In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Great Horned Owl 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 Owl 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 an oval on the top part of the page. Leave room at the bottom for the owl's body. It doesn't have to be perfect. It's just a guide for the owl's head.

Step 2: Inside the head, draw two intersecting lines which will help you to place the owl's facial features later.

Step 3: Sitting on top of the horizontal line, draw two small circles as guides for the eyes.

Step 4: Draw two triangle-like shapes on the owl's head as guides for the tufts of feathers.

Step 5: Where the guide lines cross, draw a kite-like diamond shape as a guide for the owl's beak.

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Step 6: Below the owl's head, draw a big slanted oval as a guide for the body. Don't worry if it's not perfect. It's just a guide.

Step 7: Draw an arc similar to the letter U below the body as a guide for the owl's tail.

Step 8: Draw a series of curved lines below the body as guides for the owl's feet. Start with an arc that looks like the letter C on its side, then draw more curved lines to complete the owl's feet.

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

Step 9: Draw the owl's beak using the diamond shape as a guide. Make the edges more round and curved.

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Step 10: Draw the tufts of feathers using the initial shapes as guides. These aren't horns or ears. They're just tufts of feathers, so use quick, short strokes when you draw them. From the inside of the ear, draw a line using quick, short strokes that extends over the owl's eye and ends at the beak. Do the same on the other side. The end result will resemble the letter V on its face.

Step 11: Draw the owl's eyes using the initial circles as guides. Draw a line across each eye to represent the owl's eyelids. Darken the shapes of the eyes and draw a small line at the bottom for detail. Inside each eye, draw a circle and shade it in for the owl's pupil. Leave a portion unshaded to represent glare.

Step 12: Use quick, short strokes to draw the rest of the owl's head. Use the original oval shape as a guide to draw the head.

Step 13: Draw some lines throughout the owl's head for extra detail. Use quick, short strokes when adding detail to get the feeling of feathers. Remember to pause the video if you need help in placement of the owl's feathers.

Step 14: Use the initial lines as guides to draw the feet. Go around the guide line making the toes thicker, and draw a curved talon at the end. Draw the other toes the same way until you're done with all of them. Owls actually perch with two toes forward and two toes backward. I forgot this when I was drawing, so adjust your drawing accordingly if you like. It's not a big deal.

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Step 15: Draw the rest of the owl's body using the big oval as a guide. Draw a curved line along the left side of the owl's body for the wing. Do the same thing on the right side, but have the line overlap the body and go down toward the owl's tail.

Step 16: Draw the owl's tail feathers using the U-shaped line as a guide. Simply draw smaller, thinner U-shaped lines within the bigger shape to represent feathers.

Step 17 (optional): Draw something at its feet, like a rock or a ledge so the owl doesn't appear to be floating. Two lines work as a branch.

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

Final Step (optional): Add some shading to give your owl drawing more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value.

You can add more value throughout your owl drawing for extra detail. Remember to pause the video or use reference for accuracy when shading the pattern of the owl's feathers. It looks a lot more intricate than it actually is. The pattern basically consists of spots of different sizes and small squiggly lines.

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