How to sketch a bird

Drawing birds is hard, and takes a lot of practice. When you first start sketching it is easier to practice drawing from images. To start, trace a very rough outline. That way you begin to see the proportions and perspective before going freehand in the f

1

Sketch a rough outline, thinking about what part of the bird’s quirky characteristics you want to highlight. Let the bird’s body shape flow. Don’t stick to ovals like you see in every drawing guide. Sketch lightly using a 2H or 3H pencil so that you can easily cover pencil marks if using light colours over the top. Feel free to draw multiple lines, not just one single outline. Mark in small details like areas where wings will form, true detail will come later.

2

Once you have an outline, start to add in areas that will show highlight and shade as a guide for when you add colour. Mark up different colouring.

3

Start to lightly add more detail into the sketch. Show where light bounces on the eye or the beak, and add details on the feet such as toenails.

4

Always begin by colouring the eye. This is always my starting point. Colour the entire eye in black, other than the area which shows the reflection.

5 Now you can start to add colour to the rest of the bird. My choice is pens. Always understand your medium. Practice with each colour on the side of your paper, or know the thickness of each nib. This helps create a hierarchy of colour. With pens, the thicker the nib, the darker the colour, and this will provide your shadows and darker colourings of the bird. The lightest will act as fine details, small strokes as plumage. Add colour to your sketch using the lightest shades first. With pens, use small pen strokes in the direction of the bird’s feathers.

6 Start to add in the darker areas and increase the detail. Keep going until you feel like you need to reverse the process and go back to a lighter nib. Finally, add the smallest, delicate details you may have forgotten. BW