Our underwater world is brimming with creatures that are both exciting and fun to draw.
And because marine life comes in an endless assortment of shapes, patterns and colours, it’s no surprise that young artists rarely tire of putting pen to paper to recreate their favourite creatures from beneath the seas and oceans.
Of course, sharks are one of the most popular marine animals to draw because of their striking features. With their fins and trademark spiky teeth, these apex predators are unmistakable sea creatures. But if you want to get slightly more technical with your drawing, you can start delving into the different shark species found all over the world and how to tell them apart. This will really start to bring your sea creature drawings to the next level.
Below, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide to drawing sharks, perfect for before or after a family visit to the aquarium to see one up close!
What will I need?
The beauty of this how-to is that you won’t need many supplies to draw your shark and bring it to life on the page.
You’ll need:
- Pens
- Pencils
- Black marker pen
- Rubber
- Optional: Protractor (to help draw the perfect curved lines!)
How to draw a shark in 5 easy steps
Our step-by-step guide accompanied by a short, easy-to-follow video is here to help you nail the proportions and characteristics to create your very own Sand Tiger Shark drawing.
Step 1: Starting at the snout, draw a long oval shape for the body since Sand Tiger Sharks typically have longer, more slender bodies. If you have one to hand, you can use a protractor to help you draw smooth curves. Then, draw two top fins by adding a large, curved triangle shape in the middle of the body and a smaller version closer to the tail. Finally, while the tail might look tricky, you can simply start by drawing two curves pointing outwards from the body. You can then draw a small ribbon-like notch at the top of the tail and curve it back to link it with the bottom.
Step 2: Next, add four lower fins to the bottom of the body. The front two fins should be larger and sit towards the front of the body while the back two should be drawn smaller and closer to the tail.
Step 3: Add five small lines in between the lower front fins for the gills.
Step 4: You can now colour in your Sand Tiger Shark! Typically, they’re a brown or green-grey colour with a lighter-coloured bottom half, so make sure to colour yours in similar shades to make your drawing more accurate.
Step 5: Finally, add the Sand Tiger Shark’s trademark rusty brown spots all across its back and draw an eye above the snout using a large black circle and a smaller white dot. And that’s it, you can now show off your incredible drawing!
8 fun facts about sharks
Ready to learn some fun facts about sharks? Below are 8 of our favourites, including a few species-specific ones!
- Sand Tiger Sharks are best known for their rust-coloured spots that line their backs and often appear on the upper fins, too.
- There are thought to be more than 500 species of shark living in our waters.
- Sharks can vary dramatically in size – the Dwarf Lantern Shark is smaller than the average human hand, while the Whale Shark can grow up to 12 metres long!
- Sand Tiger Sharks get their name from their tendency to stay on shorelines close to the sand.
- Most sharks are cold-blooded, although Great White Sharks are an exception since they’re partially warm-blooded which helps them move faster when hunting.
- Sharks have been around for more than 400 million years – they even predate the dinosaurs!
- Sand Tiger Sharks are the only shark species known to come to the water’s surface to gulp air.
- They can come in a wide variety of shapes, with one of the most uniquely shaped species being the Hammerhead Shark which, as the name suggests, means they have a hammer-shaped head.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to drawing sharks, including a step-by-step tutorial for drawing a Sand Tiger Shark just like our very own at Deep Sea World. Why let the creative fun end there? If you want to draw some more fun sea creatures, check out our step-by-step guide to drawing a seal.
In need of some inspiration for your drawings? Plan your next visit to Deep Sea World where our animals will be happy to pose for you! For information and tickets, check out our visitor information page.