Please PAUSE the "How to Draw an Owl (Flying)" video after each step to draw at your own pace.

 

Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

 

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 small circle as a guide for the great horned owl's body. Leave enough room at the top for the wings. First make four small marks to indicate the circle's height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're struggling drawing the circle, trace the outer rim of a coin, a lid or any other object with a circular edge.

 

Step 2: Draw a curved vertical line across the bird's head. This construction line will help you place the great horned owl's facial features later. Add a curved horizontal line that intersects the vertical line for another construction line.

 

Step 3: Underneath the body, draw a circle that's slightly bigger than the head. This will be a guide for the top part of the great horned owl's body. The top part of this circle will go behind the head, so don't overlap the lines.

 

Step 4: Below that, draw a long, curved line as a guide for the bottom part of the owl's body. First draw a mark at the bottom, then curved lines on the sides that connect to the circle. It should look like the letter U.

 

Step 5: To the left of the great horned owl's head, draw a long line that curves to the top, left side as a guide for the first wing. Sketch lightly at first to get the curvature and length of the line right. Now draw another curved line that starts on the right side of the head as a guide for the bird's other wing. This line should be a bit shorter than the first one because of the angle of the body.

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Step 6: Below the line on the left, draw another curved line as a guide for the bottom part of the great horned owl's wing. This line should curve a lot more than the line at the top to make the shape of the wing wide. Draw another curved line on the other side as a guide for the bottom part of that wing. Again because of the angle of the body, this line should be shorter than the one on the left.

 

Step 7: On the lower half of the body, draw a series of angled lines as guides for the great horned owl's legs. The top part of the legs should look like the letter L. Don't draw the lines too long in relation to the body. At the end of each L-shaped line, draw a couple shorter lines as guides for the bird's toes.

 

Step 8: At the bottom of the body, draw a curved shape as a guide for the great horned owl's tail. The guide for the tail consists of short diagonal lines on the sides connected by a longer, curved line at the bottom. Sketch the guide for the right edge of the tail lightly so that it doesn't interfere with the feet too much.

 

That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.

 

Step 9: Lightly sketch the eyes inside the head as two small circles. Use the initial lines as guides for the size and placement of the great horned owl's eyes. When you get the placement right, add a sloping line above each eye for the bird's thick brow. Use a few short strokes for the feathers. The line on the right should be shorter. Now darken the shape of the eyes under the brow. Make the lines thick to emphasize the shape of the big eyes. Inside each eye, draw a small circle and shade it in for the pupils. You can make the pupils bigger or smaller if you'd like.

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Step 10: Draw the top part of the beak by first drawing a curved line between the eyes. Now add a shorter curved line at the bottom. Use the initial lines as guides for placement. Now use a series of quick, short strokes to add the patch of feathers on the left side. Add some feathers to the right side as well. Draw a small curved line inside the beak for the owl's nostril.

 

Step 11: Draw an angled line under the top part of the beak for the bottom part of the beak. The bottom part of the beak should look similar to the letter V. Add a couple of lines within the shape for extra detail inside the owl's mouth. Draw a short, curved line at the top for the tongue.

 

Step 12: On the top, left side of the head, draw an angled line for the great horned owl's feather tuft. Draw the bottom of the tuft inside the head. Use quick, short strokes for the feathery texture. Add a similar but smaller shape on the right side for the other tuft.

 

Step 13: Use the circle as a guide to draw the rest of the great horned owl's head. Use a sloping line on the left for the neck. Then darken the path of the circle. Use quick, short strokes for texture. Leave some gaps as you follow the path of the circle. Add a few more quick, short strokes inside the bird's head to create a more feathery texture.

 

Step 14: Use the angled lines at the bottom as guides to draw the great horned owl's first leg. First draw the shape of the toe using curved lines around the short guide at the top. Add a hook-like shape at the top for the talon. Draw the toe at the bottom the same way. Now draw a third toe next to the first toe at the top. Use the first toe as a template. Add the fourth and final toe at the bottom. Use the other lines as guides to draw the top of the leg. Use quick, short strokes as you add the thick shape of the leg around the guides.

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Step 15: Use the angled lines on the right to draw the bird's other leg the same way. First use the initial short lines as guides to draw the great horned owl's first two toes. Then draw the two other toes on the right by using the first two as a template. Use curved lines for the talons. You can make the talons bigger if you'd like. Now use the guides to draw the rest of the leg. Don't overlap the lines of the leg in front.

 

Step 16: Darken the top line to the left of the head to create the top of the bird's wing. Near the middle of the line, draw a small arc for the feathers found there. Add a thin arc at the tip of the line as well for the feather found there. Inside the shape, near the top, add another long line to give the wing more structure. Use the line on the right as a guide to draw the top of the great horned owl's other wing on the right the same way. Add the feathers in the middle and at the tip. Make them smaller because of the angle.

 

Step 17: Use the curved lines below as guides to draw the bottom edge of the owl's wings. Simply follow the path of the guides and draw a series of thin, short arcs for the feathers along the way. This process is slow, so be patient and take breaks. This section will be sped up so the video won't be too long.

 

Step 18: Use the shapes below the head as guides to draw the owl's body. Add a series of quick, short strokes along the outer edge of the guides for the feathers. Add a few more strokes within the shape of the wings for extra detail. These strokes should create long, curved lines inside each wing. These lines represent the rows of feathers within the wings. These lines don't have to be exact. Just draw a few curved lines inside the wings.

 

Step 19: Use the shape at the bottom as a guide to draw the great horned owl's tail. Darken the guides but draw a series of short arcs along the bottom for the feathers. The tail is behind the legs, so don't overlap those lines.

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Step 20: 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 great horned owl drawing to give it more detail. Use a dark value to create a series of curved rows along the bottom half of the wings. The rows should gradually get thinner the lower they are on the wings. Now use a medium value for the rest of the bottom half of the wing. As you shade, use strokes that go in the general direction of the bird's wing.

The top part of the wing has speckled feathers, so draw a series of random squiggles here. Don't overthink it. Just add small, dark squiggles everywhere. Then add a medium value on top. For the owl's head, use a dark value around the ears and eyes and on the beak. Then add squiggles to the rest of the head except for a small section around the beak.

Continue drawing squiggles on the torso. Use a medium value for the legs and a dark value for the talons. Use a medium value for the owl's tail and add some lines to separate the individual feathers. Use a dark value to add a couple of curved rows along the bottom of the tail. Shade the other wing the same way as the first. First use a dark value to create the curved rows. Then use a medium value to cover the bottom part of the wing and squiggles for the top part. Add some more value to the sides of the bird's body and under the wings to give the shape more dimension and volume. Use reference for a more accurate drawing. Remember to pause the video to draw at your own pace.

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