How to draw a pufferfish — easy step by step drawing ideas

Pufferfish drawing ideas are some of the most requested in my studio, and I completely understand why. There is something wonderfully silly about a little fish that gulps water and turns itself into a round, spiky ball with a surprised face. Every time I hold up a finished pufferfish, the whole table giggles, and the kids who swore they couldn't draw fish suddenly want to make three more.

Here's the good news I share with every beginner: a puffed-up pufferfish is the easiest fish in the whole ocean to draw, because the body is just one big circle. There are no tricky curves or long fins to get right. Once the circle is on the page, we simply add a little fan tail, two tiny side fins, a ring of small triangle spikes, a puckered mouth and two big round eyes, and the fish comes to life.

In this tutorial we'll draw a round, surprised little pufferfish in six easy steps using the practice sheet below. I'll share the pro tips that help my youngest artists most, the three mistakes that turn a pufferfish into a sun or a cactus, and some quick troubleshooting fixes for the fiddly spike part. Grab a sunny yellow crayon and a soft cream one, and let's dive in.

The 6 steps to easy pufferfish drawing ideas

Step 1 — Draw the body

Start with one big round circle right in the middle of your page. This is the whole body of our puffed-up pufferfish, so make it generous — about the size of your palm is perfect on a regular sheet of paper. Press lightly with your pencil, because we'll be adding spikes around the edge later and you may want to adjust it.

Leave a little space on one side of the circle for the tail fin and a little space all the way around for the spikes. If your circle comes out slightly lumpy, that's completely fine. A real pufferfish isn't a perfect ball either, and a wobbly outline often looks even more friendly and cartoon-like.

Step 2 — Add the fins

On one side of the circle, draw a small fan-shaped tail fin. Think of a tiny paper fan opening up: a narrow point where it touches the body, spreading out into a wider rounded edge. Then add two small side fins on the body itself, one near the top and one a little lower, like little flappy wings.

Keep all three fins small. When a pufferfish puffs up, its body grows huge but its fins stay the same size, which is exactly what makes it look so funny and round. Tiny fins on a big body instantly tell the viewer this fish is all puffed up.

Step 3 — Add the spikes

Now for the fun part. All the way around the outline of the circle, draw small triangle spikes pointing outward. Space them out evenly, leaving a little gap between each one, and skip the spots where the fins and tail are attached.

Pufferfish spikes lie flat most of the time and only pop up when the fish puffs, so for our drawing they should be short and neat rather than long and sharp. Small spikes keep the fish looking cute and cuddly instead of prickly, which is perfect for a friendly cartoon.

Step 4 — Add the mouth

On the front of the body, on the side opposite the tail, draw a small round puckered mouth. It's just a little circle or oval, sometimes with a tiny second ring around it, like a fish blowing a kiss or saying "ooh!"

Place the mouth on the edge of the circle, slightly below the middle. That round little "o" shape is the secret to the surprised expression, and it's what gives a pufferfish so much personality even before the eyes go in.

Step 5 — Add the eyes and spots

Above the mouth, draw two big round eyes. Make them large — pufferfish have wonderfully big, round eyes, and oversized eyes are the quickest way to make any cartoon animal look sweet. Color in the pupils and leave a small white highlight dot in each one so they sparkle.

Then scatter a few round spots across the top and back of the body. Vary their sizes a little, and keep them away from the belly area, which we'll color lighter in the next step. Five to eight spots is plenty; you want a pattern, not polka-dot wallpaper.

Step 6 — Finish and color

Go over the lines you want to keep with a darker pencil or a fine black marker, then erase any leftover guide marks. Take your time around the spikes, since a clean zigzag outline makes the whole fish look crisp and finished.

Color the body a sunny yellow and blend a soft cream color along the lower belly. Fill the spots with a light brown, and color the small spikes a slightly darker orange-brown so they stand out against the yellow. The fins can be a pale yellow or orange, and a little bit of pink on the mouth adds a cute finishing touch.

Common mistakes to avoid

The spikes are drawn too long and sharp

Long, pointy spikes can make a pufferfish look like a cactus, a sea urchin or an angry porcupine instead of a sweet surprised fish. Kids often get excited during this step and each spike grows a little bigger than the last.

Keep every spike short and small, about the size of a grain of rice on your page. Check one side against the other before you move on, and if one spike grew too big, simply erase the tip and redraw it smaller.

The fins are drawn too big

Large fins make a pufferfish look like an ordinary fish that happens to be round, and it loses that funny balloon look. Big fins also crowd the spikes and make the outline messy.

Draw the tail fin and side fins noticeably smaller than feels natural. A puffed-up pufferfish looks best when the body is enormous and the fins look almost too tiny to swim with.

The eyes are placed in the middle of the body

When the eyes sit right in the center of the circle, the pufferfish can start to look like a smiley-face ball or a sun instead of a fish. The drawing loses its sense of direction, so it's hard to tell which way the fish is swimming.

Move the eyes toward the front, near the mouth and away from the tail. This gives the fish a clear face and a clear direction, and it instantly reads as a fish swimming toward you.

Troubleshooting

My pufferfish looks like a sun

This usually happens when the spikes are long and there's no clear tail. Make the spikes shorter, make sure the fan tail fin is clearly visible on one side, and move the eyes and mouth to the opposite side. Those three fixes turn a sun back into a fish.

The spikes are uneven all the way around

Uneven spikes usually come from starting in one spot and working all the way around without checking. Lightly erase the crowded area and use the clock trick: top, bottom, sides, then fill in the gaps. A few evenly spaced spikes always look better than many crowded ones.

The colors look flat

If the fish looks like a flat yellow coin, add more contrast. Blend the cream belly into the yellow, press a little harder with the yellow near the top edge, and make the spots and spikes a darker brown so they pop against the body.

Key takeaways

FAQ

Is a pufferfish easy to draw for kids? Yes — a puffed-up pufferfish is one of the easiest fish to draw because the body is just one big circle. Kids aged five and up can usually finish this tutorial in about fifteen to twenty minutes, and the spikes are simple little triangles.

How do I draw pufferfish spikes? Draw small triangles pointing outward all the way around the edge of the circle, spaced evenly with a little gap between each one. Start with one at the top, bottom and each side, then fill in the spaces so the spacing stays even.

What colors do I need for a pufferfish drawing? Sunny yellow for the body, cream for the belly, light brown for the spots and a slightly darker orange-brown for the spikes. A touch of pink on the mouth and pale orange on the fins add a nice finishing touch.

Why does a pufferfish puff up? A pufferfish gulps water to blow itself up into a big round ball when it feels scared. That makes it too big and spiky for most hungry animals to swallow, and once the danger swims away, it slowly shrinks back to its normal size.

And there is your pufferfish! Whether your spikes came out perfectly even or a little wiggly, you just drew one of the funniest little fish in the whole sea. Try drawing it again before it puffs up, long and slim with its spikes tucked in, or add some bubbles and seaweed around it, and come back tomorrow for a new tutorial.

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