Fighting Fish Drawing – Working on the Body

I chose a fighting fish, aka a beta, as my next drawing subject. Big. Mistake. This thing has soooo much detail. I’m using graphite, so I can go as detailed as I want to, but I also know that too much detail will overwhelm the viewer. I’ve laid down the initial shading for the fins, and I’m starting to add in the second layer and detail to the body. Tonight, I basically sat looking at this fish, totally overwhelmed.

I decided to pick the main focal point, obviously the head. I will concentrate on making the head my most detailed part. That is where I will focus on drawing the most scales. I will fade those out as I do the tail. That should get me through the body during car line tomorrow.

I still don’t know how I will get through all those fins, but I will worry about that when it is time to draw them.

Here is what I have so far:

Here is the reference photo:

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

About M. B. Weston

M. B. Weston is an award-winning fantasy, pulp, young adult, steampunk, and paranormal author. Her attention to procedure and detail gives her works an authentic gritty, military feel that takes an adventure tale to the level of a true page-turner. Weston’s writing attracts both fantasy and non-fantasy readers, and her audience ranges from upper-elementary students to adults. A gifted orator, Weston has been invited as a guest speaker to numerous writing and science fiction/fantasy panels at conventions across the US, including DragonCon, BabelCon, NecronomiCon, and Alabama Phoenix Festival. She has served on panels with such authors as Sherrilyn Kenyon, J. F. Lewis, Todd McCaffrey, and Jonathan Maberry. Weston has spoken to thousands of students and adults about the craft of writing and has been invited as the keynote speaker at youth camps and at several schools throughout the US.

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