In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a manta ray step by step. There are two species of manta rays, the reef manta ray (Manta alfredi) and the giant oceanic manta ray (Manta birostris). The giant oceanic manta ray is the largest type of ray in the world. It can grow to 23 feet (7 meters) across and weigh 5,000 pounds!

Manta rays are fish, and they're closely related to sharks. They have large brains, triangular pectoral fins and structures protruding from their head called cephalic lobes. To eat zooplankton in the water, the manta ray will uncoil its cephalic lobes and use them to push the water into its mouth.

This tutorial shows how to draw a giant oceanic manta ray, but you can use this tutorial to draw the reef manta ray also. When shading, make the T-shaped color marking on the head more Y-shaped, and make the transition from black to white more gradual, rather than abrupt.

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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 manta ray 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 rectangular shape as a guide for the oceanic manta ray's body. First draw a long line that slopes toward the lower, left side of the paper. To the right, draw another line that's parallel to the first one. The two lines should be similar in size. At the top, draw a shorter line that connects the first two lines together. At the bottom draw another small line to close off the shape and finish the rectangular guide for the manta ray's body.

 

Step 2: To the left of the body, near the top, draw a long, horizontal line that slopes slightly as a guide for the manta ray's first pectoral fin. Below that, draw another long line that slopes even more and forms a triangle-like shape to complete the guide for the fin.

 

 

Step 3: On the right side of the body, draw another triangle- like shape for the manta ray's other fin. This triangle should be slightly bigger because of the perspective. Notice that the top line on this guide slopes more.

 

Step 4: At the top of the body, draw a short, curved line as a guide for the manta ray's tail.

 

 

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

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Step 5: Near the bottom corner of the rectangular shape, lightly sketch a small circle for the eye. When you get the position and size of the circle right, darken the shape. Inside, draw a tiny circle to represent glare. Shade the eye using a medium value but don't overlap the tiny glare circle. Use a slightly darker value near the top and middle of the manta ray's eye to emphasize the pupil. Draw a few curved lines around the eye for extra detail on the skin. Add some lines close to the eye and some a little farther for more structure. The second eye is on the other side of the head, so it won't be visible from this angle.

 

Step 6: Add the manta ray's open mouth to the left of the eye by first drawing a curved line. Sketch lightly at first. The top part of this line should be almost parallel to the side of the initial rectangular guide. The ends of this line should dip down toward the side of the guide. When you get the shape right, darken the line. Draw another line under the first one for the bottom part of the open mouth. The bottom line should curve too. Make the top line darker and thicker.

 

 

Step 7: Continue drawing the line for the mouth downward to form an arc and create the manta ray's cephalic lobe. Sketch lightly at first. The right tip of this line should end at the corner of the initial rectangular shape. When you get the shape right, darken the line. The overall shape should be similar to the letter U.

 

Step 8: Draw the manta ray's other cephalic lobe fin the same way. Continue the line for the mouth downward to create an arc. Sketch lightly at first. This lobe should be smaller than the first one because of the angle. Like before, the overall shape should be similar to the letter U, but the bottom part should curve to the right.

 

 

Step 9: Use the initial rectangular shape as a guide to draw the head. Continue to draw the line from the cephalic lobe upward as you follow the basic path of the initial guide. Darken the line below the eye for the side of the head and the line below the mouth for the bottom of the head. The line at the bottom should follow the same curvature as the manta ray's mouth.

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Step 10: Use the triangle-like shape on the left as a guide to draw the first pectoral fin. Follow the path of the guide line at the top to create the back edge of the manta ray's pectoral fin. Make the line wavier so that the left side is raised up and the right side dips down. Sketch lightly at first and only darken the wavy line when you get its shape right. Now follow the basic path of the initial sloping line to create the front edge of the pectoral fin. Follow the path of the guide but at the top, curve the line to the inside of the initial triangle shape. Draw a smaller curved line at the bottom, near the tip to emphasize the folding of the pectoral fin.

 

Step 11: Use the initial triangle shape on the right as a guide to draw the second pectoral fin. Follow the path of the guides but make the lines wavier to simulate movement. The front edge of the manta ray's pectoral fin should dip in the middle , and the sides should curve up. For the back edge of the fin, the middle section should also dip low. Follow the basic path of the initial line to guide you.

The oceanic manta ray's fins can be tricky to draw. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. When you get the wavy shape of the pectoral fin right, darken the lines. Notice how the lines curve and overlap each other at the tip to create the fin folding over. The way the lines curve at the tip makes a bit of the underside of the fin visible.

 

 

Step 12: Use the top part of the initial rectangular shape as a guide to draw the back portion of the body. First draw a sloping line on the top, left side for the part of the body that overlaps the pectoral fin on the left. Then draw a curved line from the pectoral fin on the right to the base of the manta ray's tail.

 

Step 13: Use the initial wavy line at the top as a guide to draw the manta ray's tail. Draw the shape of the tail around the guide. Make the base thick and the tip pointy. Before the tail meets the body, draw a small, triangular shape for the dorsal fin.

 

 

Step 14: 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 oceanic manta ray drawing to emphasize the appearance of a giant oceanic manta ray. Draw a line along the edge of the pectoral fins for the separation of black at the top and white at the bottom. At the top of the head, draw a shape similar to a bold letter T that wraps around the head down to the eyes.

Shade the top part of the manta ray's body using a dark value but leave the T- shaped section on the head blank. Apply more pressure to your pencil to get a dark value. You can also use a black color pencil. Don't push down too hard on your pencil or the graphite may become shiny, and you may tear your paper. As you shade, use strokes that go in the same direction, otherwise you may end up with a criss-cross pattern on your manta ray. Use the same consistent pressure throughout the whole drawing or some areas may look unintentionally lighter. Be extra careful as you shade the head so that you don't accidentally shade the white markings there. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.

This may take longer, but to be safe, start shading lightly at first and gradually build to a darker value. Shade evenly across the whole body for a smooth value and avoid a rough, gritty texture. It's a good idea to use a blank, scrap piece of paper under your hand so that your skin doesn't accidentally smudge the graphite. The area around the manta ray's mouth is white, and the cephalic lobes are white too, so don't add value there.

Shading your manta ray drawing can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. You can add the value to different sections of the body at a time to break up the shading process. Continue adding the value until the entire body is shaded.

Use a medium to light value on the lower part of the body to create shadows. Add some value inside the manta ray's open mouth to give it more depth. Use a light value on the cephalic lobes to emphasize them curving inward. These shadows help give the figure more dimension and volume. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. These shadows help give the figure more dimension and volume. Don't make the white sections too dark with shadows. It's always a good idea to use reference for a more accurate drawing. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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