How to draw a penguin looks so easy, doesn’t it? Yes, it is easy and almost effortless to draw and, we’ll soon see why.
For me, penguin means a cute, black & white walking bird.
The shape of a penguin’s body is very simple indeed.
Instead for walking penguin was probably created for swimming because penguin is an excellent super fast swimmer and diver.
It took me a while till I picked a “perfect penguin” that would be easy
to draw in few simple steps. As you may already know there are about 17
species of penguins.
My advice is, first, learn how to draw a penguin here, learn the basic
steps and procedure and then go and pick your favorite among other
species and draw it.
As a drawing example and exercise I picked the Gentoo Penguin, because I think it is very easy to draw and shade.
Let’s observe the body language of this penguin for a moment. It will help you to draw it better and easier.
Notice the signs of this body language while you learn how to draw a penguin.
What does he do? Where is the penguin looking or staring? It seems that
he just spotted something on the side or it may be that he observes an
object or a situation.
Body of the penguin is slightly leaned to the side.
Can you see that? It looks like as penguin would begin to walk there in the next moment.
Very helpful method when you draw an animal is to draw it with/by circles and ellipses.
I think this method especially fits when you want to learn how to draw a penguin because of its round body shape.
It is nearly impossible to make a mistake here. Simply adjust the shape of a penguin to the circles. Yes, it is that simple.
The penguin we are about to draw has its head turned upward on the side.
So the beak is visible in its entire length and thus it is easy to
draw.
Draw two ellipses, something similar as if you were drawing a snowman.
See that the ellipses I drew are consisting of many lines crossing each
other.
It is not necessary to draw a perfect ellipse in the beginning. Relax
and gently draw as many lines as you consider necessary. We’ll erase
them in following steps.
Now, mark the wings of a penguin by simple one line, just make a rough sketch of a wing as you see on the picture.
On the bird’s head draw a weak line representing the center of the beak.
This is the direction where the penguin has its head turned to.
Large ellipse on the body and small circle are the basis that serves us to get an idea about the total size of a penguin.
You can now make joints – draw a neck between the head circle and the body. Just observe the drawing and do it as I did.
Click on the image to enlarge, so that you can see clearly how the drawing progresses.
Draw weak lines marking the border between black head and white belly.
Also, there is a white spot around the eye expanding towards the top of
the head.
If you encounter some difficulties or find a bit difficult to observe
the black and white picture, click on the direct link above Gentoo Penguin, it will take you to Wikipedia to see the color photo.
The beak is also two-colored. In our drawing, it is only black and grey
but this must be visible in order to make the penguin drawing look more
realistic.
The fun of drawing penguin by pencil is that it doesn’t require any difficult shading
OK, now you have erased unnecessary lines from the initial ellipses and you have a nicely shaped body of a penguin.
Draw the wings on both sides. Penguin is a swimmer and therefore the
wings resemble rather to fins. They quite resemble to a perfectly shaped
shark’s pectoral fin.
Start to shade the head by short pencil strokes. Make the lighter tone
first, a darker grey. See how rough strokes I make. The only point is
the strokes should be directed from the top of the head along the neck. Click on the image to enlarge to see the strokes close up.
When you draw a penguin’s eyes make a tiny little white spot as the light reflection so that the eye looks alive and sharp.
There are some white spots on the wings (fins) too, these should be marked there too.
OK, let’s make some final adjustments. There is a shade on the belly
under the wing, can you see that? And do not forget the tail!
It is somehow hidden but for the penguin tail means a lot because
penguins use the tail as a kind of supporter, a third leg while they
standing or sitting.
Notice the very weak shades on the belly, right above the legs area and
on the side under the neck. Carefully and gently shade these parts.
Be easy with the pencil because the belly is white.
Well, there you go. I think you have now learned how to draw a penguin.
Was it easier than you imagined? Of course it was. I am sure you did a
very good job!
Please see and enjoy the following collection of personal galleries. We all believe you will have a lot of fun. Observing other’s art work is always, always very inspirational. You may get some new ideas for your own drawings.
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The following Theme Based Galleries are a collection of selected drawings from various authors based on a certain theme. I would like you to get as much inspiration as possible for your own drawings.
Share your own drawings, sketches or doodles by choosing a suitable
category below. You will be guided to the uploading process step by
step.
Jan 14, 21 03:23 AM
This one has more details than the previous one.
Jan 11, 21 09:06 PM
We don’t need to spend millions for plastic barbie girl look we should love ourselves for our natural beautiful bodies and give love to everyone sadly
Jan 10, 21 05:50 PM
Direct pen art
Jan 10, 21 05:48 PM
Ape's Statement
Jan 10, 21 05:46 PM
Ballpoint pens art completed. Have not copied the photo reference literally. Dedicated to Ivan Husky and Emma Adams.
Jan 10, 21 05:42 PM
After a long time, here is another portrait art, together with some imaginary decor.
Jan 07, 21 03:03 AM
With a blue pen and directly. What has inspired me to do this is that I saw a video of a road in India. And which is famous for having paranormal activities.
Jan 04, 21 02:09 AM
This type of art was popular in the past. And I want to revive it. The beauty here is in complexity.
Jan 04, 21 02:08 AM
Playing dice with destiny...
Dec 31, 20 06:13 PM
Done at work during lunch time, it was a demo to my colleagues.
Dec 29, 20 03:38 AM
Direct pen art. No plan with pencil
Dec 27, 20 09:54 PM
Ballpoint pens art in progress. A bit challenging since no grid was used as you can see. And no complete plan with a pencil. But I started with the
Dec 25, 20 09:28 PM
Nothing lasts forever. Not even the coronavirus. So wear mask, stay safe and fight hard.
Dec 24, 20 03:05 AM
Semi-imaginary art with ballpoint pens completed. So there are trees, river with the presence of algae, a bridge. I dedicate this art to Ivan Huska, Emma
Dec 21, 20 08:02 PM
Shadow of Lost Humanity