How to Draw Big Bird

Time needed: 30 minutes

How to Draw Big Bird

1. Sketch the round cartoon eyes.

   Sketch the eyes of Big Bird, which are two small circles placed side by side. After that, add tiny circles inside for the pupils. Don’t forget, that cartoon eyes don’t always follow realistic rules. If you sketch a line lightly across the page as a guide, it helps you keep both eyes level.

2. Draw Big Bird’s beak.

   Now sketch Big Bird’s long beak. It’s shaped almost like a cone with a soft curve at the end. To illustrate a beak like this, I often tell my students to think of a bent triangle, but with rounded corners. Add a line inside to show the separation between the upper and lower beak.

3. Sketch the round head shape.

   Draw the round outline of the head with a fuzzy, irregular line to illustrate feathers of Big Bird. Unlike a perfect circle, you want to sketch it with soft bumps and curves. This technique is something I use often when teaching students how to illustrate animals with fur or feathers – you don’t want the line too smooth.

4. Add feather tufts to the head.

   Next, sketch the little tufts of feathers on top of Big Bird’s head. Think in small clusters, draw a couple of curved lines that branch outward, not just single strands. These tufts don’t need to be perfectly even, and in fact, a little asymmetry makes them feel more natural.

5. Sketch the teardrop body.

   Now, draw Big Bird’s body as a large, teardrop-shaped form beneath the head. It should be wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, connecting smoothly to the head. Avoid using straight or smooth lines, but instead draw Big Bird’s torso with small wavy lines to convey the texture of the feathers.

6. Draw Big Bird’s wings.

   Add one wing to the side of the body. After that, draw the second arm on the opposite side. Unlike real birds, Big Bird’s wings are simplified, almost like an arm covered in feathers. So, you are not aiming for realistic bird anatomy, it’s more like drawing a cartoon arm with texture.

7. Sketch the tail feathers.

   Draw the tail feathers at the lower back of the body. Like the wing, they’re very simplified. Avoid making them symmetrical or overly neat. Instead, illustrate a series of simple curves that create overlapping feathers. This creates the impression of texture without needing dozens of lines.

8. Draw Big Bird’s striped legs.

   Big Bird is famous for his striped legs, so this step is especially important. Sketch two long, narrow legs extending downward from the body, and then draw the wide, flat feet at the bottom. To make the legs recognizable, illustrate the horizontal stripes across them.

9. Color the character.

   The final step is coloring Big Bird. Fill in the body with bright yellow, keeping the beak orange and the legs striped with orange and pink. You can make your big bird drawing more cartoonish by outlining it with dark lines, or give it a more dimensional look by adding shadows.