Step 6: Draw a couple of long lines on the lower, left side of the body as a guide for the goldfinch's tail. This guide is similar to a really long and skinny letter V that's tilted to the side.

Step 7: Draw the guide for the goldfinch's legs, starting with a short line, then add a curved line that's similar to the letter C on its side.

That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.

Step 8: Draw the goldfinch's eye as a small circle inside the head using the initial lines as guides for placement. Add a tiny circle inside the eye, off to the side, to represent glare and a big dot in the middle for the pupil. Shade the rest of the eye using a lighter value than the pupil. Draw a bumpy line around the eye for the bare skin found there.

Step 9: Use the triangle-like shape on the right as a guide to draw the goldfinch's beak. First draw a series of quick, short strokes on the left side for the feathery base of the beak. Then darken the top line of the triangle- like shape to create the top part of the beak. Draw a line in the middle for the mouth and follow the guide for the bottom of the beak but draw the line a bit higher up.