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

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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.

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To draw this catfish 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 Narrated 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 so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake.

Step 1: Draw two ovals as guides for the catfish's head and the body. To draw each oval, first make four marks to determine the oval's height and width. Make sure that the marks for the oval's width are farther apart than the marks for the oval's length. Then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. The oval for the body should be rounder than the oval for the head. Place the body oval higher than the head oval.

Step 2: Connect the ovals using curved lines to create the middle section of the catfish's body. Pay attention to where these lines start and end. On the left side, draw a thinner shape as a guide for the back portion of the body. Don't draw this shape too long. The back of the body should be wide and then gradually get thinner toward the right side.

Step 3: Draw a series of shapes throughout the body as guides for the fins on the catfish. The fin on top of the body should be similar to a small arc. The fin inside the body should be small and triangular. The fin under the body should be wider and more curved. On the right side, draw a big, triangular shape as a guide for the tail.

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

Step 4: Inside the head, on the right side, draw a small circle for the catfish's eye. Inside the circle draw a big dot for the pupil. Add a curved line on the left side. Sketch lightly at first and only darken the eye when you get the shapes right. On the bottom, left side of the head, draw a short horizontal line for the mouth. Curve the left side of the mouth for the top lip.

Step 5: On the sides of the mouth, draw two long, thin shapes for the whisker-like segments called barbels. The tips of the barbels should be thin and pointy. Make the barbel on the left slightly shorter because it's on the other side of the head. Above the nose, draw two tiny circle's for the catfish's nostrils.

Step 6: Under the mouth, draw a curved line along the edge of the initial oval for the catfish's lower lip. Inside the shape, draw a shorter curved line for the open mouth. Under the bottom lip, draw four more long, thin shapes for more barbels. These barbels should be shorter than the barbels on the sides of the mouth.

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Step 7: Above the nostrils draw two shorter barbels. Darken the outer edges of the guides on the left to complete the shape of the catfish's head. Curve the bottom line inside the head to create the gill cover. Draw an extra curved line for texture on the gill cover. The gill cover should be up against the triangular pectoral fin.

Step 8: Darken the arc on top of the body and the small triangular shape inside the body to create the catfish's dorsal fin and pectoral fin. Draw a series of lines within the shapes for the segments on the fins.

Step 9: Darken the shape under the catfish's body for another fin and add a few lines inside the shape for the segments. Draw two more curved lines along the top and bottom edges of the body for two more fins. These fins should be small. Add lines inside the shapes too.

Step 10: Darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the catfish's body. Don't overlap the shape of the dorsal fin as you darken the lines. Use the triangular shape on the right side as a guide to draw the tail. Darken the shape but curved the right edge more to make the tail thinner. Draw a series of lines inside the shape for the segments on the tail or caudal fin.

Step 11: 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: Shade your catfish drawing for extra detail. Shade lightly at first and gradually build up to darker values. For light values, push down very lightly on your pencil and push down harder for darker values. Use a very light value to create a strip on the top part of the body for a highlight. Leave the bottom of the body blank. Catfish don't have scales, so shade slowly and evenly for a smooth texture. Use a darker value on the segments of the fins and on the barbels. Add a medium value along the bottom of the body to create a shadow. It's a good idea to use reference as you shade for a more accurate depiction of a catfish. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.

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