How to Draw a Narwhal
Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Narwhal" video after each step to draw at your own pace.
For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.
Step 1: Draw two circles as guides for the narwhal's body. The circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. Narwhals' bodies are pretty long, so don't draw the circles too close to each other. The circle on the right should also be smaller.
Step 2: Draw another circle on the left side as a guide for the narwhal's head. This circle should be small too. Don't place it too far away from the big circle.
Step 3: Draw two intersecting lines inside the head to help you place the narwhal's facial features later on.
Step 4: Draw a long line on the left side of the head as a guide for the narwhal's tusk. The length of this line will determine the length of the tusk, so draw yours as long or as short as you'd like.
Step 5: Draw a series of lines that connect the major shapes to form the rest of the narwhal's body. Draw two short lines on the left for the neck and two longer lines on the right for the body.
Step 6: Draw a short, curved, U- shaped line on the right as a guide for the bottom part of the narwhal's body.
Step 7: Draw a triangle-like shape on the right side as a guide for the narwhal's tail or flukes. To draw the guide, first draw a straight vertical line, then connect it to the body with two smaller diagonal lines.
That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.
Step 8: Draw the narwhal's eye as a small oval on the lower right side of the head. Use the initial lines as guides for placement. Shade the inside of the eye except for a tiny circle to represent glare. Add a couple of lines around the outside for extra detail.
Step 9: Use the long line on the left as a guide to draw the narwhal's tusk. Follow the basic path of the guide and draw two lines that come to a point coming from the head to create the tusk. Sketch lightly at first, then darken the lines when you get the shape right. Make the base thick and the tip pointy.
Step 10: Draw two circles as guides for the narwhal's body. The circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. Narwhals' bodies are pretty long, so don't draw the circles too close to each other. The circle on the right should also be smaller.
Narwhals' tusks are spiraled, so add a few short curved lines inside the shape to indicate the tusk's twist.
Step 11: Draw two circles as guides for the narwhal's body. The circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. Narwhals' bodies are pretty long, so don't draw the circles too close to each other. The circle on the right should also be smaller.
Use the initial circle as a guide to draw the rest of the narwhal's head. Follow the basic path of the circle as you darken the line and make the shape of the head a bit flatter. Draw the mouth as a wavy line under the tusk. Add the bottom portion of the head too.
Step 12: Draw two circles as guides for the narwhal's body. The circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. Narwhals' bodies are pretty long, so don't draw the circles too close to each other. The circle on the right should also be smaller.
Draw the narwhal's front flipper inside the body using a series of curved lines. Position the flipper on the bottom part of the big circle. The shape is made up of a few curved lines.
Step 13: Draw two circles as guides for the narwhal's body. The circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. Narwhals' bodies are pretty long, so don't draw the circles too close to each other. The circle on the right should also be smaller.
Use the triangle-like shape on the right side as a guide to draw the narwhal's fluke. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the shape of the fluke rounder.
Step 14: Draw two circles as guides for the narwhal's body. The circles don't have to be perfect. They're just guides. Narwhals' bodies are pretty long, so don't draw the circles too close to each other. The circle on the right should also be smaller.
Use the remaining shapes and lines as guides to draw the rest of the body. Follow the path of the initial guides as you darken the lines to create the shape of the body. Unlike other whales, narwhals don't have a dorsal fin, so don't draw anything at the top.
Step 15 (optional): 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 of the final sketch lines that you may have accidentally erased.
Final Step (optional): Add some shading to your narwhal drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. You can add even more value throughout your narwhal drawing for extra detail. Narwhals have dark heads, so push harder with your pencil in this area to get a darker value. You can add the value lightly at first, then gradually build up to the level of darkness that you want.
Narwhals have a splotchy pattern on the tops of their bodies, so leave some blank sections as you add the value here. The dark area becomes more scattered near the bottom and turns into spots. Add these spots along the middle of the body. Don't worry about adding the spots perfectly. Just draw random blotches all over the body. Just make sure that the blotches are more frequent and are closer together at the top than at the bottom.
Adding the splotches all over the body can be very time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. The flipper and the tail should be very dark with hardly any white on them. Vary the size, shape and value of the spots to make the pattern more random and less systematic. It's always a good idea to use reference if you want a more accurate drawing. Don't forget to pause the "How to Draw a Narwhal" video after each step to draw at your own pace.
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