How to Draw Ariel

Intro: Start drawing Ariel with a pencil sketch. In the beginning stages, don’t press down too hard. Use light, smooth strokes for sketching.

Step 1: To draw this Disney princess, start by drawing an egg shape that points down in the middle of the page. This is the basic shape for Ariel’s head. Add two curved, wavy lines that begin at the bottom of that shape and extend to the sides of the paper. These will be the basic shapes for Ariel's neck and shoulders.

Step 2: Next, draw two intersecting lines across the egg shape, one vertical and one horizontal. When drawing the lines, bend them so they follow the contour of the shape. Draw two smaller lines in between the horizontal construction line and the bottom of the egg shape. These will be construction lines that will help you place Ariel’s facial features later on.

Step 3: On top of the horizontal construction line and on either side of the vertical construction line, draw two circles with flat bottoms for Ariel's eyes. Draw the circle on the left smaller because of perspective and should be slightly grazing the vertical construction line.

Step 4: Draw a basic guide for Ariel's nose by adding a curved line between the main horizontal construction line and the top of the two smaller lines. Below that, draw in her mouth that looks like a letter D on its side.

Step 5: Now draw guides for Ariel’s hair. Draw a very long curved line that starts on the right side of Ariel's head and moves left across her forehead. Continue drawing the line outside the left side of Ariel's head, make it go around the top of her head, and then draw it coming down the right side of her face and end it on top of the right shoulder. The left side of Ariel's hair is a simple curved line that starts from the bottom of her newly created hair to the top of the left shoulder.

Step 6: That's it for the initial sketch of Ariel from Disney's The Little Mermaid! You have the basic shape for Ariel, so now go in and tighten your drawing. From this point on, press harder with your pencil in order to get darker lines and a more defined sketch.

Step 7: Tighten the shape of Ariel's nose as a line that begins above the left eye, grazes it a bit as it comes down, and then follows the guide you drew earlier. To the right of that shape on top of the small horizontal line, draw two curves to make Ariel's nostril.

Step 8: Darken in the shape of Ariel's eyes and draw thick eyelashes. Also draw a small curve above each of Ariel's eyes to represent eyelids.

Step 9: Finish this Disney princess' eyes by drawing a series of three circles, one inside the other that will represent her iris, pupil and glare. Shade in Ariel's pupil.

Step 10: Using the guide for her mouth, draw in Ariel's lips by thickening up those lines and giving them a slight curve for a smile.

Step 11: Ariel's hair is tricky, so it’s divided into two parts. First, tighten in her bangs by using the shape created earlier and drawing in a series of rounded hills on the left and a few spikes for the ends of her hair on the right.

Step 12: Now using the guides created earlier, draw in a series of curved lines on the right side of Ariel's head to represent her flowing red hair. On the left side, just darken in the original guide.

Step 13: Tighten the shape of Ariel's face by using the egg shape as a guide. Be sure to curve the shape in where her eye is to create her cheek. Darken in her neck and shoulders and draw a line in the shape of the letter V below Ariel's neck to represent her collarbone.

Step 14: Draw in Ariel's eyebrows as curved lines above her eyes right below her bangs. Part of the right eyebrow is being hidden by her long bangs. Draw in the bottom part of this Disney princess' ear and sideburn, which are also being hidden by her hair.

Step 15: That’s it! You now have a nice sketch of Ariel from Disney's The Little Mermaid. You can stop at this quick drawing for a rough, sketchy look or go for a more finished look by continuing to the step below.

Step 16: For a more finished, inked look, carefully go over the final sketch lines with a pen or marker. Wait for the ink to dry, and then get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser. You now have a finished inked drawing of Ariel! You can stop here or go to the final step to complete your Ariel drawing.

Final Step: For a completely finished Ariel drawing, you have to color it. You can use markers, color pencils or even crayons! Color Ariel's hair, lips and eyebrows red. She has blue eyes. Ariel's skin is a peach color, but if you don’t have peach, improvise and use yellow-orange or light brown. Experiment! That’s it! You now have a completed drawing of Ariel from Disney's The Little Mermaid.