How to Draw Darwin Watterson: Easy 10-Step Cartoon Guide

Bring Gumball's best friend to life with this fun, step-by-step drawing tutorial designed for young artists ages 5 and up. You will only need a pencil, an eraser, and a sheet of paper to master Darwin's iconic goldfish shape. Follow along to build your character-drawing skills and create your own colorful version of this beloved cartoon character.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

A colorful, finished illustration of Darwin Watterson, perfect for kids to reference.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Sketching the Head

A light pencil sketch of a simple oval shape representing the head of Darwin Watterson.

Draw a light, rounded oval to serve as the base for Darwin's head. Teacher's Tip: Keep your pencil strokes very faint so you can easily erase any overlapping lines later.

Step 2: Outlining the Body

The oval head connected to a larger, rounded body shape using a single continuous curved line.

Extend a long, curved line from one side of the head, sweeping underneath to form his cheek and tail, then connect it back to the other side. Think of this as creating a soft, rounded 'U' shape.

Step 3: Adding the Fins

Two small, rounded fin shapes added to the sides of the character's body.

Draw a curved line on each side of the body, doubling it back to create his signature fins. Tip: Make these look like small, rounded triangles to give them a natural, flowy feel.

Step 4: Drawing the First Leg

A single leg and foot added to the bottom of the character's body.

Extend two parallel lines downward from the bottom of the body, connecting them at the base with a curve to form the first foot. Keep the lines straight to ensure the leg looks sturdy.

Step 5: Drawing the Second Leg

A second leg and foot added to complete the lower body structure.

Repeat the process from Step 4 to add the second leg next to the first. Tip: Try to make the legs the same length so your character looks balanced.

Step 6: Cleaning Up

The character outline with all internal guide lines removed for a clean look.

Carefully erase any overlapping guide lines inside the body and head. This will make your drawing look clean and professional.

Step 7: Adding Eyes and Brows

Large expressive eyes with pupils and curved eyebrows added to the face.

Draw two large circles for the eyes, with smaller shaded circles inside for the pupils. Add a curved line above each eye to create his expressive eyebrows. Tip: Placing the pupils slightly off-center can give Darwin a more playful, curious look.

Step 8: Mouth and Tail Texture

A wide, happy mouth with a tongue and textured tail details added.

Sketch a wide, irregular shape for the mouth with a small oval inside for the tongue. Add a few short, flicking lines at the tip of the tail to give it a textured, fin-like appearance.

Step 9: Detailing the Shoes

Detailed shoes added to the feet with lines indicating the shoe structure.

Draw a horizontal line across the top of each foot to represent the shoe opening, then add a diagonal line across the front to show the shoe's shape. This adds a great sense of depth to your drawing.

Step 10: Bringing Darwin to Life with Color

The finished Darwin Watterson drawing fully colored in vibrant orange.

Time to color! Use a bright, vibrant orange for Darwin's body. Since he's a goldfish, don't be afraid to use a bold shade to make him pop off the page.