In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Killer Whale (Orca) Breaching 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.

 

The Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

 

To draw a breaching Killer Whale 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 circle near the middle of the paper as a guide for the first part of the killer whale's body. First make four small marks to indicate the circle's height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're struggling to draw the circle, trace the outer rim of a lid, a cup or any other object with a circular edge. For a more detailed guide on the different ways to draw a circle check out this tutorial: Four simple ways to draw a circle.

 

Step 2: On the top, right side, draw another circle as a guide for the killer whale's head. Draw this circle the same way as the first. It should be about one-fifth the size of the first one. Don't draw the circles too close together, otherwise your killer whale will end up too short.

 

 

Step 3: Draw a diagonal line across the head to help you place the facial features later on. On the top, right side, draw a short, curved line as a guide for the orca's mouth.

 

Step 4: Draw two sloping lines that connect the two circles together to form the guide for the front part of the body. These lines should be somewhat parallel to the construction line that's inside the killer whale's head. Draw two more long lines under the big circle to create the guide for the lower part of the body.

 

 

Step 5: At the bottom, draw a long, horizontal line as a guide for the surface of the water.

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Step 6: Under the head, draw a thin arc that's on its side as a guide for the first flipper. Below that, draw a bigger, wider arc as a guide for the flipper that's on the other side of the killer whale's body.

 

Step 7: On the left side of the body, where the main circle is, draw a triangle- like shape as a guide for the orca's dorsal fin.

 

 

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

 

Step 8: Inside the head, lightly sketch a small circle for the eye. Use the diagonal line as a guide for placement. When you get the size and position right, darken the circle and shade it in. Leave a tiny circle blank for glare. Add some lines around the eye. Don't worry too much about the eye, as it will basically get lost when you shade later.

 

 

Step 9: Use the arc at the top as a guide to draw the killer whale's mouth. Follow the basic path of the arc but make the shape a bit flatter as you darken it. Use the line inside the head as a guide to draw the mouth. The mouth should end under the orca's eye.

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Step 10: Use the remaining shapes as guides to draw the rest of the orca's head. Darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the head. Notice how the shape dips a little bit at the top to separate the head from the orca's mouth.

 

Step 11: Inside the head, draw the white shape that all killer whales have. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. The shape is kind of like a wonky oval. The shape should be right above the eye. When you get the shape right, darken the lines. The shape should extend to the left so that it just barely comes out of the initial circle. Extend the line for the mouth down toward the flipper to create the separation of color.

 

 

Step 12: Darken the thin arc that's right under the head to create the shape of the killer whale's first flipper. Now darken the bigger arc below that to create the other flipper.

 

Step 13: Darken the triangle-like shape on the left side to create the orca's dorsal fin. As you darken the shape, make the bottom part curvier so that the dorsal fin is a bit thinner.

 

 

Step 14: Darken the outer edges of the initial guide to create the shape of the killer whale's body. As you darken the lines, don't overlap the shape of the top flipper or the dorsal fin. Don't draw the lines for the body all the way down to the water; make them a bit shorter.

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Step 15: Draw a series of long lines inside the orca's body for the color separation. The line for the color separation should be close to the right side and almost parallel to the edge. At the bottom, curve the line and add an extra arc for the different pattern near the orca's tail.

 

Step 16: Draw the splashing water along the horizontal line at the bottom. Draw an arc-type shape that's made up of wavy lines at the bottom, on the left side. It's okay if the lines overlap the killer whale's body. This arc doesn't have to be perfect since it represents splashing water.

Extend the top part higher and make it thinner. Inside the shape, add more wavy lines for detail. Draw tiny circles and ovals to represent more water splashing. Add a similar arc- type shape but only smaller on the lower, right side. Draw more tiny circles and ovals and darken the horizontal line at the bottom.

 

 

Step 17: Draw more wavy, arc-type lines on the right side of the orca's body for the dripping water. Your lines don't have to look exactly like mine. As long as they're wavy and sort of U-shaped, they should be fine. Add some of these wavy lines inside the orca's flipper and longer lines below it.

Draw more lines parallel to each other to read as water dripping down the body. Don't overthink it. Just draw a series of wavy lines under the killer whale's body of different lengths. Break up the lines and don't draw too many of them, otherwise they'll start to look crowded. Draw tiny circles and ovals for smaller drops of water dripping.

 

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: Add some shading to your killer whale drawing for more detail. Draw a wavy shape below the dorsal fin for the lighter patch on the black body called a saddle. Use a dark value on the body except for the underside, the saddle, the eye patch and a section in the middle for shine. Add the value lightly at first and gradually make it darker. Don't push down too hard with your pencil or you may tear the paper. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.

You can also use a black color pencil to add the dark value. Continue shading until the entire top side is covered. The orca's saddle shouldn't be too light. Leave some small circles blank for drops of water. Add alternating dark and medium values to the water to create ripples and shadows.

Use a medium value for the splashing water but leave the wavy lines blank for foam. Shade the dripping water using a medium value too but leave some of the wavy lines blank. Add a medium value to the underside of the killer whale's body for a shadow. Don't forget to pause the video to draw at your own pace.

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