Caroline
The oceans that cover our world are teeming with life, and the oceans are so vast that many lifeforms have gone undiscovered.
One of the most hidden creatures that we know about is the angler fish. This is a bizarre-looking fish that very few people will ever get to see in its natural environment.
This is because they live in the deepest depths that sunlight doesn’t even reach.
They are quite scary looking but also are incredible in their own way, and learning how to draw an angler fish can be quite a challenge.
This is the right guide to be on if you would like to know how it’s done, however!
Our step-by-step guide on how to draw an angler fish is here to show you how to create artwork featuring this mysterious creature.
How to Draw An Angler Fish – Let’s Get Started!
Step 1
As mentioned before, this creature lives in the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean where light is practically non-existent.
The angler fish takes advantage of this as it has a stalk with a bright light attached to it that lures in unfortunate creatures that it will then eat.
This is one of the elements that we will be starting this guide on how to draw an angler fish with.
You can draw this by creating two curved lines close to one another to form the stalk that the light is attached to.
This will then have a little bulb at the end of it to complete it.
You can also draw the beginning of the head and mouth for the angler fish, and then draw some thin, sharp shapes for the first of its gruesome teeth.
Step 2 – Now, add some details to what you have drawn so far
We will be adding a lot of intricate details to your angler fish drawing, and while this may seem intimidating it will be made much easier if you copy what we show in the reference image.
First, extend the mouth further inward and then add some more of those long, horrifying teeth. Then, draw a small eye and then add the first fin to the fish on the side.
Add the rest of the small details to the body that we show in the image, and finally draw some lines around the bulb at the end of the stalk to give the appearance of shining light.
Step 3 – Draw the bottom of the mouth and more of the body
This next step of our guide on how to draw an angler fish will see you adding quite a bit more to this creature.
First, draw the bottom jaw of the gaping mouth and add some smaller details to it. Of course, there will also be some more of those big teeth on this side of the mouth.
Then, we will draw some more of the body. The body will start really thick at the head, and then it will get thinner the further back it goes.
There will also be lots of small details on this section of the body, and we will also be adding some small spikes to the top of the body.
Then you will be ready for step 4 of the guide!
Step 4 – Next, draw the tail for the angler fish
You will be finishing off the body outline for your angler fish drawing in this step. The way that you will be doing this will be to add the tail at the end of the body.
This tail will be drawn with some straight lines on the sides, and the edge will be jagged and irregular.
Once this tail has been drawn, the outline will be complete and all that will remain will be to draw some smaller final details.
Step 5 – Add the final details to your angler fish drawing
As promised in the previous step of this guide on how to draw an angler fish, this step will see you adding some final details and touches to your drawing.
These will be composed mostly of some smaller, more subtle line details throughout the body of the fish. You can also draw some lines to the section at the end of the tail to make it look more wrinkly.
Once these details are drawn, you can also add some more of your own!
One idea would be to draw a background, and you could do this by drawing another spooky deep-sea creature with this angler fish. What else can you think of to finish off this incredible drawing?
Step 6 – Finish off your angler fish drawing with color
In this final step of your angler fish drawing, you can finish it off by adding some colors to it. In our reference image, we used some lovely blues and greens for the body to give it a more muted look.
Then, we incorporated some reds and yellows for the mouth, tooth and eye details. There is also some yellow at the end of the stalk to make it look like it’s shining.
To make the colors stand out even more, you could use a solid black background behind it and then use a wash of yellow paint around the light to make it look like it’s shining.
What colors and art mediums will you use to finish off this scary fish?
3 More tips to make your angler fish drawing easy!
Take a deep dive to make this angler fish sketch even easier.
The angler fish is one of the most bizarre creatures on earth, and this can make it very hard to draw. This drawing of an angler fish that we created has all the details you would expect on this fish.
If you need to simplify the design to make it easier to draw, then this is something you should certainly do.
This could be done by leaving out some of the simpler details or you could go for a different art style.
For example, you could use the same basic design but go for a cartoony design if you find that easier. What are some details you would rather leave out to make this easier?
Using certain art tools and mediums can also make this angler fish drawing much easier. This could take a few different forms.
For example, you could prepare the drawing with a pencil before you start adding the final lines. This can take a lot of the pressure off as you draw, as any errors can be simply erased.
Then, for some of the smaller details, you can use dots with a pen or similar art medium to make it easier to apply them. Do you have some art mediums handy that you think could make it easier?
Finally, you could use a background to make this angler fish sketch easier to draw. This may sound confusing, but the angler fish lives in the darkest reaches of the ocean.
The environment the angler fish lives in could make it easier to do this drawing. You could make the background a solid black color, and this could be achieved with some paint.
You may still be wondering how this would make the drawing easier, but this darkness could be used to obscure some of the angler fish.
The angler fish uses lights to attract its prey, and so you could use these lights to illuminate the parts of the fish you find easier to draw.
Your Angler Fish Drawing is Complete!
This may be a rather scary-looking fish, but hopefully this guide on how to draw an angler fish was anything but scary!
In this guide, we aimed to show you that even though this picture has a lot of detail that it doesn’t have to be hard to do.
Once you have mastered this guide, you can then keep it going by showing what extra details, background elements and creative colors you would like for it.
This is your chance to show off your creativity, so be sure to show us what you can do!
When you are ready for a new drawing guide, you can find many more on our website to enjoy. We have more coming out soon, so keep checking in to never miss out!
You can show off how your awesome angler fish drawing came out by sharing your creation on our Facebook and Pinterest pages for us to admire.
