Assume your steps are daunting when drawing this cute aquatic bird. Take it step-by-step: collect photos of Emperor Penguins or another species similar to them for reference purposes before beginning.
Now, sketch short lines over the body and wings using either an HB or B pencil (or exert more pressure onto any pencil you prefer) – these will be shaded differently later.
Head
Referring to the reference image above, draw two circles for the penguin‘s head. Eyes should resemble the upside-down letter “U,” with two small rings for pupils in between them. Underneath their eyes, draw a slight curve for its beak.
Now, we must connect the head to the body using a short neck. An easy way of doing this is drawing long curved lines from either side of your face towards the bottom of the oval, connecting them with smaller curved lines that run across your top body, and then making sure both bend in the same direction when tilting your body back and forth.
Draw short lines over the penguin’s body to add feather texture using an HB pencil and apply slight pressure when drawing these. Add shade using a 4B pencil while careful not to overdo it and ruin the smooth curves you made in step 3.
At last, it’s time to add the feet. For this step, draw two curved lines that bulge out on either side of the oval containing the flippers; make sure that one on the left is more comprehensive than on the right.
Now, let’s add the feet. To do this, we need to draw two curved lines that bulge out from either side of the oval for flippers and some short lines over the foot, giving feather texture – be careful not to overdo this step and ruin your smooth curved lines from Step 3. After adding these details, we should add shading using a 4B pencil – but do this gradually, as soft outlines are ideal when drawing penguins!
Body
Penguins have rather bulky bodies compared to their semi-aquatic lifestyle, so if you want to draw a realistic-looking penguin, sketch its body before using short pencil strokes to shade it with lighter and darker tones for depth and texture. Add texture lines if you like.
Next, draw flippers. To do so, draw two curved lines on either side of the oval that you drew for the body – with one on the left being longer than its counterpart – which will create the appearance of flippers and connect the head to the body.
Add details to your desired penguin drawing, such as feathered flippers or a hat. For an enhanced realism effect, it would also be wise to give their body and legs some texture by shading with darker pencil strokes or outlining with markers or paint brushes for the surface.
Once your drawing is complete, it is time to color it in. Choose to color your penguin in black or add fun colors; shading is an excellent way to bring out its cartoony qualities. When satisfied, erase any remaining pencil marks and add texture lines if desired to bring out their realistic appearance.
Wings
Although penguins cannot fly, they still possess wings for movement and swimming. To draw a pair of wings on your penguin, start with three circles – starting with the smallest on top, gradually getting larger until reaching a point below the body’s center – and connect these circles using curved lines; those on the left should curve outward while those on the right should curve in toward their bodies.
Now, we can start adding the feet of our little bird. To do so, draw two long curved lines on either side of the oval body shape with smaller curved lines emerging from their bottom edges to form toes – as seen below, due to their aquatic lifestyle, penguin feet can often be quite large!
To complete the drawing, add more details, such as the beak and tail, to the head and extra feathers to showcase the soft shading you made in step nine.
Use an HB pencil (or any pencil of your choosing) to apply darker tones to the black parts of our penguin while leaving its white features alone, giving it some much-needed volume and shape. Press with slight pressure as necessary when creating these darker areas; don’t erase construction lines from earlier, as they will prove helpful later. Now, we are ready to color our adorable penguin! Give his body, flippers, and any additional fluff at the top of his head black before coloring his beak and feet orange and giving his eyes light blue hues while leaving reflections outlined earlier white!
Feet
Penguins can be fun and straightforward to draw if you follow these simple steps. Once you remove them, they may become addictive as their adorable features keep drawing you back in! Plus, they make great drawing subjects for kids as a great introduction to the world of penguins!
Like any animal, the first step in drawing a penguin involves sketching its body and legs. Use an oval for its body and add two smaller circles as flippers – these may need to be more significant for greater realism, but still manage to keep its cute character! When drawing penguins, it is essential to sketch their bodies and legs out first to avoid altering or compromising their cuteness.
Next, draw the penguin’s feet. They should be situated near the bottom of an oval, facing either left or right. Draw one long curved line for each foot before adding branching curved lines as toes. Tilt them slightly so their toes point in the direction the penguin leans toward.
Finally, add your feet’ details with a pen or marker. Use a nail clipper or webbing pen to draw nails and webbing on their feet; add scaley textures for a more realistic effect.
Now is the time to color your penguin! Enjoy and experiment with different looks, such as adding a beak or giving him/her a hat. After some practice, you’ll soon have no difficulty drawing this adorable creature!
Tail
A penguin’s tail consists of short and curved lines. At its base are two close-together lines at the bottom of its neck; as you move away from its center, they become more temporary until only a couple remain near its feet.
Curved lines help give the penguin’s body feathery details, adding weight and giving its form more lifelike features. Next step? Creating its eyes and beak by drawing two circles connected by a curved line.
Add flippers and feet as the finishing touches, drawing two small oval shapes for flippers and two larger oval shapes for feet. Next, draw some zig-zag lines representing claws on a penguin’s feet. Additionally, use a pen or marker to add details to both components.
Once your penguin drawing is complete, add dimension by shading its feathers with an HB pencil for effective shading results. An HB pencil offers gentle yet light grey hues when used as a shading medium; kneaded erasers can help quickly eliminate unwanted pencil marks.
Trying out different shades of blue and white coloring techniques to give your penguin more lifelike details is a surefire way to do just that. Please don’t overdo it, though, as too much color can make your drawing appear chaotic! If your results don’t meet expectations, erase the lines or add texture instead – your penguin might still come out fine in the end!
