Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Quail" 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 big circle as a guide for the first part of the quail's body. First draw four small marks to indicate the height and width of the circle, then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. But the circle doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide. If you do want a perfect circle, trace the outer rim of a glass, a cup or any other object with a circular edge.

 

Step 2: Draw another circle on the top, right side as a guide for the bird's head. This circle should be about one-fifth the size of the first one. Quails have long necks, so don't draw the head too close to the body.

 

Step 3: Inside the head, draw a curved horizontal line. This construction line will help you place the quail's facial features later.

 

Step 4: On the right side of the head, draw a line similar in shape to a greater-than sign (>) as a guide for the quail's beak.

 

Step 5: Draw two lines that connect the head to the body to create the guide for the quail's neck. Curve the lines to make the bird's neck more organic and less stiff.

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Step 6: Draw a big, wide arc on the lower, left side of the first circle as a guide for the bottom half of the quail's body. The combined shape of the arc and the first circle should be similar to an egg.

 

Step 7: Draw a couple of short, straight lines under the body as a guide for the quail's legs.

 

Step 8: Draw another arc on the lower, left side of the body as a guide for the quail's tail. This arc should be long and narrower than the arc for the body.

 

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 a small circle inside the head for the quail's eye. Use the construction line as a guide for the placement. When you get the size and placement of the bird's eye right, darken the circle.

Draw a tiny circle inside the eye, off to the side, to represent glare and a bigger dot in the middle for the pupil. Shade the inside of the eye except for the tiny circle that represents glare. As you shade the eye, use a value that's slightly lighter than the pupil. Draw a wavy line surrounding the quail's eye for the bare skin found there.

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Step 10: Use the angled line on the right side of the head as a guide to draw the quail's beak. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the line curvier to create the top part of the beak. Now draw the beak's opening as a curved line in the middle that stretches inside the bird's head. Follow the bottom part of the guide but make the line curvier to create the bottom part of the beak. Use a series of quick, short strokes on the left side to create the feathery base of the beak.

 

Step 11: Use the intial circle and connecting lines as guides to draw the shape of the head. Use quick, short strokes as you follow the outer edge of the guides to create the shape of the head. Use quick, short strokes under the beak to create the quail's feathery throat.

 

Step 12: Draw the feathers on the quail's head by first lightly drawing a curved line as a path. Follow the path of the line you just created using quick, short strokes to create the texture of the feathers. The crest of feathers, or plume, should droop down and almost touch the top of the beak. The base of the quail's plume should be thin, while the tip should be wide and curvy.

 

Step 13: Draw the markings on the quail's head using a series of lines made up of quick, short strokes. First draw two curved lines that are made up of quick, short strokes above the eye. Now draw a smaller line between the lower, right side of the bird's eye and the beak.

 

Step 14: Draw another set of curved lines that are made up of quick, short strokes that extend from the throat to the eye.

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Step 15: Draw the outline of the quail's folded wing within the shape of the body, near the top part. The folded wing is essentially a long curved line across the body that's made up of smaller curved lines. The line for the folded wing should be broken up and not be one continuous line.

 

Step 16: Use the lines under the body as guides to draw the legs. First draw the feathery base as a curved line at the top. Then make the shape of the bird's leg, feet and toes thicker as you follow the path of the guides. On the tip of each toe, draw a curved, spike-like shape for the claws. Quails have one toe pointing backward and three toes pointing forward on each foot. From this angle, the forward-pointing toes will overlap, so only draw the visible parts.

 

Step 17: Use the first leg as a template to draw the leg on the other side the same way. The quail's first leg will overlap a big part of the leg on the other side, so only draw the parts that are visible from this angle.

 

Step 18: Use the initial lines and shapes as guides to draw the rest of the body. Simply darken the outer edges of the guides to create the quail's body. Use quick, short strokes on the lower, left side.

 

Step 19: Use the thin arc on the lower, left side of the body as a guide to draw the quail's tail. Darken the path of the guide to create the bird's tail and use a few quick, short strokes at the base.

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Step 20 (optional): 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 that you may have accidentally erased.

 

Final Step (optional): You can add value throughout your quail drawing for extra detail. Use a dark value when you shade the group of drooping feathers on the head. Use a dark value on the head as well but leave the banded pattern blank. Use a slightly lighter value on the beak.

Draw a series of random squiggles on the bird's neck for the pattern found there. Don't worry too much about the squiggles being perfect. Just add them randomly. Use a medium value for the left side of the quail's body. As you add the value, use strokes that go in the general direction of the feathers. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value.

Use a series of overlapping short, curved lines for the pattern on the underside of the body. Drawing this pattern can be tricky and time-consuming, so be patient, take breaks and pause the video as you follow along. It's always a good idea to use reference as you draw. Use a medium value for the bird's tail and legs.

Add a dark value at the bottom of the body. This gives the quail more dimension and volume.

Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the quail so it doesn't appear to be floating.

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