In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Gharial step-by-step.

Stay tuned for more free drawing lessons by:

Liking us on Facebook>>

Subscribing on YouTube.com>>

Following us on Instagram>>

All of the tutorials on How2DrawAnimals.com are good drawing tutorials for beginners and experienced artists alike. The online tutorials are easy to follow; they teach you the how to draw basics while showing you how to draw animals step by step. Each animal has a video drawing tutorial option, as well as step-by-step photos and written text to follow.

RELATED TUTORIALS

To draw this Gharial step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step drawings below the video. The new lines in each step are shown in red, so you'll know exactly what to draw next. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both drawing methods. Take your time and draw at your own pace.

The Written step-by-step video tutorial:

For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.

Step 1: Draw a circle near the middle of the paper as a guide for the front part of the gharial's body. To draw the circle, first make four marks to determine its height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're struggling to draw the circle, just trace the outer rim of a circular object like a coin or a lid. For a more detailed guide on the different ways to draw a circle check out this tutorial: Four simple ways to draw a circle.

Step 2: To the left, draw another circle as a guide for the back portion of the body. Use the four-marks method to draw this circle too. Make this circle a bit smaller than the first one. Place this circle higher than the first one. Don't draw the circles too close together or the gharial's body will be too short.

Step 3: On the right side, draw yet another circle the same way as a guide for the fish-eating crocodile's head. This circle should also be a bit smaller than the first one. Place it higher than the first one too. Place this circle closer to the first circle so that the gharial's neck isn't too long.

Step 4: Inside the head, draw two intersecting lines as guides to help you place the gharial's facial features later.

Step 5: To the right of the head, draw a long, sloping, horizontal line as a guide for the top of the snout. Gharials have thin, long snouts, so pay attention to how long this line is in relation to the head. At the bottom, draw a horizontal line as a guide for the reptile's lower jaw. The two lines should be similar to a less-than sign (<).

---

Step 6: Connect the circles on the right using two short lines to create the guide for the neck. Use two longer lines to connect the middle circle to the circle on the left and finish the guide for the gharial crocodile's torso. Curve the lines a bit so that the torso bulges out somewhat.

Step 7: Under the first circle, draw a short line as a guide for the reptile's front leg. Bend the line to indicate the joint and foot. To the right, under the neck, draw a shorter, angled line as guide for the front leg on the other side of the gharial crocodile's body. Under the circle on the left, draw another short, angled line for the hind leg. This line should bend the opposite way at the top.

Step 8: To the left of the body, draw two long, curved lines as guides for the gharial's tail. Sketch lightly at first to get the lines right. The top line should bend slightly at the base. The base of the tail should be thick. The top should be thin, pointy and should curve to the right.

That's it for the guides! From this point on, press harder with your pencil for a more defined drawing.

Step 9: Inside the gharial's head, near the top, right, draw a small oval for the eye. Use the initial lines as guides for the placement and size of the eye. When you get it right, darken the shape. Make the sides of the shape pointier like a little football. Add lines above and below the eye for the eyelid. Shade the eye using a value that's lighter than the fish-eating crocodile's pupil. Shade the eye using a value that's lighter than the pupil. Don't overlap the tiny highlight circle.

---

Step 10: Use the long, sloping line on the right as a guide to draw this reptile's top jaw. Darken the initial guide but make the line a bit more wavy for a more organic feel. Dip the right side down a bit. The left side should stretch all the way to the left edge of the initial circle. Lightly sketch another sloping line on top for the top edge of the upper jaw. Keep the shape thin except for the right side that's a little wider. When you get the snout right, darken the line. Male gharials have a bulbous protuberance at the tip of the snout. Draw this using short, curved lines. Use short strokes along the bottom of the nose bump to show that it connects to the snout.

Step 11: Darken the initial guide on the bottom for the first part of the gharial's lower jaw. Make the line a bit wavier as you darken it. At the bottom, lightly sketch another horizontal line to make the shape thicker. Make the left side of the jaw wider. When you get the shape right, darken the line. Stretch the lower line to the left of the initial circle and curve it up for the fish-eating crocodile's powerful jaw.

Step 12: Draw a series of small, V-shaped lines along the bottom edge of the top jaw for the teeth. Vary the size of the teeth a little, but overall they shouldn't be too long. Make the ones near the tip longer. Inside the lower jaw, on the left side, draw a couple of curved lines for the tongue and throat opening. Draw a series of small, triangular shapes along the lower edge of the jaw for the first part of the teeth. Continue to draw the gharial's teeth along the top edge of the open lower jaw. Space out the teeth; don't draw them too close together.

Step 13: Draw a few short lines under the eye for the texture on the skin. Stretch the lines toward the left for the textured detail on the fish-eating crocodile's head. Add a curved line over the eye for the exterior. Draw another curved line over that for the eye on the other side of the head. Connect the eye to the snout. Draw a sloping line to the left for the flat top edge of the gharial's head. Use the edge of the initial circle as a basic guide to draw the flat head.

Step 14: Use the angled line in the middle as a guide to draw the gharial's first front leg. Follow the basic path of the guide and draw the shape of the leg around it. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. When you get the shape right, darken the lines. Use curved lines for the folds and creases on the skin at the top and middle of the leg. Draw a series of small, V-shaped lines along the bottom of the guide for the digits. Draw the reptile's digits on top of each other so that they fan out around the foot.

---

Step 15: Use the angled line on the left side as a guide to draw the hind leg the same way. Draw a series of short, curved lines around the guide to create the shape of the gharial's leg. At the bottom, draw short, curved, V-shaped lines for the digits. Spread out the toes and draw lines between them for the webbing. The crocodile's other hind leg is not visible from this angle, so don't draw it.

Step 16: Use the shapes in the middle as guides to draw the rest of the gharial's body. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. As you darken the edges, use wavy lines to give the body a bumpy texture. Use the last angled line under the body as a guide to draw the other front leg the same way as the other legs. Most of the leg is hidden behind the body, so just focus on drawing the small, V-shaped digits at the bottom. Draw a row of short, angled lines across the middle of the body and into the tail for the detail on the rough back.

Step 17: Darken the initial guides on the left side to create the tail. Continue to draw the line for the top edge of the body toward the left across the fish-eating crocodile's tail. When you get to the top edge of the tail, draw a series of small, triangular shapes along the line for the tail spikes. Make the spikes smaller near the tip of the gharial's tail. Darken the bottom edge of the tail too. Add a few spikes along the left edge of the tail that meet with the spikes inside the body.

Step 18: For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing all of the guides. It's okay to leave some behind. Re-draw any final sketch lines you may have accidentally erased.

Final Step: Add some shading to your gharial drawing for extra detail. As you shade the snout, don't overlap the teeth so that they remain white. Use a medium value for the body. Use a darker value to create shadows. Pick the direction of the light source so that the shadows are consistent with it. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.

Add a few wavy lines at the top of the fish-eating crocodile's body for more detail on the bumpy back. Use horizontal strokes as you shade. Use curved, vertical strokes on the side of the body to indicate the scales on the skin. Don't shade too smoothly. The rough value gives the skin a bumpy texture. Make the shadows darker. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. Shade lightly at first and slowly build up to a darker value. It's a good idea to use reference as you draw for a more accurate depiction of a gharial. Shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks.

Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the gharial so it doesn't appear to be floating. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

Thanks for visiting! Subscribe to the How2DrawAnimals YouTube Channel for a new tutorial every week.

To learn how to draw popular cartoon characters, visit EasyDrawingTutorials.com.

RELATED TUTORIALS