Koi is a large, colorful variety of fish known as carp. In fact, the Japanese word for koi means "carp." Most carp are brown or gray in color, but in Japan, brightly colored fish are referred to by the name nishikigoi, or "brocade carp." Brocade is a woven fabric with a brightly colored pattern that the fish is said to look like.
Since ancient times, at least since the fifth century B.C., carp have been domesticated and bred as a food source. More than 1,000 years ago in China, breeders began selecting natural color variations, enhancing them over time. The result? Beautifully colored ornamental fish as we see them today.
Around the world, many people enjoy the fascination of keeping koi, as well as their distant relative, the goldfish. Another Japanese word, also pronounced koi, means "love," and serious collectors certainly love their koi fish. Some keepers join koi enthusiast clubs, and the fish themselves are sometimes worth hundreds of dollars each.
Images of koi fish have long been featured in Japanese art. Today they remain a popular subject for photography, painting, clothing design and coloring books for adults.
Want to draw your own koi fish? It's easy to do with this simple, step-by-step drawing guide. All you need is a pencil, a good eraser, and a piece of paper. You can also use colored pencils, colored pencils, paints, or markers to paint over the finished fish.
If you enjoyed this tutorial, see "The fish. Also the following drawing guides: Seahorse, Dolphin, and Cartoon Shark.
Step-by-step instructions for drawing a koi fish
1. Start by drawing a circle. This will form the head of the fish.
2. Draw two long curved lines at the top and side of the circle. They outline the curved body of the fish.
3. Use a long, "M" shaped line to encircle the fish's tail.
4. Add fins to the fish's body. Do this by applying irregular shapes along the sides of the fish. There should be a pectoral fin on each side of the fish's head and two more fins near the tail.
OTHER EASY DRAWING GUIDES:
5. Detail and shape the face of the fish. Use a long curved line running from one side of the head to the other. Note the flatness of the mouth.
6. Erase the guiding lines from the fish's head.
7. Detail your koi fish. Along the bottom of each fin and the tips of the tail, draw short straight lines marking the fin ribs. Then draw a curved line down the center of the face, providing depth. Draw a curved, loosely V-shaped line on the side of the face, further detailing the outline. Finally, draw a dorsal fin on the back of the fish. Do this by enclosing an elongated curved triangle that follows the curve of the fish's body.
8. Erase the guide lines from the fish's face and dorsal fin.
OTHER EASY DRAWING GUIDES:
9. Complete your fish with additional details. On the dorsal fin, draw short ribbed lines. Draw a small oval inside the larger oval to indicate the eye; shade the smaller oval. Draw a small, almost complete circle at the tip of the fish's nose. Next to this, draw a tendril or antenna, using two short curved lines that meet at the same point. Draw a second tendril on the other side of the face. Finally, draw scales all over the fish's body. Do this by using short connected U-shaped lines.
10. Color your koi fish. This type of fish is often found in shades of white, brown, orange, red, green and gold.
Be sure to check out our other water painting tutorials, including dolphins, turtles, sharks and seahorses.
Japanese Koi Carp. Wealth, tradition and painting.
Artist Terry Gilecki is in love with water and fish. Mixing acrylic with metal powder, working with a sprayer, brushes and engraving elements, he brings beautiful Japanese carp to life in his creations that delight the eye with their colors and peacefulness.
Born in 1954 in British Columbia, Terry received a degree in Applied Arts in 1973 and began working
freelance as a commercial artist. His imagination and capacity for innovation are recognized as outstanding. Within a few years he began to write independently and extensively for international corporations. Along with this activity, he took up fine art. As the demand for his work increased, he realized that he had found his niche and was now devoting himself entirely to this field.
Captivated by the beauty of koi and the variety of their colors and patterns, he devoted his artistic creativity to capturing their essence in his masterful paintings. Collectors from around the world buy these exotic images. While koi are the main feature of his work, the artist also likes to work through their surroundings by fusing elements above and below the water, as well as those reflected on its surface.
All of the paintings used in this article are his. I must say, I wouldn't say no to such wonderful beauty myself! Let's move on to the most colorful - his paintings and along the way, let's figure out what these wonderful fish are, the image of which attracts the eyes of people from all over the world!
Figurines of two fish - elite koi carp and arowana fish - are often found in the fashion trend of feng shui. It is believed that the image of these fish in a pair brings wealth and love.
The history of the koi carp goes back thousands of years and has been described in legends. Its progenitor is thought to be the wild carp. One legend says that Japanese farmers who lived high in the mountains, cultivating rice paddies, began raising koi in the rice paddies to provide food from the fish in winter.
According to legend, the first koi carp were white and bright red. Only over time did the colors mix and colored carps emerged. The aesthetic Japanese culture could not ignore the beauty of these magnificent fish. Gradually, koi became an indispensable attribute of ponds in the homes of wealthy Japanese. From a fish for food, koi have become the pride of the nation and the object of a national hobby.
Many years of selection work, carried out by the Japanese, helped lead to many varieties of these beautiful fish: one-color, two-color and three-color. The Japanese carefully guarded their secrets and prevented carps from leaving the camp.
Of the 80 breeds of koi carp, there are a number of varieties:
Kohaku - white carp with red or red-orange spots. Taisho Sanshoku - Koi tricolor with spots on the back. Utsurimono - black koi carp with a red-yellow pattern. Kin Gin Rin - a very unusual koi whose scales have a metallic sheen. The most popular breed is the Gosanke, to which kohaku and taisho sanshoku species belong.
It is believed that the very first colored carp was red, then white, and then as a result of crossing individuals of two colors appeared red and white beauties
In captivity, koi can live a long time. There are known cases of a very decent age - 220 years. Koi carps can grow to 130 centimeters in length, which is typical for some breeds, which are genetically closer to their ancestor, the wild carp. But usually their length does not exceed 90 centimeters. Koi breeding and keeping is finally becoming a more common hobby, as prices for Koi are dropping rapidly due to good supply and selection from various countries.
And finally, an unusual video of a girl feeding a pile of these fish! 
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Artist Terry Gilecki. Japanese Koi Carp. Wealth, tradition and painting
Figurines of two fish - elite koi carp and arowana fish - are often found in the fashionable trend of feng shui. It is believed that the image of these fish in a pair brings wealth and love.
The history of the koi carp goes back thousands of years and has been described in legends. Its progenitor is thought to be the wild carp. One legend says that Japanese farmers who lived high in the mountains, cultivating rice paddies, began raising koi in the rice paddies to provide food from the fish in winter.
According to legend, the first koi carp were white and bright red. Only over time did the colors mix and colored carps emerged. The aesthetic Japanese culture could not ignore the beauty of these magnificent fish. Gradually koi carp became an indispensable attribute of ponds in the homes of wealthy Japanese. From being a fish for food, koi have become the pride of the nation and an object of fascination.
Years of selection work carried out by the Japanese helped to breed many varieties of these beautiful fish: single-colored, two-colored, and three-colored. The Japanese carefully guarded their secrets and prevented them from leaving the country.
Of the 80 breeds of koi carp, there are a number of varieties:
Kohaku, a white carp with red or red-orange spots. Taisho Sanshoku - Koi tricolor with spots on the back. Utsurimono - black koi carp with a red-yellow pattern. Kin Gin Rin - a very unusual koi whose scales have a metallic sheen. The most popular breed was the Gosanke, to which the kohaku and taisho sanshoku species belong.
It is believed that the very first colored carp was red, then white, and then as a result of crossing individuals of two colors appeared red and white beauties
In captivity, koi can live a long time. There are known cases of a very decent age - 220 years. Koi carps can grow up to 130 centimeters in length, which is characteristic of some breeds that are genetically closer to their progenitor, the wild carp. But usually their length does not exceed 90 centimeters. Breeding and keeping Koi is finally becoming a more common hobby, as prices for Koi are dropping rapidly due to good supply and selection from various countries.
Artist Terry Gilecki is in love with water and fish. Mixing acrylic with metallic powder, working with a sprayer, brushes and the elements of engraving, he brings beautiful Japanese carp to life in his creations that are pleasing to the eye with their colors and peacefulness.
Born in 1954 in British Columbia, the artist earned a degree in applied art in 1973 and began working
freelance as a commercial artist. His imagination and capacity for innovation are recognized as outstanding. Within a few years he began to write independently and extensively for international corporations. Along with this activity, he took up fine art. As the demand for his work increased, he realized that he had found his niche and now devotes himself entirely to this field.
Captivated by the beauty of koi and the variety of their colors and patterns, he devoted his artistic creativity to capturing their essence in his masterful paintings. Collectors from around the world buy these exotic images. While koi are the main feature of his work, the artist also likes to work through their surroundings by fusing elements above and below the water, as well as those reflected on its surface.
All of the paintings used in this article are his own. I must say, I wouldn't say no to such wonderful beauty myself! Let's move on to the most colorful - his paintings and along the way, let's figure out what these wonderful fish are, the image of which draws the eyes of people from all over the world!
A very interesting video of a girl feeding a huge flock of these fish!
