How to Draw a Mermaid

Hello, and welcome to another fun, easy-to-follow tutorial on our site! Today, we are going to learn how to draw a mermaid—a fascinating mythical creature!

There are so many fascinating facts about mermaids. Mermaids, as you might know, are half human and half fish. The lower body is fish, while the upper body is human.

Of course, many of us have seen mermaids in films and movies such as The Little Mermaid, the famous Disney movie. However, mermaids have a long history in folklore and they have some interesting qualities. For example, they are typically referred to as beautiful creatures with mesmerizing voices.

There are so many different depictions of these mysterious creatures that we could spend all day looking at them! However, today, you will create a mermaid of your own.

Are you ready? Get some art materials and keep reading for Step 1!

Table of Contents

Materials:

a piece of paper
a pencil for the guiding lines and sketching
an eraser
a black sharpie or a pen for the outlines
markers or colored pencils for coloring
our printable drawing guide (Join my Email List below to get this Tutorial)

Here are my RECOMMENDED Art Supplies!

Crayola Coloring Set (140 Pieces – Mega Value!)
24 Colored Crayon Set
A4 Printer Paper
Crayola Coloring Pencils
HP Home Printer with Instant Ink!

Time needed:

15 minutes.

How to Draw a Mermaid — Let’s get started!

Step 1 – Draw the mermaid’s chin and ears.

Let’s start our tutorial with the mermaid’s head. About halfway up the page, draw a curve for the chin. On either side of the curve, draw two smaller curves for ears. Add a little squiggle into each ear to show definition. Check out the photo!

Step 2 – Draw the mermaid’s face!

Let’s draw her face now. First, draw two dots for her eyes. Above each eye, draw a short curved line for an eyebrow. For the nose, draw a small line centered beneath the eyes. Lastly, draw a small curve for a smile!

Step 3 – Start drawing the mermaid’s body.

We are going to start drawing the mermaid’s upper body now. Be sure to check out the photo for this as this step is a bit complicated!

Start with the neck and then draw an outstretched arm. Make sure to add five fingers. On the other side, draw the right arm. This one should be bent upwards. Our mermaid will be holding a ball, so add a circle in her hand.

Great job!

Step 4 – Add more detail to the body.

Let’s add the mermaid’s swimsuit, which is normally made of seashells. Draw two ovals on her check near her arms. Add some lines in each to make them look like seashells! Draw two lines from the shells to the top of the shoulders. Add two lines below the shells for the waist. Check out the photo!

Step 5 – Add the mermaid’s hair!

Next, let’s add long flowing hair! Mermaids are often depicted with beautiful long hair. Draw some vertical curved lines for bangs. Next, draw a long wavy line to form the outline of the hair. It should flow down to her waist!

Step 6 – Begin drawing her tail.

Let’s get started on the fish portion of the mermaid—her long tail and fin! Go to where you left off in the last step. Across her waist, draw two skinny shapes to represent the top of the fin. It should look kind of like a belt. Check out the photo.

Step 7 – Add the tail!

Of course, we have to add the mermaid’s tail! Draw two long curved lines extending down from her waist. Gradually bring them together into a point on the bottom right of the page.

Step 8 – Add the fin to the tail!

In order for the mermaid to move around in the water, she needs to have a fin! Draw two leaf-like shapes for the fin. Check out the photo.

Step 9 – Add detail to the fin.

We’re almost done. For this step, draw several lines in the fin to make it look more realistic! There should be about six lines. Great job!

Step 10 – Color in your drawing!

Add some color to your creation! Make sure to fill in the background, too. Is your mermaid swimming in the ocean? Create any background you want. Have fun with this step!

Pin it now, Draw later!

FREE download the Printable drawing guide and coloring page for Mermaid

You’re all done. Great job! We hope you loved this mermaid tutorial. We have a lot of other fun projects on our site, including different animals, foods, and more! If you liked this format, be sure to browse and find another fun one.

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