Tutorial on How to Draw a Bird
Every single bird -- from soaring eagles to cooing doves, strutting peacocks to showy flamingos -- share a few common traits. And it's not just feathers and a beak. Bird-loving artists know that the secret to drawing realistic birds is to master a few basic shapes. By learning how to "find" the bird on the empty page, you will be using a basic technique that even Audubon himself used for his masterpieces. With a bit of practice, your drawings will take flight in no time.
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Instructions
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Lightly sketch the outline of an egg, or oval, horizontally across the sheet of paper. This is the bird's body.
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Sketch a circle which overlaps the egg. The circle should be about one third the size of the egg shape. This is the bird's head.
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On the side of the circle which faces away from the egg, sketch a sideways, or horizontal "V," with the open side facing the circle. You have just created the beak.
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Add an eye at the open end of the sideways "V" by making a small, dark circle. Fill in the circle completely with your pencil.
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At the end of the egg shape opposite the head, draw a fan shape to create a tail. Make the fan point downward if drawing jays or similar birds, straight up for birds like wrens.
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Now that you have your basic shape laid out, carefully erase the lines of the circle, or the head, which overlap the egg shape, or body, of your bird.
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Sketch a wing on the side of the egg, by drawing a simple, upside down arc.
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Fill in the wing with a pattern of overlapping "U" shapes, similar to shingles on a roof.
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Add feet at the bottom of the egg shape by drawing two upside-down stick figures similar to rakes.
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Go back over your drawing and add any details or shading that you want, such as additional feather shapes on the tail or atop the head.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't worry about getting the bird to look perfectly at first. Go over the bird and make changes, or start all over again.
Draw from nature itself by viewing photos of birds, or directly observing birds at the park or your back yard.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
