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Hobbies & crafts

How to draw a goldfish with flowing fins and tail

Block in an almond-shaped body and S-curve tail guides, then add fins, eye, and mouth. Refine the edges, erase construction lines, suggest scales with light marks, and shade for a watery look. Step frames show tail flow lines clearly.

12 clear steps·Illustrated guide
Finished pencil drawing of a graceful goldfish with long flowing fins and a broad wavy tail, softly shaded to suggest water.
  1. 01

    Set up your page and pencil

    Place a sheet of smooth drawing paper in landscape orientation. Use a hard or medium pencil (H–HB) and keep your grip light so early lines stay faint and easy to erase later.

    Landscape sheet of paper with a pencil and eraser ready for drawing.
  2. 02

    Block in an almond-shaped body

    Lightly sketch an almond or football shape for the fish’s body, tilted slightly upward at the head end. Keep it airy and centered, leaving room for a long tail to the right.

    Light almond-shaped outline centered on the page with extra space to the right.
  3. 03

    Lay S-curve flow lines for the tail

    From the narrow rear tip of the body, draw two long, sweeping S-curves that arc outward and then back, diverging as they extend. These are loose guides to set the tail’s graceful flow.

    Almond-shaped fish body with two long S-curve guide lines flowing out for the tail.
  4. 04

    Shape the broad, wavy tail around the guides

    Use the S-curves to outline a broad, fan-like tail. Keep the trailing edge soft and wavy, and connect it to the body with a slight narrowing where the tail meets the body.

    Fan-shaped tail sketched around S-curve guides with a wavy edge and narrow base.
  5. 05

    Mark the head features

    Place a small circle for the eye in the front third of the body, slightly above center. Indicate a tiny mouth opening at the tip of the head with a short notch or curved line, and add a gentle gill curve behind the eye.

    Goldfish head details with eye, small mouth line, and a gentle gill curve.
  6. 06

    Add the dorsal and anal fins

    Sketch a flowing dorsal fin along the top middle of the body and an anal fin on the lower middle. Let both rise and fall in smooth waves, tapering to soft points toward the back.

    Wavy dorsal and anal fins flowing backward from the middle of the fish.
  7. 07

    Add pectoral and pelvic fins

    Draw a small fan-like pectoral fin just behind and slightly below the eye, and a pair of slimmer pelvic fins under the body, a little farther back. Angle them to feel as if they’re gently fanning water.

    Small pectoral fin near the head and two slimmer pelvic fins beneath the body.
  8. 08

    Refine the contours and overlaps

    Go over your chosen outlines with a slightly darker pencil pressure, clarifying the body’s curve and the fins’ edges. Show slight overlaps where fins emerge from the body and narrow the tail base subtly.

    Refined darker outlines of the fish with clear fin attachments and a narrowed tail base.
  9. 09

    Erase the construction lines

    Gently lift the S-curves and any extra guides with a kneaded eraser, keeping your refined contours intact. Leave only clean, confident outlines.

    Erasing faint guide lines to leave clean final outlines of the fish.
  10. 10

    Suggest scales with light curved marks

    Indicate texture with small, light, curved dashes that follow the body’s form. Space them out and keep them faint; avoid heavy patterns on the face and near fin bases to maintain softness.

    Faint curved dash marks suggesting scales that follow the body’s curve.
  11. 11

    Shade for form and depth

    Pick a light source from above. Shade the underside of the body and the bases of fins slightly darker, softening transitions with the side of the pencil or a blending stump. Leave bright highlights near the top and on the eye.

    Soft shading under the fish with deeper tones at fin bases and highlights on top.
  12. 12

    Soften fin edges and add a watery feel

    Lightly blend the trailing edges of the fins and tail for a gauzy look. Add a few faint curved lines around the fish to suggest gentle water ripples, and deepen a few small dark accents for contrast.

    Finished goldfish drawing with soft fin edges and faint ripple lines suggesting water.

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