In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Mallard Duck in color 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.

 

The Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

 

To draw and color a Mallard Duck 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 big half circle near the bottom of the paper as a guide for the mallard duck's body. First draw a long, horizontal line. The longer you make this line, the bigger your duck will be. High above the line, make a small mark to determine the height of the bird's body. Now connect the mark to the tips of the horizontal line using curved lines to create a dome. 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: On the top, left side of the body, draw a small circle as guide for the duck's head. To draw the circle, first make four small marks to indicate 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 lid or a coin.

 

 

Step 3: Inside the head, draw two intersecting lines as guides to help you place the mallard duck's facial features later.

 

Step 4: On the lower, left side of the head, draw a sloping arc as a guide for the duck's bill. To draw the arc, first make a mark on the lower, left side of the head and then connect the mark to the bird's head using sloping lines.

 

 

Step 5: Draw a couple of curved lines that connect the head to the body to create the guide for the duck's neck. The line on the left should be longer and wavier. It should also be flat at the bottom to connect to the bird's body.

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Step 6: To the right of the body, draw two curved lines that come to pointy tip as a guide for the mallard's tail.

 

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

 

 

Step 7: Inside the duck's head, lightly sketch a small circle for the eye. Use the initial lines as guides for placement. Draw the eye to the left of the vertical guide line. When you get the size and position of the eye right, darken the lines. Darken the circle for the mallard's eyeball and add pointy lines on the sides for the overall shape of the eye. Inside the eye, off to the side, draw a tiny circle to represent glare. In the middle, draw a dot for the pupil. Draw a curved line on top and below the bid's eye for extra detail.

 

Step 8: Use the initial arc as a guide to draw the top part of the beak. Follow the basic path of the top of the arc but make the line a bit wavier. The bottom edge of the duck's beak should be farther from the edge of the initial arc, and the right side should curve up. Sketch lightly at first so that its easy to erase if you make a mistake. Only darken the lines when you get the shape right. Make the mallard's beak a tiny bit pointy at the tip. The top of the beak shouldn't touch the head.

 

 

Step 9: Darken the lower, right side of the initial arc to create the bird's lower bill. Draw a couple of curved lines on the right side to create the base of the bill. The base of the bill should curve to the right where the duck's mouth is. Draw a line along the bottom edge of the bill to give the shape a small ridge. Inside the bill, near the top, draw a small circle with a line under it for the nostril.

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Step 10: Use the initial circle as a guide to draw the rest of the mallard's head. For the front of the head, draw a sloping line that connects the bill to the initial circle. For the rest of the duck's head, simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides. Darken the lines below the circle for a bit of the bird's neck.

 

Step 11: Inside the body, near the top, draw a long, horizontal line for the first part of the folded wing. The tip of the wing should come out of the shape of the body, above the wing, and then curve back inside. The bottom edge of the bird's folded wing should be wavy and almost meet the top edge on the left side. Sketch lightly at first and only darken the shape of the wing when you get the shape right. Use a few broken lines near the middle of the bottom edge to represent a few feathers.

 

 

Step 12: Draw a long, horizontal line along the top edge of the duck's body for the folded wing on the other side. This wing should be similar to the first one, so use the first one as a template.

 

Step 13: Darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the rest of the duck's body. Curve the bottom edge of the body near the right side to create a small triangular gap. Where the gap is, draw a couple of wave lines to represent the mallard's distorted feet below the surface of the water.

 

 

Step 14: Use the pointy shape on the right as a guide to draw the mallard's tail. Darken the bottom edge of the guide but extend the line at the top to make the tail longer and thinner. Above that, draw a couple of curved lines for the curly feathers. Add some broken lines inside the bird's body for detail.

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Step 15: 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 inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing.

 

 

Final Step: Color your mallard drawing! Use yellow as the base for the duck's bill with a bit of black at the tip. Blend in some yellow-orange on the beak. Add a bit more black to the right edge of the beak. Blend red and brown for the iris but don't overlap the tiny glare circle. Use black for the sides of the bird's eye.

Draw a line on the mallard's neck using dark green. Color the sides of the head dark green but leave the middle blank. Color lightly at first and gradually build up to the level of darkness that you like. Use yellow-green for the middle section so that the duck's head appears iridescent. Add a bit of blue too. Continue to add dark green and even some black to the sides to emphasize the shine in the middle.

Using brown, draw a line under the green section to create a white band. Then color the mallard's chest brown. Use a mixture of light brown, brown and dark brown for the chest. Start off lightly. Add some brown to the duck's wings too. Use a blend of browns for the bird's body too but make those colors lighter. The bottom edges of the duck's wings should be darker than the rest of the body. Leave the tail blank for now. It's a good idea to use reference as you color for a more accurate mallard duck. Color the tail dark brown with a bit of dark blue and black. Leave the feather sticking out blank.

To draw the mallard's reflection on the water's surface, use the same colors to draw the mirror image at the bottom. The reflection doesn't have to be perfect. Just draw the basic duck shape, upside-down and wavy, using the same colors as before. Using blue, go over all the colors to create a small section of water for the duck to float on.

Continue to gradually add more color to the water and blending it as you make it darker. Coloring can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. The area of the water that's closest to the bird's body should be darkest. Use orange directly below the body on the right side for the foot that's underwater. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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