A side view of a parrot perched on a branch is a good subject for a beginner. It clearly shows the curved beak, rounded head, folded wing, gripping feet and long tail.
You can follow this tutorial with pencil, pen, charcoal, colored pencil or another medium. If you use pencil, try leaving the eraser aside for the first drawing. When a line misses the edge you intended, look again and place another line beside it.
I think of those marks as thought lines. They show what I saw at one moment and how my observation changed a moment later. They are part of the drawing, not something that always needs to be removed.
Choose a parrot you can see clearly
Parrots vary enormously. A macaw has a long tail and large beak, while an Amazon parrot has a more compact body. Cockatoos have crests, and smaller parrots may have shorter tails.
Choose one clear photograph instead of trying to create a general parrot from memory. A good beginner reference will show:
- The complete outline of the bird
- The profile of the beak
- One clearly visible eye
- Most of the folded wing
- The tail
- At least one foot gripping a perch
My guide to choosing an animal drawing reference can help you find a photograph that gives you enough visual information.
Start with the beak
The beak is the feature that immediately identifies the bird as a parrot, so I begin there.
Look at the outer curve of the upper beak. Make one committed mark following it from the face towards the hooked tip. If the curve feels too long or too steep, do not stop to erase it. Look again and place the next line where you now believe the edge belongs.
Add the lower beak beneath it. The upper section usually overlaps the lower one, so avoid separating them into two equal shapes.
Notice how deeply the beak connects to the head. It should feel embedded in the face rather than attached to its front.
Continue from the forehead into the back
From above the beak, follow the forehead over the crown of the head.
Allow that contour to continue down the back of the neck and into the body. Parrots often appear to have very little visible neck because their feathers create a continuous transition between the head and shoulders.
Keep looking ahead of your drawing tool. Watch where the edge is going instead of concentrating only on the point where your pen or pencil touches the paper.
If your first line falls inside or outside the observed edge, add another. Several related lines can create more energy than one cautious outline.
Find the body beneath the feathers
Return to the lower beak and follow the throat into the chest.
A perched parrot usually has an upright body with a full chest that narrows towards the legs and tail. Compare the front edge with the back. The body may lean forward, sit vertically or angle back slightly depending on the pose.
Do not close the body into a smooth, even shape. Look for where the chest changes direction, where feathers overlap the legs and where the belly disappears behind the wing or perch.
At this stage, the parrot should already have a readable posture even though the eye, feet and feathers are still missing.
Let the folded wing occupy the body
The folded wing covers a large part of a parrot’s side.
Find where it begins near the shoulder. Follow its upper edge across the body, then watch how the longer feathers travel towards the tail.
Instead of drawing each feather, look for two or three larger layers:
- Shorter feathers near the shoulder
- A broader middle section across the wing
- Longer flight feathers extending towards the lower edge
Describe these groups with overlapping lines. Some can stop midway or disappear into darker areas.
The wing should feel like it rests against the body. Avoid surrounding it with one thick outline, since that can make it look attached rather than layered.
For a closer look at how these sections relate, see my tutorial on how to draw bird wings.
Carry the movement into the tail
Follow the direction of the wing into the tail feathers.
On a long-tailed parrot such as a macaw, the tail may be nearly as long as the body. On other species, it will be shorter and broader. Compare it with your reference rather than assuming every parrot has the same proportions.
Draw the main tail feathers with long, direct marks. Let them overlap and end at slightly different points.
A tail made from perfectly parallel lines can feel stiff. Look for subtle changes in angle and width between the individual feathers.
Place the eye within the face
The eye is often surrounded by a patch of differently colored feathers or exposed skin. Observe that larger area before drawing the eye itself.
Place the eye by comparing its position with the top of the head, base of the beak and back of the face. Then add the pupil and any visible iris or highlight.
The eye does not need to be enlarged or heavily outlined to attract attention. A small dark shape placed accurately will usually be enough.
Look for the feather direction around it. Marks may radiate away from the eye, follow the curve of the cheek or change direction near the beak.
Draw the feet around the perch
Add the branch or perch where it passes beneath the bird.
Then look at how the toes wrap around it. Parrots grip with toes facing in opposing directions, but some may be hidden by the branch, feathers or the other foot.
Draw the visible toes as they travel around the perch. Do not line them up evenly. One may extend farther forward while another disappears behind the branch.
The claws should continue from the direction of the toes. A few decisive curves will describe the grip more clearly than outlining every joint.
If the feet become confusing, draw what is visible and allow the rest to remain unresolved. You do not need to explain every hidden part of the animal.
Use color as large areas first
Parrots often attract beginners because of their color, but begin with the largest color relationships rather than individual feathers.
Look for the main areas across:
- The head and face
- The throat and chest
- The shoulder
- The middle and edge of the wing
- The tail
- The beak and feet
If you are using colored pencil, watercolor or another color medium, place these broad areas first. Allow neighboring colors to meet, overlap or leave small areas of the paper visible.
If you are working in graphite or ink, translate the colors into different values and patterns. A red area may become a darker mass, while yellow feathers may remain closer to the color of the paper.
Suggest feathers without drawing all of them
Feathers change in size and direction across the parrot.
Around the face, they are small and compact. Across the chest, they can create soft rows or overlapping textures. On the wing and tail, they become longer and more clearly defined.
Choose a few areas where individual feather edges are visible. Elsewhere, use changes in line, color or value to suggest the surface.
Drawing every feather with the same mark can flatten the bird. Variation is more useful than detail.
Keep the thought lines
When the parrot is nearly finished, resist the urge to clean every edge.
You may have two or three lines around the head where you changed your mind about its width. The wing may contain marks from an earlier position. The tail may extend past the edge you eventually chose.
Those lines record the act of looking. They can give the drawing movement and prevent it from becoming overly controlled.
Confidence in drawing does not mean knowing exactly where every line belongs. It means making a mark, observing the result and continuing.
Darken the lines that best describe the parrot, but allow the others to remain as part of the sketch.
Draw the parrot again without copying yourself
Choose another photograph of the same species from a different angle. Draw the new bird by looking at the photograph rather than trying to repeat the solution from your first page.
You might try:
- A parrot leaning forward
- A parrot holding food in one foot
- A parrot turning towards you
- Two parrots sitting together
- A parrot with its wings partly open
- A close study of the beak and eye
The goal is not to produce the same successful parrot every time. It is to become more comfortable looking, responding and changing your mind on the page.
For more bird subjects and tutorials, explore my complete guide to drawing birds.