For those looking to draw a swordfish, start by gathering your supplies. You’ll need pencils in various shades of grey, some erasers, a hand saw, a ruler, and some sandpaper. You’ll also need a fish model or a photo of a real-life swordfish to use as a reference while you draw.
Once you have your supplies, the next step is to prep your paper. Before you begin drawing, make sure you have a good surface to work off of by lightly sanding down the paper. This will make it easier to erase mistakes and helps to make your lines stand out more.
Now it’s time to start drawing your swordfish. Begin by sketching out the shape of the body with light lines. Be sure to follow the form of the fish in your reference. When sketching, try to draw in short, economical strokes to save time and help you stay focused.
Next, use the eraser to carefully erase the extra lines, which helps make all the edges nice and crisp.
Now you’ll use the hand saw and ruler to draw in the details. Start with the fins, working your way down to the mouth. Pay attention to the details in your reference; curving lines, subtle highlights, and other features.
Last, use your pencils to fill in the darker areas, giving your fish texture and depth. Blending different shades of pencils in these areas can help make your fish look realistic.
Now you’ve finished drawing your swordfish. All that’s left to do is to check over your work, make any final tweaks, and then admire your finished artwork!
Practicing regularly and experimenting with different materials can help you grow and refine your technique. Additionally, following tutorials and studying the work of professional artists can teach you valuable skills and give you insight into different shading techniques, perspective, and scale.
Start by setting aside some time each week to practice and draw a swordfish from an online reference. Once you’re comfortable with the basics, challenge yourself to draw a swordfish from memory, or to draw your own version of a swordfish—you can create a huge variety of unique creatures by making subtle changes, like adding or subtracting fins or changing the shape of the body.
If you’re feeling particularly ambitious, try your hand at inking or using different materials. You can color, paint, or use charcoal to bring your image to life.
Swordfish drawing is a craft that takes time and practice. The more effort you put in, the better you’ll become. Most importantly, have fun with it—because when it comes to drawing swordfish, there’s no wrong way to do it!
