How to sketch a fish? ｜From the head to the fin

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I've been working on a fish head for this week's sketching class, so I took this opportunity to organize the structure of the fish.

If you want to know how to draw fish and understand the structure, please read on.KoiWhen demonstrating.

The body structure of a fish sketch can be divided into the following main parts:

● The basic shape and proportions of a fish:

Koi have a streamlined body with a wide head and a narrowing tail.

The body can be divided into three parts: head, trunk and tail.

How to draw the body of a fish?

1. The basic shape of the fish:

The length of the Koi is scaled to 2 squares using a three-dimensional view.

Once you have a large scale, break down the body of the fish into simple geometric shapes (e.g., cylinders, ovals).

2. The shape of the massive fish

-Because the body of a fish is curved, in order to help understand the turns in the fish's body.

The demonstration will use block diagrams to illustrate the following

3. Structure and location of the fins:

The fins can be referenced to the location indicated on the main map.

dorsal finplacement：

The midline of the back of the fish, usually located in the mid-back or anterior-mid section of the body, can sometimes have aFirst Dorsal Fin + Second Dorsal Fin

Characteristics of shape：

Commonly triangular, curved or wavy (depending on fish species).
The dorsal fins of certain fish such as sharks are very prominent and high, and sailboatmainsailFeelings (of the main sail)
The dorsal fins have a bump that looks like a small peak.

Drawing Tips：

Starts close to the spine and curves slightly towards the back at the bottom.
Pay attention to the direction and angle in relation to the fish's body to grow from the back.

pectoral fins

placement: on both sides of the body of the fish, about behind the gills, usually in the form ofLeft-Right Symmetry

Characteristics of shape：

Fan, Ellipse, Triangular Arc
The pectoral fins of some fish (e.g. flying fish) are extremely long and resemble "wings".

Drawing Tips：

Slightly open for a streamlined look.
When drawing from the side, pay attention to the distance between the thickness and the body.

pelvic fin

placement: Lower side of the abdomen, near the back of the pectoral fins

Characteristics of shape：

Small inverted triangles or small rounded arcs with little tension.
Some species (e.g. carp) have larger and more pronounced ventral fins.

Drawing Tips：

Easily overlooked in the front view, pay attention to the symmetry effect of labeling
Drawing to support the balance of the fish's body

fins

placementFish: posterior part of the abdomen, near the center of the ventral side of the tail

Characteristics of shape：

Similar to a small dorsal fin (corresponding to the position of the dorsal fin), triangular or barred
Helps to stabilize and control the direction of the fish

Drawing Tips：

The angle of view affects the length of the appearance, we suggest to refer to the above view for the change of length.
Often, it is closely connected to the muscular transition in the caudal peduncle area (the area that connects the fish's body to its tail).

tail fin

placementFish: The very end of the body

Characteristics of shape：

Versatile: forked, rounded, trapezoidal, dovetailed (depending on the functionality of the fish)

Control of propulsion and steering in the water is the most dynamic part of the fish.

Drawing Tips：

The root of the caudal fin (caudal peduncle) is usually narrower and resembles a large fan attached to it.

The shape of each varies in size, and the pectoral fins are similar to the shape of a fan.

4. Add structural lines:

-The purpose of drawing structural lines is to label and help understand the undulation of shapes.

When drawing, pay attention to the nodes correspond to the perspective line, you can refer to the center of the large reference picture Oh.

I hope that this introduction to structure can help you recognize and understand the structural importance of fish sketching, if there are any subjects you want to see or drawing methods you want to know, please feel free to leave a message or private message me!Instagram Exchanges.
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How to Draw a Koi Fish with a Pencil: Fish Sketching Tutorial

● The basic shape and proportions of a fish: