How to Draw a Jellyfish

Jellyfish appeared on Earth about 650 million years ago, and while they may seem simple in appearance, they are actually incredibly complex. How many of you here have had to quickly get out of the water after spotting one? Today, however, there is no risk of getting stung, as we will learn how to break them down in order to be able to draw them.

ORIGIN OF THE JELLYFISH

These animals get their name from the character in Greek mythology: Medusa. They were named by the scholar Linnaeus, due to their physical resemblance to the hair of this mythological character.

These are aquatic beings, yet they do not swim! They move only vertically through the muscular cells in their umbrella, mostly drifting or being carried by currents.

Their color, size, and appearance vary greatly, so we cannot create a typical profile for the jellyfish. The same goes for their habitat; they can be found at the water's surface as well as in the abyss, in all types of water (salt or fresh) and climates. They are carnivorous, feeding on microscopic plankton or sometimes fish for the larger jellyfish.

FOCUS ON THE JELLYFISH

Jellyfish have an elastic and translucent body, composed mostly of water (even more so than humans). We can see with the naked eye everything that makes up their organism: they have no skeleton, no head, no blood, no brain, or even a heart, but they do have sensory organs that allow them to navigate, sense, etc. They are not fish, but invertebrates.

We often confuse the arms of the jellyfish with its tentacles! Several oral arms (usually 4, or a multiple of four) are attached under the bell. The filaments of the tentacles are located all around the bell and can reach a surprising length of several meters! It is with its tentacles that it hunts its prey, and it eats using its oral arms.

Although jellyfish are animals with a mesmerizing appearance, they can sometimes be dangerous, and more rarely, deadly to humans. The cells in their tentacles are stinging: this is also why jellyfish are part of the cnidarians, from the ancient Greek meaning "stinging". Upon contact or when approaching prey, the tentacles deploy tiny filaments that inject the paralyzing venom.

DRAW A JELLYFISH STEP BY STEP

Let's go!

I take as a reference the common jellyfish, called “Aurelia aurita”. Its tentacles are short, its umbrella is wide and round. You can see beautiful patterns that adorn the underside of its umbrella because it is very transparent, sometimes pinkish or bluish. I will use these two tones to define my color palette, exaggerating them a bit.

I start by choosing an underwater background. A deep blue, turquoise, or slightly colored black are perfect. I apply different blue gradients on a black background to set the mood.

1/

I suggest the shape of the umbrella, or the "bell", of the jellyfish. It is very rounded, fitting into an imperfect oval. You can vary the shapes: depending on the movement of the jellyfish, its soft and flexible umbrella will deform. I choose a pale rose gold to highlight the top of the jellyfish. This is the time to suggest the transparency of its body, so I do not use opaque colors, quite the contrary; I will add layer by layer some slightly transparent elements.

2/2

You can finish the umbrella by drawing small lines (following the shape of slight curves) at the bottom of it. This is where there will be tentacles that will surround the umbrella.

3/3

A bit like a circuit board, I draw the branching patterns of the jellyfish's veins. The lines become sparser as we approach the top of the bell. All these lines are also connected to each other and end at the base of the bell.

4/4

To suggest the material, I add a colored texture under the veins. I choose a turquoise for the center of the umbrella, and a desaturated ultramarine blue around. To shade and show volume, I add a bit of orange to the right and left edges of the umbrella (this tone should be just slightly darker and more saturated than the color you chose for the oval at the base of the drawing).

5/5

I am slightly erasing the base color I had put on the umbrella in order to create a transparency effect. This also helps to suggest that there are different layers that make up the jellyfish. At this stage, one should feel the rounded volume aspect of the bell.

With small strokes, I shade the tentacles that move in curved motions. For this, think of the water that is always moving and the fact that the jellyfish moves horizontally. The tentacles are not all straight but spread out from side to side of the umbrella.

6/6

Let's get into the details and enhance the final rendering! To do this, I place bright reflections on the drawing: on the top of the jellyfish, with touches on the veins, on the tentacles... I thus turn to a pale, bright yellow.

7/7

The oral arms of the common jellyfish are often folded and thus hidden from our sight under its bell. So, don’t be surprised if you don’t see them in this step-by-step guide.

I finish the drawing with the jellyfish's gonads: four small symmetrical curves (open at the center) clearly visible at the top of the umbrella. I also keep the same color as for the veins.

We've finished the drawing of this little jellyfish, floating along with the currents!

Illustrator and writer: Vincyane