Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Fish (Regal Blue Tang)" 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 big circle as a guide for the front part of the regal blue tang's body. First draw four small marks for the height and width of the circle, then connect the marks using curved lines. Draw the circle close to the right edge of the paper so that you have enough room on the left side for the rest of the body. 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 a perfect circle, trace the outer rim of a glass, a cup or any other object with a circular edge.

 

Step 2: Draw two intersecting lines (one vertical and one horizontal) inside the head. These are construction lines that will help you place the blue tang's facial features later. The end result should be similar to a scope.

 

Step 3: On the right side of the circle, draw a curved line as a guide for the front part of the blue tang's head. First draw a small mark on the right. Then connect the mark to the circle using curved lines. Don't draw the mark too far to the right.

 

Step 4: Draw a big arc on the left side of the circle as a guide for the second part of the body. First draw a small mark on the left to indicate the length of the arc. Tangs are pretty short, so don't draw the mark too far to the left. Then connect the mark to the circle using curved lines to create the rest of the arc. The shape of the blue tang's body, minus the curved line for the head on the right, should look similar to an egg.

 

Step 5: Draw a triangle on the lower, left side of the circle as a guide for the blue tang's pectoral fin. Use the construction lines as guides for the triangle's placement and to indicate where the triangle's three corners will be. The bottom corner of the triangle should stick out of the circle a little bit. The corner on the right should spill over to the right of the vertical construction line.

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Step 6: Add the guide for the blue tang's tail by first drawing a vertical line to the left of the body. Then connect the vertical line to the body using two long diagonal lines. Don't draw the vertical line too far to the left, otherwise the fish's tail will be too long.

 

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

 

Step 7: Draw a small circle on the upper, right side of the body for the outer section of the blue tang's eye. The eye should be close to the edge of the main circle. Pay attention to the eye's size in relation to the fish's body. Draw a smaller circle inside the first circle for the inner section of the eye. Draw an even smaller circle near the middle of the eye for the pupil. Add a few small lines around the pupil for extra detail on the eye.

 

Step 8: Use the curved line on the right as a guide to draw the front part of the blue tang's face. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the shape of the head thinner as you darken the line. Near the middle of the line, draw a small shape similar to a less- than sign (<) for the mouth. Darken the bottom part of the curved line to create the lower half of the face. Notice the position of the fish's mouth in relation to the horizontal line inside the head. Place it a little lower.

 

Step 9: Use the triangle inside the body as a guide to draw the pectoral fin. Follow the basic path of the triangle as you draw the fin but make the corners rounder and not pointy. Make the sides of the fin wavier to represent the movement and flow of the fin.

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Step 10: Draw a long, curved horizontal line above the fish's body for the dorsal fin. Sketch the line lightly at first. When you get the height and shape of it right, darken the line. Follow the basic outer shape of the body to draw the blue tang's fin but make the line wavier to indicate movement.

 

Step 11: Draw a shorter curved line under the body on the left side for the anal fin. Sketch lightly at first as you follow the basic outline of the body. Darken the line when you get the shape right. The left end of this fin should be near the middle of the blue tang's body. It shouldn't go further right than the pectoral fin.

 

Step 12: Use the three lines on the left as guides to draw the blue tang's tail. Follow the basic path of the guides but make the shape of the tail curvier as you darken the lines. You can also make the vertical line on the left a lot wavier to represent movement.

 

Step 13: Use the remaining initial lines as guides to draw the rest of the blue tang's body. Simply go around the initial sketch and darken the outer portion of the guides to create the shape of the body. On the bottom edge of the body, below the pectoral fin, draw a wavy spike-like shape for the pelvic fin. Draw a long curved line between the eye and the pectoral fin for the fish's gills. The gills should have a diagonal orientation. Add a few lines next to the mouth for extra detail.

 

Step 14: Draw a few long, curved lines inside the blue tang's body to represent the color separation. The first line should follow the path of the initial arc, then curve down toward the eye. The second line starts to the left of the eye, then curves up and then down toward the pectoral fin. The line then moves left across the body and ends at the base of the fish's tail. Use the horizontal construction line as a guide for placement. This bottom color separation line should be almost parallel.

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Step 15: Add the other color separation shapes within the lines you just created. The first shape is similar to a big deformed oval. Place it to the left of the fish's eye, above the pectoral fin. The other color separation shape is a triangle on the blue tang's tail. The triangle should follow the same basic path of the tail. This triangle basically consists of two diagonal lines that come to a point on the right side at the base of the tail.

 

Step 16: 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. You can also LIGHTLY erase some of the final lines so that the colors don't get too muddled with the graphite in the next step. If you accidentally erase too much of the final lines, be sure to re-draw them.

 

Final Step: Regal blue tangs are colorful fish, so instead of the usual shading, try coloring your drawing. Use black for the big shape inside the body. Don't color the triangle on the tail or the oval-like shape in the body. Add a bit of black on the edge of the dorsal fin on top and on the edge of the anal fin at the bottom. Use black on the pupil and a bit inside the eye on the ring around the pupil. Continue adding black to the entire section. Start adding the color lightly but eventually push down hard with your pencil to get a rich black.

Use dark blue lightly near the bottom of the blue tang's body and a bit on the middle. Color the gills dark blue too. Add some stripes on the dorsal, anal and pelvic fins using dark blue as well. Now use regular blue on the rest of the body except for the tail and the left edge of the pectoral fin. Leave a few small circles blank between the eye and the mouth, as these will be yellow spots.

Continue layering the blue, pushing harder each time until you eventually have a rich color. Use some yellow-orange to create stripes on the fish's tail and use some on the pectoral fin and spots on the face too. Now use regular yellow on everything else that's not already blue or black, including a bit around the eye. It's always a good idea to use reference as you draw. And don't forget to pause the video to draw at your own pace.

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