Learning how to draw a whale begins with deciding which whale you are looking at. A sperm whale, blue whale and humpback whale do not share one generic outline. Their heads, fins, bodies and tails have noticeably different proportions.
For this beginner tutorial, I am drawing a humpback whale from a side or three-quarter reference. Its long pectoral fins, broad head, pleated throat and powerful tail provide clear features to observe.
I am also going to begin at the tail and work toward the head. This may feel unusual, but it helps me see how the narrow rear of the whale expands into its enormous body. It also prevents the tail from looking like a separate symbol attached at the end.
There are no circles or construction shapes to erase. I make direct observations, correct them with new marks and allow the earlier lines to remain visible as thought lines.
Choose a whale with a clear direction
A side view is useful for understanding the length of the body, but a slightly turning whale will make a more interesting drawing. Look for a reference in which the tail, head and at least one pectoral fin are visible.
The whale does not need to fit neatly inside the photograph. A fin can leave the frame, or part of the body can disappear into dark water, as long as you can understand the overall direction.
Before drawing, look from the tail through the body to the head. Notice whether this path is straight, rising, descending or curved. That direction will guide the entire sketch.
If you need help choosing an image, my guide to finding an animal drawing reference explains what makes a photograph useful for observational drawing.
Begin with the notch in the tail
Look at the centre of the whale’s tail, where the two flukes divide.
Place that notch on the page with a short mark. From there, follow the upper edge of one fluke toward its outer tip.
Do not assume that the fluke forms a neat triangle. Its edge may be curved, irregular or partly hidden by the angle. The tip may point upward, downward or away from the viewer.
Return to the central notch and draw the other fluke. Compare it with the first rather than copying it. If the whale is turning, one side may appear wider while the other becomes compressed.
Now draw the lower edges back toward the centre. Leave parts of the contour open if reflected light or dark water makes them difficult to see.
Beginning with this small, recognisable feature gives the whale a direction before you commit to the much larger body.
Pull the body forward from the tail
The tail connects to a narrow section called the tail stock. Follow its upper edge away from the flukes and toward the body.
At first, the line may remain narrow. It will then begin to widen as it reaches the back of the whale. Observe how quickly this change happens in your reference.
Draw the lower edge separately. It may rise toward the tail more sharply than the upper edge, especially if the whale is bending or diving.
Do not make the upper and lower contours expand at the same rate. Their differences create the movement of the body.
Continue the upper line into the back. A humpback whale’s dorsal fin can appear surprisingly small within the full length of the animal. It may look like a low projection or a steeper fin depending on the individual and the viewing angle.
Place it within the contour rather than attaching it afterward. The back should rise toward the fin, pass over it and continue forward.
If your first line makes the whale too narrow, add another above or below it. Long thought lines following the body can reinforce its movement through the water.
Allow the body to become massive
As you draw toward the front, the whale’s body gains considerably more weight.
This is where beginners often keep the torso too narrow because they are thinking of a fish. A whale has a substantial chest and head, and the contours should show that change.
Look for the widest visible part of the animal. It may be near the front of the torso rather than directly in the middle.
Continue the back toward the head, paying attention to gradual changes in direction. On the underside, allow the body to become deeper before it rises toward the jaw.
Do not close the front yet. Leave enough room for the head to develop from the existing body.
Step back and compare the tail with the mass you have drawn. The body should feel capable of moving the flukes rather than appearing as a long tube ending in a decorative tail.
Let the pectoral fin reveal the turn
A humpback whale’s pectoral fins are long and can dramatically change the pose.
Find where the nearest fin emerges from the side of the body. Observe its direction before drawing its length. It may reach downward, sweep backward or project toward the viewer.
Follow one edge from the shoulder toward the tip. Then return and draw the other edge back into the body. The fin should taper, but its two sides do not need to mirror one another.
If it points toward you, perspective may make it appear shorter and broader. If it extends across the water, it may become one of the longest marks in the drawing.
The farther fin may only be visible as a small fragment beyond the body. Draw only what you see rather than inventing a matching pair.
The relationship between these fins can show the whale rolling or turning. This is more convincing than surrounding a motionless outline with arbitrary water lines. I discuss this further in my guide to how to draw movement.
Arrive at the head gradually
The head should continue from the weight and direction of the body.
A humpback whale has a long head with a broad front rather than a small rounded face. Follow the upper contour toward the snout and observe where it begins to flatten or change angle.
The lower jaw may extend forward beneath the upper contour. Its relationship to the mouth line is more important than drawing a generic smile.
Place the mouth by following its full direction from the front of the head toward the eye. It may rise, descend or partly disappear as the surface turns.
The eye is small in relation to the head and sits farther back than beginners often expect. A single dark mark may be enough. Position it by comparing its distance from the mouth and the base of the pectoral fin.
Depending on the reference, you may also see small bumps across the head. Treat these as part of the surface rather than covering the whale with evenly spaced dots.
Describe the throat without drawing every pleat
Humpback whales have visible pleats running along the underside of the throat and belly. These lines can help describe the species, but they should follow the body’s volume.
Begin with one or two pleats that clearly travel from the lower jaw toward the body. Let the others respond to those directions.
As the underside turns away, the spacing may compress and the lines may become less distinct. Avoid extending every pleat for the same distance.
Use broken marks instead of rigid parallel lines. The throat is curving through space, not covered with a printed stripe pattern.
If the pleats become the strongest feature in the drawing, soften some of them with tone or interrupt their edges.
Use value to join the whale to the water
Once the drawing is established, look for the largest division between light and dark.
The whale’s back may merge into deep water while its underside catches reflected light. One pectoral fin may appear pale against the body. Scars, barnacles or natural markings can break up the surface.
Begin with these broad relationships before adding small details.
With graphite or charcoal, I use broad strokes that travel along the body. With pen, I group hatching in the deeper shadows and allow the direction of the marks to reinforce the whale’s length. In colour, I compare large shifts rather than trying to match every blue reflected from the water.
Some contours can disappear completely. If the back merges into dark water, shade the two areas together and allow another edge to carry the silhouette.
This gives the whale depth and prevents it from looking like a cutout floating on white paper.
Give the whale enough space
A whale needs room on the page. Even a well-proportioned drawing can lose its sense of scale if the head, fins and tail are crowded against the edges.
Open water around the animal allows the long body to feel substantial. A small patch of reflected light, suspended particles or a faint surface line can suggest the environment without turning the sketch into a detailed seascape.
If the whale is travelling toward one side of the page, leave more open space in front of its head. If it is diving, allow room beneath it.
Do not add a tiny boat or diver simply to prove that the whale is large. Scale can be communicated through the slow expansion of the body, the smallness of the eye and the amount of water surrounding it.
Understanding how to draw a whale comes from observing a particular species and allowing its proportions to guide the drawing. Begin with the tail, follow the body forward and let the head arrive as part of the same movement.
You can continue with other marine subjects in my collection of sea animal drawing tutorials.