How to Draw a Hammerhead Shark

In this follow-along-tutorial, I will show you how to draw a hammerhead shark. These beautiful sharks are some of the most iconic sea creatures known to man, and I think it's safe to say that everybody with the tiniest interest in the ocean and it's dwellers, knows of hammerhead sharks.

No surprise then, that anybody with an interest in sea creatures, and/or drawing, would want to have a go at drawing one of these magnificent animals. I know I do! Fortunately this is actually not particularly difficult, and I am here to show you how.

I am using the book "How to draw 50 sharks, whales and other sea creatures" by the late, great Lee J. Ames as my reference. This is a great book, that I highly recommend. His instructions are quite sparse, though. This is the reason why you might find it easier to follow along with the video. Or perhaps using a combination of both is the way to go… Whatever works for you.

To get a little taster of the process, and perhaps also a splash of extra motivation (we all need that from time to time, right?!? 😉 ) I have included a very quick video. The whole thing in 58 seconds! If you want, you can watch that first. Or you can just jump straight into the full follow along tutorial further down the page… It's completely up to you!

So without further ado, here is the short video (58 seconds):

-If you think this looks complicated, don't worry, it's not! 😉

Below I've done a quick run through of the basic shapes you'll be drawing, as you're building up your shark. This is my take on the process, and it does differ slightly from the book.

I believe this approach of combining the video with some guide drawings makes a lot of sense. I hope you'll agree! 😉

-Just follow along with the video further down the page, and then refer back to the drawings as needed. And of course the steps as I've played them out are only suggestions. You can obviously jump back and forth as much as you like!

Step One

A square-ish shape.

How to Draw a Hammerhead Shark - Step One

Step Two

Build out the body.

How to Draw a Hammerhead Shark - Step Two

Step Three

Add the basis for the fins, the tail and the hammer.

How to Draw a Hammerhead Shark - Step Three

Step Four

Complete all the shapes. Add the gills.

How to Draw a Hammerhead Shark - Step Four

Step Five

Erase unnecessary guidelines. Add shading

How to Draw a Hammerhead Shark - Step Five

And here is the full-length follow along video (about 20 minutes):

In addition to learning this particular drawing, I'm hoping this will also give you an idea of the kind of three dimensional thinking you should be getting used to applying, in general, when drawing. The 3D effects are really not that complicated to get into your drawings, once you start grasping the basic concepts, but they make a huge difference in the end result! So it is absolutely something that is worth a little effort.

I'm hoping you got something out of this. I hope the instructions were clear, and that the video made sense.

And as always, I'd love to hear from you, so please leave a comment. Maybe you have a suggestion on what to improve or do differently? I'd love to hear it.

Maybe you have a wish on what you'd like to draw? Post it below, maybe I can help? I know I'd love to try!

Until next time,

Happy drawing, and remember that drawing is a skill – Let's learn it!