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How to Draw Birds

John Muir Laws

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Start with the basic Shape

Make light sketch lines to capture proportions
Start with line for posture
Add oval for body and then for head

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In the animated drawings below, you will notice that I initially drew the head too large. I redrew the head circle smaller after my proportion check so that the birds will not have a head with the proportions of a chickadee. Indicate the locations of eye-beak, tail, leading edge of wing, and legs. Carve in angles where you find them around the head and tail coverts. These angles around the head and tail help break the imprint of the two circles that you used to initially build the bird. Without this, it is easy for your drawings to resemble a snowman. Many artists speed past these important initial steps but time spent at the start will pay off in the end. One you capture the posture, proportions and angles of the silhouette, you can add details in heavier pencil over these initial lines, finishing with color.

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Look below the surface

Notice where the knee and ankle are.

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Learn to see feather groups

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Birds are shape shifters