Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Goldfish" video after each step to draw at your own pace.
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 as a guide for the goldfish's body. The circle doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide. Leave enough room on the sides for the goldfish's tail and the head.
Step 2: Draw an arc on the right side of the circle as a guide for the goldfish's head. The length of the arc should be a little less than the width of the circle.
Step 3: Draw another arc on the left side of the circle as a guide for the back part of the goldfish's body. This arc should be a tiny bit longer and narrower than the first one. The end result should be similar to an eye.
Step 4: Draw a triangle-like shape on the left side as a guide for the goldfish's tail. First draw a long vertical line, then connect the line to the body using diagonal lines.
Step 5: Draw two small curved lines on the bottom part of the circle as a guide for the goldfish's pectoral fin.
Step 6: Draw two more connected lines on the top left side of the body as a guide for the goldfish's dorsal fin.
Step 7: Draw a triangle-like shape on the bottom part of the body as a guide for the goldfish's pelvic fin.
Step 8: Draw a smaller triangle-like shape on the lower left side of the body as a guide for the goldfish's anal fin.
That's it for the initial sketch! From now on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.
Step 9: Draw the goldfish's eye inside the arc, close to the tip. The eye is basically a circle. Draw it lightly at first and darken it once you get the shape right. Draw two smaller circles, one inside the other, to detail the inside of the goldfish's eye. The innermost circle is the pupil. Shade it in using a dark value.
Step 10: Use the tip of the arc as a guide to draw the goldfish's mouth. Draw a small line at the top for the nostril. Then use two short lines to the right for the upper lip. Draw a wavy line under the top lip for the bottom lip.
Step 11: Use the rest of the arc as a guide to draw the goldfish's head. Simply follow the path of the arc as you darken the lines.
Step 12: Draw a series of curved lines to the left of the eye for the goldfish's gill covers. The curved lines bend up at the bottom. They can also overlap. The goldfish's gill covers stretch back toward the head. Use the initial circle as a guide for placement.
Step 13: Use the shape inside the circle as a guide to draw the goldfish's pectoral fin. Darken the outline of the shape and make the line on the left wavier. Draw a few lines inside the fin for extra detail.
Step 14: Use the shape on top of the goldfish's body to draw the dorsal fin. Lightly draw a wavier line as you follow the path of the guide. When you get the structure right, darken the lines. Draw some lines inside the shape for the detail on the goldfish's fin.
Step 15: Use the triangle-like shape at the bottom to draw the goldfish's pelvic fin. Follow the path of the guide and make the left side wavier. Add a few lines to the shape.
Step 16: Draw the anal fin the same way as the others. Use the initial shape as a guide.
Step 17: Use the remaining lines to draw the rest of the body and tail. Darken the path of the initial guide lines and make the left side of the body that leads to the tail a bit longer. Lightly sketch the shape of the tail as you follow the basic path of the triangle-like guide. Darken the lines when you get the shape of the goldfish's tail right. Notice how the tail indents on the left side near the middle. Add some lines inside for detail. You can make the tail bigger and longer if you'd like.
Step 18 (optional): 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. Also re-draw any final sketch lines that you may have accidentally erased.
Final Step (optional): Goldfish are colorful, so instead of the usual shading, try coloring your goldfish. Add some shading first using gray to give the goldfish drawing more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source to draw the shadows consistently. Shadows are usually at the cool end of the color spectrum, so use some blue and purple on the shadows.
Add some yellow for the shiny highlights on the goldfish. They're more of an orange color than gold, but the highlights can be yellow. You can start adding more orange. It's a good idea to add the colors lightly at first to determine what works, and then commit to darker hues.
There are different varieties of goldfish. Some are more red than orange. Others are black. Some have patterns and spots. You can color your goldfish however you want! If you have a pet goldfish, try to duplicate its pattern on your drawing. It's also a good idea to use reference if you want your goldfish drawing to have a particular pattern.
You can add a few small curved lines in the highlighted portion of the fish for the scales. Don't add every individual scale, just a few for the basic idea. Add different shades of orange throughout the goldfish's body to further shape the body. You can also vary the pressure on each pencil to get different shades of orange. Try to add the color smoothly for a sleek and shiny feel. But don't worry about making it perfect. Have fun with it! Keep building using darker tones until you get the result you want. Don't add too much color to the fins because a lot of the time they are see-through. You can add some blue circles around the goldfish to indicate bubbles in the water! Remember to pause the "How to Draw a Goldfish" video to draw at your own pace.
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