A dolphin drawing depends on the continuous movement from its rounded forehead through the body and into the tail. If that movement works, you can describe the animal with surprisingly few lines.
For this tutorial, choose a side-view photograph of a bottlenose dolphin swimming or moving through the air. Look for an image where you can see the snout, dorsal fin, at least one flipper and the tail.
Rather than building the dolphin from construction shapes, I draw it through three connected paths. When a contour misses the edge, I add another after looking again. The first mark can remain as a thought line.
Choose a dolphin reference with a clear curve
A dolphin photographed directly from the side is easiest for a beginner. A slight three-quarter view can also work, but the flippers and tail will overlap more.
Look for a photograph with:
- A complete head and snout
- A readable curve along the back
- A visible dorsal fin
- At least one pectoral flipper
- A narrow tail base
- One or both tail flukes
Avoid combining the head from one photograph with the body from another. The angle and movement need to remain consistent throughout the animal.
If you need a clearer image, my animal drawing reference article explains how I choose photographs for observational drawing.
First contour: from the forehead to the tail
Begin at the tip of the dolphin’s snout.
Follow the upper edge back towards the rounded forehead, often called the melon. Notice how the forehead rises above the snout before flowing into the top of the head.
Continue across the back.
The body may arch upward, curve downward or form a gentle S movement depending on how the dolphin is swimming. Look ahead of your drawing tool and follow that changing direction.
When you reach the dorsal fin, decide whether to include its outer edge within the same movement or pause and return to it. In a clear side view, I often travel up the front of the dorsal fin, around its tip and back into the body.
Continue towards the tail. The body should narrow steadily after the dorsal fin until it reaches the slender area before the flukes.
This first contour establishes most of the dolphin’s movement. If the back feels too straight, add another line that responds more closely to the curve you see.
Second contour: from the lower jaw through the belly
Return to the tip of the snout and follow the lower edge of the jaw.
The mouth line and lower contour are separate observations. Do not turn the entire underside of the snout into a smile.
Move from the jaw into the throat and chest. The front of the body will feel fuller before it narrows through the belly.
Continue towards the tail.
Compare this lower contour with the upper one as you work. The body should have enough width through the chest and middle before tapering towards the tail base.
A common problem is narrowing the dolphin too early, which creates a long, thin body. Return to your reference and observe where the taper actually begins.
Let the second contour meet the tail without forcing it into the same curve as the back.
Draw the tail flukes horizontally
Dolphins are mammals, and their tail flukes extend horizontally rather than vertically like the tail fin of a fish.
The flukes may be difficult to recognise in a side view because one can overlap the other. Look for where the narrow tail base widens into the two sections.
Follow one fluke outward from the center. Notice whether its leading edge is firm and whether the trailing edge contains a curve or small notch.
Then draw the second fluke according to what is visible. It may appear shorter, narrower or partly hidden because of perspective.
Do not force the flukes into matching shapes. Their relationship depends on the dolphin’s angle and where the tail is within its swimming movement.
Third path: connect the features and fins
The third part of the drawing moves through the smaller features that establish direction and depth.
Place the eye behind the mouth
The eye is small and sits farther back than many beginners expect.
Compare its position with the corner of the mouth and the beginning of the forehead. A single dark mark may be enough, especially in a full-body drawing.
Avoid enlarging the eye to make it more expressive. Its placement will communicate more than its detail.
Observe the mouth line
Follow the line from the snout towards the cheek.
The natural curve can make a bottlenose dolphin appear to be smiling, but do not exaggerate it. Look for where the mouth line becomes less visible and disappears into the side of the head.
You may also see a change in value beneath the lower jaw. This can help separate the mouth from the complete underside of the body.
Add the nearest flipper
Find where the pectoral flipper attaches behind and below the head.
Follow it outward from the body. It usually tapers towards the end, but it may curve, point backward or angle towards you.
Draw the complete direction before adding the second edge. If the flipper is foreshortened, it may appear much shorter or broader than expected.
The far flipper may be partly visible on the opposite side. Allow it to overlap or disappear behind the body.
Check the dorsal fin
The dorsal fin rises from the back near the middle of the dolphin.
Its front edge is often more gradual, while the rear edge may curve inward before meeting the body. Follow the particular shape in your reference rather than drawing a generic triangle.
The fin should feel connected to the back. Avoid surrounding its base with an extra line that separates it from the body.
Let the three paths overlap
At this point, you may have several marks around the forehead, back, belly or fins.
Keep them.
The dolphin moves through water by bending its body vertically. Repeated lines can reinforce that movement if they follow related directions.
Darken the contours that best describe the animal, but do not clean the entire drawing into one uniform outline. An earlier mark can remain beside the final edge as a record of where you first thought the body was going.
Confidence does not require knowing the contour before you draw it. It means continuing after the first line gives you new information.
Add value without making the dolphin look metallic
A dolphin’s skin is smooth, so there are no scales, fur or repeated surface marks to describe.
Look for the larger value changes instead.
The back and upper side may appear darker, while the underside is often lighter. Reflected water can create irregular bands or patches across the body.
Follow those changes over the dolphin’s form. Avoid shading each section separately, since the head, body and tail should remain connected.
In pencil, use broader areas of value and reserve sharper marks for the eye, mouth and selected overlaps. My animal drawing in pencil tutorial has more advice on varying pressure and tone.
If you are using color, look for grays, blues, browns and reflected colors from the surrounding water rather than filling the dolphin with one flat blue.
Drawing a dolphin jumping from the water
If your reference shows a jumping dolphin, complete the animal before adding the splash.
The arc of the body should explain the movement without relying on the water. Once that works, observe where the dolphin breaks the surface.
Use broken marks for the splash, foam and droplets. Let some water overlap the lower body instead of surrounding the dolphin with a complete decorative burst.
A small shadow or darker waterline can show the point where the dolphin emerged.
My tutorial on how to draw movement offers more ways to follow an animal through an action.
When the dolphin looks like a fish
Check the head first.
A dolphin should have a rounded forehead flowing into a distinct snout. A generic fish usually has a more continuous pointed profile.
Then check the fins. The pectoral flippers should attach beneath the front of the body, and the dorsal fin should rise from the back.
Most importantly, look at the tail. Dolphin flukes extend across the body horizontally. A vertical tail will make the animal read as a fish or shark.
Finally, check the taper. The body should carry enough weight through the front and middle before narrowing into the tail.
Place new contours where you now see them and allow the earlier thought lines to remain.
Draw the same dolphin at three moments
Pause a video at three points during the swimming motion:
- The body arched upward
- The body passing through a straighter position
- The tail bending in the opposite direction
Draw each pose small enough that you cannot become absorbed in facial details.
Across the three drawings, watch how the back, belly and tail change while the main features remain recognisably dolphin.
For more underwater subjects, explore my collection of sea animal drawing tutorials.