A basking shark with its mouth wide openThe second-largest fish. The gill slits nearly circle the head, and the inside of the mouth is white.
A blacktip reef shark in the shallowsEvery fin has a black tip. The one on the first back fin is the boldest, set off by a paler border.
A blue shark, long and slimLong side fins on a slender body. Deep blue on top, lighter on the sides, white underneath.
A frilled shark, long as an eelAn eel-like body with its fins set far back. Six pairs of gill slits have frilly edges at the throat.
A goblin shark in profileA long, flat snout sticks out like a blade above the mouth. The skin is pink.
A great hammerhead and its tall finThe front of its hammer is almost straight, and the first back fin is tall and shaped like a sickle.
A great white cruising past, mouth shutA heavy body, grayish above and white below. The first back fin is a large triangle; the second is tiny.
A hammerhead from the front, eyes far apartThe head is flattened and stretched sideways into a T, with an eye at each end. Draw the T first.
A leopard shark over sandBlack saddle-shaped marks cross the back, with large spots between them. Draw the saddles first.
A nurse shark resting on the bottomA broad head, two rounded fins on the back and rounded side fins. Round every corner you draw.
A Port Jackson shark in profileA blunt head, dark markings like a harness across the body, and a spine in front of each back fin.
A sawshark seen from aboveA long saw of a snout edged with teeth, with two long barbels near its midpoint.
A shortfin mako at full speedThe fastest known shark. Brilliant metallic blue above, white below, with two tail lobes of nearly equal length.
A tasselled wobbegong, face onA fringe of branching skin flaps runs around the head and on to the chin. The body is broad and flat.
A thresher shark with its tail raisedThe tail's upper lobe can equal the rest of the shark in length. Draw it as one long scythe.
A whale shark head-on, mouth at the very frontUnlike many sharks, its mouth sits at the front of the head, not underneath. Draw it as a wide slot.
A wobbegong lying flat on the seabedA carpet shark that rests on the bottom. Weed-like lobes fringe its jaw; the name is thought to mean shaggy beard.
A young tiger shark with its stripesDark stripes run down the sides. They show best on the young and fade with growth.
A zebra shark, young and grownThe young have pale stripes on brown. Adults are spotted, with ridges along the body and a very long, low tail.
An epaulette shark from above, a spot on each shoulderA big black spot edged in white sits behind each paddle-shaped side fin, like the epaulette on a uniform. The body is slender.
Views and moves 14
A great white rising nose first out of the seaTo breach, it climbs fast from deep water with its body tilted upright. Throw the spray outward.
A shark coming straight toward youA circle for the body, a curve for the mouth low on it, and a fin out to each side and one straight up.
A shark in a kelp forest, light coming down in shaftsKelp stems are long verticals. Break the shark's outline wherever a stem passes in front.
A shark over a reef with small fish followingDraw the reef as lumpy shapes in the lower third. The fish keep to the shark's shadow.
A shark resting under a rock ledgeBy day nurse sharks hide under ledges and in crevices. Show only the head and one fin in the light.
A shark seen from directly aboveA torpedo with two side fins like wings. The back fin shows only as a thin line.
A shark side on, built from one long teardropBlunt end forward. Add the triangle on the back, the side fin below it and the tail last.
A shark swimming away, tail toward youThe tail is the biggest shape and the head the smallest. Overlap each part on the one in front.
A shark turning, its body bent in a CThe near side of the body is short and creased, the far side long and smooth.
A shark with a remora riding underneathA remora holds on with an oval sucker, a changed back fin. Draw it slim and pressed to the shark's belly.
A shark's pale belly from below, side fins spreadFrom under it the shark is white with a dark edge. The gill slits show as short lines on both sides.
A shark's shadow on a sandy bottomDraw the shadow only: a soft, dark shark shape on pale sand with a few ripple lines over it.
One fin above flat water, a V of ripples behind itKeep the fin small and the sea wide. The ripples spread from the fin's base, not its tip.
Three sharks at three depthsThe nearest is large and dark, the next smaller and grayer, the last only a pale outline.
Fins, teeth and details 14
A back fin by itselfA triangle that leans backward, with a curved rear edge. Shade it darker toward the tip.
A horn shark's spiral egg caseShaped like an auger, with two ridges that spiral around it. The female wedges it into a crevice.
A mermaid's purse with its tendrilsThat is the nickname for the egg case some sharks lay. Some kinds have one or more curling tendrils.
A pilot fish with its dark bandsFive to seven dark bands cross its body. Pilot fish gather around sharks, so draw a gray wall behind it.
A row of teeth with the spare rows behindNew teeth grow in rows inside the jaw and move forward like a conveyor belt. Draw three rows deep.
A shark jaw on display, rows of teeth insideAn open hoop, wider than tall, with teeth in more than one row. Hang it on a plain wall with a label.
A shark outline with every fin labeledMost sharks have eight: two on the back, a pair at the sides, a pair of pelvic fins, an anal fin and the tail.
A shark shaded dark above and light belowThis is countershading, a camouflage. Blend the two tones along the side with no hard line.
A shark's eye, half covered by its extra eyelidSome sharks have a membrane that slides across to protect the eye. Draw it as a pale curtain.
A snout dotted with poresThe pores open into jelly-filled canals that sense electric fields. Scatter them unevenly over the snout.
Five gill slits in a rowSharks have five to seven on each side. Curve each one slightly, like a bracket, just ahead of the side fin.
One triangular tooth with a saw edgeA great white has about 300 of these. Draw a triangle, then tiny notches down both sides.
Shark skin under a magnifying glassThe skin is covered in tiny scales called denticles. Draw them as rows of small overlapping points.
The two side fins, seen from the frontThey spread like the wings of a plane. Tilt both a little downward at the tips.
Cute and cartoon 12
A baby shark peeking out of a mermaid's purseOnly the eyes and the nose show. The case is a dark pouch with a curl at each corner.
A goblin shark surprised, jaws shot forwardIts jaws really do shoot out from under the snout. Draw them like a drawer pulled open.
A Greenland shark's birthday cake, crowded with candlesIt is thought to live for centuries, longer than any other animal with a backbone. Count the candles in rows.
A lanternshark as a night lightThe dwarf lanternshark, the smallest shark, can make its own light. Ring it with a soft glow.
A pile of nurse sharks having a napBy day they often rest together in groups. Stack three or four like logs, every eye shut.
A sawshark slicing a loaf of breadThe snout does the work. Keep the two barbels on the saw so it stays a sawshark.
A shark leaving a tooth for the tooth fairy, againA pile of teeth under the pillow and a tired fairy with a very long list.
A shark smiling with one tooth missingSharks shed teeth and grow new ones all their lives. Leave one clear gap in the front row.
A thresher flying its own tail like a kiteThe tail can be as long as the body. Send it up in a curve and give the shark a spool of string.
A whale shark with small fish riding in its shadeIt feeds by filtering the water. The passengers travel under the belly and beside the fins.
A wobbegong pretending to be a rugIt is a carpet shark, after all. Lay it flat by a chair, and let one eye stay open.
An epaulette shark out for a walkIt really does walk on its fins. Give it a path, a spot on each shoulder and a pleased look.
How it works
A shark is a teardrop with fins. What tells one kind from another is a single feature: a hammer for a head, a tail as long as the body, a snout like a saw. These shark drawing ideas name it.
Read the full guide
Draw any shark from a teardrop
Blunt end forward, point at the tail. Add a triangle on the back that leans toward the tail, a side fin below it like a wing, and a tail with two lobes. Put five short curved gill slits just ahead of the side fin. Shade the back dark and leave the belly pale.
Leave the teeth out and curve the mouth down a little. A calm shark is easier to draw.
Questions and answers
What is the easiest shark to draw?
One fin above flat water with a V of ripples behind it, or a shark's shadow on a sandy bottom. Among the named sharks, start with a blue shark, long and slim. Easy, under More filters, holds 20.
How many gill slits does a shark have?
Five to seven on each side, depending on the kind. The frilled shark on this list has six pairs, with frilly edges.
What is a mermaid's purse?
The nickname for the egg case that some sharks, skates and chimaeras lay. Some have curling tendrils. A horn shark's is a spiral, shaped like an auger.
Why is it called a thresher shark?
For its tail. The upper lobe is shaped like a scythe and can equal the rest of the body.