How To Draw An Owl –Step By Step Tutorial

Learn how to draw an owl the easy way! Today we will guide you through the simple steps of making an owl using basic shapes. 

Believe it or not, owls are one of the easiest animals to draw because they are very symmetrical and have mostly flat faces.

And this quick drawing lesson will turn you into a master owl artist in no time.

Owls happen to be one of my favorite birds! There are many different types of owls.

The owl species you are drawing today is a Great Horned Owl. Other owl types you may have heard of are Barn Owls, Barred Owls, and Snowy Owls.

 Here are some cool facts about this nocturnal bird. First, owls can’t move their eyes.

They can only move their heads, which is why they can rotate them so far around.

And owls have a binocular-like vision that allows them to focus at very long distances, but they have blurry vision up close. 

Many owls appear to have prominent ears, but it’s the big tufts of hair or feathers that surround the ear that you see. These tufts help funnel the sound into the ear.

In Greek mythology, an owl always accompanies Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The owl is a symbol of wisdom in many cultures.

Now grab your short list of supplies to start your easy owl drawing.

Other drawing tutorials you may like are this one for drawing a butterfly and a cute frog.

Materials For How to Draw An Owl 

• Sheet of paper
• Pencil
• Pencil sharpener
• Eraser

Optional Materials

• Markers
• Colored pencils
• Crayons

Step-By-Step Guide For How To Draw An Owl

Step 1. Draw The Body Of The Owl

The first step is to draw a big oval shape. This will be the owl’s body.

Step 2. Make The Wings For The Owl

Now to make the wings, add a curved line on each side of the body. The curves bend in opposite directions from each other. 

Step 3. Draw The Owl’s Facials Disks and Eyes

In this next step, draw the eyes and the facial disks, which are the giant circles of feathers that radiate around the eyes.

Make two large circles overlapping in the center of the facial disks. They stop just a little bit above the wings and extend a fair amount past the side of the owl’s head.

Now draw a smaller circle inside of each eye to make the pupil.

The pupils are off center, come in a little closer together, and slightly lower than the center.

Step 4. Draw The Ear Tufts On The Owl

Go ahead and erase the pencil lines from the previous step that show through the owl’s facial disks.

Now draw the ear tufts, which are the feathers that cover the ears. To do this, draw diagonal, curved lines.

The outside of each ear starts about halfway between the eye. Be sure to stop the inside curve a bit from the top of the oval to leave room for the top of the owl’s head. 

Step 5. Finish The Owl’s Head and Draw The Feet

We will make the top of the head a rounded shape, so connect the inside of the ears with a curved line.

Next, draw the owl’s feet. To make these, draw two wide rectangles near the bottom of the body and angle them slightly outward.

Then at the bottom, draw two triangles that point downward.

Step 6. Add Pupils To The Owl’s Eyes

First erase the pencil lines inside the owl’s feet.

Now, inside of his wide eyes, add part of the pupil. This will be a crescent shape that gives the owl the appearance of looking to the left.

Just draw a slim curve on the right side of each smaller circle.

Step 7. Draw The Eye Details And Start The Beak

Add a small triangle to the middle of the crescent shape in the eye. Place it just above the center.

The triangles should be pointing toward the left. This really adds a lot of character to the eyes. 

Next, start to create the beak. The beak starts right in the middle of the bottom of the facial disk.

So draw two small circles right in the middle of the lower peak.

Step 8. Finish The Owl’s Beak To Shape The Face

This part of the owl is simple, just add a small triangular beak.

To make it a little more realistic, you can add a curve near the bottom. Now you can really make out the owl’s face. 

Step 9. Add Finishing Touches To The Cute Owl

Now if you wish you can color in the owl drawing. Color in the iris in his nice round eyes to give them some contrast.

You can use realistic colors like the one in the reference image, or use different colors that are bright and bold.

And to add some texture, you can add short lines to give him fluffy feathers on his ear tufts, or hatch marks on his wings to create layers of feathers.

Don’t forget to Pin it for later!