In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a catfish step-by-step.

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All of the tutorials on How2DrawAnimals.com are good drawing tutorials for beginners and experienced artists alike. The online tutorials are easy to follow; they teach you the how to draw basics while showing you how to draw animals step by step. Each animal has a video drawing tutorial option, as well as step-by-step photos and written text to follow.

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To draw this catfish step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step drawings below the video. The new lines in each step are shown in red, so you'll know exactly what to draw next. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both drawing methods. Take your time and draw at your own pace.

Below you can watch a Narrated step-by-step video tutorial:

For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake.

Step 1: Draw two ovals as guides for the catfish's head and the body. To draw each oval, first make four marks to determine the oval's height and width. Make sure that the marks for the oval's width are farther apart than the marks for the oval's length. Then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. The oval for the body should be rounder than the oval for the head. Place the body oval higher than the head oval.

Step 2: Connect the ovals using curved lines to create the middle section of the catfish's body. Pay attention to where these lines start and end. On the left side, draw a thinner shape as a guide for the back portion of the body. Don't draw this shape too long. The back of the body should be wide and then gradually get thinner toward the right side.

Step 3: Draw a series of shapes throughout the body as guides for the fins on the catfish. The fin on top of the body should be similar to a small arc. The fin inside the body should be small and triangular. The fin under the body should be wider and more curved. On the right side, draw a big, triangular shape as a guide for the tail.

That's it for the guides! From this point on, press down harder with your pencil for a more defined drawing of a catfish.

Step 4: Inside the head, on the right side, draw a small circle for the catfish's eye. Inside the circle draw a big dot for the pupil. Add a curved line on the left side. Sketch lightly at first and only darken the eye when you get the shapes right. On the bottom, left side of the head, draw a short horizontal line for the mouth. Curve the left side of the mouth for the top lip.

Step 5: On the sides of the mouth, draw two long, thin shapes for the whisker-like segments called barbels. The tips of the barbels should be thin and pointy. Make the barbel on the left slightly shorter because it's on the other side of the head. Above the nose, draw two tiny circle's for the catfish's nostrils.

Step 6: Under the mouth, draw a curved line along the edge of the initial oval for the catfish's lower lip. Inside the shape, draw a shorter curved line for the open mouth. Under the bottom lip, draw four more long, thin shapes for more barbels. These barbels should be shorter than the barbels on the sides of the mouth.