How to Draw Cartoon Animals in Microsoft Paint

By drawing a fish in Microsoft paint, students will be able to draw cartoon animals and objects, and properly use the different types of drawing tools in paint.

Drawing things on Microsoft (MS) paint is something that I enjoy to do in my free time. You may think that you can't because you are bad at drawing with pencil and paper you won't be good at paint, well you can't be any further from the truth. One of the main reasons I love MS paint, is because it's so easy to undo things you don't like. At first you may not like your drawing, but keep going! If you try and try pretty soon your drawings will look awesome! In this Instructable, we will be drawing a fish, it is not the main "project" per se, but it will help you get started on the steps in drawing.
Here are the three main things you need to remember:
Curved Lines are our Friends:
While they may seem quite confusing, they are very simple. Just click on point A, then B, and click and drag until the line looks like how you like it!
Ctrl+Z is also our Friend:
Like I said before, the best way to make drawings is to constantly "undo". It's alright to admit your mistakes, and then retry. It only takes a few seconds and will make your drawing much better.
Make Custom Colors:
Normal colors are too... bland. When we see colors like those every day, they get kind of boring. Another great reason to use custom colors is that you should never settle for less than perfection, and if a color looks a little "funky" you may want to switch it out.

Now that we got our base rules down, let's start on the fish!

Step 1: The Main Outline

When you make a paint animal, first you make the outline. This mostly consists of curves but, honestly, if you think it fits your personal style better to only use straight lines, go for it. This is the hardest part, and it is also the part with the most Ctrl+Z-ing. You start at the top, then work your way down. Afterwards, you do the major details, like facial features and gills.

Step 2: Coloring

Depending on what you like, this could take 15 seconds to half an hour. Remember to use custom colors, unless one of the colors fits perfectly. Also do not forget where shadows are, so somethings may be darker/lighter than others.

Step 3: Final Details

Then, take the "pencil" tool to add final details. When I do it I usually either make it darker, or another color closely associated with the thing I'm drawing. In this case, I used a nice, dark shade of purple.

Step 4: Add Ons: Tongue

In the add ons parts it will be extra things to add to your drawings to make the look nicer, funnier or cooler! I will constantly update this with suggestions you guys have. First up is tongues! This is very simple to do, but very hard to verbally explain. The pictures are very simple to follow, so please comment if you have any questions.

Step 5: Add Ons: Bling-Bling!

At last! Now, we get to the fun part, one of the best things about the bling part is that the possibilities are endless! To start make a gold chain, I used small circles, but you can use curved lines if you would like. When you get to the pendant, you may not to be able to make it from the rectangle shape, due to the angle it's at. Instead, I used straight lines. Once you get that done, add whatever you want! Creativity is something I can't teach you!

Step 6: Final Thoughts

Overall, I hope that I taught you something. If you would like, post a MS paint drawing you made, and I'll give my favorites a Digital Patch! Don't forget to post add on ideas!

Also, if you want me to make Pixel Art (Pictures 2 & 3) an add on, tell me in the comments!