Sketchbook - How To Draw Birds.

POSTED ON APR I L 3, 20 1 7 B Y M ON I K A ZAG R OB EL N A
HOW TO DRAW BIRDS: STEP BY STEP

INSTRUCTIONS WITH ANATOMICAL DETAILS
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Last time we took a close look at wings, their anatomy, and details. But wings are not a separate
entitytheyre attached to some animal, and today were going to learn about such animal. Birds
are fascinating, completely unique creatures, and they require a slightly different approach in
drawing than the animals we have tackled before. Why? Because theyre dinosaurs!
Birds are fascinating, completely unique creatures,
and they require a slightly different approach in drawing
than the animals we have tackled before. Why? Because
theyre dinosaurs!
Simple Bird Anatomy
It can be hard to believe, but not all dinosaurs became extinct. Skeleton A belongs to a very
dinosaurs-looking member of theropods (most of them were at least partially feathered!). B
belongs to archaeopteryxanother theropod, this time with real wings and the anatomy
optimized for flight. And C, finally, is a skeleton of a modern bird (chicken, to be exact), with its
anatomy even more specialized for flying.
Why am I showing you this? When we draw animals from imagination, we often compare their
bodies to ours to feel their movement and to create a proper, realistic pose. But birds are so
uniquely built that it may be hard to become them. Dinosaurs like A, on the other hand, are
easier to graspthey have legs, feet, arms, and hands. So if you only trace its evolution to a bird,
youll find all these structures in the latter easily.
Anatomy of birds is well hidden under feathers, but once you think of them as dinosaurs, you
should be able to imagine it without problems. For example, look at the jaws of a bird. What we
see as a beak is only a part of normal dinosaur jaws.
That theropod skeleton is covered with muscles which we never see. So we dont really need
to memorize their detailed look. You just need to understand that under all these feather there is
a normal animal with a torso, long neck, thick thigh and calf, and a specialized arm. The body of a
bird is simple and bulky, with hips fused with the chest, so you can imagine the whole main body
as one element.
Lets simplify the body now, using both bones and muscles for this:
In the process for optimization for flight birds have lost their long tails. Because of this, the center
of mass has been shifted closer to the chest, while the hips still stayed in the back. Thats why
birds use their knee like a hip joint, and also why the ankle seems like a reversed knee.
Bird Feathers Structure
We dont have to draw bird muscles to draw their bodies realistically, but birds have some other
part of visible anatomy that cant be ignoredfeathers. Feathers are grouped into parts of
various functions, and these groups can be often distinctively colored, especially on the head.
Thats why theyre so important in drawing:
1. Crown: You can think of it as a cap.
2. Supercilium: Its like a wide, long eyebrow.
3. Nape: It covers back of the neck kind of like long hair.
4. Lores: Tine feathers cover this area between the beak and the eye. They can look like hair,
and theres often skin visible under them.
5. Auriculars: This is a very distinctive area. It covers the ear, but you can think of it as a cheek.
6. Malar: It goes along the lower jaw.
7. Throat: Covers the throat, obviously.
8. Breast: This is the torso of the bird, though these feathers are actually attached to the
neck.
9. Sides: These fluffy feathers cover the wrist when the wing is folded.
10. Belly: These feathers dont really grow from the belly, but from the sides of it. This way the
bird can put an egg straight under the warm body, covered with the belly feathers on the
sides.
11. Flanks: The long feathers cover the leg above the heel.
12. Undertail coverts: As the name implies, these feathers cover the base of the tail.
13. Tail
14. Mantle: A cape covering the back.
15. Scapulars: Feathers covering the base of the wing. The wrist hides under them as well
when the wing is folded.
16. Wings
How to Draw a Bird Head
Birds are extremely diverse, but their head has a structure universal to all of them. So lets see
how to draw a universal bird head.
Start with an oval. Some species will be easier to draw with a circle, others with an ellipse.
Define the perspective of the skull with some directing lines.
Mark the jaw joint on the bottom of the skull.
Draw a long curve defined by the bottom of the upper jaw. The beak is wide near the base and
narrows toward the tip.
Draw the curve of the upper part of the upper jaw, and lead it far to the back of the skull. This will
be our guideline for the eyes.
Draw the lower jaw now. If you curve it backwards, youll create the second guideline for the eye
socket.
Now, add the eyes and the nostrils.
Once you have all these guidelines, you can put the details in their place. The eyes are round
and surrounded with thick skin.
The front of the jaws is covered with keratin, and thats the actual beak. Notice it even has a kind
of hard lips!
Finally, you can add the feathers. The easiest way to achieve a realistic effect quickly is to sketch
the areas of feathers.
How to Draw Bird Feet

Birds have wings to fly, but they cant spend all time in the air (though some definitely try). They
still need their feet, but they also need them for various purposes depending on the species.
Thats why their toes can be arranged in various ways. Before you draw some species, make
sure you know what kind of arrangement they utilize.
To draw the feet, start with sticks for legs.
Draw a circle on the tip of each stick, and some circles for the ankle.
Sketch the toes. Their length and arrangement should follow from the styles presented before.
End them with curves for claws.
When the ankle bends the tendon automatically drags the toes toward each other.
Imagine the toes are wires, and that you slip beads through it toward the base.
Now put a bead on the tip of each, right before the claw.
Put the rest of the beads in between, following the toe arrangement. The most popular
arrangement is anisodactyl, that is 2-3-4-1 (counting from the body).
Once you have the guidelines, you can cover them with body, creating appropriate bums around
the joints.
How to Draw Various Bird Species
There are many species of birds, all specialized to their way of living. So many, actually, that it
would be impossible to describe them all. Thats why I will show you orders of birds rather than
specific species. This way youll learn a general recipe for each kind of bird, but this theory
must be completed with a lot of practice with a photo reference.
Perching Birds (Passeriformes)

This is the biggest group of them all, so we can consider the passerine body a classic bird body.
All the songbirds belong here, as well as birds of paradise and ravens. The smaller the bird, the
bigger its head in comparison to the body. The long tail makes the whole body seem elongated
and slim.
Notice that the outline of the torso includes not only the bones and muscles, but feathers as well.
The beak is simple, sharp and thick. The eyes are usually dark, and in smaller species they look
like shiny beads.
The wings follow a clear rhythm; in smaller birds primaries can be almost indistinguishable from
secondaries.
Birds of this group, especially the small ones, have very thin and flexible toes, arranged in the
anisodactyl fashion. The scales covering their top are elongated between the joints. These feet
are optimized for perching.
Landfowl (Galliformes)
This order includes all the chicken-like birdsbig, heavy, better at scratching the ground than at
flying. They have long necks and often oddly shaped tails (with the peacock as an extreme
example).
The beak of these birds is not as smooth as the passerine one, and it may be slightly hooked.
The eyes are often bright, gold or orange, though they can be dark as well. Theres often skin
visible somewhere on the head, at least around the eye, but it often makes weird fleshy
structures, like the comb of the chicken.
Because these birds walk more than fly, their wings dont have to be highly optimized. Theyre
broad and rounded.
These birds have similar feet to the passerines, but they keep their back toe higher, and the
toes are thicker. Theres slight webbing between the toes. The scales make neat overlapping
rows. These feet are optimized for scratching.
Falcon-like Birds of Prey (Falconiformes)
This is slightly controversial group, because the newest studies suggest that falcons are more
related to parrots than to eagles or hawks. However, their look matters more to us than their
genes, so its better for us to think of them as one group still. These predatory birds look like
passerines, except theyre usually much bigger, with highly specialized beaks.
The beaks of falcon-like birds are hooked, and they have a special outgrowth around the
nostrils. They also have bony eyebrows that give them an angry look. The eyes are located more
in front of the face, which is characteristic for predators. Their colors range from golden to brown
to almost black in falcons.
Birds of this group have various shapes of wings depending on their size and style of hunting.
Eagles have long, square wings
falcons long and sharp
and hawks demonstrate a compromise between these both styles.
These birds have impressive talons specialized for catching prey. The toes are thick, covered
with rows of big scales on top, and spiky scales on bottom (to create more friction).
Waterfowl (Anseriformes)
This order includes the birds specialized for swimming. Their bodies are big, but flattened, with
short tails and long necks.
The beak of these birds is specialized for filtering food from the water. Its flattened, blunt, and
long. The cheeks are big and round, giving the bird a smiling expression. The eyes have a
variety of colors, including blue and red.
Wings of these birds are optimized for taking off from the water surface. Theyre elongated, with
a clear border between the primaries and secondaries.
Swimming birds have webbed feet with quite blunt claws. Their scales are arranged neatly in
rows.
Owls (Strigiformes)
Owls are specialized for hunting in the night, so they have keen eyes and great sense of hearing.
Their flattened face is supposed to gather sounds efficiently, and its made of featherstheres a
normal round bird skull under them. The body is big, rounded, with almost no visible neck.
The beak is hooked, like in all birds of prey, but only a tip of it is visible through the feathers. The
eyes are huge and placed in the front of the face. Theyre usually brightly colored, gold or
orange, but they can also be very dark (barn owls).
Owls have unique wings perfect for silent hunting. Their feathers are wide and rounded.
Owls are birds of prey, like eagles and falcons, so they have similar feet. Theres one difference,
thoughtheyre zygodactyl. Theyre also often quite furry.
Parrots (Psittaciformes)
Parrots have a smooth body elongated by their long tails. The head is quite big and round.
Parrots have a rounded, hooked beak that seems to be a part of the face. Their eyes have a
variety of colors, sometimes multiple colors in the same eye! The eyelids have rows of little
bumps on the edges, and they can be colored as well.
Parrots have long wings with elongated primaries, similar to those of falcons.
Most parrots are zygodactyl, like owls, but their claws are not near that impressive. The scales
start big near the claws, and then they turn into horizontal rows.
Ostrich-like (Struthioniformes)
These birds dont fly, but theyre most definitely birds. They have huge bodies with ridiculously
long legs and necks. Their feathers can even look more like fur than real bird feathers.
Ostriches have usually a long, flattened beak with a blunt tip, and huge eyes. The head is
covered with fluffy, bristle feathers.
Because birds from this order dont fly, their wings are mostly vestigial. In emus theyre
indistinguishable from the rest of the plumage, and the common ostrich (shown below) uses
them for showing off or to protect its young.
These weird birds have weird feet as well. Common ostrich is ditactyl, and emu (below) is
tridactyl. The feet are big, with thick toes and claws often blunted by contact with ground.
How to Draw a Bird Step by Step
That was theory, but how to actually draw a bird? Lets draw a member of each group step by
step.
Step 1
Sketch the general silhouette quickly and loosely, including the position of the wings.
Step 2
Draw the torso, defining the perspective in the process.
Step 3
Add the sketchy legs. Notice that theres no need to include the thigh bone.
Step 4
Add the head and neck. Because the neck is so flexible, you can draw the head basically
anywhere you like and then connect it to the body.
Step 5
Draw all the elements of the head now, following the perspective of the head.
Step 6
When the head is finished, draw the actual neck.
Step 7
Take a closer look at the feet now. How many toes does your bird need?
Step 8
Give the beads of joints to each toe according to the arrangement. You dont need to be super
accurate if your drawing is small.
Step 9
Time for the wings and tail! If you havent already, check out How to Draw and Animate Wings:
Birds, Bats, and More to learn how to do it.
Step 10
You can now add all the details. Its good to use a reference at this point.
Step 11
Finally, you can color your birds.
Thats All!
But dont stop here! Use your practical knowledge now to draw a lot of various birds from
references. Train your hand and brain to make the whole process automatic. Learning is not only
about understanding, but also about regular practice!
//www.sketchbook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/video2.mp4
TH I S EN TR Y W AS POSTED I N : TUTORIALS
TAG G ED W I TH : ANATOMY, ANIMALS, BEAK, BIRD, DRAWING, FEATHERS, HEAD, HOW TO, HOW TO DRAW, LEGS, MUSCLES, SKELETON,
STEP BY STEP, TUTORIAL
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POSTED ON APR I L 3, 20 1 7 B Y M ON I K A ZAG R OB EL N A

HOW TO DRAW BIRDS: STEP BY STEP

1. Crown: You can think of it as a cap.

Mark the jaw joint on the bottom of the skull.

How to Draw Bird Feet

Perching Birds (Passeriformes)

falcons long and sharp

and hawks demonstrate a compromise between these both styles.

KEVIN MELLONS TOP

HOW TO DRAW FROM

SKETCHBOOK DESKTOP SUPPORT

SKETCHBOOK MOBILE GALLERY

2016 Autodesk, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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