The fish is one of the most beginner-friendly animals to draw — a simple oval body, a triangular tail, and a few fins create an instantly recognisable fish. It's a perfect first-animal drawing and a great base for learning about sea life. Parikshet shows you how to draw a cheerful fish step by step.

🖍️ What You Need

  • Pencil and eraser
  • Bright markers (orange, blue, yellow)
  • White for the eye highlight
  • Black pen for outlines

How to Draw a Fish Step by Step

  1. Draw the body — a horizontal oval, slightly pointed at the front (where the mouth goes) and tapering at the back (toward the tail).
  2. Add the tail — at the back, draw a triangular tail fin. A classic fish tail looks like a sideways letter V or a fan with a notch in the middle.
  3. Draw the eye — a large round eye near the front of the body, with a dark pupil and a white highlight dot for life.
  4. Add the mouth — a small curved or open mouth at the very front (the pointed end) of the body.
  5. Draw the top and bottom fins — a dorsal fin along the top of the body and a small fin underneath, both with a few lines for the fin rays.
  6. Add the side fin (pectoral fin) — a small fin on the side of the body, near the gills.
  7. Draw the gills and scales — a curved line behind the eye for the gill cover, and rows of overlapping U-shaped scales across the body.
  8. Colour — bright orange, blue, or yellow body, with the scales and fins in slightly different tones.
💡 Parikshet's Tip: Fish scales overlap like roof tiles, always pointing toward the tail. Draw them in rows of small U or C shapes, with each row overlapping the one in front. This gives the fish a realistic, textured body rather than a plain flat shape. Start the rows behind the gill line.

🌟 Did You Know?

There are over 34,000 known species of fish — more than all the species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians combined! Fish were the first animals to develop backbones, over 500 million years ago. Some fish, like the lungfish, can even breathe air and survive out of water for months, and the tiny seahorse is actually a type of fish too — one where the dad, not the mum, carries the babies!

Fish Body Parts to Include

  • Streamlined body — an oval that tapers toward the tail
  • Tail fin — the V or fan shape that powers swimming
  • Dorsal, side, and belly fins — for steering and balance
  • Gills and overlapping scales — for breathing and protection

🎯 Try This: Draw an Aquarium Full of Fish

  1. Draw several fish of different sizes and colours.
  2. Add different fish shapes: a long thin eel, a round pufferfish, a flat angelfish.
  3. Add seaweed, bubbles, a treasure chest, and pebbles.
  4. Colour each fish differently for a bright, busy aquarium scene.