Drawing a great horned owl can seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite easy once you know the basic steps. Great horned owls are one of the most common owls found across North America. They have large ear tufts, bright yellow eyes, and powerful talons. While their markings and colors can vary across different regions, the methods for drawing them stays relatively the same. With some simple shapes and the step-by-step instructions provided, anyone can learn to draw a great horned owl.
What You Need
To draw a great horned owl, you don’t need many supplies:
- Paper
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Drawing Pen (optional)
You can use regular printer paper or a sketchbook. Having an eraser handy helps clean up any mistakes. While you can draw the entire owl with just a pencil, you may want to use black ink pens for the final outlines and details. Otherwise, a regular No. 2 pencil is all you need.
Step 1: Draw the Basic Shape of the Head and Body
Let’s start with the basic shape of the owl’s head and body. Lightly sketch the outline:
- Draw a large oval shape for the head and upper body
- Add a smaller oval overlapping the bottom for the belly/lower body
- Draw a vertical line close to the right side of the head for positioning the beak and eyes later
Make sure to draw lightly at this stage in case you need to erase and make adjustments. The belly oval should overlap the head oval slightly to form the basic shape.
Step 2: Add the Facial Guidelines
Now let’s add some guidelines for placing the facial features:
- Draw a slight curve close to the top right for the forehead/brow line
- Add an oval shape in the center of the head for the eye
- Draw a point on the vertical line for the beak
Having these facial guidelines will help you place the eyes, beak, and ear tufts accurately in the next steps. They don’t need to be exactly perfect yet.
Step 3: Sketch the Wings and Ear Tufts
At this stage, lightly sketch in the owl’s wings and ear tufts:
- Draw two curved lines extending from the sides of the head for the ear tufts
- On each side, sketch long wing shapes extending out from behind the head
The ear tufts should curve up slightly to a rounded point. Keep the wing shapes simple for now as we’ll refine them later.
Step 4: Draw the Eyes and Beak
Moving on to the facial features. Draw the eyes and beak using these guidelines:
- Turn the eye oval into a large circle for the pupil
- Add a half-moon shape above for the eyelid
- Draw a small triangle on the vertical line for the beak
Make sure to leave white space around the pupil for the yellow eye color. Having the eye partially closed adds some personality.
Step 5: Refine the Head, Chest, and Belly
At this point, you can start refining some of the shapes:
- Define the shape of the head with curved lines for the brow, cheeks, and chin
- Add a curved line across the chest where the wings meet the body
- Smooth out the belly shape using soft S-curves
Developing the head shape will help with adding details later. Don’t worry about the body being exactly symmetrical for a more natural look.
Step 6: Add the Feet and Refine the Wings
Now let’s draw the owl’s feet and finish the wing shapes:
- Draw large teardrop shapes for the feathered feet
- Refine the wings with longer flight feathers extending from the initial shape
- Add smaller inner wing shapes tucked under the main wings
Placing the feathered feet below the belly balances out the composition. Feel free to tweak the wing shapes as needed.
Step 7: Draw the Plumage Details
At this point, our owl is starting to take shape! Let’s add finer details:
- Draw feather patterns across the wings, chest, and feet
- Add some feather detailing within the ear tufts as well
- Lightly erase any remaining construction lines
Try using small U-shapes and zigzags to create feather textures. Adding these finer plumage details brings the owl to life.
Step 8: Finalize the Details and Add Shading
Almost done! Here are the finishing steps:
- Darken the eyes, beak, outlines, and other key details
- Use your pencil to lightly shade the eyes, wings, and feathers for depth
- Erase any remaining sketch lines
- Consider using pens for cleaner final outlines
Shading helps add realism and make the drawing pop off the page. Take your time finalizing pen outlines for clean, finished lines.
Tips for Drawing Great Horned Owls
Here are some additional tips to keep in mind when drawing great horned owls:
- Use photo references for accuracy in colors, markings, and proportions
- Start with basic shapes and build up details slowly
- Pay attention to key features like the ear tufts, yellow eyes, white throat, and mottled plumage
- Shade the eyes and the tops of the wings slightly darker for depth
- Don’t worry if your drawing doesn’t come out perfect! Just keep practicing
Referencing photos of the owls you want to draw can help capture details like their heart-shaped faces and barred plumage. Taking your time through each step allows you to gradually refine the drawing. Enjoy the process and don’t worry about mistakes since you can always erase and try again.
With some patience and practice, you will become more confident drawing great horned owls from imagination. Adapt this basic tutorial to develop your own unique owl art style.
More Tips For Drawing Owls
While we focused on the great horned owl in this tutorial, the same methods and techniques can be applied to drawing other owls as well. Here are some more tips for drawing different owl species:
- For snowy owls – Draw round, bright yellow eyes, add more white plumage around the face, no ear tufts
- For barn owls – Eliminate ear tufts, make the heart-shaped face very white, add dark eyes
- For burrowing owls – Use shorter ear tufts, make the wings smaller, add longer legs
- For barred owls – Add heavy vertical barring patterns across the chest and wings
Just take the basic owl drawing steps and adjust small details based on the specific species. Things like eye color, plumage patterns, ear lengths, and proportions will shift. Mix and match different features until you develop an owl drawing style you enjoy.
Conclusion
Drawing an owl may seem daunting, but breaking it down into simple steps makes the process approachable for any skill level. By following the guidelines provided, you can gradually build up a great horned owl drawing from basic shapes to completed details. The same methods can be applied to experimenting with different owl species. With practice over time, your observation skills and artistic confidence will grow. Soon you may even find yourself drawing owls from imagination. Just remember to have fun and enjoy bringing these majestic birds to life on paper.
