How to Draw a Fish

Download Article

Reviewed by Jeanine Hattas Wilson

Last Updated: July 31, 2023

Download Article

There are many ways to draw a fish. Below are two step-by-step examples.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

A Realistic Fish

Download Article

Draw an oval and a rectangle guideline for the fish’s body.
Draw another triangle for the head. This triangle's corner, the one that is outside the oval, tapers downwards.

Advertisement
Draw the mouth like a backwards 3. The edge of the tail is drawn with a wavy line curving inwards the large triangle guideline. Draw the gill cover with 2 arcs. Lastly, draw a circle for the eyes.
Draw the dorsal fins with a wavy line. Draw one fin near the gill cover and the other fin close to the bottom edge of the fish. These fins should look similar to an irregular narrow V.
Draw small backward C’s inside the fish’s body to create the scales.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

A Cute Cartoon Fish

Download Article

Draw an oval and a triangle guideline for the fish’s body.
Make the top triangle bigger than the other.
For the mouth guideline draw another small oval perpendicular to the left eye.
Draw the tail with soft curves.
Draw the dorsal fin with a wavy line. Draw the bottom fin like a B attached to the bottom of the fish.

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

How do I draw a well labelled fish?

Community Answer

Trace it if you can't draw, otherwise use this article and find a science book to label the parts.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 24 Helpful 22
Question

Can I do the realistic fish, but less detailed and a little more simple?

Community Answer

Yes, you can put your own touches on this and make it as simple or complex as you like/

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 16 Helpful 30
Question

What if I can't draw?

CanisChiroptera

Community Answer

Anybody can learn to draw if they practice. Sometimes, tracing can help, but try instead using it as a reference, as it requires you to think about your lines more.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 19 Helpful 28

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

Practice makes perfect!

Thanks
Helpful 3 Not Helpful 3
Color in your fish to add some fun to it!

Thanks
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 3
Sketch it out first for best results!

Thanks
Helpful 3 Not Helpful 2

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

It won't be perfect the first time but if you keep practicing it will get better and better!
If you like, it's always fun to cut it out and add a popsicle stick to it to be creative!
If you are trying to draw a realistic fish, use a thin-tipped pen or pencil.
Use bright colors to help it stand out more.

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!