How to Draw a Koi Fish in Photoshop

Learn how to create a beautiful Koi Fish and flower design with Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. This tutorial will show you the basics of creating shapes and how to shade using tools and gradients.

Preview of Final Results

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Koi Fish.zip | 6.18
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Koi Fish Photoshop Tutorial

Resources

Fish Scale Patterns – Brusheezy
Swirl & Flower Brushes – Deviant Art

Step 1 Create a New Document

In Photoshop create a New Document (File>New) My canvas is 500px x 500px but you can make it any size to suit your needs.

Step 2 Flower

First we will create one of the flowers. Start by adding a Gradient Overlay to the first layer (name it ‘Background’)

Step 3 Petal Shapes

Create a New layer and name it ‘Petal 1’ make an outline of a petal like the image below using your Pen Tool.

Step 4 Fill the Petal

Right click the outline of your petal and then>Make Selection or on your Paths tab right click then>Make Selection. Fill this petal with a purple color.

Step 5 Add Contrast

On this same layer grab your burn tool (61 px soft brush, shadows, 100%) make your petal look like the image below. I used a combination of Ranges: Shadows, Highlights and Midtones to achieve this look.

Step 6 Petal Highlight

Create a New layer above this one and name it ‘Petal 1 Highlight’. Grab a 42px soft brush #E5BA2A, with a Flow: 73%. Erase any areas that goes outside of the petal.

Step 7

The third thing that we will add to this petal is a darker shadow. First make a new layer above your ‘Petal 1 highlight’ then make a selection of your ‘Petal 1’ layer. Once you have done this contract it. Select>Modify>Contract by 5px like the image below.

Paint in this area with a soft brush using #2c0024 Note: Name this layer ‘Petal 1 shadow’

Step 8 Repeat Petals

Repeat these steps to create the rest of your petals. I have provided images of how the process looks.

Step 9 So Far

In all I have 15 petals.

Step 10

For the middle grab your paint brush tool #fed51c, and make it look like the image below. I also used the burn tool to darken the bottom a bit (shadow, 100%).

Step 11 Flower Highlights

Above all of your flower layers. Create a New layer and name it ‘Flower Highlight’. Grab your paint brush tool (24px soft brush #ffffff) and place the brush in the light petal areas.

Change the opactiy to 53%

Step 12

Create a new layer and basically repeat those previous steps but instead of #ffffff use #c419b6

Change this layer to ‘Screen’

Step 13 Outline

Before we make the outline. Merge all of the petal layers together including the ‘Petal highlight and shadows’ (don’t include the ‘Flower Highlights 1 & 2). Create a New layer and name it ‘Outline’. Next create a selection from the layers you just merged.

Step 14 Stroke

Next go to Edit>Stroke and apply these settings

Step 15

Move the outline a couple of pixels to the right. Change this layer to Overlay with an Opacity of 77%

Step 16

For an added element I grabbed my Paint brush tool and used a soft px brush #e6d9b0 and painted in some more highlights. For this layer I changed it to luminosity.

Step 17 Part 2 – Second Flower

Now we are done with the first flower now it’s time to start the second one. Create a new document (same size canvas). Apply the same gardient for the background as previous stated with the first flower. This is what we will be making.

Step 18

Create a New group by cliking the folder icon above you layers and name this group ‘Purple Flower’. Inside of this new group create a new layer and name it ‘Petals’ Grab paint brush tool and select the flower brush that you downloaded prior to starting the tutorial. #af37a5

Step 19 Burn and Dodge Tool

Grab your burn and dodge tool (soft brush) and fill in the areas like I did in the image below. Continue this around the entire flower.

Step 20

Make a selection from your ‘Petals’ layer and contract it. Select>Modify>Contract by 19px. Make a new layer and grab a soft brush from your paint brush tool and fill in the areas like I did below. #FFFFFF

Change this layer to Soft Light.

Step 21

Create a New layer and on this layer make a Selection from your ‘Petals’ layer and contract it again by 34 px.

Step 22

Again grab your paint brush tool and paint in the areas like the image below color #e9d44b

Change this layer to Screen

Step 23

Create a new layer and place a circle in the middle of the flower using a soft round brush (71px, #e9d54b)

Step 24

Create a New layer and with a soft round brush add white to the tips, erase the areas that go beyond the petals.

Change this layer to Overlay.

Step 25 –

Repeat this step with a soft brush #FFFFFF but change this layer to Soft Light.

Step 26

Now duplicate this group 4 times and resize the groups so that it looks like the image below.

Step 27

Now we will add a drop shadow to the ‘Petals’ layer of each group except the last group. Apply these settings

Step 28

This is how it should look

Step 29 Part 3 – Koi Fish

Create a new document. My canvas is 1000px x 1000px.

Step 30 – Add a gradient to this background layer

Type your instructions here.

Step 31

Next we will create the body of the fish. I used Adobe Illustrator to create my fish since for me it’s easier to control the pen tool. Fire up Illustrator with the same size canvas 1000px x 1000px

Step 32

Start creating the different parts of the fish like I did in the following images.

Step 33

Now ‘drag and drop’ the fish parts you made and arrange them like so in photoshop. Note: I have outlined the parts to show where I have placed them (no need for you to do this.)

Step 34 Back Fin

Now that all of your layers are in Photoshop makes sure to name the layers acording to the parts of a fish (i.e. head, body, back fin, etc). First we will start off with the ‘Back Fin’. Also whatever layers I’m not working on I make them invisivle by clicking the ‘eye’ icon. On your ‘Back Fin’ layer grab your burn tool (61px soft round brush, Range: Highlights Exposure: 73&) and burn the area like in the image below

Step 35

Make a New layer and grab paint brush tool and make some wavy lines on the fin. I used a 5px hard round brush #d43911.

Step 36

Now we will smudge these wavy lines. Grab your smudge tool (22px, strength: 36%) and smooth out the lines

Change the layer to Linear Burn

Step 37

Create a New Layer and grab your paint brush tool (59px soft round brush #9b733f) Paint in the area at the place where the fin connects to the body.

Change this layer to Color Burn with an Opacity of 68%

Step 38 Fin Highlights

Now we will add some highlights to the fin. Create a New layer and name it ‘Highlight 1’. With your paint brush tool (#FFFFFF, 46px soft round brush) create some highlights at the tip of the fin. Change this layer to Overlay and an Opacity of 63%

Step 39

Repeat that last step but keep the layer at Normal with an Opacity of 100%. Take all of the layers pertainning to the ‘Back Fin’ and place it in a group (the folder icon below the layers).

Step 40

Repeat these same steps you used to make the ‘Back fin’ onto all the other fins.

Step 41 Scales

Now we will create the scales for the body of the fish. Make a new layer and fill it with any color then add this pattern overlay. Once you have applied this pattern overlay ‘convert it to s Smart Object‘ then rasterize.

Step 42

In this step we will change around the colors. First color is #cd200a, #ffd03f, #FFFFFF

Step 43

Warp this scale layer to one side of the fish. Erase any parts that go outside of the body.

Step 44

On the second scale layer do this exact same thing for the other side. Erase any parts that go outside of the body.

Step 45

Merge both of the scale layers.

Step 46

Add shadow to the body by grabbing a soft round brush #a16e28 and paint along the body

Step 47

Change this layer to Multiply

Step 48

Create a New layer and with a soft brush #734e18 paint along the bottom of the fin like the image below.

Step 49

Change this layer to Color Burn with an Opacity of 73%

Step 50

Create a New Layer and grab your soft round paint brush #edc480 again and paint along the back of the fish

Step 51

Change this layer to Color Dodge with an Opacity of 69%

Step 52

Create a New layer and place dots onto the red scales by using a soft round brush (14px #734e18)

Step 53

Change this layer to Color Burn then Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur

Step 54

Do this same thing for the yellow scales(7px soft round brush #edc480)

Step 55

Change this layer to Soft Light

Step 56

This is how it should look so far.

Step 57

Change the color of the Head to the settings below then convert it to a smart object then rasterize it.

Step 58

Next use a variety of brush sizes to achieve this effect for the head of the fish. Note: You may have to use multiple layers with different Opacity Levels

Step 59 Eye

Now we will make the eye. Create a New Layer and grab your Elliptical tool and make a oval like the one in the image below, fill it with any color.

Step 60 Layer Settings

Add these setting to your outer eye

Step 61

Create a New Layer and make another shape like the one below and fill it with #950903

Step 62

Add this layer style to that layer

Step 63

Grab a soft brush and paint along the top of the eye(#b81512) on a new layer

Step 64

Change this layer to an Opacity of 65%

Step 65

Create a New layer and add a white dot on top of the eye. (soft round brush)

Step 66

Now we will add the whiskers. Grab your pen tool and make a line like the image below. Once I did this I right clicked my whiskers and then Stroke Path. Note: Make sure your paint brush is set to 4px hard round brush.

Step 67

Apply these settings to each of the whiskers.

Step 68

Almost Done!

Step 69

Now we will add in our flowers that we made in the beginning of this tutorial. Just drag and drop it over. Note: It is a good idea to place the whole flower in a group so that it easy to transport over.