Draw an Anchovy: Body Curve and Fin Placement Guide

Object Drawing Lessons

This guide teaches a repeatable method for drawing a side-view anchovy. You will establish a gentle body curve, mark fin positions relative to that curve, and refine the outline. The convention is explicit: draw a fixed baseline first, then set the midline a chosen distance above it; x-height is that fixed vertical distance from baseline to midline. The body curve is then drawn relative to the fixed midline and must stay within one x-height of it. Letter styles and exact proportions vary, so valid alternatives are accepted when the curve is smooth and fins sit in the marked zones. All measurements are hypothetical examples; measure your own paper and tools.

Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.

Reference illustration

Use the stated measurements and conventions for each exercise.

Set the body curve

Draw a light horizontal baseline first. Set a parallel midline a chosen distance above it; that fixed distance is your x-height. For a small anchovy, choose an x-height of about 2 cm on a 10 cm body length; this is a hypothetical example, not a standard. The baseline and midline are fixed construction references, so the x-height does not change as you draw the body outline.

Mark the nose at the left end of the midline and the tail base at the right. The body curve should bow gently downward from nose to tail base, staying within one fixed x-height of the midline. Avoid sharp kinks; the curve is continuous.

1. Draw a 10 cm horizontal baseline and a parallel midline 2 cm above it.
2. Mark nose on the midline at 0 cm and tail base at 10 cm.
3. Sketch a smooth curve from nose dipping about 1 cm below the midline at the midpoint, then rising to the tail base.
4. Check that no point of the curve is more than the fixed x-height (2 cm in this example) from the midline.

Place the dorsal and anal fins

The dorsal fin sits on the back, above the body curve. Place its front edge at about 40 percent of body length from the nose and its rear edge at about 60 percent. The fin height is roughly half the x-height.

The anal fin sits below the body curve, behind the dorsal fin. Place its front edge at about 65 percent of body length and rear edge at about 80 percent. Keep each fin's height to about half the x-height, measured from the body curve outward. The dorsal fin tip is about half an x-height above the body curve; the anal fin tip is about half an x-height below the body curve, so with the curve at most one x-height below the midline the anal fin tip can reach at most 1.5 x-heights below the midline.

1. Mark dorsal fin front at 4 cm and rear at 6 cm along the top curve.
2. Draw a low triangular dorsal fin rising about 1 cm above the curve.
3. Mark anal fin front at 6.5 cm and rear at 8 cm along the bottom curve.
4. Draw a similar low triangular anal fin below the curve.

Add pectoral fin and tail

The pectoral fin sits just behind the head, below the midline. Place its base at about 20 percent of body length and about half an x-height below the midline, and angle it backward and downward. Its length is about one x-height.

The tail is forked. Draw two short points from the tail base, each about one x-height long, with a shallow notch between them. Keep the tail symmetrical about the midline.

1. Mark pectoral fin base at 2 cm from the nose, 1 cm (half the x-height) below the midline.
2. Draw a narrow fin angled back and down, about 2 cm long.
3. At the tail base, draw upper and lower tail points each 2 cm long.
4. Connect the points with a shallow curve to form the fork.

Refine and check

Erase construction lines lightly. Confirm the body curve is smooth, the dorsal and anal fins are opposite each other in the rear half, and the pectoral fin is behind the head. Use the rubric to accept valid variations in fin shape and curve depth.

If the curve looks too deep, reduce the dip by half. If fins overlap the body outline, shift them outward by 2 mm. These adjustments are hypothetical examples; measure your own drawing.

1. Trace the final outline with a darker line.
2. Label fin zones lightly and compare to the placement marks.
3. Check that the tail fork is symmetrical about the midline.
4. Record any changes for a second attempt.

Worked example

Draw an anchovy on a 12 cm body length with an x-height of 2.5 cm. Place the dorsal fin front at 40 percent and rear at 60 percent, the anal fin front at 65 percent and rear at 80 percent, and the pectoral base at 20 percent below the midline. Describe the steps and the final check.

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Making the body curve too deep, more than one x-height from the midline. Reduce the dip at the midpoint by half and redraw the curve smoothly.
• Placing the dorsal fin too far forward, over the head. Move the dorsal fin front edge to about 40 percent of body length from the nose.
• Drawing the pectoral fin on the midline instead of below it. Lower the pectoral fin base to about half an x-height below the midline.
• Making the tail fork asymmetrical. Measure equal lengths above and below the midline from the tail base.

Self-check rubric

• Body curve is smooth and stays within one x-height of the midline.
• Dorsal fin front edge is between 35 and 45 percent of body length from the nose.
• Dorsal fin rear edge is between 55 and 65 percent of body length.
• Anal fin front edge is between 60 and 70 percent of body length.
• Anal fin rear edge is between 75 and 85 percent of body length.
• Pectoral fin base is behind the head and below the midline.
• Tail fork is symmetrical about the midline.
• Valid alternatives in fin shape and curve depth are accepted if placement zones are met.

Questions and answers