Barn owls are striking birds with distinctive heart-shaped faces and rich brown plumage. While their appearance may seem daunting to recreate as a beginning artist, barn owls can make for a fun and rewarding drawing subject. With some basic sketching techniques, simple shapes, and an understanding of barn owl anatomy, you can learn how to draw a barn owl in a step-by-step process.
What You Need to Draw a Barn Owl
To start your barn owl drawing adventure, you will need the following supplies:
- Drawing paper – Plain white computer paper, sketchbook paper, or drawing paper will all work well.
- Drawing utensils – You can use graphite pencils, colored pencils, pens, or markers.
- Eraser – Both pencil and kneaded erasers can be helpful for making corrections and lifting graphite as you draw.
- Barn owl reference photos – Find pictures of barn owls from multiple angles to use for reference.
Step 1: Sketch the Basic Shape of the Body
Let’s start by lightly sketching the basic shape of the barn owl’s body. Draw a large oval shape tilted diagonally down, with a wider upper half and a narrower lower half. This tilted oval captures the barn owl’s plump upper body and smaller lower body.
Tip for Drawing the Body
Look at reference photos as you sketch the body shape. Capture how barn owls puff out their feathers to appear larger.
Step 2: Add the Facial Guidelines
Now let’s build up the basic framework for the barn owl’s distinct facial features. To start, draw an oval shape for the head, extending upwards from the body oval. Draw crossing lines inside the head to mark the placement of the eyes, nose, and beak area.
Above the eyes, draw another oval for the forehead and brow area. Extend curved lines down from the brow to mark the outside edges of the heart-shaped facial disk.
Tips for the Facial Guidelines
- Make sure to leave room for the beak where the horizontal and vertical guideline cross.
- Place the eyes above the middle of the head – barn owls have high-set eyes.
Step 3: Draw the Wings
Barn owls have large, long wings to enable their silent flight when hunting. Let’s add the basic wing shape next.
On each side of the body, sketch a long oval or teardrop shape for the wings. Draw them extending diagonally down and out from the upper back area.
Add curved lines across each wing to mark the feather groups.
Tips for the Wings
- Make the wings widest in the middle and tapered at the ends.
- Draw the wings aligned with the angle of the body.
- Add 3-5 curved lines along each wing for the basic feather groups.
Step 4: Draw the Legs and Feet
Now we can add the basic framework for the legs and feet. Barn owls have long, spindly legs with sharp talons for catching prey.
On each side of the lower body, draw two long, slightly curved lines for the legs. Add bulbous shapes at the bottom for the feet.
Draw curved talons extending from each foot.
Tips for the Legs and Feet
- Make the legs extend diagonally out from the lower corners of the body.
- Draw the talons as large, curved claws.
Step 5: Add the Beak and Eyes
At this stage, we have the basic barn owl form mapped out. Next let’s add details to the facial features to give the owl some personality!
In the beak area, draw a long, curved shape that comes to a point. Add circles for the large black eyes, with tapered shapes above for the brow feathers.
Tips for the Beak and Eyes
- Make the beak extend below the intersection of the guidelines.
- Draw the eyes wide apart, following the angles of the brow feathers.
Step 6: Draw the Ear Tufts and Detail the Face
Barn owls have distinctive, heart-shaped faces framed by feather tufts. Let’s add those next.
Above each eye, draw a small grouping of angular feather tufts. Then detail the facial disk – draw a ring shape surrounding the eyes and beak.
Add small circles along the ring for a textured look.
Tips for the Facial Details
- Make the tufts above the eyes point in different directions.
- Vary the sizes of the small circles along the facial disk.
Step 7: Refine the Body Feathers
So far we have the basic barn owl form. Now let’s go back and add detail to the plumage throughout the body and wings.
Start by refining the wing feathers – add multiple curved lines and feather groupings along the length of each wing.
For the body, draw overlapping curved shapes to represent the downy breast feathers. Add smaller detail lines for feathers across the rest of the body.
Tips for Feather Details
- Make the wing feathers flow in the direction the wing is moving.
- Overlap curved shapes along the breast to show fluffy down feathers.
- Add smaller detail feathers especially along the back, sides, and face.
Step 8: Add the Finishing Details
Finally, finish up your barn owl drawing by adding some last details. Go back over the outline in darker lines and erase any sketchy construction lines.
Add more details like textured feather patterns. For an extra touch, use white to add highlights to the eyes, beak, and breast feathers.
If desired, use colored pencils or markers to shade your drawing for a more realistic, finished look.
Tips for Finishing Touches
- Darken key outline lines and erase remaining sketch lines.
- Shade lightly with pencil or colored media for extra dimension.
- Add highlights and textures for details.
And that’s it – you now have a completed barn owl drawing! With practice and patience using these steps, you can gain skills and confidence for tackling more complex owl drawings in the future.
Supply | Type | Purpose |
---|---|---|
Drawing paper | Plain white, sketchbook, drawing | Drawing surface |
Pencil | Graphite | Outline drawing |
Colored pencils | Any medium | Shading and details |
Eraser | Pencil or kneaded | Correct mistakes and lift graphite |
Reference photos | Barn owl photos | Model for drawing |
Tips for Drawing Barn Owls
Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind as you practice drawing barn owls:
- Use light, basic shapes and lines when starting the sketch.
- Refer often to photo references for anatomy and details.
- Draw the eyes wide apart and high on the head.
- Capture the heart-shaped facial disk and feathered texture.
- Take your time – don’t worry about perfection on early attempts.
- Stay patient and keep practicing to improve over time.
Common Barn Owl Features
When drawing barn owls, keeping their signature features in mind will help add realism:
- Heart-shaped face – Barn owls have a distinctive heart-shaped facial disk with small feather tufts above the eyes.
- Large eyes – The eyes are set wide apart and high on the head for excellent night vision.
- Light plumage – Coloration ranges from golden brown to grayish white. The breast is usually lighter.
- Long wings – Large wings allow barn owls to fly silently to hunt prey at night.
- Long legs – Spindly legs with sharp talons are used to catch small rodents and other animals.
How to Draw a Realistic Barn Owl
Here are some additional tips for taking your barn owl drawing skills to the next level:
- Use subtle shading to add dimension and form to the feathers.
- Pay close attention to the unique patterns and textures of the plumage.
- Vary the values more dramatically around the eyes and facial disk area.
- Use a kneaded eraser to lift graphite and create highlights.
- Develop a background scene like a barn wall or tree branch.
- Splatter white gouache paint for realistic highlights.
- Keep pushing your skills by experimenting with different mediums.
Practice Pages for Improving Your Skills
Setting aside dedicated time to practice drawing barn owls will quickly improve your skills. Here are some productive exercises:
- Quick sketches – Fill up pages with 1-2 minute barn owl sketches focusing just on rough form and gesture.
- Detail studies – Do enlarged drawings of owl eyes, beaks, feathers, and feet to understand anatomy.
- Shading studies – Practice shading owl plumage values and textures.
- Full studies – Set aside at least 20-30 minutes for full barn owl drawings practicing complete techniques.
Fun Ways to Use Your Barn Owl Art Skills
As you learn how to draw barn owls, here are some fun things you can do with your new skills:
- Illustrate a children’s book or story featuring a barn owl character.
- Design a unique barn owl tattoo.
- Create custom barn owl art and gifts for friends.
- Draw different kinds of owls like snowy, great horned, and screech owls.
- Use your barn owl in more complex nature drawings like night scenes.
- Make holiday cards or stationery with your unique barn owl art.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the key characteristics of barn owls?
Barn owls are most recognized by their distinct heart-shaped white faces, large black eyes set high on their heads, light plumage, long wings, and lengthy legs with sharp talons. They use their incredible hearing and silent flight to hunt at night.
What drawing supplies do I need?
You just need basic drawing paper, graphite pencils, an eraser, and some barn owl reference photos to start. Optionally, you can use colored pencils, pens, or markers to shade your drawing.
How can I draw the feathers more realistically?
Pay close attention to the direction and texture of the feathers in reference photos. Use techniques like hatching, cross-hatching, and scribbling to recreate realistic feather details.
Should I use tracing paper?
Tracing can be useful for beginners to understand barn owl proportions and anatomy. But avoid relying only on tracing – practice freehand drawing to improve your skills.
What mistakes do beginners commonly make?
Common mistakes are drawing the eyes too low on the head, making the facial disk too round, or drawing the wings and legs too stubby. Use references and take your time to avoid these errors.
Conclusion
Drawing barn owls can be an exciting challenge for any beginning artist. While their unique features may seem intimidating at first, you can break down a barn owl in easy stages using basic shapes and careful attention to detail. With the right techniques and regular practice, anyone can master drawing beautiful barn owls. The rewarding process will build your artistic skills and allow you to create amazing owl artwork to share with others.