Step 7: Use the short lines on the sides of the head as guides to draw the axolotl's external gill stalks. Draw the shapes of the gills around the guide lines. Make the bottoms of the gills thick and the tops thin and pointy. The bottom gills should be the smallest. Sketch lightly at first and only darken the lines when you get the shapes right.

Step 8: Draw a series of short lines along the edges of the axolotl's gill stalks for the small filaments. Make the lines short at the top and then gradually make them longer toward the bottom.

Step 9: Use the lines under the body as guides to draw the axolotl's legs. Lightly sketch the shapes of the legs around the guide lines. Curve the shapes o the legs along the paths of the guides. On the bottom of each leg, draw a few small, V-shaped lines for the toes. Spread out the shapes of the toes. The legs an feet should be small in relation to the body.

Step 10: Darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. Don't overlap the gills or legs as you darken the lines. On the left side, draw a long curved line that surrounds the tail for the thin section of skin. Make these lines wavy. The top section should be wider than the bottom.

Step 11: For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing all of the guides. It's okay to leave some behind. Re-draw any final sketch lines you may have accidentally erased.

Final Step: Now color your axolotl drawing! Axolotls have different colors, so you can color your drawing however you'd like. For this look use different shades of pink and peach for the body. Don't color to dark keep the colors light. Blend the color together by pushing down slightly harder on your colored pencils. Use darker shades of pink along the bottom sections for shadows. Inside the gill stalks, draw a few angled lines using dark red for veins. Add more filaments to the gills using dark red too. Color the gill stalks a dark shade of pink and peach. For a white axolotl just leave the drawing blank and only add color to the gills stalks and to create shadows. At the bottom, add a shadow using gray and a bit of blue. Coloring can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. It's a good idea to use reference as you color for a more accurate depiction of an axolotl.

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