How to Draw a Bird
A simple project for beginning artists is learning how to draw a bird. Birds have clean lines that even young children can quickly learn to draw. As the artist becomes more advanced, she can achieve a more realistic look through details, shading and advanced techniques.
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Instructions
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1
Observe birds as often as you can. Look at bird-watching books or magazines. Use field glasses to study them from your window. The more familiar you are with the subject, the quicker you can convey the image to paper.
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2
Sketch an oval head atop an oval body shape. Work with the proportions and shape until you feel comfortable. Add eyes and a bill to your bird drawing.
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3
Decide whether your bird is flying, standing or sitting. If the legs will show in the picture, sketch small, elongated ovals to represent them.
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4
Draw the wings in the position you desire. Resting birds have sideways, teardrop-shaped wings with few if any visible tips. Birds in flight have long, sweeping wings with highly visible, individual feathers at the tips. Most of the time a bird's wings work in synchronized movement.
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5
Add the tail feathers, as well as legs and feet if applicable. You can look online, if necessary, to see what sort of feet or talons that your bird has.
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6
Find the sketch lines you prefer and darken them. Erase unnecessary lines from the area until you have a solid drawing. Insert details such as nasal openings, feather patterns and claws. Shade your creation to create depth and leave negative (white) spaces to show sheen to areas illuminated by sunshine. Blur some of the lines to give your bird drawing a soft appearance.
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7
Compare your creation with pictures of real birds. Use those images to improve weak areas in your design. Don't be discouraged if your version still needs some work. With more practice, you'll be able to draw realistic birds without any visual aids.
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Tips & Warnings
An impressive background can draw the eye away from flaws. If you're better with landscapes, consider adding one behind your bird.
