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Shark School of Art

Anyone can draw a shark or create a shark cartoon with a little practice. Here are some tips and techniques for drawing sharks. We'll also show you how to create a comic strip using your shark drawings.

Shark Drawing Tips

1.

Think of the shark you are drawing as a collection of basic shapes: circles, triangles, ovals, rectangles and so on. For example, take a look at this drawing of a leopard shark.



See how it can be imagined as a collection of triangles and ovals?

Basic Shapes

2.

Once the basic shapes are laid out, you can make your drawing look more realistic details, shading and coloration. Here are some more examples of shark art.



Meet Shark Artist Ray TrollMeet Shark Artist Ray Troll
From his tree-top studio, high above the Tongass Narrows in rain swept Ketchikan Alaska, Ray Troll draws and paints fishy images that migrate into museums, books and magazines and onto t-shirts sold around the globe (and in our book and gift stores).

Here is a cartoon from Ray called "The Night Megaladon Came to Call." You can learn more about Ray and his art at www.trollart.com.


3.

Practice makes perfect! You can find lots of sharks on our web site to draw.


Shark Cartoon Tips
Anyone can make a cartoon with a little practice—we'll show you how. Sharks make a great subject because they evoke a variety of emotions, from fear to awe to humor.

Comics and cartoons are made of three basic elements:

Balloons
The WORD balloon contains the words and sounds that your characters say out loud. They are shaped like regular balloons.

The THOUGHT balloon contains the words and sounds that your characters think to themselves. They look like clouds.
Panels
The Panels contain the balloons and the drawings of your characters. You can make them any size or shape you want.
Characters
Your characters can be whatever you want them to be, just draw them the best you can and have fun doing it. It's your cartoon!

Now have some fun. Print out our Shark Cartoon Activity Sheet and create a comic strip that illustrates the need for saving sharks or some of the misconceptions people have about sharks. Send us a copy of your drawings and we'll post the best ones on the web! (Mail to Monterey Bay Aquarium Web Manager, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940 or email electronic versions to equarist@mbayaq.org, originals will not be returned.)
Ray Troll: Megalodon Snack
Celebrating 25 Years of Ocean Conservation
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