Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Piranha" video after each step to draw at your own pace.

 

Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

 

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 page as a guide for the piranha's body. First draw four small marks to indicate the height and width of the circle, then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. But the circle doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide. If you do want to draw a perfect circle, trace the outer rim of a cup, a lid or any other object with a circular edge.

 

Step 2: Draw an arc that is narrow at the tip on the left side of the circle as a guide for the piranha's head. First make a small mark to the left of the circle, then connect the mark to the circle using curved lines.

 

Step 3: Draw another arc on the right side of the circle to complete the guide for the piranha's body. This arc should be somewhat shorter. Then end result of the combined shapes should be similar to an eye.

 

Step 4: Draw the guide for the tail, or caudal fin, by first drawing a vertical line to the right of the body. Finish the guide for the piranha's caudal fin by connectng the vertical line to the body using a couple of diagonal lines.

 

That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.

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Step 5: Inside the head, near the top, draw a circle for the piranha's eye. Make the circle a bit wavy to indicate the eye's soft edge. Inside the eye, draw a small circle for the pupil. Shade in the circle. Draw a few lines around the fish's pupil to for extra detail.

 

Step 6: On the tip of the head, draw the piranha's open mouth using a couple of lines. The shape of the mouth should be similar to a greater- than sign (>). Add a few lines under the mouth for the lower lip.

 

Step 7: Inside the mouth, on the top and bottom edges, draw a series of triangle-like shapes for the teeth. The piranha's teeth basically consist of a zigzag line along the edge of the mouth. Add a few more triangle-like spikes between the first set of teeth for the teeth on the other side of the mouth. Add the top row of teeth the same way. Draw a zigzag line along the top of the mouth.

 

Step 8: Draw the piranha's dorsal fin at the top of the body by first drawing a curved diagonal line. Then draw a wavy line that's similar to the letter S on the right side to complete the dorsal fin.

 

Step 9: Inside the main circle, near the bottom, draw a curved horizontal line for the top part of the piranha's pectoral fin. The bottom part of the fin is made up of a long line that is angled near the left side. Make the lower, right edge of the fin a bit jagged. Add a couple of curved lines on the left side for the base.

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Step 10: Use the triangle-like shape on the right side as a guide to draw the piranha's tail or caudal fin. Follow the basic path of the guides but make the shape more wavy as you darken the lines.

 

Step 11: Draw a small triangle-like shape on the top side of the body, to the left of the tail, for the piranha's adipose fin. Draw the anal fin under the body, to the left of the tail, using a series of lines. Follow the path of the body as you draw the outer edge of the fish's rectangular fin.

 

Step 12: Use the remaining lines and shapes as guides to draw the rest of the piranha's body. Simply darken the outer edge of the initial guide lines to create the shape of the body. Don't overlap the lines for the fish's fins as you draw the shape of the body.

 

Step 13: Draw a series of long, curved lines between the pectoral fin and eye for the piranha's gills. The first line should be the longest. Then add two shorter lines closer to the pectoral 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 piranha drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Try to add the value evenly across the body for the smooth skin and avoid a rough, gritty texture. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Make a long section across the top part of the body a bit lighter to indicate shine.

Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. Add a darker value across the middle, the lower edge and the near the fish's gills to emphasize the shadows and highlights. It's a good idea to use reference as you draw for an accurate piranha. To shade the fins, alternate between a light and dark value to emphasize the structure. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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To learn how to draw popular cartoon characters, visit EasyDrawingTutorials.com.

 

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