Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Blue Jay" video after each step to draw at your own pace.

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 as a guide for the top part of the cardinal's body. The circle doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide. Leave enough room on the top right for the cardinal's head and on the lower left for the bird's tail.

Step 2: Draw an arc on the lower left side of the circle as a guide for the second part of the bird's body. Don't make the arc too tall. The resulting shape should be similar to a circle.

Step 3: Draw another circle on the top right side of the cardinal's body as a guide for the head. This circle should be about half the size of the first one. The edges of the two circles should touch.

Step 4: Inside the small circle, draw two intersecting lines. These lines will help you place the facial cardinal's features later on.

Step 5: Draw a small triangle-like shape on the right side of the cardinal's head as a guide for the bird's beak.

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Step 6: Draw another triangle-like shape on the top of the head as a guide for the cardinal's crest.

Step 7: Draw two curved lines that connect the head to the body to form the cardinal's neck.

Step 8: Draw a long, thin arc on the lower left side of the bird's body as a guide for the cardinal's tail.

Step 9: Draw a couple of short lines under the body as guides for the cardinal's feet.

That's it for the initial sketch! From this point on, press harder with your pencil to get a more defined sketch.

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Step 10: Draw the cardinal's eye inside the head as a small circle. Use the lines as guides for placement. Add a tiny circle inside to represent glare and a big dot in the middle for the pupil. Shade in the rest of the cardinal's eye. Use a value that's lighter than the pupil. Add a few lines around the eye for extra detail.

Step 11: Use the triangle-like shape on the right as a guide to draw the cardinal's beak. Use a series of quick, short strokes to draw the feathery base of the beak on the left side of the triangle-like shape. Follow the basic path of the guide to draw the top part of the beak. Add a curved line underneath for the mouth. Use the lower edge of the initial shape as a guide to draw the bottom part of the beak.

Step 12: Use the other shapes as guides to draw the rest of the bird's head. Use quick, short strokes as you follow the basic path of the guides to create the feathery texture of the cardinal's crest. Darken the remaining guides to create the rest of the bird's head.

Step 13: Draw the pattern or mask inside the cardinal's head by using quick, short strokes. The mast is the black part of the head. It basically covers the base of the beak, around the eyes and down to the neck.

Step 14: Use the lines under the bird's body as a guide to draw the foot on this side. Follow the path of the guide and make the foot thicker as you darken the lines. Add the cardinal's three toes in front.

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Step 15: Draw the cardinal's foot on the other side by using the first foot as a template. Part of the toes are hidden behind the base of the foot on this side, so don't draw everything.

Step 16: Draw the folded wing inside the cardinal's body. The wing consists of a couple of curved lines that come to a point on the left side. Sketch the bird's wing lightly at first. When you get the shape right, darken the lines. Use quick, short strokes on the right side.

Step 17: Darken the initial lines to create the shape of the bird's body. Use quick, short strokes on the lower left side of the body for the cardinal's fluffy feathers.

Step 18: Draw a line on the top of the cardinal's body for the wing on the other side and a few curved lines within the wing for extra detail.

Step 19: Use the arc on the left side as a guide to draw the cardinal's tail. Darken the outer edge of the arc and add a few lines within the shape for the bird's feathers.

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Step 20 (optional): 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 of the final sketch lines that you may have accidentally erased.

Final Step (optional): Cardinals are colorful, so instead of the usual shading, try coloring your drawing. Using gray, add some shading to give the drawing more dimension and volume. Shadows are generally at the cool end of the color spectrum, so add some blue or purple in the shadows.

Use black for the mask on the face. Use strokes that go in the general direction of the feathers. Continue adding black until you've covered the entire area of the black mask. Start adding dark red to the body, mainly to the sections in the shadow. Add some brown on top of the dark red you've already to give the coat more color variety. Now cover the rest of the body in red to give the cardinal the vibrant coloration it's known for. Add the color lightly as you cover the body in red. Then push harder with your pencil to get separate layers of the same color. This gives the drawing more dimension.

Now use a slightly lighter shade of red to build up more color throughout the bird's body. After the layer of lighter red, you can go back and add more dark red. Continue the process of adding different shades of red to the body to build up the color you want. Adding different layers of color can be very time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. You can also simply add a single layer of red to the entire body for a simpler drawing. Add some highlights to the top of the body using orange and yellow. Color the beak using the same technique of layer different shades of red on top of each other. Use light red on top of the beak for a shiny texture. Color the cardinal's feet using layers of shades of brown. Use dark brown for the shadows on the feet, then light brown and yellow for the highlights.

Draw a cast shadow underneath using gray and blue. This helps ground the cardinal so it doesn't appear to be floating. Don't forget to pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. Add some blue to the shadows on the body and some reflected red on the cast shadow below the bird.

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