine, and a smile under them.
Step 4: Brain folds
Above the eyes, draw 2 wavy lines across the dome, each from one side to the other.
Step 5: A branching coral
On the left, start on the sand. Draw a fat coral tree with 5 round tips, back to the sand.
Step 6: A tall tube sponge
On the right, draw an arch with a smile under it. From its ends, wobble down to the sand.
Step 7: Two short tubes
Draw a shorter tube on each side of the tall one, peeking out from behind it, each with a smile.
Step 8: A little fish
Above the brain coral, draw a little fish: a pointed egg, a triangle tail, a dot eye, a stripe.
Step 9: Bubbles
Above the tall tube, draw 3 round bubbles rising up: small, bigger, then biggest at the top.
Step 10: Sand and pink coral
Colour the floor under the sand line sand, and the brain coral pink. Leave the eyes white.
Step 11: Orange coral and fish
Colour the branching coral and the little fish orange.
Step 12: Purple tubes
Colour the 3 tubes purple and their openings navy. Go over your lines, and your reef is done!
Your finished drawing
Follow the steps above and this is where you end up: a reef, drawn by you.
Every step in one picture
