How to draw a whale underwater

Step 1 of 44Guide lines

Line of action

Tide dives deep beneath a storm; up top the sea is wild, down here she is calm. Start light: one long arch for her back, from her snout up high and down to her tail.

Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 30.

Step 2 of 44Guide lines

Head guide

A long oval for her head, tipped up to the right: its low left end at the front of her snout, its upper edge along the arch, its right end well past the eye's place.

Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 30.

Step 3 of 44Guide lines

Flipper guides

A long oval slanting down to the right from under her head for the near flipper, and a shorter one below it for the far flipper.

Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 30.

Step 4 of 44Guide lines

Tail guides

At the end of the arch, two leaf shapes for the halves of her tail: one pointing down to the left, one out and down to the right.

Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 30.

Step 5 of 44

Her back

Now the ink. From the front of her snout, one long line up over her knobbly head, along her back, over the little fin and down to her tail.

Step 6 of 44

Her near flipper

Her big flipper in front: from its root behind her head, along its top edge to the rounded tip, then back along the knobbly edge, bump by bump, and round its front.

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Under her jaw

From the front of her snout, down round her knobbly chin and back along under her jaw to the flipper; stop where it meets it.

Step 8 of 44

The mouth

From the front of her snout, below where her back line starts, the long mouth line: back, dipping low, then up behind the eye's place. Then a short line under the dip, from the flipper.

Step 9 of 44

Her far flipper

Her far flipper hangs behind, from the jaw line: down its smooth edge to the tip and back up its knobbly side to the jaw line.

Step 10 of 44

Her underside

Behind the near flipper, her underside: from its top edge, one long curve arching up and over, then down between the two tail leaves; stop a little below where they meet.

Step 11 of 44

Her tail

Now her tail: from the underside line, down round the left half to its point, along the ragged edge, round the right half and up past the end of her back line.

Step 12 of 44

The eye

Her eye sits just above the mouth's dip. Upper lid from its front corner; lower lid from a short tail under it; an iris touching both; a tiny glint circle at its top, left empty.

Step 13 of 44

Around the eye

A crease just over the eye, a soft brow above that, and a curve under it, each from the front.

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Bumps on her head

Humpbacks have knobbly heads. Sixteen small marks above the mouth line: knobs over her snout, left to right; six along her back line, hooks and dots, the last higher up; one behind her eye.

Step 15 of 44

Bumps on her jaw

Then seven more small curves below the mouth line, left to right: two on her chin, five along her jaw.

Step 16 of 44

Lines on her chin

On her chin, from the right: a long line under the mouth, a short one under it; then a short V by the chin's lump, from its top tip, and a tiny tick in front.

Step 17 of 44

Throat grooves

Seven throat grooves, the top one first: a short one, then six long ones, each from the flipper forward towards her chin.

Step 18 of 44

Grooves above the flipper

Above the flipper's root, two short curves; then six grooves rising from its top edge, evenly spaced, each one smooth stroke.

Step 19 of 44

Inside the near flipper

Inside the near flipper: a wavy line along its knobbly edge, from the root; a crease in the middle; two lines in the tip, and small marks by the knobs.

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Inside the far flipper

Inside the far flipper, one wavy line just in from its knobbly side.

Step 21 of 44

Along her back

A line across the little fin's base. Then two soft lines along her side, where her body turns: one high on her back, one just above her underside.

Step 22 of 44

Lines in the tail

First a thin crease down the tail's root. Then, inside the tail, a light line along each half, and a short one in the right tip.

Step 23 of 44

The left wave

Now the storm, in broken, curling strokes. Top left, from the page's edge to above her snout: nine wave lines, the top one first, then the ones under it; a few are short hooks.

Step 24 of 44

The left wave's curl

The big curl, top middle: its lip, the crest and the curl at its end, a line towards the right wave, the line rolling under, two small curls, and a low line to its left.

Step 25 of 44

Foam on the left wave

Foam and spray off the left wave: twenty-nine little curls, hooks and drops, left to right, from a dash at the page's left edge to one over her back. None of them need to match.

Step 26 of 44

The right wave

The right wave, top right, thirteen lines: the swell under its curl, crest and curl, a short line left, a longer one further left, a squiggle; then the rest, top down, one with a tail.

Step 27 of 44

Foam on the right wave

Spray off the right wave: four specks over its crest first, then thirteen drops over the swell, left to right. Small, quick marks.

Step 28 of 44

Streaks of churned water

Below her, the churned water: fourteen streaks along the bottom, left to right, each a relaxed stroke from the bottom up towards her; a few start or end on the tip of the one before.

Step 29 of 44

Bubbles

Bubbles rising through the churned water: twenty-two small loops, big and small, left to right.

Step 30 of 44

Erase the guides

Rub out the guide shapes. Tide, the waves and the churned water stay.

Step 31 of 44

Go over her head and back

Now press harder, on Tide only. From the near flipper, back along under her jaw, round the chin and up over her head, along her back to the tail.

Step 32 of 44

Go over her tail

On round her tail, then back along her underside to the flipper.

Step 33 of 44

Go over her flippers

Then round both flippers, knobs and all, the near one first. The waves and the water stay light, so she stands out against the storm.

Step 34 of 44

Her shoulder

Shading now, soft and light: a tone on her shoulder, above and behind the near flipper's root. Keep the top of her back white, so she looks round.

Step 35 of 44

Along her side

Carry the tone back along her side, under the white top of her back, and a touch on the little fin.

Step 36 of 44

Down to her tail

Then on down the root of her tail, narrowing as it bends.

Step 37 of 44

Shade the near flipper

The near flipper gets a soft tone too: first its root half, from her body to the middle.

Step 38 of 44

Down the flipper

Then on along the flipper to its rounded tip.

Step 39 of 44

Under her throat

Thin strips between the lowest grooves under her throat, and a soft patch on her chin.

Step 40 of 44

Shade the far flipper

Her far flipper is behind her: shade it all over, darkest at its root by the jaw.

Step 41 of 44

Shade her tail

Both halves of her tail: a soft tone over each, darker along their edges and where they meet.

Step 42 of 44

Deep shadows

Press a little harder along her underside line, behind the flipper and at the root of her tail.

Step 43 of 44

The wave troughs

Up in the storm, a darker tone only in the deepest hollows, inside the curls. Keep the rest of the waves light, just lines.

Step 44 of 44

The darks

Last of all, fill in a round pupil around the glint, leaving the glint white. Above her the storm rages; Tide just keeps swimming, calm and steady.