Ready for another tutorial in our growing treasure trove of easy, cute drawing ideas? It’s mermaid tail drawing time! Today, we will use a simple cartoon line drawing style, and explore three different methods of making it beautiful.
The Little Mermaid
Welcome to our series of Little Mermaid drawing guides, designed to help you master the art of sketching beloved Disney characters. With step-by-step instructions and easy-to-follow sketching techniques, you’ll soon be able to bring Ariel and her underwater friends to life on paper. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned artist, our drawing tutorials will provide you with the skills and inspiration needed to create stunning illustrations of your favorite Disney characters.
Learning to draw Disney characters like those from The Little Mermaid offers numerous benefits:
- Enhance your creativity: Disney’s imaginative character designs inspire creativity, allowing you to experiment with various styles and techniques.
- Improve your drawing skills: Disney characters are known for their expressive features and dynamic poses, making them excellent subjects for practicing and refining your sketching techniques.
- Build your portfolio: Aspiring artists can showcase their versatility by including Disney characters in their portfolios, demonstrating a wide range of skills and styles.
- Share your passion: Disney fans can bond over their love for the films and characters, making your artwork a fantastic conversation starter or gift.
Overview of The Little Mermaid Characters
The Little Mermaid is a timeless classic featuring a colorful cast of characters:
- Ariel: The adventurous and curious mermaid princess who longs to explore the world above the sea.
- Prince Eric: The handsome human prince who captures Ariel’s heart.
- Flounder: Ariel’s loyal and caring best friend, a tropical fish who accompanies her on her adventures.
- Sebastian: A cautious and wise crab who serves as Ariel’s guardian and tries to keep her safe.
- Scuttle: A quirky and humorous seagull who provides comic relief and befriends Ariel.
- King Triton: Ariel’s father, the powerful ruler of the underwater kingdom of Atlantica.
- Ursula: The scheming sea witch who aims to take control of the underwater kingdom by manipulating Ariel.
What to Expect from Our Drawing Guides
Our Little Mermaid drawing guides offer step-by-step instructions and valuable tips to help you create stunning illustrations of these iconic Disney characters:
- Detailed steps: Our tutorials break down the drawing process into manageable steps, making it easy for artists of all skill levels to follow along.
- Sketching techniques: Learn valuable sketching techniques, such as creating proportions, shading, and adding texture, to enhance your illustrations.
- Character-specific tips: Each guide focuses on a particular character, offering insights into their unique features and design elements.
- Coloring guidance: We’ll provide color suggestions and techniques for adding vibrant hues to your drawings, bringing your Disney characters to life.
- Progression images: Visual aids willdemonstrate the progression of each drawing, helping you to better understand the process and visualize each step.
- Accessible for all ages: Our easy-to-understand instructions and clear visuals make these drawing guides suitable for artists of all ages, from children to adults.
Mermaid Tail Drawing
The key with drawing mermaids is to make the tail’s shape a pleasing curve. Think of a “V” shape, but with more outwardly-arched lines, almost as if someone inflated the “V” with air. This graceful curve is similar to the head of our easy octopus drawing. At the bottom of the tail, put an outward-facing “V” shape for the “feet” fins.
Next we get to the texture — a central element in making the tail look “fishy.” Along the main part of the tail, sketch a series of connected “U” shapes (like the edges of our cloud drawing) in rows to form scales. On the “feet” fins, stroke a series of straight-ish pen lines outward. Ta da! Now let’s discuss three different methods of spicing your mermaid up with color.
Method 1: Natural Coloring
Just as with our sea urchin drawing, there are several options for adding color to your mermaid that change the whole feel of the cartoon. The first method is shown above: a more “realistic” blue-green fish hue for the tail. In this version, you can use a slightly darker teal for the lines of the scales.
Method 2: Rainbow
Want a little more color in your life? (Who wouldn’t?!) Let’s make a rainbow version of the mermaid tail! As shown above, you can do this by adding stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple (what red and blue make), and magenta.
Next, ink in the scales with thin black curves. Notice how I added a cute “lip” at the joining place where the tail meets the torso, as a sort of belt or accent. Mermaid fashion in our creative drawings!
