How to Draw a Dolphin
This happy dolphin looks like it is jumping out of the water! Start with a couple of light guide shapes, trace the big arched body, add a smiley face, a soft tummy line and a little flipper, then color it in. Follow these 6 easy steps and you can draw it all by yourself.
Get ready — what you need
Just a pencil, a sheet of paper, and some crayons or colored pencils. That's it!
💡 Tip: Take your time and have fun. Every drawing is special!
Start with a circle and an arch
First draw light helper shapes to get the pose right: a round circle on the lower-left for the head, and a long line that arches up to the top-right for the back and tail. Draw them very lightly — these are just guides you will trace over next.
💡 Tip: Light guide lines make the next step much easier — real artists start this way too!
Trace the body and tail
Now trace one smooth outline around your helper shapes: start at the round head, curve up and over like a rainbow, then lift into a pointy tail at the top-right and come back down. This one shape is the dolphin's body and tail together.
💡 Tip: Trace slowly along your circle and arch — one smooth line makes the dolphin look sleek!
Add the eye and smile
On the round head at the lower-left, draw a big round eye. Just below and in front of the eye, add a short curved smile. Now your dolphin looks happy!
💡 Tip: A big round eye with a tiny white dot makes the dolphin look bright and alive!
Draw the tummy line
Inside the body, draw one long soft curve from near the chin sweeping toward the tail. This splits the darker back on top from the lighter tummy below.
💡 Tip: This curve makes it easy to color the back and tummy in two colors later!
Add the flipper
Under the middle of the body, draw a small pointed flipper — like a little wing or a leaf hanging down. Almost done!
💡 Tip: The flipper helps the dolphin steer as it swims and jumps!
Color your dolphin!
Color the back a bright blue and the tummy a lighter sky-blue. Make the eye dark with a little white sparkle. Add a few bubbles around it. Your jumping dolphin is done!
💡 Tip: Blue on top and sky-blue below — just like a real dolphin! 🐬
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