A robin on a twig

Practice a rounded bird silhouette, a folded wing, and a short tail. A handful of feather lines adds detail without a full plumage study.

A way into the drawing

1. Place the bird

   Draw a rounded body with a smaller head above it. Keep the neck transition soft rather than making two separate circles.

2. Add wing and perch

   Place a teardrop-shaped folded wing and a short tail. Draw the twig below the belly and two small feet around it.

3. Suggest the feathers

   Add the eye, beak, and curved breast boundary. Divide the wing into a few long feather shapes, then place short marks beneath the belly.

A small thing to tryDraw the wing as one simple shape first. Its outer contour matters more than the number of feather lines.