This tutorial is an excerpt from DragonArt: Fantasy Characters, available in stores now!

DragonArt: Fantasy Characters

by J "NeonDragon" Peffer

ISBN-13: 978-1-58180-852-0 ISBN-10: 1-58180-852-6

$19.99

At the end of your mermaid's tail, draw two arcing lines and a wiggly "fanned" line connecting the two.

To help create the "wavy" + delicate effect, adding wrinkles will help give a greater sense that the fin itself is thin and rippling. Draw your wrinkles to frame each arch of the tail edge.

Using your pencil or pen, go over your contruction lines and hammer out the specific details that you would like in your tail. You may want to add smaller folds and ripples to compliment the large flowing shapes you established in your earlier lines.

Color your tail as you see fit. Fish come in all colors of the rainbow, and so can your mermaid. Your mermaid's tail will likely be slick and shiny, so don't skimp on the highlines and sheen!

For a stiffer fin - such as dolphins and whales possess - Bring out two arcs in perfect symmetry from the end of your mermaid's tail. The edge that runs along the bottom will pinch in at the center.

A dolphin's tail has a certain thickness, and it is also fairly ridged. Mind you, it can bend to a degree, but you won't see this thick, muscular tail sweeping around and folding on itself. Add a line around the edge to help emphasize this thickness and power.

When you're happy with your construction lines, go over your drawing with a dark pencil or pen. The main lines of the tail, such as the perimeter, can be defined by thicker pencil strokes. The details, such as the lines that help emphasize the depth of the tail, can be made thinner.

Color your tail as you see fit. A dolphin's tail will not have scales... but this is a mermaid - your own fantasy creature! Add scales if you so desire, or if you do not, then don't!

You may not want a typical fin for your mermaid. She is a fantasy creature after all! If you're stuck on what to draw for the end of her tail, consider a branched fin. To draw this, simply place equally spaced, symmetrical lines branching out from the end of the mermaid's tail. Connect these lines with inverted u's, forming a webbed skin between them.

After the initial groundwork has been laid, give the branches of your fin a little bit more thickness. These branches are the anatomy that is holding the webbing taunt as the mermaid pushes against the water. If they are thin, they are likely to bend, not giving her enough force to propel forward. You may add wrinkles to the webbing if you wish.

When you are satisfied with your construction lines, clean up your drawing or ink it if you wish.

Color your tail as you see fit. The branches may be the same color as the thick tail above it, with different color for the webbing, or the tail might simply fade from one color to another.