Mermaid Drawing Step By Step

People have been fascinated by the myth of the mermaid for generations. These mysterious half-fish, half-woman creatures have been featured in tales and myths for many years.

More recently, they are as popular as ever and feature in movies, TV shows and many toys and products.

If you love mermaids, you may have tried to draw one and found it to be more challenging than you expected! If that sounds like you, then read on.

We made this step-by-step guide on how to draw a mermaid in 9 steps to have you drawing a beautiful mermaid with ease! how to draw mermaid in 9 steps

What's in this Blog Post

How to Draw A Mermaid – Let's get Started!
- Step 1
- Step 2 – Now, draw in some facial details and a neck
- Step 3 – Next, we shall give your mermaid some hair
- Step 4 – Now, start with the arms and body
- Step 5 – Let's add in a waist and more hair
- Step 6 – Now, give your mermaid a tail
- Step 7 – Draw in the end of the tail
- Step 8 – Next, we shall add some final details
- Step 9 – Now finish off your mermaid with some color
- Your Mermaid Drawing is Complete!

How to Draw A Mermaid – Let's get Started!

Step 1

There are some rather intricate details to this mermaid picture, so to make things easier e will take things slowly and break it down into smaller steps.

For this first part of our guide on how to draw a mermaid, we shall start with the face of the mermaid.

To draw in the face, start with a sharply curved line that ends in a bit of a point as you can see in the reference image.

Once you have that line, simply add two squat shapes to the sides for the ears.

Step 2 – Now, draw in some facial details and a neck

The facial details of the mermaid may look intricate, but they're all made up of fairly simple lines! The eyes are drawn with two small, curved lines, with a more angular small line for the nose.

Then, give her a little smile with a curved line under the nose.

Once you have the face in, add in a neck for your mermaid drawing and draw in some details to the ears.

For small details like these ones, it's best to use a thin-tipped pen or a very sharp pencil to make the details easier.

Step 3 – Next, we shall give your mermaid some hair

Mermaids are almost always depicted with long, luscious hair, and this mermaid will be no exception.

Firstly, use two lines over the top of the face to make a parting in the hair. Then draw two lines coming down from above that heading towards where the shoulders will be.

Once you have it looking like it does in the reference picture, we can move on to step 4.

Step 4 – Now, start with the arms and body

For step 4 of our guide on how to draw a mermaid, we shall tackle the arms and chest of your mermaid. For this step, referring closely to the reference image will help a lot!

The arms will extend straight out from where the lines of the neck end. They will be in a relaxed position to suggest that she is lazily floating in the water.

Once you've used some curved lines to draw n the arms, you can draw in the shells for her bikini top.

Step 5 – Let's add in a waist and more hair

Using some fairly straight lines, simply draw down from the shell bikini to make a waist for your mermaid drawing.

Then, draw some wavy lines coming down from the arms to show the hair flowing behind her.

Make sure that you position the lines to look like they would connect to the hair above the arms.

Lastly, draw in a slightly curved line under the waist, as this will be the start of her fish tail.

Step 6 – Now, give your mermaid a tail

Every mermaid needs a fishtail, and we shall start to add it to your mermaid drawing in this step.

This will be done by using two curvy lines coming down from the waist and curving to the right as you can see in the image.

Once you have these lines in, you can also draw in the end of her hair flowing to the right of her waist.

Step 7 – Draw in the end of the tail

Now that you have most of the fishtail drawn in, you can extend it a bit and then add in the end of the fin using some sharp lines like the ones in the image.

Then, you can draw in a cute little flower in her hair for a pretty look!

Step 8 – Next, we shall add some final details

Your mermaid drawing is almost finished! In this step, we shall focus on some final small details.

These will consist of some long, thin lines in the hair to give it some texture. Then, use a series of small, curved lines throughout the fishtail to give a scaly look to it. Finally, add some lines to the tail for more texture!

These are the details we would add, but what details do you think would look good?

Step 9 – Now finish off your mermaid with some color

The final details are complete and you can take on the most fun out of all the steps: coloring it in!

This is a great chance for you to use some of your favorite colors to finish off your beautiful mermaid.

We've shown one way to color in the drawing, but you should use your creativity to express yourself with color!

There's also a lot of fun to be had with the art tools and mediums that you choose.

Will you go more painterly with some acrylics or watercolors, be more detailed with some colored pens and pencils or go bright and bold with some crayons? We can't wait to see what you choose!

Your Mermaid Drawing is Complete!

You should be very proud of yourself, as you have reached the end of this guide on how to draw a mermaid! This was a more intricate drawing, but look at the amazing drawing you completed!

Even when a picture is more detailed, it can be easier than you think to draw it if you follow the steps and take it slow.

After finishing this guide, you will be amazing your friends and family with your beautiful mermaid drawing!

Once it's done, we can't wait to see how you finish and color it! You could even draw in a stunning ocean background for your picture, and there is no limit to what you can do for your picture!

We have lots more step-by-step drawing guides for you coming out soon, so keep an eye on our site to never miss out on the fun!

We would love to see your incredible mermaid drawing once it's finished, so please feel free to share your drawing on our Facebook and Pinterest pages!

We can't wait to admire your colorful artwork. how to draw a mermaid in 9 easy steps