DRAWING A BIRD IN 5 STEPS

This is my process for drawing birds in 5 easy steps. If you follow these steps, you will be drawing
realistic birds in no time. My most important tip to successfully draw birds is to study each bird species
you encounter, make lots of studies and quick sketches, and practice your skills a lot.

1. Posture & Proportions

Block in the proportions with a hard (2H) pencil or

a light blue pencil. Draw in loosely the shape of the
body and the head, make sure the propor- tions are
correct.
Notice the characteristic angle that your particu- lar
bird has, this is different for different species and
individuals. The posture can change a lot,
particularly when you observe birds in the wild you
will notice this. You can draw a light line that
indicates the posture and general angle the bird’s
body follows.
The posture will set the stage for the overall ba-
lance of the bird, and how energetic it appears. I
usually make a lot of quick sketches first to get a
feel for the bird.
Proportion can change a lot when the bird fluffs its
feathers. Try to see what kind of oval, round or
rectangular form is fitting for your bird. Don’t draw
the head too far away - the head can move a lot
because the neck is very long, but usually it rests
close to the body.
Remember: The most important part to a success-
ful bird drawing is getting the overall shape right.
2. Drawing in the angles
Switch to a slightly darker (HB) pencil to flesh out
the form of your bird more.
Lightly draw in the form of the bird, show a few
details like the eye, bill and feather groups.
From your basic shapes, flesh out the form of the
bird. Add angles at a few places so that your bird
won’t end up too round - look for edges and angles
at the head, where the head joins the body, down at
the belly, at the top where the wings are, and whe-
re the tail joins the body. Accentuate these angles.
Show a few details like the eye, some feathers, but
don’t get lost in them.
It’s best to focus on the shape and form in the first
step, and then focus on the angles and lines as a
second step. I sometimes like to indicate the most
important lines and angles for the head and back
first, and then indicate the form beneath it. Figure
out which way you like to work. At this point you
should have a fairly accurate drawing.
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All content and images © Julia Bausenhardt 2018 | juliabausenhardt.com | email: mail@juliabausenhardt.com
My Nature Journaling Blog: juliabausenhardt.com/blog
3. Start adding color
I switch to watercolor at this point. Start adding
light washes of the colors you see in the diffe-
rent areas of the bird. Make a color chart of the
paints you want to use first. Add light washes, at
this stage the color is usually still light, and not
too intense. You can also start right away with
the darkest parts: eye, bill. I sometimes like to do
this to get an overview on the value range. You
can also work by mixing a light grey and block
in the major areas of light and dark with this
grey tone. (you don’t have to add more than 3-4
different values) and adding the color on top of
that.

4. Build up more color

In this step it‘s all about intensity, this is done by
building up several layers of color. Work with the
same colors, but add less water to your was- hes.
Start adding a bit of texture by varying the
brushstrokes. I always apply the color in layers,
sometimes over the grey values I have blocked in
before.
Add the color you see, not the color you think
should be there.
This is a process that will require a lot of obser-
ving your reference, and going back and forth
between the reference and the paper until you
have built up the intensity of color you want, and
the right values for each part of the bird.

5. Add details and accentuate

As a last step I add the details. I add details
where I want the eye to rest, so usually around
the head and the eye, and on the wings. I also
accentuate edges a bit more.
Don’t draw in every detail and stop before you
think you’re finished. A few additional lines can
indicate a whole fluffed up belly. Stop at a point
where you still have fun and want to add more
details. Reserve them for the next drawing.

LEARN MORE in my online course on how to

sketch and paint birds:

How To Sketch Birds

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All content and images © Julia Bausenhardt 2018 | juliabausenhardt.com | email: mail@juliabausenhardt.com
My Nature Journaling Blog: juliabausenhardt.com/blog