How to Draw a Cartoon Fish

This very simple lesson will show you how to draw a cartoon fish, depicting its characteristic shape and adding a texture of scales.

In our lessons and courses on drawing cartoon animals, people, and characters, we always emphasize that the most important factor in this style is simplification to basic forms.

Another key characteristic of cartoon animals is the addition of anthropomorphic qualities and more expressive features compared to realistic versions.

In this lesson, we will show how to simplify the shape of a fish into basic forms and add its characteristic traits.

In essence, a fish can be represented as an elongated oval shape with large eyes and lips on one side and a tail fin on the other, along with fins on the upper and lower parts.

Combined with the repeating texture of scales, these elements create a recognizable appearance, and that is exactly what we will demonstrate in this drawing lesson.

How to draw cartoon fish step by step

Step 1: Outline the simple cartoon fish body

Since the shape of a fish is essentially an elongated oval, begin by sketching it while considering the specific form and type you want to depict. For a stronger cartoon effect, use a rounder and fuller oval shape.

Step 2: Draw the cartoon fish gill line

On the left side of the drawing, add a curved line that both marks the gill and separates the head from the rest of the body. Later, you will add scales to the right side.

Step 3: Sketch the simplified lips

In the simplified and exaggerated style of cartoon fish, the lips are often very pronounced. Draw them with a pair of smooth lines on the left side of the body. This shape resembles a sideways heart.

Step 4: Draw the cartoon fish eye

In cartoon imagery, the eyes are one of the most important means of expression available to the artist. Draw the outline of the eye as a circle or oval. Inside, add the pupil and fill it in with black, leaving a small highlight.

Step 5: Sketch the simplified tail fin

At the back of the body, draw the tail using long, smooth lines. Inside the outline of the tail, add texture that follows the shape of the fin itself. The shape of a fish’s tail can vary, so you may use different variations here if you wish.

Step 6: Add the top and bottom fins

On the upper part of the body, draw the dorsal fin and add texture with a few smooth lines inside the outline. At the bottom, do the same by drawing the fin on the belly and adding similar texture.

Step 7: Draw the scales of the cartoon fish

To properly draw the texture on the body of the cartoon fish, begin at the gill line and draw a row of small curved lines. Then continue adding these lines in an alternating pattern toward the tail. For a more cartoon-like effect, draw bubbles coming out of the fish’s mouth.

This lesson is part of our cartoon drawing tutorials and is based on the principles of drawing a fish that we demonstrated in our main step-by-step lesson. Although the subject is the same, the methods of depiction and the visual language are very different.

In realistic drawings, you usually see detailed textures, natural-looking contours, and smooth shading that conveys light and shadow.

In the cartoon version, however, completely different techniques are used. Instead of trying to replicate what is seen in reality, the artist simplifies forms and exaggerates the characteristic features of the animal.

As a result, you often see large eyes, prominent lips, and stylized, cartoon-like scales.

Having learned the set of skills from this lesson, you can now apply them to draw cartoon fish in other variations and forms. The same skills can also be used when drawing other cartoon animals, characters, or people.

For example, using the same principles, you can draw a cartoon shark by depicting a similarly shaped creature in a cartoon style, even though it belongs to a completely different species.

Similar principles of simplification and exaggeration are applied when drawing a cartoon chicken or any other animal.

If you study our lesson on how to draw Klaus from American Dad, you will see that even when drawing a specific cartoon character, the same principles are used, just applied with a slightly different emphasis.

To learn more about this style and how to create such characters, be sure to visit our cartoons section. In addition to drawing cartoon animals, we also show how to depict well-known characters from animated series while preserving their recognizable appearance.