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

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To draw this White Stork 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 Narrated 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 of the paper as a guide for the top part of the stork's body. 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: On the lower, left side of the circle, draw a big arc as a guide for the bottom half of the white stork's body. Pay attention to the position and size of this arc in relation to the circle. The combined shape of both guides should b similar to a skinny egg.

Step 3: High above the first circle, draw a small circle as a guide for the head. White storks have long necks, so don't place this circle too close to the body. This head circle should be about one-fifth the size of the first circle.

Step 4: On the right side of the head circle, draw a long, thin triangular shape as a guide for the stork's beak. This guide should slope down and to the right. Pay attention to how long this guide is in relation to the head.

Step 5: Draw two curved lines that connect the head to the body to create the guide for the white stork's neck. Draw these lines so that they curve in a similar way to the letter S. The bottom part of the neck should be wider than the top. On the lower, left side of the body, draw an angled line as a guide for the tail. This guide should be similar to a small square.

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Step 6: Under the body, draw two long vertical lines as guides for the stork's legs. These lines should be almost as long as the length of the entire body. Bend the lines in the middle slightly to indicate where the joint will be. At the bottom, bend the lines to the right as guides for the feet.

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

Step 7: Inside the stork's head, on the top, right side, lightly sketch a small circle for the eye. When you get the size and position of the eye right, darken the lines. Inside the eye, off to the side draw a tiny circle for a highlight. In the middle of the eye, draw a slightly bigger circle and shade it in for the pupil. Don't overlap the tiny highlight circle as you shade in the pupil. Add a few small, curved lines around the bird's eye for a bit of the bare skin and corners of the eyes. To the right, draw a few short strokes for a few feathers.

Step 8: Darken the top part of the triangular guide on the right for the first part of the white stork's beak. Make the tip pointy and draw a line across the middle of the shape for the actual mouth. The mouth should stretch inside the head and end below the eye.

Step 9: Darken the bottom part of triangular guide to finish the shape of the stork's beak. On the left side draw a couple of curved lines that are made up of short strokes for the feathery base of the beak. Inside the top part of the beak, draw a shorter sloping line for the nostril.

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Step 10: Darken the initial small circle to create the shape of the stork's head. Stretch the right side of the head farther right than the initial edge of the circle. Use short strokes as you darken the left side of the head to create a feathery texture. Add short strokes to the left of the beak for the bottom of the head.

Step 11: Darken the lines under the head to create the shape of the stork's neck. Use short strokes as you darken the guides for a feathery texture.

Step 12: Lightly sketch a long, thin shape across the entire body for the stork's folded wing. The left side of the wing should be thin and pointy and the right side should be wider and curved. The left side should also overlap a big part of the guide for the tail. When you get the overall shape of the wing right, darken the lines. Use short, curved strokes along the bottom of the wing for individual feathers. Add more short, curved strokes across the shape of the wing for the feather pattern.

Step 13: Use the long, vertical line on the right side as a guide to draw the white stork's first leg. First draw a V-shaped line at the to that's made up of short strokes for the feathery base of the leg. Then draw the shape of the leg around the guide line. Draw the edges of the leg close to the guide to keep the shape of the leg skinny. Add a bulging shape where the guide bends for the joint in the middle of the leg. At the bottom, draw three long, thin shapes along the guide for the toes pointing forward. The toe in the middle should be longer and the toe on the other side should barely be visible. Add a smaller shape on the left side for the toe pointing backward.

Step 14: Use the line on the left as a guide to draw the stork's other leg the same way. Draw the V-shaped feather base at the top first. Then draw the skinny shape of the leg around the guide line. Add a bulge where the guide bends for the joint and then add the toes at the bottom. A big portion of the toes will be hidden behind the first foot.

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Step 15: Use the remaining shapes and lines as guides to draw the rest of the stork's body. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the body. Draw a series of thin, curved lines along the square-like guide on the left to create the feathers on the tail. Don't overlap the folded wing as you draw the tail. Use short, curved lines on the underside of the body for more feathers.

Step 16: 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. Don't ink the initial guide lines, only the final drawing. After inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing of a white stork.

Final Step: Color your stork drawing! Lightly use orange as the base color for the beak and legs. To color lightly, push down very lightly on your pencil, then later push down harder for a darker shade. Then add different shades of orange to the beak and legs. Use yellow and yellow-orange for highlights and red orange and brown for shadows. Slowly add the different colors together and gradually push harder on your colored pencils to blend them together. For a simpler drawing, color the beak and legs a single orange color and don't worry about adding shadows and highlights.

Slowly add black to the lower half of the wing. Use brown along the top part of the wing to create individual feathers. Use brown for the eye too but don't overlap the tiny highlight circle inside. Now use gray to create shadows on the white feathers. Shadows will give the figure more dimension and volume. Pick the light source so that the shadows are consistent throughout the body. Here the light source is coming from the top, so most of the shadows will be on the bottom of the shapes. Make the shadows dark near the bottom and gradually lighter toward the top. Use strokes that go in the general direction of the feathers as you add the shadows. At the bottom, draw a shadow using gray and a bit of blue or purple. The shadow will ground the stork so that it doesn't appear to be floating.

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