In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a White-Crowned Sparrow bird step-by-step.

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To draw this White-Crowned Sparrow Bird step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step drawings below the video. The new lines in each step are shown in red, so you'll know exactly what to draw next. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both drawing methods. Take your time and draw at your own pace.

The Written step-by-step video tutorial:

For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.

Step 1: Start by drawing a circle near the top, right side of the paper as a guide for the white-crowned sparrow's head. To draw the circle, first make four marks to determine the height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. If you're struggling to draw the circle, just trace the outer rim of a circular object like a coin or a bottle cap. For a more detailed guide on the different ways to draw a circle check out this tutorial: Four simple ways to draw a circle.

Step 2: Inside, draw two intersecting lines as construction guides to help you place the sparrow's facial features later. Draw the vertical line in the middle. Draw the horizontal line a tiny bit lower than the middle.

Step 3: On the left side of the head, draw a small, angled line that's similar to a less-than sign (<) as a guide for the white-crowned sparrow's beak.

Step 4: Under the head, draw a big circle as a guide for the top part of the bird's body. Use the four-marks method to draw this circle too. Draw the circle off to the right of the head a bit. This circle should be about twice the size of the circle for the head. This circle should be behind the bird's head, so don't overlap the edges at the top.

Step 5: Make a small mark on the lower, right side for the first part of the guide for the lower part of the white-crowned sparrow's body. Connect the mark to the big circle using long, curved lines to create a big arc. At the top, connect the head to the body using sloping lines to create the guide for the bird's neck.

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Step 6: Under the body, draw two short, sloping, vertical lines as guides for the sparrow bird's legs. Under each leg line, draw a short, horizontal line as guides for the feet.

Step 7: On the lower, right side of the body, draw two long, sloping lines as guides for the white-crowned sparrow's tail. Pay attention to the length of these lines. Close off the shape on the right. The base should be wider than the tip.

That's it for the guides! From this point on, press harder with your pencil for a more defined drawing.

Step 8: Inside the bird's head, lightly sketch a small circle for the eye. Use the initial lines as guides for placement. Pay attention to the size of the eye. When you get the size and position of the eye right, darken the lines. Inside the eye, draw a tiny circle off to the side for a highlight and a bigger circle in the middle for the pupil. Shade in the pupil but don't overlap the tiny highlight circle. Shade in the rest of the white-crowned sparrow's eye using a value that's lighter than the pupil. Use a dark value at the top and a light value at the bottom to give the eye a rounder look. Add a few small, curved lines around the bird's eye for a bit of the bare skin.

Step 9: Use the angled line on the left side of the head as a guide to draw the beak. Darken the guide and make the lines longer so that they stretch into the sparrow's head. Draw a line across the middle for the mouth. Stretch the line inside the head. Draw a series of short strokes along the right side of the beak for the feathery base. The bottom part of the bird's beak should stretch farther to the right than the top part.

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Step 10: Use the initial circle as a guide to draw the rest of the white-crowned sparrow's head. Draw a series of short strokes along the basic edge of the circle to create the feathery shape of the bird's head. Draw the strokes a bit higher than the edge of the circle so that the head is a bit taller. Continue to draw the strokes on the bottom along the edges of the guides for the neck.

Step 11: Draw a line that's made up of short strokes close to the top edge of the head for the markings on the head. Keep the strokes close to the top edge of the head. Follow the curvature of the sparrow's head as you draw the line. Add another line that's made up of short strokes below to create a thick stripe above the eye. Draw a squiggly line from the right of the eye to the edge of the head for another stripe. Add a squiggly line below the make the stripe thicker. The right side of this stripe should be thicker than the left side. Add a few more strokes along the bottom of the white-crowned sparrow's head for extra detail on the feathers.

Step 12: Under the initial circle for the head, draw a few short strokes for the top part of the white-crowned sparrow's folded wing. Below that, draw a series of long, curved lines toward the lower, right side for the bottom edge of the folded wing. Draw these long, curved lines across the middle of the body and into the base of the tail. Add some lines at the top for more of the wing. Draw a series of short, curved lines across the middle for feathers.

Step 13: Draw a series of short, curved lines below the middle section of the white-crowned sparrow's wing for more detail on the feathers. The feathers on the left should be narrower. The shapes don't have to be perfect. Just add some lines for detail. At the bottom, draw longer lines that are spaced closer together for more detail on the bird's feathers.

Step 14: Draw the shape of the leg and foot around the guides under the bird's body, on the right. Keep the shape of the leg thin. Add short strokes at the top for a feathery base. Draw the shape of the long, middle toe around the line on the left. Make the tip curved and pointy for the nail. Add a small, thin shape at the bottom for a smaller toe. Draw the backward-facing toe around the guide on the right. Make the tip pointy for the nail. Above the middle toe, draw a couple of lines for the short toe on the other side.

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Step 15: Use the lines on the left as guides to draw the white-crowned sparrow's other foot the same way. Draw the visible portion of the leg around the guides and don't overlap the first leg. Make the tips pointy for the bird's nails.

Step 16: Use the shapes in the middle as guides to draw the rest of the sparrow's body. Darken the outer edges of the guides to create the body's shape. Draw short strokes along the inner edge of the initial arc for the feathery underside. Darken the top edges of the guides to complete the shape of the bird's body.

Step 17: Darken the sloping lines on the right to create the shape of the white-crowned sparrow's tail. As you darken the bottom edge, make the left side lower so that the base of the tail is wider. Inside the shape, draw a series of long, sloping lines for the tail feathers. Make the feathers near the top edge shorter. Keep the lines close together for thin shapes.

Step 18: For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing all of the guides. It's okay to leave some behind. Re-draw any final sketch lines you may have accidentally erased.

Final Step: Add some shading to your white-crowned sparrow drawing. Use a dark value for the stripes on the head. Shade lightly at first, and then gradually build up to darker values. Add a series of long spots on the bird's wing. Use ovals for the spots and then shade them in. Make the ovals longer at the bottom so that they turn into stripes. Add stripes to the tail feathers too. Use a very light value for the rest of the body. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.

Use a medium value for the bird's beak but leave a thin strip at the top blank for shine. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. Add more strokes on the light sections of the body for more value and some feathery texture. Add a medium value to the areas between the spots and the stripes on the bird's feathers. It's a good idea to use reference as you draw for an accurate depiction of a white-crowned sparrow. Shading can be time-consuming so be patient and take breaks. Use a medium value to shade the feet. Don't shade the feet too smoothly. A rougher value gives them more texture.

Add shadows using a medium value throughout the bird's body to give the figure more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. As you shade, use strokes that go in the general direction of the feathers. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. Use a medium value to add a cast shadow underneath to ground the bird.

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