How to Draw a Bloater

In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Bloater in 6 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.

The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.

Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.

At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Bloater.

Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.

How to Draw a Bloater - Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: First, draw a wide oval shape for the fish's head. Make a small notch between the two sides of the oval for the mouth.

Step 2: Next, draw the face. Make a large circle for the eye with a C shape to the left of it. Connect a line to the notch you made for the mouth and another one on the bottom line of the oval. Draw two curves for the gills of your fish.

Step 3: Then, draw a long line from the top of the head for the back of your fish. Add four lines of varying sizes as you see them in this picture.

Step 4: Draw the lower fins by making a long line with three fins clustered at the back of the fish and two small rounded fins at the front. Add several small lines to make the ripples of the back fins.

Step 5: Draw the upper fins. There should be one large, triangular fin in the middle of the fish's back. At the very end of your backline, draw a small triangle in the same slanted way you made the larger fin. Add details to the fins using small lines.

Step 6: The final step in drawing your Bloater is to make two lines that connect from the bottom and back of your fish in two points. Create the details of the tail using lines like the ones you see in this picture.

Interesting Facts about the Bloater

The bloater is a freshwater whitefish. It is silver in color and grows to an average of 23 centimeters (9.06 inches) long. Bloaters live in the Great Lakes in the United States (except Lake Erie) and in Lake Nipigon in Canada. Female bloaters have a lifespan of 10 to 11 years, while males live to an average age of 9 years. Bloaters eat plankton, fish eggs, and clams.

Did you know?

  • Bloaters live at a depth range from 30 to 180 meters.
  • Adult female bloaters are usually larger than males.
  • Females produce about 3000 to 12000 eggs during their breeding season.
  • Known predators of the bloaters include the lake trout, salmonids, and alewives.
  • The average mass of a bloater is 227 grams (8 ounces).
  • Bloaters are in the Class Actinopterygii, Order Salmoniformes, and Family Salmonidae.

Lesson plan note: Draw and cut out bloater fish pictures and distribute them to your students. Have each child color their fish; they can color with markers, colored pencils, or crayons. Then, cut a large piece of butcher paper and color it blue to represent a lake. Put the lake up on the bulletin board and have each child paste their bloater fish into the lake.

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