In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Neon Tetra Fish step-by-step.

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To draw this Neon Tetra 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.

Below you can watch a NEW step-by-step video tutorial with NARRATED steps:

The following is a video tutorial where the steps are WRITTEN out within the video:

For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake.

Step 1: Draw a circle as a guide for the neon tetra's body. The circle doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide. Leave enough room on the sides for the tail and the head.

Step 2: Draw an arc on the right side of the circle as a guide for the neon tetra's head. The length of the arc should be almost the width of the circle.

Step 3: Draw another arc on the left side of the circle as a guide for the back portion of the body. This arc should be longer and narrower than the first one and the bottom line should come up a bit higher.

Step 4: Draw a triangle-like shape on the left side as a guide for the neon tetra's tail or caudal fin. To draw this guide, first draw a long vertical line, then connect the line to the body using diagonal lines.

Step 5: Draw a couple more triangle-like lines to form the guides for the pectoral and pelvic fins. Simply draw an angled line inside the circle on the lower right side and another outside of the body on the lower left side.

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Step 6: Add two more triangle-like shapes as guides for the dorsal and anal fins. Draw a big angled line at the top of the body to the left of the main circle and another at the body to the left of the pelvic guide.

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 the eye as a circle inside the arc near the top, close to the tip. Add a smaller circle inside for the pupil and shade it in. Add a few lines around the pupil for extra detail.

Step 8: Draw the neon tetra's mouth at the tip of the arc. Draw a line with a diagonal orientation for the actual mouth. Then follow the path of the arc to draw the top and bottom lips.

Step 9: Draw the rest of the head using the initial arc as a guide. Follow the path of the arc as you darken the lines to draw the top and bottom of the neon tetra's head.

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Step 10: Add a couple of curved lines under the eye for the gills.

Step 11: Use the lines on the lower right side as guides to draw the neon tetra's pectoral and pelvic fins. Follow the basic path of the guides as you darken the lines but make the shapes curvier for a more organic look.

Step 12: Use the other two angled lines on the left side as guides to draw the dorsal and anal fins. Again, follow the basic path of the guides but make the lines curve more as you darken them. The anal fin should be wavy to represent motion.

Step 13: Now draw the caudal fin using the triangle-like shape on the left as a guide. Darken the top and bottom lines. The line for the end of the fin should come in more toward the body.

Step 14: Use the remaining lines and shapes to form the rest of the neon tetra's body. Simply darken the lines as you follow the path of the guides to create the outer shape of the body.

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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 final sketch lines that you may have accidentally erased.

Final Step (optional): Neon tetras are colorful, so instead of the usual pencil shading, try coloring your drawing. Using gray, add some shading to give the drawing more dimension and volume. Shadows are generally at the cool end of the color spectrum, so add some blue or purple in the shadows. The tops and bottoms of tetras are a kind of silver color, so add gray here too.

Add a few diagonal lines at the bottom for the scales. Don't draw every individual scale, just a few lines to represent them. Continue adding the gray until you get a dark value or as dark as you'd like. The back portion of tetras is red, so start adding this by lightly applying brown at first. Now add some red on top of the brown. Color lightly at first and build up to the hue you want to end with. Add some red orange on top too. Using multiple shades of the same colors helps give the drawing more dimension but you can use a single coat of red for a simpler drawing. Adding the different shades of red on top of each other can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Add more dark gray to the top and bottom of the body but leave a strip blank near the middle. This is where the blue will go.

Start adding the "neon" section in the middle by using dark blue at the top and bottom. Add another layer of lighter blue on top. Color lightly and gradually build up to the color you want. Add some light blue when you get closer to the middle but leave a section blank. The key to making the iridescent section "glow" like neon is to leave a thin strip blank surrounded by gradually darkening colors. When you get to the shade of blue that you like, add more gray throughout the neon tetra's body. Add the gray right on top of the outer edges of the blue strip to blend the colors together and make them transition into each other. The dark gray accentuates the glow of the blue strip in the middle. Use black for the neon tetra's eye and add it lightly to the rest of the body to further emphasize the neon look. It's always a good idea to use reference for a more accurate drawing. If you have an aquarium with neon tetras or a similar variety or breed of fish, try to duplicate their pattern on your drawing. Remember to pause the video after each steps to draw at your own pace.

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