How to Draw Birds

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As you sketch more, you will learn more about each species, and this will in turn help you to identify birds in the field. All in all, sketching birds is rewarding and fun, and it will bring new sketching opportunities each day.

A sketchbook, binoculars and pencil are my primary pieces of equipment. I use a mechanical pencil — no sharpening required, which would just slow me down. Binoculars are great if you have them, but if you don’t, start with birds that can be approached closely. Be sure to also study and draw live birds whenever you can. While photographs are helpful for learning technical details, the only way to really get to know birds is to watch them in life. Learn by Doing Try a few drawings. Watch some birds. Try a few more drawings. Watch some more. Have fun. I guarantee your drawings will get better. But don't worry about that. Drawing birds is about so much more than just drawing birds. Enjoy the satisfaction of seeing the world a little differently and understanding it a little better.I offer a free a step by step guide (similar to this one) on bird drawing for everyone who follows my newsletter ( sign up here). If you want to dive in really deep and learn all the basics for sketching birds, anatomy, and painting techniques, then my class How to draw birds is the right thing for you. A note about sketching birds in the field The short answer to this is: because it’s a lot of fun. If you’re already a birdwatcher, I don’t need to convince you of anything, because you’re probably already enjoying birds simply for what they are. Sketching birds can add enjoyment and increased knowledge to this wonderful pastime – sketching requires you to observe closely, and sketching will help you keep an active memory of what you saw in the field.

I took slow-motion video of yellow-tailed orioles sparring in a Panama marsh, making sketches from which to paint Yellow-Tailed Orioles (oil on canvas, 20×16) in the studio. When sketching the body of the bird, add a centre line in the middle of the breast. This will help you maintain symmetry as you’re drawing the breast feathers. To deepen what you’ve just learned, I have a number of free bird drawing tutorials on my Youtube channel in which I show how I draw and paint birds, feel free to take a look. Here’s the playlist. As Neil Buchanan says, when sketching from life (or photographs) draw what you see – not what you think you see!

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The shape is the most important aspect when drawing birds. If your shape is accurate, then the bird will seem realistic, even without detail. Before drawing markings on your bird, lightly outline the pertinent groups of feathers. These groups will help you give structure to the body, face, tail, and wings, and help you get the proportions of the markings right. As for the right drawing techniques, you go from basic shapes to more detail. A basic understanding of drawing is helpful. Webcams streaming from inaccessible places such as eagle nests and remote puffin colonies are entertaining resources. Here are two of my favorites: The National Audubon Society Puffincam and Canopy Family Panama Fruit Feeder cam. Happy bird drawing! Further Reading