Are you struggling with figuring out how to draw a chicken? Maybe your kiddo asked you to help them sketch one for a school project, or perhaps you just wanna add some farmyard charm to your doodles. Either way, I’ve got you covered! Drawing chickens isn’t as tricky as it might seem. With a few simple steps, you’ll be sketching adorable chickens that’ll make everyone go “awww!”
As someone who’s spent countless hours teaching drawing to beginners I can tell you that chickens are actually great starting points for new artists. Their basic shapes are forgiving and the feathery texture can hide small mistakes. So grab your pencil, and let’s get clucking!
What You’ll Need to Draw Your Chicken
Before we dive into the step-by-step process, here’s what you’ll need:
- Paper (any kind will do!)
- Pencil for sketching
- Eraser for mistakes (we all make ’em!)
- Coloring supplies (optional – colored pencils, markers, or crayons)
That’s it! No fancy art supplies required The beauty of drawing chickens is that you can create them with whatever you have on hand
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Draw a Chicken
Step 1: Draw the Head and Neck
Begin with a curved line to form the head and the back of the neck. This is the foundation of your chicken drawing. Next, add several successively smaller circles near the top of the head to create the chicken’s eye. Don’t forget to shade between the smallest circles to indicate the pupil!
This first step is super important because it establishes the pose and personality of your chicken. A slightly tilted head can make your chicken look curious while a straighter neck might make it appear more alert.
Step 2: Add the Beak and Comb
Now, use curved lines that meet at gentle points to create the two triangular portions of the chicken’s beak. This gives your chicken its characteristic “chicken-y” look!
Then, draw a round shape below the beak. Above the beak, use a series of “U” shaped lines to form a scalloped shape – this is the chicken’s comb (that red fleshy bit on top of their heads). The comb is what gives chickens their distinctive silhouette!
Step 3: Define the Neck and Back
Use a series of “U” shaped lines to enclose the feathery bottom of the chicken’s neck. This creates the fluffy texture that chickens are known for.
Next, extend a long curved line from the neck to create the chicken’s back. At the bottom of the back, draw a small “U” shaped feather. This starts to give your chicken some body and dimension.
Step 4: Create the Wing
Draw another “U” shaped line beside the first back feather. Then, connect it to the neck with a long curved line, completing the chicken’s wing.
To give the wing some texture and make it look more realistic, add some connected “U” shaped lines across it. These represent the feathers that make up the wing. Don’t worry about making them perfect – chickens are naturally a bit messy and fluffy!
Step 5: Form the Belly
Extend a long curved line from the front of the neck, outlining the chicken’s belly. This gives your chicken its plump, rounded shape that makes chickens so huggable!
The belly line should have a nice gentle curve to it – chickens aren’t skinny birds! They have that characteristic round, full shape that makes them so recognizable.
Step 6: Begin the Tail Feathers
Continue the long line using a series of overlapping curved lines. These will form the chicken’s tail feathers. Tail feathers are one of the most expressive parts of a chicken, so have fun with them!
You can make them short and perky or long and elegant, depending on what kind of chicken you’re trying to portray. Farm chickens typically have shorter, more practical tail feathers compared to some fancy breeds.
Step 7: Complete the Body
Continue drawing more overlapping tail feather lines to fill out the tail. Extend one line to the middle of the wing to completely enclose the chicken’s body.
At this point, your chicken should be taking shape! You’ve got the head, body, wing, and tail all defined. We’re almost there!
Step 8: Add Texture and the First Foot
Texture the belly and chest with small, “U” shaped feathers. This gives your chicken that fluffy, feathery look that makes them so adorable.
Then draw the first chicken foot, poised and bent in mid-step. Use overlapping curved lines to sketch the foot, then enclose a pointed, curved claw at the tip of each toe. Chicken feet might seem complicated, but they’re basically just three toes pointing forward and one pointing back!
Step 9: Complete with the Second Foot
Draw the remaining foot, this time flat on the ground. Use long curved lines that double back on themselves to form the leg and toes. Then, draw curved triangles on the tip of each toe to form the claws.
Congrats! Your chicken drawing is now complete! You’ve successfully drawn a chicken from head to toe.
Coloring Your Chicken Drawing
Now for the fun part – bringing your chicken to life with color! Chickens come in so many beautiful colors and patterns. Here are some ideas:
- Classic Farm Hen: Several shades of brown with a red comb and yellow beak
- White Leghorn: Pure white with a bright red comb
- Rhode Island Red: Rich reddish-brown feathers
- Plymouth Rock: Black and white checkered pattern
- Silkie: Fluffy white or black
Don’t feel limited by these suggestions! I’ve seen blue chickens, green-tinted ones, and even purple in children’s books. Let your imagination run wild!
Common Mistakes When Drawing Chickens (And How to Fix Them)
Even the best artists make mistakes sometimes. Here are some common issues when drawing chickens and how to fix them:
- Too-skinny body: Chickens are plump birds! If your chicken looks too thin, widen the body outline.
- Stiff-looking legs: Chicken legs have a slight bend at the “knee” joint. Add this bend to make them look more natural.
- Flat-looking feathers: Use varying sizes and directions of those “U” shapes to create texture and dimension.
- Proportions seem off: Typically, a chicken’s head is about 1/4 the size of its body. Use this as a rough guide.
Remember, there’s no such thing as a “perfect” chicken drawing – even in nature, every chicken looks different!
Fun Facts About Chickens to Inspire Your Drawing
While you’re working on your masterpiece, here are some fun chicken facts that might inspire your art:
- Chickens can recognize over 100 different faces of their species
- They communicate with at least 24 different sounds
- The closest living relative to the T-Rex is… you guessed it, the chicken!
- A mother hen turns her eggs about 50 times per day
- Chickens can see colors better than humans can
Maybe knowing these facts will give your chicken drawing some extra personality!
Taking Your Chicken Drawing to the Next Level
Once you’ve mastered the basic chicken, why not try:
- Drawing a rooster with its more elaborate comb and tail feathers
- Creating a mama hen with baby chicks
- Sketching a chicken in different poses – pecking, running, or flapping its wings
- Adding a farm background with a barn and fence
Why Drawing Chickens is Great Practice
Drawing chickens isn’t just fun – it’s also great practice for developing your art skills! Here’s why:
- The simple shapes help build confidence
- The feather textures teach you about creating patterns
- The proportions are forgiving – even if it’s not perfect, it’ll still look like a chicken!
- It combines both curved and straight lines for well-rounded practice
Wrapping Up
See? Drawing a chicken wasn’t so hard after all! With these 9 simple steps, you’ve created an adorable farmyard friend. Whether your chicken ended up looking like a prize-winning show bird or something more… unique (hey, we all start somewhere!), the important thing is that you gave it a try.
Remember, practice makes perfect. The more chickens you draw, the better they’ll get. And don’t be afraid to add your own creative touches – maybe your chicken needs a fancy hat or sunglasses!
Now go show off your chicken drawing skills to everyone you know – they’ll be impressed, I promise! And if they ask how you got so good at drawing chickens, just tell them you found an eggcellent tutorial online. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist one chicken pun!)
Happy drawing, everyone!
How To Draw A Chicken
FAQ
How do you draw a chicken?
All you draw is a leg line down to one front pointy toe. Chickens are ground-feeding birds with heavy bodies that are part of the Phasianidae family of birds that also include the grouse, pheasant, turkey and partridge. Ancestors of the chicken may have roamed with the dinosaurs such as the Tyrannosaurus rex!
How do you draw a cat comb?
Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category. Step 1: First draw the comb. This is the red bit on top of the head. It looks like a slightly curved fuzzy caterpillar. Step 2: Next draw the tiny eye just below the top part of the comb. The pointy beak is right below the bottom of the comb.
How do you draw a head feather?
Start with the first tail feather and draw one big loop in a continuous motion. Without lifting the crayon, draw the second large loop and then another. The loops introduce a lovely motion into the process. Use the same loop-the-loop process to draw draw head feathers. Next, draw a small triangular beak and a solid oval black eye.