Please PAUSE the "How to Draw an African Grey Parrot" video after each step to draw at your own pace.

 

The Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

 

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 circle as a guide for the top half of the African grey parrot's body. First make four small marks to indicate its height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make mistake. If you're struggling to draw the circle, trace the outer rim of a cup, a lid or any other object with a circular edge. 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: Draw the guide for the lower half of the parrot's body by first making a small mark on the lower, left side of the circle. Then connect the mark to the circle using curved lines to form a big arc. The combined shapes should be similar to an egg.

 

 

Step 3: On the top, right, draw a small circle as a guide for African grey 's head. Use four marks to determine the circle's height and width, and then connect the marks with curved lines. This circle should be about one-fourth the size of the first circle. Don't place it too high above the first circle.

 

Step 4: Inside the bird's head, draw two intersecting lines. These construction lines will help you place the African grey 's facial features later.

 

 

Step 5: On the right side of the head, draw a small arc as a guide for African grey 's beak. Make a small mark to the right of the head, and then connect the mark using curved lines to form the arc.

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Step 6: Draw two lines that connect the head to the body to create the guide for the bird's neck. At the bottom of the body, on the right side, draw a C-shaped line as a guide for the African grey 's feet.

 

Step 7: Under the bird's body, draw a long, vertical line on the left and a shorter vertical line on the right. Connect the lines using a sloping horizontal line to finish the guide for the African grey parrot's tail.

 

 

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

 

Step 8: Inside the parrot's head, lightly sketch a small circle for the eye. Use the initial lines as guides for placement. When you get the position and size right, darken the lines. As you darken the edges of the eye, make the sides pointier. Inside the eye, off to the side, draw a tiny circle to represent glare. In the middle, draw a big dot for the pupil. Don't overlap the tiny glare circle as you shade the pupil. Add a curved line above and below the eye for the skin around the African grey's eye.

 

 

Step 9: Use the arc on the right as a guide to draw the top part of the African grey 's beak. Darken the top part of the arc but continue drawing the line downward to form a point for the beak. Curve the line back up and to the left to form the mouth. Sketch lightly at first, and when you get the shapes right, darken the lines. On the left side, draw a wavy line as the base of the bird's beak. This line should be made up of short strokes for a feather-like texture. At the top, draw a small oval and shade it in for the nostril.

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Step 10: Draw a broken line along the path of the initial circle to create the base of the bottom part of the African grey 's beak. Draw a curved line from the base to the top part of the beak to form the bottom part of the beak. Add a curved line in the middle for the open mouth. Inside the parrot's open beak, draw a short, curved line for the tongue.

 

Step 11: Use the remaining shapes and lines as guides to draw the rest of the parrot's head. Simply darken the outer edges of the guides to create the shape of the head. Make the lines a bit wavier as you darken them for the bird's feathers. Draw a line around the eye to indicate the border between the feathers and the bare skin. Use short strokes to create the line to represent feathers.

 

 

Step 12: Inside the body, draw a long, curved line for the top part of the African grey parrot's folded wing. The line should start near the top edge of the initial circle and stretch all the way down to the bottom of the initial arc. Sketch the line lightly at first and when you get the shape right, darken it. Draw series of U-shaped lines along the bottom of the wing for the bird's feathers. Make these lines different lengths and widths to give the feathers variety. The entire shape of the wing should take up almost half of the space inside the body.

 

Step 13: On the left side, on top of the guide for the tail, lightly sketch a V-shaped line for the tip of the wing. When you get the size and shape right, darken the line. Inside the shape, draw two rows of curved lines for the African grey 's feathers. The feathers at the bottom are basically vertical lines that are close together.

 

 

Step 14: Use the C-shaped line on the right as a guide to draw the African grey 's foot. Follow the path of the guide and draw the shape of the foot around it. Make the ends of the shape pointy to represent the nails at the tip of the bird's toes. Add a couple of lines on the left side for the bent leg. On the right, draw another curved line for the other toe peeking out from behind.

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Step 15: Use the first circle and arc as guides to draw the shape of the African grey parrot's body. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. Make the shape a bit narrower on the right side and add some short strokes for the bird's feathers. Don't overlap the foot or the wing as you draw the shape of the body.

 

Step 16: Draw the toes of the parrot's other foot to the right of the first foot. Use the first foot as a template to draw these toes. To the right of the body, draw a line for a bit of the bird's other wing peeking from behind the body.

 

 

Step 17: Use the shape under the body as a guide to draw the African grey parrot's tail. Draw a series of U-shaped lines along the bottom of the shape for the feathers. Draw a few more U-shaped lines within the shape for more tail feathers. Don't overlap the shape of the wing on the left as you draw the bird's feathers.

 

Step 18: Add a perch for the parrot to stand on by first drawing a circle under the feet. Then draw a couple of sloping lines below and above the toes for the sides of the perch.

 

 

Step 19: 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: Add some shading to your African grey parrot drawing for more detail. Use a dark value for the beak and tongue. Leave a strip along the edge almost blank to represent shine. As their name indicates, African grey parrots are mainly grey! So use a medium value for the rest of the body. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.

For a feather-like texture, add the value in a series of small arcs that gradually get bigger below the head. Leave the section around the African grey 's eye blank, except for a few shadows. The feathers are a bit lighter along the edges, so make each arc a bit lighter along the edge. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. For an easier drawing, skip the small arcs and just use a smooth, medium value throughout the bird's whole body.

As you get to the lower half of the body, gradually separate each arc and just use a medium value. Add a slightly darker value near the right edge of the body and wing for shadows. Shading your African grey can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. Add the value lightly at first and gradually build up to the level of darkness you like. Use a smooth medium value for the wing and on top lightly sketch a few U-shaped lines for feathers.

African greys have red tail feathers, so color the tail red if you'd like! Otherwise, just use a slightly darker value. Use a darker value for the feet too. It's always a good idea to use reference as you draw. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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