Improve Your Drawing Skills with Printable Practice Sheets!
Learn how to draw a great looking Koi Fish with easy, step-by-step drawing instructions, and video tutorial.
By following the simple steps, you too can easily draw a perfect Koi Fish.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Drawing a Koi Fish
How to Draw a Great Looking Koi Fish for Kids and Beginners - Step 1
1. Begin by drawing a circle. This will form the fish's head.
Easy Koi Fish Drawing - Step 2
2. Extend two long, curved lines from the top and side of the circle. These outline the fish's curving body.
Easy Koi Fish Drawing - Step 3
3. Use a long, loosely "M" shaped line to enclose the fish's tail.
Easy Koi Fish Drawing - Step 4
4. Add fins to the fish's body. Do so by enclosing irregular shapes along the fish's sides. There should be a pectoral fin on each side of the fish's head, and two more fins near its tail.
Easy Koi Fish Drawing - Step 5
5. Detail and shape the fish's face. Use a long, curved line, extended from one side of the head to the other. Notice the flatness of the mouth.
MORE DRAWING TUTORIALS:
How to Draw a Fish
How to Draw a Dolphin in Cartoon Style
Easy Koi Fish Drawing - Step 6
6. Erase guide lines from the fish's head.
Easy Koi Fish Drawing - Step 7
7. Detail your koi fish. Along the bottom of each fin and the tips of the tail, draw short, straight lines, indicating the ribs of the fins. Then, draw a curved line down the center of the face, providing depth. Draw a curved, loosely "V" shaped line at the side of the face, further detailing the outline. Finally, draw the dorsal fin on the fish's back. Do so by enclosing an elongated, curved triangle that follows the curvature of the fish's body.
Add More Details to Your Koi Fish Picture - Step 8
8. Erase guide lines from the fish's face and dorsal fin.
MORE DRAWING TUTORIALS:
How to Draw Baby Dory from Finding Dory
How to Draw Dory
How to Draw Nemo
Complete the Outline of Your Koi Fish Drawing - Step 9
9. Complete your fish with additional details. Draw short, ribbed lines across the dorsal fin. Draw a small oval within a larger oval to indicate the eye; shade the smaller oval. Draw a small, nearly complete circle at the tip of the fish's nose. Beside this, draw the barbel, or whisker, using two short, curved lines that meet in a point. Draw a second barbel on the other side of the face. Finally, draw scales all over the fish's body. Do so using short, connected, "U" shaped lines.
Color Your Koi Fish Drawing
10. Color your koi fish. This type of fish is often seen in shades of white, brown, orange, red, green, and gold.
For more great Animal drawing tutorials, see the 100 Fun Animal Art Tutorials for Kids post.
Don't forget to check out our other aquatic drawing tutorials, including dolphins, turtles, sharks, and sea horses.
Click HERE to save the tutorial to Pinterest!
Learn More About The Koi Fish Drawing
Koi are a large, colorful variety of the fish known as the carp. In fact, the Japanese word koi means "carp."
Most carp are brown or grey in color, but in Japan, the brightly colored fish are designated with the name nishikigoi, or "brocaded carp."
A brocade is a woven fabric with a colorful design which the fish are said to resemble.
Since ancient times, at least since the fifth century B.C., carp were domesticated and raised as a source of food.
Over 1,000 years ago in China, breeders began to select for natural color variations, enhancing these as time went by. The result? Beautifully colored ornamental fish as we see them today.
Scroll down for a downloadable PDF of this tutorial.
Around the world, many people enjoy the hobby of keeping koi as well as their distant cousin, the goldfish.
Another Japanese word, also pronounced koi, means "love," and serious collectors certainly love their koi fish.
Some keepers join koi enthusiast clubs, and the fish themselves at times cost hundreds of dollars each.
Images of koi fish have long been featured inJapanese art. Today, they remain a popular subject of photography, paintings, clothing designs, and adult coloring books.
Would you like to draw your very own koi fish?
Doing so is easy with the help of this simple, step-by-step drawing tutorial. All you will need is a pencil, a good eraser, and a sheet of paper.
You may also wish to use crayons, colored pencils, paints, or markers to shade your finished fish.
Did you know the colorful pattern in our koi drawing can also make a great lure design? Follow these lure painting instructions and you too can start creating your own fishing lures.
If you liked this drawing tutorial, see also the following guides: Seahorse drawing, Dolphin drawing, and Cartoon Shark drawing.
Koi Fish Drawing Tutorial - Easy & Fun Printable Pages
Join now and get immediate access to thousands of printable drawing instruction and practice pages!
Learn how to get access to thousands of printable pages!
MEMBER TROUBLESHOOTING
Still seeing ads or not being able to download the PDF?
First, check that you're logged in. You can log in on the member login page.
If you're still not able to download the PDF, the likely solution is to reload the page.
You can do this by clicking the browser reload button.
It is a circular arrow-shaped icon at the top of the browser window, typically found in the upper-left side (you can also use keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+R on PC and Command+R on Mac).
See a Google Web Story of this Koi Fish Drawing Tutorial.
We've been creating high-quality, easy-to-follow drawing tutorials since 2016. Rauno and the team of experienced artists are dedicated to helping people of all ages and skill levels learn to draw.
We've carefully crafted over 1,900 step-by-step tutorials, ensuring that each one is safe, beginner-friendly, and engaging. We expand our library with new drawing guides every week, adding more drawing ideas and staying up-to-date with new trends.
Our commitment to quality and accessibility has earned the trust of more than 1,700 satisfied paid members who have access to the huge library of drawing printables and ebooks, in addition to the regular step-by-drawing tutorials that are available for all readers.
You can trust Easy Drawing Guides to provide you with some of the best drawing tutorials available online.
