How to Draw a Realistic Dolphin with this how-to video and step-by-step drawing instructions. How to draw ocean animals for beginners and all.
Please see the drawing tutorial in the video below
You can refer to the simple step-by-step drawing guide below
Step 1
Start by choosing your pencils. I used an HB pencil for shading/outlining, 2H for light/shading lines, and a B for dark/shading lines.
Step 2
Start by drawing a basic sketch of the dolphin. You can use the instructions if you need to. HB pencils are generally best for shading.
Step 3
After you have the sketch, go ahead and shade in the background. I used an HB pencil and tissue for this step.
Step 4
Clean the dolphin with an eraser and try to imply water splashes.
Step 5
Start using the 2H pencil to outline the dolphin, starting at the forehead. Be very gentle if you are using 2H you don’t want to tear the paper!
Step 6
Go ahead and use the 2H/B pencil to lightly draw in the dolphin’s mouth and eyes.
Step 7
Use the 2H key to define the contour up to the point where the body curves, just above the caudal fin.
Step 8
Now, roughly shade the darker values with pencil B. Don’t worry about blending at first.
Step 9
Start smoothing your shadow by working from scratch. You only need 2H for this. Use the letter B only when you need dark values.
Step 10
Now shade the fins and body using a combination of 2H and B.
Step 11
Erase the sky and define the horizon line in the background. Make sure that the dolphin’s head is above the horizon. This will make it clear that it is jumping out of the water.
Step 12
Use an HB pencil and a blended stump/paper towel to darken the water.
Step 13
Use an HB pencil and a paper towel/root mix to thicken the water.
Step 14
Lightly paint the rest of the dolphin with the HB pencil. Do not shade too strongly as you will still need to remove some splashes.
Step 15
Start working your way down to the caudal fin by smoothing the shading with 2H. Sketch and shade around a few drops of water here and there.
Step 16
And complete the drawing by shading the rest of the caudal fin and the water. You may need to use a pencil B or HB towards the tip of the caudal fin as it is quite dark. Again, I really enjoyed this tutorial and I’m sure you will too! Let me know if you post your drawings on .com!
