How to Draw a Mermaid
With a few very simple methods, I’ll show you how to draw a mermaid, one of the most fascinating mythical creatures of the sea.
How to Draw a Mermaid: Introduction
The mermaid is one of the most popular and unique mythical characters said to live in the sea. Her image is familiar to everyone from early childhood – through cartoons, books, and fairy tales.
In this step-by-step tutorial, I’ll show you how to draw a mermaid in her most recognizable form, using my simplified drawing style designed especially for kids and beginners.
Here you’ll learn how to depict this magical creature in several different ways, each with its own approach to structure and detail.
These variations will help you develop a broader understanding of how to illustrate this beautiful ocean mythological figure step by step.
Mermaid Drawing Tutorial
Materials
- Pencil
- Paper
- Eraser
- Coloring supplies
Time needed: 30 minutes
How to draw a mermaid step by step
- Outline the round head and torso shapes.
Mark a clean circle for the mermaid’s head near the top-center of the page. Under the head, sketch a short curved line that suggests a simple neck and the top of the torso. Try to make these shapes light and centered to leave space on both sides for long hair and below for the fish tail.
- Draw the mermaid facial features.
Inside the head circle, draw the eyes as two small ovals on an invisible horizontal line. Between and below them, sketch the nose as a short vertical dash. Below, add a small curved smile. You can change the size and shape of all these features.
- Add the long flowing hair and ears.
Hair frames the face and sets silhouette, so around the head, draw a large outer hair shape like a soft bell that widens toward the shoulders and ends in a straight or wavy lower edge. Then, draw the ears as two small rounded shapes at the sides of the head, aligned with the eye level.
- Draw the mermaid tail.
It’s the tail that separates a normal person from a mermaid, so let’s outline that part in this step. From the lower torso, sketch a round lower torso that immediately transitions into a long, sweeping tail curving to the left. At the end, draw the fluke as two rounded lobes meeting at a notch.
- Add the simplified arms and hands.
From each side of the torso, draw the small rounded shoulders and short arms that curve down toward the sides. End each arm with a simple hand with short thumbs. You can change the shape and position of the arms.
- Sketch the mermaid’s outfit.
In most mermaid designs, there’s a clear separation between the human and fish parts, so outline this edge with a pair of smooth lines roughly in the center. This shape should resemble a smooth V or a simple semicircle.
- Separate the torso and tail.
Now detail the top of the torso using a few smooth lines. You can leave this part of the drawing as in my example, or replace the fabric with a couple of shells, as well as change the overall shape and other details of the mermaid’s clothing.
- Clean up and finalize the character outlines.
Darken and smoothen the final outer contour of the mermaid drawing. Now, remove parts of the original head circle hidden by hair, delete the early curves inside the torso, and clear any unnecessary lines along the arms and top.
- Add colors to the sea character.
To complete the sketch, paint the hair with a bright aqua or any chosen color. Color the skin a light peach or replace it with any other skin tone. Paint the top a warm red or coral. Make the tail a soft yellow or green. Darken the eyes and add tiny highlights.
Additional Content
I’ve prepared a free downloadable PDF version of this mermaid drawing lesson. It includes the main steps from the tutorial in a clear, printer-friendly format that’s easy to use offline.
The file contains a simplified summary of the full lesson, along with a coloring page, a tracing worksheet, and a grid drawing worksheet.
You can print it out or use it digitally to keep practicing wherever you are. And, of course, it’s completely free to download and use anytime.
Alternative Drawing Techniques
To expand this mermaid drawing lesson, I’ve added several alternative versions that let you practice different shapes and proportions.
Each variation shows specific details – such as the movement of the tail or the details of facial features.
These approaches allow you to study the mermaid’s form from various perspectives and better understand how to show grace in your drawings.
How to Draw a Mermaid with Closed Eyes
This variation shows how to sketch a mermaid with closed eyes. Just as in the first method, the whole process starts with the basic outline of the head and body.
This version follows a slightly different sequence of steps, with the mermaid shown in a new pose and featuring different proportions.
Alternative Mermaid Drawing Technique
In this version of the mermaid drawing lesson, you’ll learn how to sketch a simplified image inspired by Ariel. The tutorial is also adapted for beginners.
The process begins with a round head, simplified hairstyle, and large expressive eyes, and also offers a different sequence of steps and pose.
This approach helps young artists understand how to represent familiar characters without complex details and gives them confidence in creating mythical creatures.
How to Draw a Mermaid From a Different Angle
In this delightful tutorial, we’ll be creating a chibi mermaid girl from a different angle than in the previous guides. Here we will also start with a simple head shape but build the character using a different sequence of steps.
The proportions in this lesson are also different from the previous ones, which will allow you to depict the mythical character in various images that are very different from each other.
Conclusion
This mermaid drawing guide is complete, but there are many more very interesting mythical creature tutorials on the website that will help you keep improving.
You can try drawing a witch to practice character design or draw a fairy to work on another highly popular mythical creature.
You can also visit the Ariel drawing lesson to depict the image of perhaps the most famous mermaid in modern media.
To stay updated on new lessons and coloring pages, follow the project on social media and check the latest posts.
You can also leave your ideas for future tutorials in the comments – they often inspire new lessons. Keep your pencils ready and continue building your drawing skills step by step.
