Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Sparrow" 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 sparrow'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. Leave enough room on the sides for the bird's head and tail.

 

Step 2: Draw another circle on the top, right side as a guide for the sparrow's head. Pay attention to the size of this circle in relation to the first one. It should be about one-fourth the size of the first one. Don't draw the circles apart from each other. Their edges should touch.

 

Step 3: Draw two intersecting lines inside the head to help you place the sparrow's facial features later on.

 

Step 4: Draw an angled line on the right side of the head as a guide for the sparrow's beak. The shape of the line should be similar to a greater-than sign (>).

 

Step 5: Use a few curved lines around the main circle to finish the shape of the bird's body. First draw two curved lines from the head to the body to form the neck. Then draw a big, wide arc on the lower, left side of the circle for the bottom half of the sparrow's body. The combined shape of the arc and the first circle should be similar to an egg.

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Step 6: Draw a series of lines under the body as guides for the sparrow's legs. First draw a diagonal line, then under it draw a horizontal line. Add another set of similar lines on the right for the leg on the other side.

 

Step 7: Draw a long, thin arc on the lower, left side of the body as a guide for the sparrow's tail. Sketch lightly at first to get the shape of the arc right. Pay attention to the length of the arc in relation to the size of the bird's body.

 

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

 

Step 8: Lightly sketch a small circle inside the sparrow's head for the eye. Use the construction lines inside the head as guides for the placement of the eye. When you get the shape and placement of the eye right, darken the lines. 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 bird's eye, use a value that's slightly lighter than the pupil. Add a few lines around the eye for the bare skin found there. Use a series of short, curved lines for the skin around the eye.

 

Step 9: Use the triangle- like shape on the right side of the head as a guide to draw the sparrow'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 in toward the head.

Continue to follow the basic path of the guide but make the line curvier to create the bottom part of the beak. Draw the feathery base of the bird's beak by using a series of quick, short strokes on the left side. The base of the beak is angled in the opposite direction of the beak. The shape should be similar to a less-than sign (<).

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Step 10: Use the intial circle as a guide to draw the sparrow's head. Follow the top edge of the circle as you darken the line to create the top part of the head. Extend the line toward the guide on the left to create the back portion of the head. Use quick, short strokes under the beak for the bird's feathery throat. Add a few quick, short strokes inside the head too for the outline of the neck.

 

Step 11: Draw a series of lines inside the face for the first part of the sparrow's pattern and color separation. Draw a curved line that starts at the base of the beak and stretches to the back of the head. The line should be made up of quick, short strokes to represent feathers. Add a short, curved line to the left of the eye.

 

Step 12: Now draw the second part of the sparrow's color separation as a longer line under the eye. This line should start at the throat, curve under the eye and end on the left side near the back of the bird's head.

 

Step 13: Draw the top part of the bird's wing by using a series of curved lines inside the body. First darken the left side of the body. Then add a few short, curved lines along the middle. Curve the line back up toward the head to create the inner edge of the sparrow's folded wing. Add a few quick, short strokes on the upper, right side of the wing for the pattern separation.

 

Step 14: Draw the lower part of the wing by using the initial lines as guides. The first part of the sparrow's wing sort of resembles a letter V that's slightly tilted to the right a bit. The second part is the tip of the wing that's made up of a series of long lines that come to a point. This tip of the folded wing should stretch to the left toward the guide for the tail.

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Step 15: Use the initial lines as guides to draw the shape of the body. Simply darken the outer edges of the guides on the right and bottom to create the sparrow's body.

 

Step 16: Use the lines under the body on the left side as guides to draw the sparrow's first foot. Make the shape of the leg, feet and toes thicker as you follow the path of the guides. Sparrows have one toe pointing backward and three toes pointing forward on each foot. On the tip of each toe, draw a curved, spike-like shape for the bird's claws. From this angle, the forward-pointing toes will overlap, so only draw the visible parts.

 

Step 17: Use the lines under the body on the right as guides to draw the sparrow's other foot. Make the shape of the leg, foot and toes thicker as you follow the guide lines. Part of this leg will be hidden by the other leg, so only draw the visible parts.

 

Step 18: Use the thin, long arc on the lower, left side of the body as a guide to draw the sparrow's tail. Simply follow the path of the guide and darken the lines as you go along. Add a line in the middle of the arc for the separation of the bird's feathers.

 

Step 19 (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): Add some shading to your sparrow drawing to give it more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value.

Add a cast shadow underneath your sparrow. This helps ground the bird so it doesn't appear to be floating. Use a darker value near the middle of the shadow and a lighter value along the edge for the shadow's diffusion.

You can add even more value throughout your sparrow drawing for extra detail. Add a dark value to the beak but make the top part slightly lighter to represent shine. Use a dark value around the eye too. Stay within the curved lines on the face that were created earlier. Male house sparrows have a white section behind their eyes, so leave this spot blank. Use a lighter value for the section on the top part of the head. Use a lighter value for the section below the bird's eye or the cheeks too.

Add a series of short stripes or long spots along the sparrow's wing. The spots should have a dagonal orientation. Shade in the rest of the wing. Make sure that the spots are darker than the rest of the wing. Push down hard on your pencil to get a darker value for the spots and stripes on the wing. Add a few longer stripes on the lower half of the folded wing. Shade in the rest of the bird's wing using a lighter value.

Use a lighter value for the rest of the sparrow's body. Shading can be time- consuming, so be patient and take breaks. As you add the value, use strokes that go in the general direction of the feathers. It's always a good idea to use reference as you draw. Use a darker value for the tail. Remember to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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