In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Cockatoo step-by-step.

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All of the tutorials on How2DrawAnimals.com are good drawing tutorials for beginners and experienced artists alike. The online tutorials are easy to follow; they teach you the how to draw basics while showing you how to draw animals step by step. Each animal has a video drawing tutorial option, as well as step-by-step photos and written text to follow.

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To draw this Cockatoo step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step drawings below the video. The new lines in each step are shown in red, so you'll know exactly what to draw next. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both drawing methods. Take your time and draw at your own pace.

The 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 circle near the top of the paper as a guide for the cockatoo's head. To draw the circle, first make four small marks to determine its height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're struggling to draw the circle, just trace the outer rim of a small, circular object like a coin or a lid. Leave enough space above the circle to draw the cockatoo's crest later on. For a more detailed guide on the different ways to draw a circle check out this tutorial: Four simple ways to draw a circle.

Step 2: Below the head, draw another circle as a guide for the top part of the cockatoo's body. Draw this circle using the four-marks method or trace the outer edge of a bigger circular item. This circle should be about twice as big as the first circle. Sketch lightly at first so that its easy to erase if you make a mistake.

Step 3: Under the body, draw two small ovals as guides for the cockatoo's feet. Pay attention to the size of these ovals in relation to the big circle above them.

Step 4: Draw a two lines that connect the circles to create the guide for the neck. Curve the lines outward at the bottom so that the bottom of the bird's neck is wider than the top. At the bottom, draw a big U-shaped arc as a guide for the lower half of the body. The arc should slope to the left. Don't overlap the ovals for the cockatoo's feet as you draw the arc.

Step 5: Below the arc, draw two long, vertical lines as a guide for the cockatoo's tail. Close off the square-like guide for the bird's tail by drawing a horizontal line at the bottom.

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That's it for the guides! From this point on, press harder with your pencil for a more defined drawing.

Step 6: Draw a small circle inside the head, on the top, right side, for the cockatoo's eye. The eye should be very small in relation to the head. Add a tiny circle inside the eye for highlight. Draw a series of small, curved lines around the eye for the eyelid and wrinkles on the skin.

Step 7: To the right of the eye, draw a short, sloping line across the edge of the original circle for the base of the cockatoo's beak. To the right of the circle, draw a curved, vertical line for the top part of the beak. The curvature of the bird's beak should be parallel to the edge of the circle. To the left, draw a curved line that creates the beak's pointy tip. Below this shape, draw the bottom part of the beak using a couple of curved lines.

Step 8: On top of the beak, draw a long, curved, vertical line for the first part of the cockatoo's crest. Sketch lightly at first and only darken the line when you get the shape right. Add another line to the left so that you end up with a shape that is thick at the bottom and thin and pointy at the top. To the left, draw a couple of shorter, curved lines for more feathers on the bird's crest.

Step 9: Draw increasingly shorter, curved lines along the edge of the original circle for more feathers on the cockatoo's head. Darken the edges of the guides on the left side to create the back of the head. Draw a line under the beak for the neck and add a series of curved lines within the bird's head for feathers.

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Step 10: At the top, draw a long, pointy shape made up of two lines for the first feather on the cockatoo's crest. The longer you make these lines, the taller the crest will be. To the left, add another feather on the crest. The tops of the feathers should curve to the right. The bottoms should overlap a bit. Add two more feathers on the left side the same way. You can break up the line at the bottom for extra detail. Notice how the bird's feathers gradually get smaller and tilt more to the left the farther left they are.

Step 11: Continue to add more feathers on the left side along the top part of the cockatoo's head to complete the crest. Remember to gradually make the feathers smaller and more tilted the farther to the left they are. On some of the feathers, you can add an extra pointy tip at the top for another feather on the other side of the crest. Break up the bottom part of the feathers into short strokes for more detail. When you get to the bottom of the bird's crest, the feathers should be short and nearly horizontal.

Step 12: Draw two long, horizontal lines across the bottom of the body as a perch for the cockatoo to stand on. You can overlap the shapes of the bird's body but don't overlap the little ovals that are guides for the feet. The perch should be thinner than the ovals. You can make yours longer if you want.

Step 13: Darken the edges of the initial guides on the left side to create the first part of the cockatoo's body. Draw a series of short, curved lines close to the left edge of the body for the folded wing. The curved lines represent feathers. Add the tip of the folded wing at the bottom but don't overlap the bird's perch.

Step 14: Use the small ovals as guides to draw the cockatoo's feet and toes. Darken the outer edges of the ovals and split them in the middle to create the toes. Make the inner toe shorter. At the bottom of each toe, draw a curved, pointy shape for the bird's nails. Make the sides of the toes wavier. The toes should wrap around the perch, holding it tightly.

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Step 15: Darken the outer edges of the guides on the right side for the other side of the bird's body. Draw a wavy line along the inner, right edge of the body for the visible part of the cockatoo's other folded wing.

Step 16: Draw a series of short, curved lines along the top part of the body for detail on the feathers. Draw a series of short strokes along the arc at the bottom to finish the shape of the cockatoo's body.

Step 17: Darken the square-like shape at the bottom for the cockatoo's tail but make it rounder. Draw a series of long, vertical lines inside the shape for the feathers that make up the bird's tail.

Step 18: Go over the final sketch 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. After the ink dries, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing.

Final Step: Color your cockatoo drawing! Use different shades of yellow for the bird's crest. Use a mixture of light yellow, yellow-orange and even a bit of light brown along the base of the crest. Use dark gray for the beak and the stripes. Color a section on the bird's beak lightly for highlight. Color the feet lightly and add some lines inside for creases and wrinkles.

Add a bit of light gray all over the cockatoo's body for shadows. This will give the figure more volume and dimension. Add the color lightly at first and slowly build up to the level of darkness that you like. Use darker gray along the edges for deeper shadows. Use a mixture of light and dark brown to turn the bird's perch into a branch. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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