How to draw an animated bird?

Drawing animated birds can be a fun and rewarding artistic pursuit. With some basic drawing skills and knowledge of animation techniques, anyone can learn to create lively, flying birds in motion. In this comprehensive guide, we will cover everything you need to know to get started with drawing animated birds.

What You Need to Draw an Animated Bird

Here is a quick overview of the basic supplies you will need:

• Drawing paper
• Pencil and eraser
• Colored pencils, markers, or paints for coloring
• A ruler or other straightedge
• An animation or flipbook app or software (optional)

You don’t need any fancy art supplies to practice drawing animated birds. All you really need is a pencil, paper, and a good eraser to start sketching. As you advance, you may want to add colored pencils, markers or paints to color your drawings. A ruler can come in handy for proportioning the birds accurately.

While not essential, using animation or flipbook software can make the process of animating your birds easier and more dynamic. Some simple, affordable options include FlipaClip and Pencil2D.

How to Draw a Basic Bird Body

When learning to draw birds, it’s best to start with basic bird body shapes. Here are some tips for drawing a simple bird body:

• Draw a gently curving teardrop or oval shape for the body. Add a small circle at the bottom for the tail area.
• Attach an oval head to the top of the body. The head can be proportional to the body or slightly bigger.
• Add a long triangle coming from the back of the head for the beak. Draw a small circle for the eye.
• Extend lines from the bottom corners of the body to represent wings. They can be simple lines or more detailed feathers.
• Add feet if desired by drawing thin lines under the body. Bird feet have three toes in front and one in back.

Take your time to practice these steps and draw basic bird bodies from multiple angles. Drawing lightly in pencil allows you to easily erase and tweak your sketches until the proportions look right.

How to Draw Birds in Motion

The most challenging part of drawing animated birds is depicting them realistically in flight. Here are some tips for drawing birds that appear to be in motion:

• Study photos and videos of birds flying as references for anatomy and wing positions.
• Draw the wings raised or extended to show flapping andflying movements.
• Angle the bird’s body diagonally to imply forward motion instead of stiffness.
• Add movement lines, blurred edges or a motion blur effect to really capture the sense of speed and motion.
• Show wings at different stages of the flapping motion to animate the bird.

Pay attention to how much of the wing is visible from certain angles and how the feathers shift as the wings flap up and down. Use varied angles and perspectives to make your bird drawings appear more dynamic.

Tips for Drawing Different Bird Species

Once you have the basics down, you can start drawing specific bird species by modifying some small details. Here are tips for drawing realistic versions of popular bird types:

Parrot

• Draw a short, curved beak and a large head compared to the body
• Add detail to the feathers on the top of the head and around the face
• Parrots have zygodactyl feet with two toes facing forward and two backward
• Make the tail long with pointed feathers
• Add bright tropical colors with variations for different parrot species

Owl

• Draw a round, flattened facial disk with large eyes and small sharp beak
• Make the body horizontally rotund and fluffy
• Owls have Z-shaped wing feathers adapted for silent flight
• Position the legs relatively low on the body
• Use muted earthy tones like brown, white and black when coloring

Eagle

• Use angular feather shapes and a powerful curved beak
• Draw the eyes small and front-facing
• Make the talons large and prominent on the feet
• Angle the wings straight out or tipping up when flying
• Use coloring consistent with different eagle species, like bald eagles

Hummingbird

• Make the body and bill very small and slender
• Draw a long thin beak suited to drinking nectar
• The wings should be proportionately large and angular
• Show the hummer hovering or darting through the air
• Use iridescent greens, violets and other bright colors

Once you understand the unique features of each species, you can start drawing animated scenes with multiple birds interacting.

Tips for Coloring your Animated Bird Drawings

Color can bring your animated birds to life. Here are some quick tips for coloring bird drawings:

• Closely observe photos of the bird species for accurate color schemes
• Use markers, colored pencils or paints to add vibrant color
• Shade with darker values in shadowed areas of the body
• Leave some areas white to represent light feather patches
• Add smaller details like eyes, beaks, feet after completing the main coloring
• Use similar color palettes across multiple frames for consistency

Keep your colors bold and smooth. Avoid messy scribbling outside the lines. You can add texture later with cross-hatching or blending after laying down the base colors.

How to Animate your Bird Drawings

To really bring your birds to life, you need to animate them. Here are some tips for animating your bird art:

• Study and practice basic animation principles like timing and easing
• Use animation apps like FlipaClip or Pencil2D to animate digitally
• Draw each frame of motion incrementally to depict different stages
• Add bouncing, fluctuation and overlap for more realistic movement
• Play with speed, timing and weight to show your bird taking off, gliding, flapping etc.
• Keep the bird’s volume consistent by not decreasing its size too much when far away
• Minimize the number of frames redrawn between key animations for efficiency

Start by animating very short sequences of just a few seconds. As you get comfortable with the process, you can expand into longer flying and movement cycles for more elaborate animations. Patience and practice are key to mastering the art of animated birds.

Advanced Animation Techniques to Try

Once you grasp the basics, experiment with some of these more advanced animation techniques:

• Rotoscoping – Trace over footage of real birds in motion to gain a more natural sense of positioning.
• Motion paths – Map out the exact path of flight over time.
• Squash and stretch – Exaggerate the smushing and extending of the body for more impact.
• Anticipation – Add an initial movement that “sets up” the main action.
• Follow through and overlapping action – Show trailing elements like feathers to add more realism.
• Smear frames – Use elongated or blurred frames to convey speed.

Don’t be intimidated to try new techniques! Even copying the masters can help you steadily improve your animation skills over time.

Mistakes and Problems to Avoid

When starting out with animated bird drawings, there are some common mistakes that are easy to make but important to avoid:

• Do not make your bird anatomically impossible by twisting the body at extreme angles.
• Avoid unnatural stretching of the wings that exceeds their normal extensions.
• Don’t move the wings in a perfectly vertical up-down flapping motion. Birds flap their wings on a diagonal plane.
• Make sure to animate the secondary action of the tail and feathers, not just the wings flapping.
• Prevent “floating” by animating takeoffs and landings rather than just having a bird hover mid-air.
• Don’t move the bird too erratically or unrealistically quickly from frame to frame.

Review your animations carefully and watch reference videos to catch errors and improve the realism of your bird motions. Mastering realistic movements and transitions takes patience and an attentive eye.

How to Practice your Bird Drawing and Animation Skills

Like any skill, the more you practice drawing and animating birds, the better you will become. Here are some tips for effective practice:

• Set aside regular time to draw – try for at least 20-30 mins daily.
• Start off practicing the fundamentals like form and proportion.
• Focus on mastering one species at a time until it looks lifelike.
• Quick gesture drawing can build fluidity faster than meticulous rendering.
• Fill up pages in your sketchbook with bird studies from photos.
• Film yourself or use a mirror when sketching to ensure accurate angles.
• Compare drawings side-by-side to reference materials to identify weak areas.
• Practice bringing your drawings to life with simple walk cycles or micro-animations.

Consistent practice through studies, sketches and observation is essential for taking your bird drawing abilities to the next level. Always critique and analyze your work to accelerate your artistic growth.

Helpful Resources for Learning to Draw Animated Birds

Here are some resources that can help build your skills for drawing and animating birds:

• Online Classes and Tutorials – Check out Skillshare, Udemy or YouTube for an abundance of tutorials to learn from.
• Bird Anatomy Charts – Printable diagrams to understand the anatomy and structure of birds.
• Bird Identification Apps – Get photos of real birds in different positions to draw from.
• Animation Apps – User-friendly apps like FlipaClip which make animating easy.
• Bird Watching – Observe and photograph live birds at zoos, aviaries or in nature.
• Books – Pick up instructive books like “The Animator’s Survival Kit” by Richard Williams.
• Online Photo References – Great for practicing gesture drawing with varied bird photo poses.

With the right reference materials and a passion for continuing to learn, your animated bird drawings will take flight in no time! Don’t be afraid to enlist feedback from others or join animation communities to accelerate your progress.

Conclusion

Drawing animated birds is an enjoyable and stimulating artistic challenge. Start by practicing basic bird body shapes and flight stances. Bring your drawings to life with vibrant colors and begin animating with simple sequential motions. Observe live birds and animation principles closely to impart a true sense of movement and realism. With some diligent practice and the right reference materials, you will be amazed at the lively bird animations you can create. The reward of seeing your drawings take on a life of their own makes the effort to master this skill deeply fulfilling. So grab your sketchbook, fire up your animation software, and let your creativity soar! The animated birds of your imagination are ready to be brought into the world through the power of your determined artistic vision.