How to Draw a Dodo
Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Dodo" 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 circle as a guide for the first part of the dodo's body. First draw some marks for the height and width of the circle, then connect the marks using curved lines. The circle doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide. If you do want a perfect circle, trace the rim of a glass or anything else that's circular.
Step 2: Draw another circle on the top right side as a guide for the dodo bird's head. This circle should be about one-fifth the size of the first one. Dodos had pretty long necks, so don't place the head too close to the body.
Step 3: Draw an arc on the lower right side of the head as a guide for the dodo's beak. This curved line should be similar to the letter U that's tilted to the left a bit.
Step 4: Draw two wavy lines that connect the head to the body to form the guide for the dodo's neck. The lines should have somewhat of an "S" shape to them.
Step 5: Draw a big arc on the lower left side of the first circle to complete the guide for the dodo's body. After you draw the arc, the shape of the body should be similar to an egg.
Step 6: Under the body, draw a line as a guide for the legs. At the end of the line, draw three smaller lines as guides for the feet and toes.
That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.
Step 7: Lightly sketch the eye as a small circle inside the head. When you get the placement and shape of the eye right, darken the lines. Inside the eye, draw a small dot for the pupil. Add a tiny circle off to the side to represent glare. Shade the top part a bit using a light value. Draw a few lines around the eye for extra detail. The other eye is on the opposite side of the head, so it's not visible.
Step 8: Use the initial U-shaped arc as a guide to draw the top part of the beak. The front part of the beak should extend slightly outside of the arc. Follow the basic path of the guide as you draw the top part of the beak but make it a bit thinner as you darken the lines. Add a few curved lines near the middle to give the beak a bumpier texture. Also near the middle, draw the nostril as an oval and shade it in.
Step 9: Draw the mouth as a long, wavy line that stretches back toward the head, under the eye. Sketch out the line lightly at first to get its placement and shape right. Darken the line when you get the shape right. The beak should end at a point on the right. Draw the bottom part of the beak by using the lower edge of the arc as a guide. Follow the path of the arc but make the bottom edge of the beak higher as you darken the line.
Step 10: Draw the rest of the head by using the small circle as a guide. Use a series of quick, short strokes to draw the edge of the feathers that surround the face. The feathers should start at the top of the beak, curve to the left of the eye and end on the bottom edge of the beak. Now follow the basic shape of the initial circle and use quick, short strokes to create the feathered head. Follow the path of the curved lines under the head and use quick, short strokes to create the neck.
Step 11: Draw the right edge of the wing using an angled line. This line should be close to the right side of the body and should be similar to a wide greater-than sign (>).
Step 12: Now draw the left side of the wing using a series of curved lines for the feathers. Dodos were flightless birds, and they had small wings. Don't draw the wing too big. The curved lines or feathers should be smaller at the top, and the lines should overlap. The shape of the left side of the wing should follow the same angle as the right side.
Step 13: Use the line under the body as a guide to draw the leg that's on this side of the body. First draw the feathery base of the leg near the top as a line similar to a wide letter V. This line should be made up of quick, short strokes to indicate feathers.
Now follow the basic path of the guide as you make the shape of the leg thicker. Draw around the small guides at the bottom to thicken up the shapes of the individual toes. Curl the lines at the ends to create points that represent the sharp claws.
Step 14: Draw the leg on the other side of the body the same way as the first. Most of the leg isn't visible, so only draw the toes. Use the first leg as a template for the shape.
Step 15: Use the remaing shapes and lines as guides to draw the rest of the body. Simply follow the outer path of the initial guides and darken the lines as you go along. Use quick, short strokes on the left side of the body and at the bottom for the feathers.
Step 16: Draw a series of small, curved lines on the top, left side of the body for the curly tail feathers. The tips of the feathers should be pointy, and the lines should overlap one another. The feathers at the top should be bigger, but overall they should be small to form a curly tuft.
Step 17 (optional): For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing all of 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 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.
Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the dodo so it doesn't appear to be floating.
You can add even more value throughout your drawing for extra detail. The dodo became extinct before it was properly documented, so the only remaining references are old drawings and paintings. Therefore, you can shade yours differently if you want. Or you can add a single value all over the body like this. You can separate each individual stroke a bit to get a coarser, more feathery texture. Leave the tail and wing feathers white. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.
Thanks for watching! Subscribe to the How2DrawAnimals YouTube Channel for a new tutorial every Tuesday.
To learn how to draw popular cartoon characters, visit EasyDrawingTutorials.com.