Step 15: Use the initial lines as guides to draw the shape of the body. Simply darken the outer edges of the guides on the right and bottom to create the sparrow's body.

Step 16: Use the lines under the body on the left side as guides to draw the sparrow's first foot. Make the shape of the leg, feet and toes thicker as you follow the path of the guides. Sparrows have one toe pointing backward and three toes pointing forward on each foot. On the tip of each toe, draw a curved, spike-like shape for the bird's claws. From this angle, the forward-pointing toes will overlap, so only draw the visible parts.

Step 17: Use the lines under the body on the right as guides to draw the sparrow's other foot. Make the shape of the leg, foot and toes thicker as you follow the guide lines. Part of this leg will be hidden by the other leg, so only draw the visible parts.

Step 18: Use the thin, long arc on the lower, left side of the body as a guide to draw the sparrow's tail. Simply follow the path of the guide and darken the lines as you go along. Add a line in the middle of the arc for the separation of the bird's feathers.

Step 19 (optional): For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing all of the guides. It's okay to leave some behind. Re-draw any final sketch lines that you may have accidentally erased.

Final Step (optional): Add some shading to your sparrow drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value.

Add a cast shadow underneath your sparrow. This helps ground the bird so it doesn't appear to be floating. Use a darker value near the middle of the shadow and a lighter value along the edge for the shadow's diffusion.

You can add even more value throughout your sparrow drawing for extra detail. Add a dark value to the beak but make the top part slightly lighter to represent shine. Use a dark value around the eye too. Stay within the curved lines on the face that were created earlier. Male house sparrows have a white section behind their eyes, so leave this spot blank. Use a lighter value for the section on the top part of the head. Use a lighter value for the section below the bird's eye or the cheeks too.

Add a series of short stripes or long spots along the sparrow's wing. The spots should have a dagonal orientation. Shade in the rest of the wing. Make sure that the spots are darker than the rest of the wing. Push down hard on your pencil to get a darker value for the spots and stripes on the wing. Add a few longer stripes on the lower half of the folded wing. Shade in the rest of the bird's wing using a lighter value.

Use a lighter value for the rest of the sparrow's body. Shading can be time- consuming, so be patient and take breaks. As you add the value, use strokes that go in the general direction of the feathers. It's always a good idea to use reference as you draw. Use a darker value for the tail. Remember to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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