Step 7: Draw a long, curved shape across the entire body for the oriole's folded wing. Make the left side of the shape wide and then gradually make it thinner toward the right. The tip of the wing should be inside the shape of the tail. Add a few curved lines across the middle of the shape to separate the pattern of feathers.
Step 8: Use the line that is under the body and on the right side as a guide to draw the oriole bird's first leg. Draw the shape of the leg, foot and toes around the guide lines. Draw a wide shape at the top using a series of short strokes for the feathery base of the leg. Keep the edges of the leg close to the guide line so that the overall shape is thin. Curve the toes and make the tips for the nail. Draw three toes pointing forward and one pointing back. The backward pointing toe will be mostly hidden behind the branch so don't draw the whole thing. Sketch lightly at first and only darken the lines when you get the shapes right.
Step 9: Use the line on the left as a guide to draw the oriole's other leg the same way. Draw the shape of the leg around the guide line. Add the feathery base at the top and the toes at the bottom using small, curved shapes with pointy tips for the nails. Inside the wing, draw a series of long, curved lines for the pattern on the feathers.
Step 10: Darken the outer edges of the remaining guides to create the shape of the oriole's body. Make the shape of the tail a bit thinner than the initial guide lines. Add a few lines to the tail for the individual feathers. Add a series of short strokes above the chest and wing for the color separation of the feathers. At the bottom, draw a few sloping lines to give the bird a branch to perch on.
Step 11: 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 you may have accidentally erased.
Final Step: Now color your oriole drawing! Color the head, the top part of the wing and tail black. Leave a few sections blank on the wing for the white feathers. Use yellow-orange to color the underside of the body. You can color your drawing more orange or more yellow if you'd like. Add a shadow to the underside of the body using brown. Use black and dark brown to color the eye but don't overlap the tiny highlight circle. Color the beak and legs using gray. Create highlights on the beak using a lighter shade of gray. Use different shades of brown and a bit of green to color the branch. Coloring can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. It's a good idea to use reference as you color for a more accurate depiction of a Baltimore oriole bird.
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