Step 7: Darken the top part of the guide to create he meadowlark's head. Make the head slightly flatter than the circle. The top of the head should meet the top part of the beak. Add a series of short strokes along the guides on the bottom, right side for the feathery throat. Inside the head, add more short strokes around the eye for the feather pattern.

Step 8: Use the sloping line under the body as a guide to draw the western meadowlark's first leg. First draw a curved line at the to that's made up of short strokes for the feathery base of the leg. Then draw the shape of the leg around the guide line. Draw the edges of the leg close to the guide to keep the shape of the leg thin. On the bottom, right, draw three long, thin shapes along the guide for the toes pointing forward. The toe in the middle should be longer and the toe on the other side should barely be visible. At the front of each toe, draw a curved, pointy shape for the nails. Add a slightly shorter shape on the left side for the toe pointing backward. Don't forget to add the pointy nail!

Step 9: Draw a long, curved line across the entire body for the bird's folded wing. The bottom edge of the wing should be close to the base of the leg. The top part of the wing should touch the edge of the very first circle. Add a few short strokes at the top for feathers. Along the middle of the wing, draw a series of longer curved lines for more feathers. Each of these lines should be similar to the letter J.

Step 10: Use the remaining shapes and lines as guides to draw the rest of the meadowlark's body. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. Add the shape of the tail within the triangular guide on the left side. The tail is made up of long, sloping lines. To the right of the leg, draw the visible portion of the leg that's on the other side of the body. Most of this leg will be hidden behind the first leg, so only draw the visible part. Use the first leg as a template as you draw this leg.

Step 11: Go over the final lines with a pen, marker or any other type of permanent ink. Take your time and be careful when you ink to avoid any accidents. Don't ink the initial guide lines, only the final drawing. After inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing of a western meadowlark.

Final Step: Using ink, add the feather pattern to the entire body. Add thick stripes on top of the head, to the left of the eye and across the chest. The top of the body should have a variety of streaks, stripes and spots. It's a good idea to use reference as you ink for a more accurate depiction of a western meadowlark. Now color your meadowlark drawing! Use different shades of brown like light brow, dark brown and even a bit of orange and red to color the top part of the body. Add the colors lightly at first and gradually blend them together as you color darker and push down harder on your pencils. For a simpler drawing, use a single brown color instead of blending different shades together. Add shades of yellow on the bottom section of the body. Use brown close to the bottom edge to create shadows. Shadows will give the figure more dimension and volume. Color the beak gray but leave a few streaks blank for highlights. Use a blend of light brown and peach to color the legs. At the bottom, draw a shadow using gray and a bit of blue or purple. The shadow will ground the bird so that it doesn't appear to be floating.

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