In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw an Emperor Penguin 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 Emperor Penguin 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.

Below you can watch a NEW step-by-step video tutorial with NARRATED steps:

The following is a video tutorial where the steps are Written out within the video:

For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake.

Step 1: Draw a big oval as a guide for the penguin's body. It doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide.

Step 2: Draw another oval above and to the right of the first oval as a guide for the penguin's head. This oval should be smaller and have a horizontal orientation.

Step 3: Inside the penguin's head, draw two intersecting lines. These are guides that will help you place the facial features later.

Step 4: On the right side of the penguin's head, draw a triangle minus the base as a guide for the beak.

Step 5: Using two curved lines, connect the two ovals and form the penguin's neck.

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Step 6: Inside the penguin's body, draw a curved line similar to a long letter U as a guide for the penguin's flipper.

Step 7: Below the penguin's body, draw two angled lines similar to the letter L as a guide for the feet.

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

Step 8: Draw the penguin's eye as a tiny circle right above the horizontal line. Draw a smaller circle inside and shade it in for the pupil. Draw a few lines around it for extra detail.

Step 9: Using the triangle as a guide, draw the penguin's beak. Curve the end of the beak down a little. The base of the beak goes in toward the penguin's head. Draw another line in the middle for the actual mouth.

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Step 10: Darken in the rest of the penguin's head using the initial shapes as guides.

Step 11: Draw the body by using the original oval and neck lines as guides. Leave a gap open under the body where the penguin's tail and feet will be. On the lower right side of the penguin's body, draw curved lines to indicate the folds of skin underneath.

Step 12: Use the initial U shape to draw the penguin's flipper. Make it thinner, longer and more pointy, and use a lot of curves on the left side of it.

Step 13: Draw the penguin's feet below the body. Follow the L shape and draw the base of the foot using quick, short strokes to represent the fluffy feathers. Then draw the pointy toes next to the base. Only the toe closest to us is completely visible, so only draw a portion of the rest. Draw the penguin's other foot the same way. Don't forget the toes!

Step 14: Draw the penguin's tail on the lower left side as two short lines that come to a point.

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Step 15: Add the separation of color on the penguin's body. This is a series of curved lines that separates the black top part of the penguin from the white part underneath.

Step 16 (optional): For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing all the guides. It's okay to leave some behind. Also re-draw any final lines that you may have erased.

Final Step (optional): Add some shading to give your penguin drawing more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it.

You can add more shading throughout your penguin drawing for extra detail. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. It's a good idea to use reference to be as accurate as possible. Add a cast shadow underneath. This helps ground the penguin so it doesn't appear to be floating.

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