The easiest way to draw an owl is to work from a clear photograph of one perched on a branch. A front or slight three-quarter view will let you see the face, body, folded wings and feet without requiring you to understand the bird in flight.
Owls can look simple at first because their bodies appear compact and their faces are dominated by two large eyes. The challenge is keeping those features connected to the posture and proportions of the complete bird.
I like to begin with the way the owl is sitting, then work inward towards the face. This prevents the eyes from becoming too large before I know how much room the rest of the owl needs.
Choosing an owl reference
Look for a photograph with a simple background and a clearly visible perch. The owl should be large enough in the image that you can see:
- The outer edge of the head
- The facial disc around the eyes
- At least one complete wing
- The feet or talons
- The main feather markings
You do not need to see every feather. A photograph with clear light and a readable silhouette is more useful than one filled with tiny detail.
My guide to choosing an animal drawing reference has more advice on finding images that are suitable for beginners.
Three relationships to notice first
Before drawing, compare the width of the head with the width of the body. On many owls, the head appears surprisingly broad because of the surrounding feathers.
Next, look at the length of the body from the top of the head to the feet. A perched owl is often taller and narrower than the familiar round owl symbol we carry in our imagination.
Finally, notice the position of the face. The eyes and beak may not be perfectly centered if the owl has turned its head.
These three relationships will help you draw the owl you are looking at rather than a generic version of one.
Draw the owl from large observations to small ones
1. Begin with the perch
Lightly draw the branch or surface beneath the owl.
This gives you a ground level for the feet and helps establish the angle of the pose. The perch does not need any bark or texture yet. A simple line is enough.
Mark where the left and right feet will grip the branch. Then make a small mark for the top of the head. You now know the approximate height of the owl.
2. Follow the outer contour
Begin near the top of the head and follow the visible edge down one side of the body.
Observe whether the head is rounded, flattened or interrupted by small feather tufts. Do not automatically add pointed “horns.” Some owl species have prominent ear tufts, while others have a smoother head.
Continue past the shoulder and along the outside of the folded wing. The body will usually narrow as it approaches the feet.
Repeat the observation on the opposite side. The two edges do not need to be symmetrical. One wing may sit lower, or the owl may be leaning more heavily to one side.
Use light, searching lines so you can adjust the width as the drawing develops.
3. Find the facial disc
The facial disc is the arrangement of feathers surrounding the eyes and beak. Its edge may be circular, heart-shaped or only partly visible depending on the species and angle.
Instead of drawing two circles around the eyes, look for the complete flow of feathers across the face.
Follow the edge from above one eye, down beside the cheek, beneath the beak and back towards the other side. Parts of this edge may disappear into the surrounding head feathers.
Keep the shape light. It is a change in feather direction and value, not necessarily a dark outline.
4. Place the eyes by comparing them
Avoid drawing the first eye in detail before placing the second.
Make a small mark for each eye and compare:
- Their height on the face
- The space between them
- Their distance from the outer edges of the head
- Whether one appears narrower because the head is turned
- The amount of visible eyelid or surrounding shadow
Once the placement feels right, darken the pupils and iris gradually. Leave any reflected light visible in your reference, but do not add identical highlights automatically.
Owls often have intense-looking eyes, but they still need to sit naturally within the surrounding feathers.
5. Add the beak
The beak sits between and below the eyes. Much of it may be hidden by facial feathers.
Look for the upper ridge and the small hooked tip rather than drawing a large triangle. The beak usually appears narrower than the space between the eyes.
A dark mark beneath the tip can suggest the separation between the upper and lower parts. Keep the surrounding feather edges soft so the beak does not look pasted onto the face.
6. Describe the folded wings
Return to the body and find the upper edge of the wing near the shoulder.
Follow its visible edge down towards the lower body. On a front-facing owl, you may see both wings. In a three-quarter view, one wing will usually be wider and more prominent.
Do not draw every flight feather individually. First look for larger groups:
- The softer feathers near the shoulder
- The layered rows across the middle of the wing
- The longer feathers towards the bottom
- Dark bars, spots or changes in value
A few overlapping edges can suggest the layers without turning the wing into a repeated pattern.
My guide to drawing bird wings explains these feather groups in more detail.
7. Draw the feet gripping the branch
Owl feet are often partly hidden beneath belly feathers.
Begin with the visible toes and follow them around the branch. Look carefully at which toes come forward and which pass behind the perch.
The claws should follow the curve of the grip rather than extending as separate decorative hooks. If parts of the feet are hidden, allow them to disappear beneath the feathers.
You only need enough information to show that the owl is resting securely on the branch.
8. Add the feather markings
Now look at the larger patterns across the owl.
You may see dark areas around the eyes, vertical streaks across the chest, bars on the wings or small spots scattered through the feathers. Draw these patterns according to the direction of the body.
Marks across the chest should follow its rounded surface. Wing markings should change direction as the feathers overlap.
Avoid copying each spot separately. Group nearby markings and vary their darkness so the pattern does not become stiff.
9. Build the light and dark areas
Squint at your reference until the feather detail becomes less noticeable.
You may see darker areas:
- Around the eyes
- Beneath the brow
- Along one side of the face
- Between the folded wings and body
- Beneath the belly
- Around the feet and branch
Add these larger values before returning to smaller feather marks.
If you are working in graphite, my animal drawing in pencil tutorial explains how I build tone while allowing some of the paper to remain visible.
10. Finish with selective detail
Choose a few places to make more specific.
I usually add the clearest detail around the eyes, beak, upper wing and feet. Other sections can remain softer or partly unfinished.
Use short marks around the face, slightly longer marks down the chest and firmer edges along selected wing feathers. Avoid giving every feather the same amount of attention.
The owl should still read clearly when you look at the drawing from a distance.
Do not force the owl to be symmetrical
Beginners often try to make both eyes, wings and sides of the head match perfectly. That can make the drawing feel flat even when the individual features are carefully rendered.
Return to the photograph and look for the differences.
One eye may sit slightly higher. One side of the facial disc may be wider. One wing may fall lower against the body. The feet may grip the branch in completely different ways.
Those variations describe the owl’s viewpoint and posture. You do not need to correct them into symmetry.
If the owl looks too round
Check the length of the body before changing the head.
The wings may need to extend farther down, or the belly may need to narrow towards the feet. You may also have drawn the facial disc as the complete head rather than leaving space for feathers around it.
A round owl is not necessarily inaccurate, especially if the bird has puffed its feathers. Compare the drawing with your particular reference instead of applying one proportion to every species.
Try the same owl from another angle
Once you have drawn a perched owl from the front, make a smaller side-view sketch.
Notice how the facial disc becomes narrower, the beak projects beyond the face and the folded wing occupies more of the body. Drawing both views will help you understand the bird more clearly than repeatedly drawing the same front-facing pose.
For more bird subjects and beginner tutorials, explore my guide to drawing birds.