Pay attention to basic shapes as you draw little birds.
Drawing little birds can be challenging, but with a little practice it's a skill that's easy to master. Practice drawing birds every day to improve your technique. Carrying a notebook with you is a good way to get in extra practice while you're waiting for appointments or have a few extra minutes during your day. Pay attention to size and how each body part relates to the other. This will help you to keep proper perspective and make your birds look more realistic.
Instructions
Head, Body & Tail
1. Lightly sketch an oval for the body of the bird. The body will be twice the size of the head. Depending on the species of bird in your picture, this could vary slightly so leave enough room on the page for the head, tail and any foliage you will want in your picture.
2. Sketch a round circle over the oval. To have the bird turned slightly to the side, place the head a 1/4 inch to the side of the body. Study the picture you have of the bird and measure how big the head is in comparison to the body. You can use a ruler or just judge it by using your pencil to site the ratio of the size between the body and head. Baby birds usually have larger heads than adults in proportion to their body.
3. Draw a triangle for the tail. Check your picture to see how far the tail fans out. Some birds have tails that are fairly straight off the body and others angle out in a full triangle shape.
4. Sketch the wings of the bird with light feathery strokes. Take care to use soft lines to replicate the feathers.
5. Once you have your three basic shapes, lightly sketch lines to connect the head and tail of the bird to it's body. Note the neck curves in slightly and then flares out down to the shoulder, body and down to the tail of the bird. Once you have the lines correct, use the kneaded eraser to take out any lines not consistent with the bird in the picture.
6. Add in the beak, eyes and legs. The beak is a slight triangle shape coming from the center of the head. Eyes of the bird are round. Draw circles on either side of the beak and darken them in with the pencil. Draw legs from the middle of the bottom half of the body oval. They should come down on a slight outward angle. Depending on what your bird is standing on, sketch in the small claws of the bird so they round over the object they are standing on.
7. Finish your drawing by using the side of the pencil to soften the edges of the birds body. Following the picture you are copying, shade in the darker areas around the body to give your drawing depth.
