Please PAUSE the "How to Draw an Owl (Flying)" video after each step to draw at your own pace.

Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

Written step-by-step video tutorial:

For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.

Step 1: Draw a small circle as a guide for the great horned owl's body. Leave enough room at the top for the wings. First make four small marks to indicate the circle's height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're struggling drawing the circle, trace the outer rim of a coin, a lid or any other object with a circular edge.

Step 2: Draw a curved vertical line across the bird's head. This construction line will help you place the great horned owl's facial features later. Add a curved horizontal line that intersects the vertical line for another construction line.

Step 3: Underneath the body, draw a circle that's slightly bigger than the head. This will be a guide for the top part of the great horned owl's body. The top part of this circle will go behind the head, so don't overlap the lines.

Step 4: Below that, draw a long, curved line as a guide for the bottom part of the owl's body. First draw a mark at the bottom, then curved lines on the sides that connect to the circle. It should look like the letter U.

Step 5: To the left of the great horned owl's head, draw a long line that curves to the top, left side as a guide for the first wing. Sketch lightly at first to get the curvature and length of the line right. Now draw another curved line that starts on the right side of the head as a guide for the bird's other wing. This line should be a bit shorter than the first one because of the angle of the body.