HOW TO DRAW DOJO
I want to teach you how to draw an easy mermaid! If you are familiar with my work, you will know that I love to draw mermaids! You can view all my mermaid illustrations on my main Instagram account @dreampigment. You can say that I am a mermaid expert. And I want to share with you my mermaid drawing tips and tricks. This tutorial is for anyone who wants to learn how to draw an easy mermaid. This design is simple compared to my other mermaids. But I have a more challenging lesson on my website if you are interested in learning. You can view that fun tutorial on my main website at dreampigment.com! On that note, let's learn how to draw an easy mermaid!
What is a mermaid? A mermaid is a mythical creature that is half-woman and half-fish. The majority of the time, the mermaid's upper torso is that of a beautiful woman, and the bottom is that of a fish. These creatures have graced in some of the most popular stories in human history. One of the most popular is Disney's "The Little Mermaid."
Before we start drawing anything, we need to research mermaid images. Since mermaids aren't real, we will not find any photographs of these mysterious creatures. We will have to search for either artwork or still movie images for inspiration. Like all my other tutorials, I like to create inspiration boards on Pinterest. Since I love drawing mermaids a lot, this inspiration board is massive. I hope these reference images inspire you!
For this tutorial, you will need a drawing tool such as a pencil or pen. You can draw on any paper you feel most comfortable with too. It's all up to you. For those who love digital art, you can follow these steps in any drawing application. I've created this entire tutorial in Procreate 5. If you wish to follow along with me, you can download my brushes at the link below. For this tutorial, I use one drawing tool, and that is the "Sketch Brush."
Before we start this mermaid tutorial, let us work on a series of warm-up mermaid sketches. Spend a good 10 minutes or more on these types of drawings. Performing these sketches will help you loosen up your hand and build your self-confidence. Don't forget to have your inspiration images out for this part! Remember, these drawings are supposed to be rough. When you are all warmed up and inspired, let's learn how to draw an easy mermaid!
The first step is to roughly sketch out a series of basic shapes such as ovals, hourglasses, and "V" shapes for the mermaid's body. I like using blue for my digital layout drawings. You can use black or any other color you like on your sketch.
For pencil and paper users, sketch out these shapes very light! If you have trouble drawing light, use a different pencil lead grade such as an H2.
Next, you will want to sketch out some of the dominant detail: such as the hair, ears, arms, and fins. Keep the mermaid arms simple; use macaroni-like shapes and a tiny circle for her thumb. As for the fins, these look like leaves from a tree or plant. You can also use the same shape for her bangs. Use "C" like shapes for her ears. The Ponytail is a combination of "S" like curves.
Once you have sketched out some of the mermaid's dominant detail, draw out the mermaid's eyes, bra, and the top of the tail. The features on her face are super simple; illustrate an emoticon on your mermaid's head. For the top of her fishtail, draw a "V" contour for her waist. Lastly, sketch her bra with teardrop-like shapes on its side.
This step is for digital users; drop the layer's opacity to 30%. Your sketch layer should be transparent at this stage.
For pencil and paper users, you should have your sketch drawing light. Remember to keep a low pressure on your hand.
Next, we will want to refine the details of our mermaid sketch. For pencil and paper users, apply more pressure to the mermaid sketch in which you want more refinement. Use the diagram below as a guide.
For digital users, create a second layer and place it on top of your sketch drawing. On this layer, use the color black to refine your work.
The last step is to add shadows and small details to your mermaid drawing. For pencil and paper users, pick one side and shade in your mermaid. Draw in her belly button and some fish scales. I like using "U" like shapes for the fish scales. Use the diagram below as a guide; because shading can be tricky.
As for digital users, you can either draw on your line art layer or create a third layer and place it at the very top of your layer's panel. On that layer, you can do draw in all your shadows and details.
If you made it this far, you should have a completed drawing of a mermaid! I hope this tutorial wasn't too hard to follow. For digital users, your layer's panel should look like something below.
If you have questions about any of the steps, leave a comment below or contact me directly.
If you like this drawing tutorial, feel free to share this article with your friends and family! You can also show your support by following me on Instagram @howtodrawdojo or @dreampigment.
Lastly, I hope you have fun with this tutorial!
