Discover and Sketch the Great White Shark With Realistic Drawing Techniques
Participants will learn fascinating facts about the biology, behavior, and anatomy of sharks. Then they'll learn how to create a realistic 3-D drawing of the Great White Shark. Class includes 4 video lessons and 3 handouts.
What's included
1 pre-recorded lesson
average 139 mins per video1 week
of teacher support2 hrs 19 mins
total video learning hours1 year access
to the contentClass Experience
US Grade 5 - 7
Beginner Level
This self-paced class is for students who love science and marine biology and are curious to learn more about sharks and wish to gain some realistic drawing skills. Miss Elder will cover the basics of shark biology, anatomy, ecology, and conservation while also sharing her techniques for drawing wildlife. Students will learn about the subject through pre-recorded slideshows, step-by-step drawing demonstrations, and by observing videos of sharks swimming in the wild. Students will receive downloadable handouts on shark anatomy, drawing tips, and high-resolution images of sharks for continued sketching practice. By the end of this self-paced mini-course, students will have gained a greater understanding of and empathy for sharks and their role in the marine environment while also practicing some realistic drawing techniques while creating a detailed and realistic 3-dimensional drawing of a Great White Shark. In this and all my classes I strive to be inclusive, interdisciplinary, and to incorporate Common Core, STEAM, and Next Generation Science Standards.
Learning Goals
• To know the vocabulary used to describe the anatomy of sharks.
• Learn the basic biology of Great White Sharks and their identifying features.
• Practice realistic pencil drawing skills using line, shape, and value to the depict 3-D form of a shark.
Syllabus
Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created CurriculumStandards
Aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)1 Lesson
over 1 WeekLesson 1:
Discover and Sketch the Great White Shark
In this class, you'll learn about shark biology as well as realistic drawing techniques as we draw a Great White Shark together. 1 assignment
139 mins of video lessons
Other Details
Supply List
Suggested Learner Supply List • Class handouts on sharks and drawing tips (available on our Outschool class page) • Sketching paper • Mechanical pencil • Shading pencil (between 2-8 B) • Fine-tipped ink pen • Eraser • Opaque white gel pen • Pink or red colored pencil NOTE: Learners can use any drawing media they prefer, but I will be creating the drawing demonstrations using various pencils and pens. Since this is a self-paced class, students can choose to watch the sketching demonstration first and then decide if they want to use my exact art materials or simply use what they prefer or have on hand.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined April, 2025
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in Biology/Biological Sciences from Humboldt State University
Bachelor's Degree in Biology/Biological Sciences from Sonoma State University, California
I hold bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology, with many courses covering topics in marine biology, including ichthyology in which we performed shark dissections. During college, I completed internships at California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium, The Marine Mammal Center, and Lanphere Dunes. I worked as a research assistant at Moss Landing Marine Laboratory.
I have taught marine biology courses as upper division electives when I was a full-time high school teacher. I have taught many online courses on marine biology and sharks, including classes on the great white shark, reef shark, hammerhead shark, whale shark and tiger shark.
I hold a degree in scientific illustration and have illustrated and taught illustration of sharks and many marine species in both in-person and live online courses.
I earned a SCUBA license in 1989 and have traveled internationally to swim and dive with sharks including nurse sharks, black-tipped reef sharks. I’ve snorkeled or dove in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Celebes Seas, and off the coasts of California, Mexico, Panama, and Ecuador. Several years ago, I fulfilled a lifelong dream to dive with hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos Islands.
I am passionate about sharing my love of the oceans with kids in the hopes that by drawing the creatures we study, they will gain a greater understanding, empathy, and respect for the natural world, especially the misunderstood and maligned species such as sharks.
Reviews
Self-Paced Class
$12
for all content1 pre-recorded lesson
1 week of teacher support
Choose your start date
1 year of access to the content
Ages: 10-13
