How to Draw a Whale
The body of this whale is a big rounded shape that thins toward the back, and it is worth sketching lightly, because both the tail and the belly join onto it. Keeping that back end narrow gives the tail somewhere to attach.
The tail and the rest
Step 2 is the tricky one: a flat tail with two pointed sides and a dip in the middle between them. Once it is in, the rest goes quickly. The curvy belly line in step 3 starts at the front of the body and sweeps up toward the tail, step 4 adds a small flipper, and step 5 an eye and a happy smile. The last box sends three water drops spouting from the top of the head. Whatever is new in a box is orange and earlier lines stay black, so pointing out the orange part before each step helps a child keep track.
Practice and ages
The six boxes sit two across and three down. The second page of the US Letter or A4 PDF shows the finished whale in the top corner with the six written instructions beside it, above a large empty frame labeled Draw yours here, and this page has an animation of about 12 seconds and a dashed outline to trace. The sheet is for ages 6 to 8, and since every part is a soft curve, an oval or a teardrop, preschoolers can follow along too when an adult draws beside them. Shrinking the page to fit would make the orange lines harder to follow, so leave the A4 or Letter PDF at 100 percent.
Draw a whale in 6 steps
New lines in each step are orange. Where a new part covers an earlier line, that bit turns dashed gray: rub it out.
Draw a big round body that gets thin at the back.
Add a flat tail with two pointy sides.
Draw a curvy line for the white belly.
Add a small flipper on the side.
Give your whale an eye and a happy smile.
Draw three water drops spouting from the top.
Tips to make your whale drawing easy
- Sketch the body lightly in pencil first, because the tail and belly both join onto it.
- Keep the back end of the body narrow so the tail has a place to attach.
- Start the belly line at the front of the body and let it sweep up toward the tail.
- Point out the orange lines in each box before your child starts that step.
- Watch the animation once, then pause it on any step that causes trouble.
- Finish by going over the pencil in marker and coloring the whale.
Whale outline to print and trace
Print the finished outline on its own: trace over it with a pencil to learn the shapes, or use the dashed tracing sheet for younger kids who are still building pencil control. Both fit A4 and US Letter.
Color your whale
Finished drawing? Print one of our 2 whale coloring pages to color the same character in 2 difficulty levels, or color your own drawing with the step sheet beside you.
More whale activities
Frequently asked questions
How many steps are in the whale drawing?
Six. They move from the body to the tail, belly, flipper and face, and end with the spout. The sheet arranges them in a grid two boxes wide and three boxes tall.
Why are some lines orange?
Orange marks the lines added in that step. Everything drawn earlier is shown in black, so a child can compare boxes and spot the new part quickly.
Where does the belly line go?
It starts at the front of the body and sweeps up toward the tail in step 3, marking off the white belly.
Can a five-year-old draw this whale?
Most can with an adult drawing alongside. The trickiest part is the tail in step 2, which has a dip in the middle between two points.
About this printable
- Made with AI assistance (vector drawing authored by a language model) and checked by automated tests and an AI reviewer.
- Checked by automated tests and an AI reviewer on 22 Oct 2026.
- Free for personal and single-classroom use. See the license. Read the license · How these are made · Report a problem.
- Vector PDF, 2 pages, 186×254 mm art box — prints edge-safe on A4 and US Letter.
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