How to draw a great white shark

Step 1 of 52Guide lines

Reggie's guides

Reggie is visiting an octopus, so start high and leave the bottom-left free for it. Lightly: back and belly curves meeting at his nose, a fifth in from the left, running back to his tail.

Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 36.

Step 2 of 52Guide lines

Fin and tail guides

Triangles for his fins: a tall one on his back, a long one slanting down behind his head. Then a V for his tail: a long point up, a shorter one down.

Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 36.

Step 3 of 52

His head and top fin

Now the real lines: from his nose, follow the back curve over his head to the top fin. Go up its front edge to the tip, and down its back edge.

Step 4 of 52

His smile

From his nose again, go down round his chin and up into a long smile. Then a little crease out from the smile's end.

Step 5 of 52

The side fin

The side fin comes before the belly. Start on the belly guide just behind the smile's end, go down its front edge to the long point, back up, and curl into his body.

Step 6 of 52

His belly

From his chin, follow the belly curve back to the side fin and stop there. The heavy, rounded chest is what makes a great white look strong.

Step 7 of 52

On to his tail

From under the top fin, a line along his back to the little fin near his tail: up over it and down its back edge.

Step 8 of 52

The tail

The tail: from under the little fin, along to where the tail starts, up to the top point, down its back edge past a notch, and on down to the bottom point.

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Underneath

From the side fin, along his underside, round a wavy fin and a small fin, and on down to the tail's bottom point, without lifting.

Step 10 of 52

His eye

Above the smile's back end, an almond eye: from the top lid's back tip to the front corner and back under. Inside, an upright oval, and a curl dipping from its top for the glint.

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His gills

Behind his head, five curved gill slits, each drawn up from the bottom. Start with the one nearest his eye; the last one rises out of the side fin.

Step 12 of 52

The pale line at the front

This line shows where his pale belly starts: from his nose, back under his eye to the first gill, and stop there. Then a little hook hanging off it for his nostril, near the start.

Step 13 of 52

The pale lines along his side

A wavy line behind the side fin, then one from the root of the wavy fin forward to a point and back along to the tail.

Step 14 of 52

Placing the octopus

The octopus, below Reggie's nose, a little in front: an oval for its head, tipped back. Then four arm curves: one under his belly, short of his side fin; two hanging down; one sweeping left.

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The octopus's head

Its head is a soft, round bag, facing Reggie: from the front of its neck, go under, round the back, over the top and down its right side. Then a short line down its neck.

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The octopus's eye

Near the right of its head: a small ring, a short slit across its middle for the pupil, a curved brow above and a small curve below.

Step 17 of 52

Its siphon

Below the eye, at the top of that short line, the siphon: a little hook curling up and over.

Step 18 of 52

The long arm

The arm reaching out to Reggie: from where the head line ended, along its top edge to under his belly, round the hook and into the curl, then back along its lower edge, without lifting.

Step 19 of 52

Reggie's far fin

Reggie's far fin, behind that arm: a short front edge from his belly to the arm. Under it, a narrow U from the arm to the curl, then the back edge up to his belly.

Step 20 of 52

Its suckers

Now suckers along the long arm: small ovals in two rows near its lower edge, fourteen of them, from the body out to the hook.

Step 21 of 52

The arm curling up

Above the long arm, an arm curling up: from the body, up its outer edge into a tight spiral, round, and back down its inner edge to the long arm.

Step 22 of 52

Its suckers

Six small suckers up the inside of that arm, from the long arm to the base of the spiral.

Step 23 of 52

The front arm

The front arm hangs straight down: from under the head, down its outer edge to a thin point, round it, and back up the inside to the top.

Step 24 of 52

Its suckers

Ten small suckers in a row down the inside edge of the front arm, from the top to the point, each just touching the next.

Step 25 of 52

The arm on the right

From the front arm's top, over an arch, down the next arm, round its curl and up to the body. Then a soft crease under the head, between these arms: up to a point, down.

Step 26 of 52

Its suckers

Six small suckers down the inside of that arm, from the arch to the curl.

Step 27 of 52

The arm on the left

The last arm sweeps left: from the neck, out, down and round into a curl, then back up its inner edge to the front arm without lifting. Then a line along its top.

Step 28 of 52

Its suckers

Seven suckers on the left arm: a row along under that line, one at its end, then round the bend and down beside the inner edge.

Step 29 of 52

The shells

Two scallop shells, an octopus-head's height below the left arm's curl, each a third its head's width. Go round the left one from its left point; then the one behind it, on the right.

Step 30 of 52

Their ridges

Ridges fan out on each shell: five on the left one, each from its edge down to the hinge, and a short line under it. Then three on the right one.

Step 31 of 52

The rock

Now the rock, behind them all: a short bit inside the left arm's curl, then its left side from the curl round the corner to the shell, and a bump behind the shell.

Step 32 of 52

The seaweed

Seaweed right of the right arm's curl, up to the curl's top, foot level with the shells' bottoms. Four narrow leaf loops, left to right; after each, a line up its middle, except the third.

Step 33 of 52

The rock's right side

From under the long arm's middle, curve down and out to just past the end of its curl, then down to the shells' level and back along the foot to the seaweed.

Step 34 of 52

Its foot, ridge and cracks

The rest of the foot, from the right shell along to the seaweed. Then a ridge across the top, from the right side leftward, and two cracks on its left face.

Step 35 of 52

Pebbles

Under the seaweed, two pebbles: round the bottom of the big one and the small one, then a short line where they meet.

Step 36 of 52

Erase the guides

Rub out the guide lines. Reggie, the octopus and the rock stay.

Step 37 of 52

Go over Reggie

Press harder: from the top fin's tip round Reggie's edge, down the fin, round the tail, under him and over his head. Then his far fin: back edge down, round the tip, front edge up.

Step 38 of 52

Go over its head and top arms

The octopus next, a little firmer: round its head and the long arm, then the arm curling up. Its eye, siphon and suckers stay light.

Step 39 of 52

Go over its arms

Then its arms on the rock: down the arm on the right, round its curl, up over the arch and round the front arm's point, then round the left arm's curl. The rock stays light.

Step 40 of 52

Grey on his head

Shading, with the light from above: a soft, even tone over Reggie's head and eye, down to the pale line. His belly stays white paper.

Step 41 of 52

Behind the gills

Carry the same tone back over his gills and shoulders. Short strokes that overlap keep it even.

Step 42 of 52

Up the top fin

On over the top fin and the back below it, keeping the pressure as light as before.

Step 43 of 52

The middle of his back

Along the middle of his back, stopping at the wavy pale line.

Step 44 of 52

Towards the tail

On towards the tail, over the little fins, still stopping at the pale line.

Step 45 of 52

Into the tail

And into the tail, both points, the same soft grey.

Step 46 of 52

The side fins

Then his big side fin and the far fin behind the octopus's arm. Grey on top, so the fins match his back.

Step 47 of 52

Deeper on the fins

Press a little harder along the tail's edges, the back of the top fin and his far fin.

Step 48 of 52

Shading the octopus

A soft tone over the octopus's head and arms.

Step 49 of 52

Darker in the gaps

Then a little darker under its head and between the arms, where they overlap.

Step 50 of 52

The rock, left

The rock's shady side: a light tone on the left, around the arms and down to the shells.

Step 51 of 52

The rock, right

Then the right side of the rock, a light tone around the seaweed. Keep it lighter than the animals.

Step 52 of 52

The darks

Last of all, fill in Reggie's eye oval, leaving the glint white, and thicken the octopus's slit into a dark bar. Two new friends, nose to arm.