In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Wood Duck step-by-step.

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All of the tutorials on How2DrawAnimals.com are good drawing tutorials for beginners and experienced artists alike. The online tutorials are easy to follow; they teach you the how to draw basics while showing you how to draw animals step by step. Each animal has a video drawing tutorial option, as well as step-by-step photos and written text to follow.

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To draw this Wood Duck 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: Draw a circle near the right side of the paper as a guide for the wood duck's head. To draw the circle, first make four marks to determine its height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. With every step, 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 cup or a lid. 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: Far off to the left, make a small mark for the first part of the guide for the back of the wood duck's body. Connect the mark to the circle using long, curved lines to form an arc for the back of the bird's body. Pay attention to the size of the arc in relation to the circle. The combined shape should be similar to an egg.

Step 3: Above the body and to the right, draw a small circle as a guide for the wood duck's head. This circle should be about one-fourth the size of the first one. Don't draw the circle too high up.

Step 4: Inside the head, draw two intersecting lines as guides to help you place the wood duck's facial features later.

Step 5: On the right side of the head, draw a small, thin arc as a guide for the bill. Draw the arc below the horizontal guide inside the head. Slope the tip of the wood duck's bill down a bit.

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Step 6: Draw a wavy, S-shaped line from the left side of the head to the body as the guide for the bird's neck. Under the head, close to the bill, draw an even longer S-shaped line as the other edge of the wood duck's neck.

Step 7: Below the middle of the body, draw a small, L-shaped line as a guide for the foot. On the left side of the body, draw a big, angular line as a guide for the wood duck's tail. Make the shape almost square-like.

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

Step 8: Inside the head, lightly sketch a small circle for the eye. Use the initial lines as guides for placement. When you get the size and position of the wood duck's eye right, darken the shape. Inside the eye, off to the side, draw a tiny circle for highlight. In the middle of the eye, draw a big dot for the pupil. Don't overlap the highlight circle. Draw a few curved lines around the eye for extra detail.

Step 9: Use the initial arc on the right side of the head as a guide to draw the bill. Follow the basic path of the arc and draw the top part of the bill but make the line a bit wavier. Near the bottom of the arc, draw a long, sloping line for the wood duck's mouth. Curve the tip of the bill down and make it pointy. Darken the left side for the base of the bill. Darken the bottom part of the arc for the lower half of the bill. Inside the top part of the bill, draw a small, oval-like shape for the nostril. On the top part, draw a curved line for the thicker base of the bird's bill.

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Step 10: Starting on top of the head, lightly sketch a line that slopes down for the crest. Don't draw the line too far away from the bird's head. When you get the size and position right, darken the line. Draw a series of short strokes along the bottom for the tips of the feathers on the crest. Curve the strokes up and then down so that they connect to the back of the neck. Darken the right side of the wood duck's neck. Use the initial circle as a guide to draw the front of the head. Make the shape of the head wider as you follow the basic curvature of the circle.

Step 11: Draw the pattern on the head using a series of curved lines. Draw a thin stripe that's made up of two lines that start at the bill, curve over the eye and end near the crest's tip. Keep the stripe thin. Use short strokes near the back for the wood duck's feathers. Starting at the horizontal construction guide, draw another stripe that slopes down toward the tip of the crest. Draw a curved stripe on the lower half of the head. Use short strokes for the left edge. Use short strokes to draw a ring-like shape across the front of the bird's throat.

Step 12: Darken the top line of the initial big arc for the first part of the wood duck's folded wing. On the left side, sticking out of the body, lightly sketch an angled line for the pointy tip of the folded wing. When you get the shape right, darken the line. The tip of the wing should overlap the tail a bit. Within the tip of the bird's wing, draw a series of short lines for the detail on the feathers.

Step 13: Near the middle of the bird's body, draw a big, long, curved line for the second part of the folded wing. Along the curved line, draw a series of short lines for detail on the wood duck's feathers.

Step 14: Draw a few short strokes above the L-shaped guide for the feathery base of the first leg. Follow the path of the L-shaped guide and draw the leg around it. Keep the shape of the leg thin. At the bottom, follow the guide to create the feet. Keep the feet thin too. Not all the toes will be visible from this angle. Add a line at the top for the other visible toe. On the left, draw an angled line for the toe pointing back.

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Step 15: Above the wood duck's first foot, draw an L-shaped line for the other foot peeking from behind.

Step 16: Use the remaining lines and shapes as guides to draw the rest of the wood duck's body. Darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. Don't overlap the shape of the leg as you draw the bottom edge of the body. Draw a series of lines within the shape of the bird's tail for detail on the feathers. Draw a series of longer, angular lines along the edge of the guide for the tail for longer feathers. Inside the body, near the chest, draw a few curved lines for extra texture on the feathers.

Step 17: Go over the final sketch lines with a pen, marker or any other type of permanent ink. Take your time and be careful when you ink to avoid any accidents. After inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing.

Final Step: Color your wood duck drawing! Use green for the top part of the head. Use black for the bottom half of the head but leave the stripes and markings blank. Use dark green for the outer edges of the head and light green for the middle for a shiny look. Add a bit of pink behind the wood duck's eye, orange for the base of the beak, and black for the bottom of the beak. Use red and red-orange for the rest of the bird's beak and the eye. Color lightly at first and gradually build up to the level of darkness that you like.

Use black for the top part of the bird's body. Remember to color lightly at first. Vary the pressure on your pencil to go from a lighter color to a darker one. Add more color to the wood duck's head. Gradually push harder on the pencil and blend the colors together. Use pinks and purples for the middle of the head and yellows and oranges for the beak. Keep the outer edges of the head dark and the inside light for a shiny look. Add more black to the body. Use blue for the top part of the folded wings. Color lightly at first. Along the bottom of the wood duck's folded wing, draw thick, curved lines for the pattern on the feathers. Use blue on the middle of the wing too and leave a couple of sections blank.

Use black near the base of the bird's tail and gradually transition to dark green toward the tip. It's a good idea to use reference as you draw for a more accurate depiction of a wood duck. Use a blend of orange, purple and pink in the small section between the tail and the wing. Use a blend of brown, light brown and gray in the middle section of the body just below the wing. Use the darker colors around the top and sides and the lighter ones in the middle and bottom.

Use dark brown for the wood duck's chest. Leave a thin section blank between the middle section and the chest. Coloring can be very time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. As you color the bird's chest, leave a few small sections blank for the lighter speckled pattern. The pattern on the chest doesn't have to be perfect. Just leave a few small spots blank.

Color the wood duck's feet using yellow, orange and a bit of brown. Use a bit of darker brown for some shadows and creases on the feet. Add some shadows using gray along the underside of the body and head to give the figure more volume and dimension. Using brown and gray, add a cast shadow underneath to ground the duck so it doesn't appear to be floating. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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