how to draw a shark picture

Learn how to create a beautiful shark picture featuring a funny character and then learn how to create various facial expressions using the same character. Sharks are intriguing animals to work with. They are strong, agile and visually quite ... frightening! Fortunately, we will work with a friendly character featuring a mad ... very mad expression!

Before proceeding with the drawing lesson and the tutorial on how to create cool facial expressions using this cute character, let's study our shark picture a little bit closely ...

1. The tip of the nose is round and pointed.
2. Eyes are round and filled with a dot.
3. The dorsal fin is large and made from a triangle.
4. Gills are done using small lines.
5. The tail is illustrated using long curved lines.
6. The chest of the shark is filled with a brighter color.
7. Both pectoral fins are small and also made from triangles.
8. Don't forget to draw several small teeth.
9. The nose is represented by a small curved line.

Excellent! It's now time to proceed with the lesson and learn how to draw a cool cartoon shark in just a few basic steps ...

step 1 - drawing a simple guideline

First, let's sketch a few basic shapes to illustrate the body of the character so that we can draw more accurate proportions. This body is done using a long oval shape while the dorsal fin and the tail are represented by triangles. The tip of the nose is made of another (and smaller) oval shape.

step 2 - curved lines to illustrate the shark picture

Now that we have a guideline to work with, let's draw this cute animal! Be careful to draw a long and pointed nose, a large and menacing tail and a round and strong body. 

When you are finished, you can erase all orange shapes created earlier.

step 3 - Adding the mouth, the eyes and the fins

Eyes are made from small circles and pupils are done using dots. The eyebrows are created from simple curved lines. The mouth is made from one long line and a tiny one near the top. Complete this step by sketching the pectoral fins using pointed triangles.

step 4 - More details for more realism

A long line is added below the eye and above the mouth to separate the dark portion of the body from the brighter one. The nose is represented by a small line and the gills are also done using lines. Small and sharp triangles are added to form the teeth of the shark picture.

step 5 - colors to complete this part of the lesson

It's now time to apply colors and make this cartoon shark visually more appealing. Notice how the top is darker while the chest and the pectoral fins are brighter. Don't forget to keep the eyes and the teeth white. The pupils are colored in black.

Good work ... but we are not done yet!

These are all five steps required to create this beautiful shark quickly and easily. It's a complex character to duplicate, but take your time and practice as often as needed if you want to succeed at drawing this animal all by yourself. It's now time to work with the facial expression of the shark and make a few tests!

A simple mad character

One simple variation that doesn't require a lot of work: simply bend the line used to form the mouth backwards to end up with a frustrated cartoon animal. Simple, yet very effective ...

Playing with the eye to make the animal angrier

The eye of the original character was made with a perfect round circle. In this example, the eye is now created using a larger circle that is partially hidden. The result is even more interesting and the shark picture feels angrier and more aggressive.

A larger eye for a crazier look

While the previous character felt angrier, this one is definitely crazier. The pupils is small and the eye is large and quite intimidating. If you want to draw a scarier cartoon shark, then you are on the right track!

how about a large open mouth?

Let's go back to the original eye and pupil, but this time let's play with the size of the mouth. In this example, the mouth is open and all teeth are shown. The shark doesn't look as intimidating as the previous one, but this time the character is ready for some action! Is it good news? We don't know for sure!

Open mouth + that crazy eye

For this other variation, the crazy eye drawn earlier is now combined with the open mouth. Definitely more creepy. We are not sure what the character is thinking, but we look like food for sure!

Larger mouth and a larger pupil

Let's go mad!!!!!! This example is definitely the most impressive one. The mouth is stretched to the extreme and the huge pupil is quite frightening. This shark picture is not only ready for some action, it's literally ready to eat us alive ... right now!

Small details can have a huge impact

These examples are great to demonstrate how adding small details can have an impact on the expression or mood of a character. A small line or a larger pupil can make a HUGE difference on the personality of the animal. Hope you had fun working with this shark and feel free to try more expressions or try more animals from the same series here. :)

Go back to How to Draw Vector Illustrations of Animals
Go back from How to Draw a Shark Picture to home page