How to Easily Draw a Whale: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Written by Daisie Team

Published on 11 July 2023 6 min read

Jumping into the delightful world of drawing can seem daunting, but fear not! Today, we're going to learn how to easily draw a whale, a simple yet fun project perfect for beginners. It's an enjoyable way to explore your artistic side, and by the end of this guide, you'll have a charming whale illustration to call your own.

1. Gather Your Materials

Before we start our easy draw whale project, let's make sure we have all the materials we need. Just like cooking, having everything prepared before you start makes the process much smoother. So, here's what you'll need:

Paper and Pencil

The first items on our list are a piece of paper and a pencil. Any type of paper will do, but a sketch pad is ideal if you have one handy. A regular HB pencil is perfect for sketching our whale. As we're focusing on an easy draw whale, there's no need for fancy drawing pencils—your everyday pencil will do the job.

Eraser

Next, you'll need an eraser. As beginners, we're bound to make a few mistakes along the way. Having an eraser allows us to correct those small errors and continue with our whale drawing. Remember, it's not about perfection—it's about learning and enjoying the process.

Coloring Materials

Finally, we'll need some coloring materials to bring our whale to life. This could be anything from colored pencils, crayons, markers, or even watercolor paints if you're feeling adventurous. Choose whatever you feel most comfortable using. The goal is to make your easy draw whale as vibrant and unique as you want.

Now that we have all our materials ready, let's dive into the exciting part—drawing our whale. Stay tuned, as the next section will guide you on how to start with basic shapes.

2. Start with Basic Shapes

Alright, now that we've gathered our materials, let's start drawing our whale. Just like building a house, we start with the foundation—in this case, the basic shapes. This easy draw whale is a perfect beginner's exercise, as it's all about breaking down a complex form into simple shapes. Let's get started.

Draw the Body

The body of our whale will be the largest shape and our starting point. Picture a big, oval eggplant or a zeppelin if you like; that's the shape we're aiming for. Draw this shape lightly with your pencil, as we'll be adding more details to it later. The key here is to keep it simple and not stress about getting the perfect shape. After all, in nature, no two whales are exactly the same, right?

Sketch the Tail

At the thinner end of your whale's body, let's sketch the tail. Think of it as drawing a "V" or a heart shape, but with the pointed end attached to the body. It's as simple as that! If you're unsure about the size, remember that a whale's tail, or flukes, can be as wide as their body. But again, this is your drawing, and your whale can have its unique features!

Outline the Head

On the opposite end of the tail, we'll outline the head. For our easy draw whale, the head is just a rounded edge of the large body shape we drew earlier—a bit like the tip of a banana. To add a little character, you can draw a slight bump to indicate where the whale's mouth will be. See, drawing a whale isn't as difficult as you thought, right?

After completing these initial steps, you should have a basic whale shape. It might not look like much now, but wait until we add some details. That's where the magic happens. So, are you ready to give your whale some personality? Let's move on to the next section.

3. Add Details to Your Whale

Now that we have our basic whale shape, it's time to bring this big guy to life. Adding details is like sprinkling a dash of magic on our creation—it's when our easy draw whale truly starts to take form. So let's get those pencils ready and dive right in!

Draw the Eye

First, let's give our whale an eye. On the head, about halfway between the mouth bump and the tail, make a small circle or oval. Inside this, draw a smaller circle for the pupil. And just like that, our whale can see! Remember, the eye is the window to the whale's soul— or so they say in the undersea art circles!

Create the Mouth

Next up, the mouth. Recall that little bump we made while outlining the head? That's our guide. Draw a curved line from that bump towards the tail to form a smile. You could even add a few lines on the end of the mouth for baleen—those are like the whale's teeth. Don't worry, our whale is a friendly giant; it doesn't have sharp teeth!

Illustrate the Fins

Now, let's give our whale some fins so it can swim. On each side of the body, roughly opposite to the eye, sketch a triangle or a teardrop shape. These are the pectoral fins. If you want to add more detail, you can also draw a small triangle on the back for the dorsal fin. And there you have it—our whale is ready to navigate the ocean!

Adding these details might seem like small steps, but they make a huge difference. Just like in life, it's the little things that count, right? Now, let's move on to refining our sketch and making our whale look even more realistic.

4. Refine Your Outline

Alright, onto the next stage— refining our outline. We're going to polish our easy draw whale sketch and get it ready for the grand finale: coloring. It's like we're whale sculptors, smoothing out the rough spots to reveal the masterpiece underneath.

Smooth the Edges

Let's start by smoothing our lines. Look at the outline of the body, tail, and fins. Are there any sharp corners or jagged lines? If yes, let's smooth them out. Remember, our whale lives in the water; it needs to be streamlined. So curve those lines and make them as smooth as the ocean waves.

Clean Up Your Sketch

Next, it's cleaning time. Grab your eraser, and gently remove any extra lines or smudges. We want our whale to be clear and clean— think of it as giving your drawing a bath. And don't worry if you erase a little too much, you can always redraw any lost lines. After all, practice makes perfect!

With that, our outline is refined and our whale is starting to look quite handsome, isn't it? Now, let's add the cherry on top— color.

5. Color Your Whale

It's time to bring our easy draw whale to life with a splash of color. Coloring isn't just about making our whale look good; it's also about adding depth and dimension to our drawing. Ready to dive in?

Choose Your Colors

First things first, we need to pick our colors. Whales come in all sorts of colors— from grey to blue, even white if you're drawing a Beluga whale. But remember, this is your masterpiece. Feel free to get creative. Maybe you want a pink whale or a rainbow-colored one? Go for it!

Apply Base Color

Start by applying the base color all over your whale, but be careful not to color inside the eye, mouth or over the lines of the fins. Think of it as giving your whale a base coat before we add in the finer details. Keep your strokes light and even, covering all white spaces for a neat finish.

Add Shading and Highlights

Now onto shading and highlights. This is where we give our whale a 3D effect. For the shading, choose a color slightly darker than your base color and apply it on the underside of the whale, under the fins, and at the lower part of the tail. As for the highlights, use a lighter color and apply it on the top of the whale's body and tail. This creates the illusion of sunlight hitting your whale.

And there you have it! You've just learned how to easily draw a whale. It wasn't too hard, was it? Now, why not try drawing other sea creatures? Remember, practice is the key to improving your drawing skills. Happy sketching!

If you enjoyed learning how to easily draw a whale and want to dive deeper into drawing animals, we recommend checking out the workshop 'Basic Animal Anatomy for Artists' by Viktoria. This workshop will teach you essential techniques and concepts to help you master the art of drawing animals, expanding your skills beyond just whales!