In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Whale Shark 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 Whale Shark 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.

The Written 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.

Step 1: Draw a big diamond-like shape as a guide for the whale shark's head. First, on the left side of the paper, draw a big, angled line that's similar to a less-than sign (<). Then to the right, draw another angled line that's similar to a greater-than sign to close off the shape. This diamond should be wider than it is tall. The bigger it is, the bigger your whale shark will be.

Step 2: Draw a sloping line across the head as a construction line that will help you place the whale shark's facial features later.

Step 3: Starting on the right corner of the diamond, draw a line that slopes up for the first part of the guide for the body. The longer you draw this line, the longer your whale shark will be. Draw a curved line at the top to close off the guide for the body. The right side should be pointy.

Step 4: On the right, draw the guide for the whale shark's pectoral fin using a shape that's similar to the letter V on its side.

Step 5: At the top, draw two triangular shapes as guides for the whale shark's dorsal fins. Make the shape on the left bigger. The left edges of these shapes should slope more than the right edges.

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Step 6: At the bottom, to the right of the pectoral fin, draw two small, V-shaped lines for the whale shark's pelvic and anal fins.

Step 7: At the tip of the body, on the right, draw a tall, triangular shape as a guide for the top part of the whale shark's tail. Below that, draw a smaller V-shaped line as a guide for the bottom part of the tail.

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

Step 8: Lightly sketch a wavy line at the front of the head for the whale shark's mouth. The mouth should stretch from the left corner of the head to a bit past the construction line in the middle. When you get the position and size of the mouth right, darken the lines. On the right side of the mouth, draw a thin, short shape for a barbel. On the left side, draw a curved line for the other end of the mouth. Darken the edge a bit for the top of the head.

Step 9: Below the previous line, draw a curved line for the lower edge of the open mouth. This line shouldn't touch the edge of the initial diamond shape. The whale shark's open mouth shouldn't be too big. Darken the edge of the initial diamond for the lower jaw. Make the line curve more than the guide.

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Step 10: Use the initial diamond shape as a guide to draw the rest of the whale shark's head. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the shape of the head curvier as you darken the lines. Draw a couple of short lines above the lower edge of the head for extra detail. To the right, draw five short, vertical lines for the whale shark's gills.

Step 11: To the right of the mouth, draw a tiny circle with a dot inside for the whale shark's eye. To the right of the eye, draw a tiny, C-shaped line for the ear opening.

Step 12: Darken the shape to the right of the gills for the whale shark's pectoral fin. Make the tip rounder.

Step 13: Darken the shapes at the top for the whale shark's dorsal fins but make the tips rounder. Curve the right edges of the fins at the bottom toward the body a bit.

Step 14: Darken the V-shaped lines under the body for the whale shark's pelvic and anal fins.

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Step 15: Use the triangular shapes on the right as guides to draw the caudal fin or tail. Darken the outer edges of the guides to create the shape of the whale shark's tail.

Step 16: Draw three long lines across the whale shark's body for the ridges found on the back. The lines should be long, but they shouldn't reach the head.

Step 17: Use the remaining lines and shapes as guides to draw the rest of the whale shark's body. Darken the top line but curve the tip in toward the head to create a middle ridge. Now darken the outer edges of the initial guide to create the shape of the body. Don't overlap the shapes of the fins as you darken the lines for the whale shark's body.

Step 18: 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: Shade the inside of the mouth using a dark value. Draw a series of small circles all over the body for the distinctive whale shark pattern. This process will take some time, so be patient and take breaks when you add the pattern. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade. Draw a few stripes between the circles on the body. Shade the body using a medium value. Don't overlap the small circles or stripes. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. Shade slowly so that you don't overlap the pattern on the whale shark's body. The circles are very close together, so you might shade over some and that's okay.

The underside of whale sharks is very light, so don't shade that part. Add a bit of light value to the underside for shadows to give the figure volume and dimension. Add a darker value at the top to make the ridges stand out more. Continue to add value throughout the body until you're happy with the results. It's a good idea to use reference as you draw for a more accurate depiction of a whale shark. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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