In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw an Ostrich step-by-step.

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All of the tutorials on How2DrawAnimals.com are good drawing tutorials for beginners and experienced artists alike. The online tutorials are easy to follow; they teach you the how to draw basics while showing you how to draw animals step by step. Each animal has a video drawing tutorial option, as well as step-by-step photos and written text to follow.

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To draw this Ostrich step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step drawings below the video. The new lines in each step are shown in red, so you'll know exactly what to draw next. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both drawing methods. Take your time and draw at your own pace.

Below you can watch a NEW step-by-step video tutorial with NARRATED steps:

The following is a video tutorial where the steps are WRITTEN out within the video:

For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake.

Step 1: Draw an oval as a guide for the ostrich's body. The oval should be slightly tilted. Don't worry if it's not perfect. It's just a guide.

Step 2: Draw a smaller circle on the top right side as a guide for the ostrich's head.

Step 3: Draw an arc next to the head as a guide for the ostrich's beak.

Step 4: Draw a curved line that connects the ostrich's head to the body as a guide for the long neck.

Step 5: Draw a short, curved line on the left side as a guide for the ostrich's tail.

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Step 6: Draw a long line that angles to the right at the bottom as a guide for the ostrich's legs.

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

Step 7: Draw the eye inside of the ostrich's head. The shape of the eye is similar to a football. Inside the eye, draw a circle for the ostrich's actual eyeball. Shade the eyeball except for a small circle to represent glare. Draw some lines around the ostrich's eye for extra detail.

Step 8: Use the arc as a guide to draw the ostrich's beak. Draw a line in the middle of the arc that extends inside toward the circle for the ostrich's mouth. Then draw another line below that for the lower part of the beak. Finish the base of the beak, which surrounds the mouth, and draw a slit on the top side of the beak for the ostrich's nostril.

Step 9: Use the small circle as a guide to draw the ostrich's head. Use quick, short strokes around and inside the head to represent the thin layer of down.

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Step 10: Use the initial line as a guide to draw the neck. Simply give the ostrich's neck more mass by making the guide line thicker. The neck, like the head, has a thin layer of down, so use quick, short strokes to represent this.

Step 11: Use the line as guide to draw the ostrich's leg. Draw lightly at first to get the structure right. When you like what you have, go ahead and darken it. The ostrich is the fastest bird on land, so draw the legs thick and muscular. Draw two toes at the bottom. Only the ostrich's inner toe has a big nail. Draw the leg on the other side the same way: lightly at first, and then darken it. The outer toe isn't visible, so only draw the inner toe and don't forget the big nail!

Step 12: Draw the base of the ostrich's wing inside the main oval. First draw a light curved line similar to the letter C. Then go over it using quick, short strokes to represent feathers.

Step 13: Draw the rest of the wing on the left side of the base. Go around the base of the ostrich's wing using quick, short strokes to create arcs of fluffy feathers.

Step 14: Use the main oval as a guide to draw the rest of the ostrich's body.

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Step 15: Use the line on the side as a guide to draw the ostrich's tail. Simply draw a fluffy arc under it.

Step 16 (optional): For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing all the guides. It's okay to leave some behind. Also re-draw any of the final lines you accidentally erase.

Final Step (optional): You can add some shading to give your ostrich drawing 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 ostrich so it doesn't appear to be floating.

You can add more value throughout your ostrich drawing for extra detail. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. It's a good idea to use reference to be as accurate as possible. Remember to PAUSE the video to go at your own pace.

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