How to Draw a Clam: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Shawnte is an elementary school science educator and illustrator who enjoys sharing drawing tutorials with others.

Clam Drawing: Getting Started

Hi again. If you are reading this article, you may have seen some of my other tutorials, as well. I'm having a blast making these and I really hope that they're helping some folks out somewhere. In this article, I will be giving step-by-step instructions on how to draw a clam. This clam will have a large and beautiful pearl in the center of it as well.

I tried to make this as easy to follow as possible, and I hope that I was able to accomplish that here. This is a little bit more complicated than some of my previous tutorials out there, so it might take a bit longer to draw this. There are more steps than usual, but drawing this should take no longer than 10 minutes max.

Step 1. Draw the Top of the Clam's Shell

This clam will be opened if you did not notice in the colored image above. Draw the top of the clam's shell as if it were opened. The opening of the shell very beautiful; it has many curves and has a unique design of its own.

Step 2. Draw the Rest of the First Half of the Clamshell

Next, draw the rest of the first half of the clamshell. So that I can draw a clam in the center later, notice that I did not draw the full bottom of the shell.

Step 3. Begin Drawing the Bottom Part of the Clamshell

Now that the top of the clam has been drawn, it's time to start drawing the bottom part of the clamshell. Remember, to leave space for the pearl later; you do not have to draw the full portion of where the two shells meet.

Step 4. Draw the Rest of the Lower Shell

Like the top shell, the bottom of the clam will also take on the ruffled/curved appearance as well. Draw the rest of the lower shell similar to how it was drawn here.

Step 5. Add Some Interior Detail

Now that both shell parts have been drawn, it is time to add some of the interior detail of the shells. When the clamshells close together, it's almost like a mouth opening and close. Think of the interior of the shell as if it were the roof of a human or animal's mouth. Now, this is obviously nothing like the mouth of a person, but the concept is somewhat similar.

Step 6. Add Detail to the Mouth of the Clamshells

Next, draw in some lines at the mouth of the clamshells. This would be considered additional detail as well.

Step 7. Draw a Base for the Bottom Clamshell

To me, a clam that is opened somewhat reminds me of a jewelry box or music box for some odd reason. In this step, see that I have drawn somewhat of a "base" for the bottom clamshell.

Step 8. Draw the Pearl

We're almost there! It's time to draw in the actual pearl now. Remember when I mentioned that the spot where the shells meet (in the middle) should not be completely drawn? Now we see why this is. I have allowed space for the pearl to be drawn in to the middle of the clam. Draw the ball-shaped object in the location of the example drawing.

Step 9. Add the Final Details

In this last step, we will focus only on the details. If you look at the picture above, you will see all of the extra lines I included around the openings of each shell. After this final step, that is pretty much all there is to it! Thanks for reading this tutorial, and I hope that you try it out for yourself at least once.