In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Whale Shark in 7 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.
The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.
Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.
At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Whale Shark.
Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.
How to Draw a Whale Shark - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: To draw a Whale Shark, start with the head. It should be two curving lines that meet on the right, with a few bumps to imply a mouth. The top line should be flat, except at the back and the front. The bottom line will be a concerted curve, before slanting up to make the mouth.
Step 2: Now add the mouth itself with a long, thin teardrop shape. Put in a line just above the right side of the mouth to make the nostrils, and a curved line just behind the left side of the mouth to add detail to it. Put a dot behind the mouth to make the eye.
Step 3: Next we draw the top fins. The first is taller than the second, and is drawn with two sides of a triangle. A short straight line is put in after the first top fin, before making the smaller one. Make this one with a small hump with a straight down line on it's left side. Make another small straight line after that to draw the rest of the animal's back.
Step 4: Now for the big, bottom fin. This can be drawn with two lines that start very close to eachother, and slant backwards, getting slightly closer as they go. The tip should be only slightly rounded, implying a sleek shape
Step 5: The smaller bottom fin is drawn much like the top. After a small line going back to make part of the belly, make two sides of a triangle pointing down. Then add another small line to make the rest of the body.
Step 6: Now the back fin is just four long lines. One will slant up and to the back, before connecting to another slanting down and to the right. Another will go mostly down, but slightly right, before the last line connects the entire shape to the rest of the body.
Step 7: The Whale shark has neat line patterns on its body. Draw a few lines on the back, as well as a line going from the back corner of the mouth down to a point just to the right of the big bottom fin to add textured details to your animal, and you're done! You have a Whale Shark!
Interesting Facts about Whale Sharks
Whale sharks are the largest living fish in the world. They were named “whale” because their size are comparable to whales. Although whales are considered the largest living animals, they are not actually fish, they are mammals! Whale sharks have been around for about 60 million years, but they were first discovered in 1828.
Did You Know?
- The largest whale shark on record was 41.5 feet long and weighed 47,000 pounds.
- Whale sharks are the same size of some of the largest dinosaurs that ever roamed the Earth.
- Whale sharks can live to be 70 years old.
- The average size of adult whale sharks is about 32 feet. On average, they weigh 20,000 pounds.
- A whale shark’s mouth could be up to five feet wide.
- Despite their great size, whale sharks eat plankton, which are microscopic plants and animals that live in water.
- Whale sharks have a checkerboard pattern of white and yellow stripes on their body. Like snowflakes, no two whale sharks have the same white-and-yellow pattern.
Whale sharks live in warm and tropical oceans, and they can be found in open waters. Whale sharks are not known to attack humans. In fact, like dolphins, they let people ride on them, even though it is not advisable.
How To Draw A Whale Shark – Step-by-Step Tutorial