Bird drawing

Article Summary X To draw a bird, start by drawing a large circle in the center of the page, and a smaller circle in the upper right corner. Then, draw curved lines connecting the circles for the bird’s body, and a long triangle for its beak. Next, add details, such as feathers for the wings and eyes on the head. Additionally, draw thin, straight lines for the legs. Finally, erase any unnecessary lines and color in your drawing. For tips on how to draw a cartoon bird, keep reading!

In this tutorial, we’ll draw a singing bird with beautiful blue feathering. I’ll show you an easy way to create a pencil sketch from scratch, and then we’ll explore the step-by-step process of drawing with colored pencils. You may also be interested in this great What You Will Need You'll need the following resources in order to complete this tutorial project: • Two sheets of paper • A graphite pencil (I recommend an HB or B type) • An eraser And pencils of different colors: • Light grey • Medium brown • Light green • Bright blue • Medium blue • Dark blue • Dark brown • Black 1. How to Draw a Bird With a Graphite Pencil Step 1 I start with a graphite pencil sketch. I draw two rounded shapes for the bird’s head and body. Step 2 I draw the rough shape of the beak. Step 3 I draw the stylized framework of the feet, marking the joints with small circles and adding the claws. Step 4 I draw the rough shape of the tail; it resembles a triangle. Step 5 I add the stylized figure of the tree, imagining that the bird is sitting on it. Then I mark the eye of the bird. Step 6 I refine the bird, joining the head and the body with a smooth, curved line. I also mark the wing and add the back side of the open beak. Step 7 I refine the shapes of the bird’s feet, based on the framework. Step 8 I create an outline of the tree, using irregular, organic lines. I also add two groups of small leaves; they will vary the composition and make the drawing more interesting. Step 9 I add some details to...

Learn More About Birds Birds are everywhere! They live in areas ranging from the harshest, coldest climates to the hottest locations on Earth. Each of the 50 US States has adopted a representative bird, as have many countries. Birds continue to fascinate and excite people with their bright colors, interesting habits, and amazing migratory patterns. We never sell or give away information. By clicking "Accept All" you consent to the use of all the cookies. If you would rather set which cookies we can use, you may visit "Cookie Settings". We use cookies to improve and personalize your experience, help us analyze how the site is used, and for marketing purposes.

Practice drawing the same species repeatedly to gain familiarity and train your eye. Learning how to Although they go unnoticed much of the time, we live our lives surrounded by birds. There might be pigeons on telephone wires, house sparrows in the hedges or geese on the golf links. Birds are possibly the most visible of the world’s wildlife. They’re easy to see and study and, with practice, not too difficult to draw. A sketchbook, binoculars and pencil are my primary pieces of equipment. I use a mechanical pencil — no sharpening required, which would just slow me down. Binoculars are great if you have them, but if you don’t, start with birds that can be approached closely. Try not to make tight drawings as you learn how to draw birds. Instead, give yourself the initial goal of making organized scribbles — scribbles with beaks and feathers. With time and practice, your drawings naturally will become more polished, but for now, think of this as a new way to pursue a love of birds. Here are eight methods that will set you up for success. 1. Loosen Up With Gesture Drawings The Amazon buff-rumped warbler (made me work fast to capture its wagging tail. Birds rarely sit still, so you’ll need to “grow” a fast hand to catch up with them and learn how to draw them. Warm up with fast spirals, wiggles and any doodling nonsense that syncs your hand with your eye. Set a timer and fast-sketch simple objects. Before tackling birds, draw a tree, a stone or your shoe. Leave out the detail...

People often ask me which came first: my interest in drawing birds or watching birds. I have to answer, "both." The two things have always gone together for me, and they complement and support each other. Drawing forces me to look at a bird more completely and to ask questions that I would not have considered if I were just watching. In that sense, drawing becomes a way to interact with the bird. Here are some tips I've learned over the years, as well as 10 video tutorials to help you get started. Start With Big Shapes Birds are complex, and drawing is about simplifying. Begin your drawing with large shapes to establish proportions and posture—an oval for the body, a circle for the head, a line to show the angle of the bill and eye. Imagine the point on which the body would balance, and put a vertical line for the feet right there. Draw these lines lightly and use them as a guide. Then use stronger lines as you build up the shape. Practice seeing simple shapes on a live bird, and experiment with putting them on paper. Soon you'll be able to see the bird in your sketch even when all you've drawn is a few generic shapes. Smooth the Feathers Almost everything we see when we look at a bird is feathers. Keeping that in mind, and striving to develop an understanding of feathers, is fundamental to drawing birds. Feathers' primary function is streamlining—allowing birds to move easily through the air even at high speed. All feathers grow toward the tail and press against each othe...

The snowy egret I’m sketching is not cooperating. I can’t get its kinked yet sinewy neck to look right. And its legs—there shouldn’t be four of them! My bird looks like a pistachio stuck with a speared olive, walking on clothespins. Meanwhile, as I scrawl with a pencil on a small sketchpad, my model—a wild bird—continues pecking at mudflats in Bolinas Lagoon, between Northern California’s Point Reyes National Seashore and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, completely oblivious to my artistic frustrations. I’m enrolled in an avian drawing class at the Point Reyes Birding and Nature Festival. My instructor is John Muir Laws, a California-based artist, naturalist, educator, scientist, and field guide author (he’s related only “by spirit” to the legendary naturalist). After a morning crash course on the basics, set in the classroom, Laws has led about a dozen of us adult students into a breezy, sun-streaked April day to try our hands at field sketching. Raised by an amateur botanist and a birder, Laws learned to love nature at an early age. A family friend turned him on to drawing, a pursuit that became an essential tool—Laws is severely dyslexic and supplements written observations of the natural world with sketches. Now 46, Laws has devised a novel array of tips that may not transform you overnight into the next David Sibley but are easy and rewarding to follow. They make their print debut this September in his new book, The Laws’ Guide to Drawing Birds (Heyday Books)...

In this tutorial, we’ll draw a singing bird with beautiful blue feathering. I’ll show you an easy way to create a pencil sketch from scratch, and then we’ll explore the step-by-step process of drawing with colored pencils. You may also be interested in this great What You Will Need You'll need the following resources in order to complete this tutorial project: • Two sheets of paper • A graphite pencil (I recommend an HB or B type) • An eraser And pencils of different colors: • Light grey • Medium brown • Light green • Bright blue • Medium blue • Dark blue • Dark brown • Black 1. How to Draw a Bird With a Graphite Pencil Step 1 I start with a graphite pencil sketch. I draw two rounded shapes for the bird’s head and body. Step 2 I draw the rough shape of the beak. Step 3 I draw the stylized framework of the feet, marking the joints with small circles and adding the claws. Step 4 I draw the rough shape of the tail; it resembles a triangle. Step 5 I add the stylized figure of the tree, imagining that the bird is sitting on it. Then I mark the eye of the bird. Step 6 I refine the bird, joining the head and the body with a smooth, curved line. I also mark the wing and add the back side of the open beak. Step 7 I refine the shapes of the bird’s feet, based on the framework. Step 8 I create an outline of the tree, using irregular, organic lines. I also add two groups of small leaves; they will vary the composition and make the drawing more interesting. Step 9 I add some details to...

People often ask me which came first: my interest in drawing birds or watching birds. I have to answer, "both." The two things have always gone together for me, and they complement and support each other. Drawing forces me to look at a bird more completely and to ask questions that I would not have considered if I were just watching. In that sense, drawing becomes a way to interact with the bird. Here are some tips I've learned over the years, as well as 10 video tutorials to help you get started. Start With Big Shapes Birds are complex, and drawing is about simplifying. Begin your drawing with large shapes to establish proportions and posture—an oval for the body, a circle for the head, a line to show the angle of the bill and eye. Imagine the point on which the body would balance, and put a vertical line for the feet right there. Draw these lines lightly and use them as a guide. Then use stronger lines as you build up the shape. Practice seeing simple shapes on a live bird, and experiment with putting them on paper. Soon you'll be able to see the bird in your sketch even when all you've drawn is a few generic shapes. Smooth the Feathers Almost everything we see when we look at a bird is feathers. Keeping that in mind, and striving to develop an understanding of feathers, is fundamental to drawing birds. Feathers' primary function is streamlining—allowing birds to move easily through the air even at high speed. All feathers grow toward the tail and press against each othe...

Practice drawing the same species repeatedly to gain familiarity and train your eye. Learning how to Although they go unnoticed much of the time, we live our lives surrounded by birds. There might be pigeons on telephone wires, house sparrows in the hedges or geese on the golf links. Birds are possibly the most visible of the world’s wildlife. They’re easy to see and study and, with practice, not too difficult to draw. A sketchbook, binoculars and pencil are my primary pieces of equipment. I use a mechanical pencil — no sharpening required, which would just slow me down. Binoculars are great if you have them, but if you don’t, start with birds that can be approached closely. Try not to make tight drawings as you learn how to draw birds. Instead, give yourself the initial goal of making organized scribbles — scribbles with beaks and feathers. With time and practice, your drawings naturally will become more polished, but for now, think of this as a new way to pursue a love of birds. Here are eight methods that will set you up for success. 1. Loosen Up With Gesture Drawings The Amazon buff-rumped warbler (made me work fast to capture its wagging tail. Birds rarely sit still, so you’ll need to “grow” a fast hand to catch up with them and learn how to draw them. Warm up with fast spirals, wiggles and any doodling nonsense that syncs your hand with your eye. Set a timer and fast-sketch simple objects. Before tackling birds, draw a tree, a stone or your shoe. Leave out the detail...

The snowy egret I’m sketching is not cooperating. I can’t get its kinked yet sinewy neck to look right. And its legs—there shouldn’t be four of them! My bird looks like a pistachio stuck with a speared olive, walking on clothespins. Meanwhile, as I scrawl with a pencil on a small sketchpad, my model—a wild bird—continues pecking at mudflats in Bolinas Lagoon, between Northern California’s Point Reyes National Seashore and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, completely oblivious to my artistic frustrations. I’m enrolled in an avian drawing class at the Point Reyes Birding and Nature Festival. My instructor is John Muir Laws, a California-based artist, naturalist, educator, scientist, and field guide author (he’s related only “by spirit” to the legendary naturalist). After a morning crash course on the basics, set in the classroom, Laws has led about a dozen of us adult students into a breezy, sun-streaked April day to try our hands at field sketching. Raised by an amateur botanist and a birder, Laws learned to love nature at an early age. A family friend turned him on to drawing, a pursuit that became an essential tool—Laws is severely dyslexic and supplements written observations of the natural world with sketches. Now 46, Laws has devised a novel array of tips that may not transform you overnight into the next David Sibley but are easy and rewarding to follow. They make their print debut this September in his new book, The Laws’ Guide to Drawing Birds (Heyday Books)...