Owl Drawing Ideas

How to draw an owl step by step

An owl is one of the easiest birds to draw, because most of the body is just two circles stacked on top of each other. The trick is keeping the shapes round and the eyes big, which is what gives an owl its friendly look.

1. Draw a large circle for the head and a slightly bigger oval below it for the body, so the two shapes overlap a little.
2. Add two big round eyes near the top of the head, close together in the middle of the face.
3. Draw a small triangle nose or beak between and just below the eyes.
4. Add two small pointed ear tufts on top of the head if you want a more detailed owl, or leave the head smooth and round for a simpler one.
5. Draw the wings folded against the sides of the body as two curved shapes, and add two small feet underneath.

Darken your final lines at the end and rub out the guide shapes. That last step is what makes a drawing look finished rather than sketched.

Which owl should you start with

If this is your first owl

Start with the sitting owl or the owl on a branch. Both face forward with wings folded and nothing else on the page, so you only think about one shape at a time.

If you have drawn birds before

Try the owl with a scarf, the owl wearing glasses or the owl holding a flower. The body stays simple and you are only adding one small prop, which is a good way to make a drawing feel finished without more difficulty.

If you want a challenge

The owl with open wings and the flying owl are the hardest here, because the wings stretch out fully instead of staying folded. Draw the round body first in both, and the wings follow more easily once that shape is in place.

What you need

An HB pencil, plain paper and an eraser. A 2B pencil helps if you want darker final lines. Nothing on this page needs a tablet, a light box or special paper, and none of these were drawn with any.

Three things that make an owl look like an owl

• The eyes are too small. Owl eyes are large and set close together facing forward, more than almost any other bird. Small eyes make the owl look like a generic bird instead.
• The body is too thin. An owl is round and a little chunky, not slim. Keep the body shape closer to a wide oval than a narrow one.
• The head is a separate shape. An owl barely has a visible neck. Let the head sit close against the body rather than drawing a gap or a long neck between them.

Ways to use these drawings

Copy any of these by hand, or download and print them for yourself, for your children or for your classroom. They work as colouring sheets, tracing practice, a warm up before a bigger drawing, or line art for a card. The owl with a gift and the owl with a balloon both suit birthday and holiday cards. If you want to use one in something you sell, write to us first.