The simple lines of a dolphin make them easy to draw.
Illustrating your own pictures of dolphins is a straightforward project. The lines, contours and shapes of a dolphin are basic and, therefore, accessible -- even for novice artists. Once you draw the body, only a few details remain before you have achieved a complete image. Shading is the critical final step that will give your illustration life. Fortunately, that too is achievable with basic artistic skills.
Instructions
1. Draw a long, curved line. Begin the line on the left half of the page. Curve it around to the right, then down. The shape should slightly resemble an upside-down letter J.
2. Bring the body line down and slightly away from the body to form a soft point. Draw a long, curved line from that point around and down to meet the endpoint of the first body line. The shape should resemble a banana. It should also be wider at the top and narrow at the tail end, where both lines ended.
3. Shape the dolphin's head on the left side of the body. Shape a broad forehead and an elongated, rounded nose from the point you formed in that area. The forehead should take up most of the head. The nose will be a narrow feature at the bottom.
4. Add a dorsal fin in the middle of the back. The body is arched, so the fin will point directly to the right of the page. Draw a short, horizontal line from the body to the right. Curve the line down at the end. Draw a short arch between the end of the previous line and the dolphin's back to draw the other side of the fin.
5. Add two pectoral flippers just below the nose on the underside of the body. Draw a short, curved line down from the arch in the dolphin's chest. Connect the short curve back to the body with another short curve.
6. Begin the second flipper above the middle of the first flipper, in the dolphin's body. Draw a slightly curved, diagonal line down and away from the starting point. Draw a short, straight, horizontal line from the starting point over to the right. Connect the endpoints of both lines with a short, curved line. The entire second flipper should appear to be on the dolphin's body.
7. Draw the tail fin. Start by drawing a short, horizontal line from the right side of the tail, Draw the line to the right and end it in a curve down. Draw an exceedingly short horizontal line from the left side of the tail. Draw the line to the left and curve it down at the end. Connect both lines back to the tail with slightly curved lines.
8. Draw a line through the middle of the nose to create the mouth. It should curve in the middle so that the second portion of the line is higher than the first. Add a small, dark circle to the right, above the mouth to indicate an eye.
9. Shade the body to indicate roundness. Shade the darkest at the dolphin's back and gradually make the shading lighter as you work down into the body.
