How to draw a duck: 30 easy ways

How to draw a cartoon duck with felt-tip pens

What you need

• Paper;
• markers;
• eraser rubber.

How to draw

Draw an oval at the top of the piece of paper. This will be the eye of the duck.

Draw a circle in this oval - this is the pupil. Another shape, smaller, will depict a highlight. It is necessary to make the eye look realistic.

Shade the pupil with black, but do not touch the highlight and the white of the eye.

Draw a curved line to the left of the eye, as shown. This will be the front of the duck head.

Now draw another smooth, slightly curved line that ends in a semicircle. This will be the bottom of the beak.

Draw a smooth, slightly curved down line at eye level. Then continue it towards the lower jaw of the duck. This is a beak. Just do not make it sharp - bend the tip smoothly, as shown in the figure.

Draw a nostril in the part of the beak closest to the head.

Draw a neat open circle - this will be the duck's head. No need to draw a full circle - remember, we have yet to depict the neck.

Draw a small, curved slightly to the right line under the beak - this will be the front of the neck.

Carefully draw a semicircle under the neck of the duck - this will be the chest.

Continue drawing the contour of the duck's body, adding a curved smooth line at the bottom - this will be the bird's stomach.

Another curved line, which ends approximately at the level of the duck's neck, will be its back and tail.

Now connect the outlines of the duck's body with a slightly curved downward line so that it forms a protruding tail, as shown in the figure.

Draw a semicircle on the side of the duck - this will be the shoulder to which the wing is attached.

Attach two curved lines to the ends of this semicircle to make a wing.

In principle, the duck is ready, but such a black and white drawing looks a little boring. So let's add colors. Color the head green, the body grey, the beak yellow and the wing brown or a lighter shade of grey.

And the final touch: draw several open oval lines of different sizes under the body of the duck, which will depict ripples in the water. Without them, it will give the impression that the duck is hanging in the air.

You can see the entire drawing process here.

What other options are there

An even simpler option that will allow you to draw a duck from the number 2.

This duck is drawn with a marker in the same slightly childish style, but it has a more realistic anatomy.

And here it is shown how to draw and color a duck with colored pencils so that it looks more convincing.

This task will be more difficult, but nevertheless it is great for beginners. Here you have to depict a whole landscape with a duck and its offspring in the foreground.

How to draw a realistic duck with a simple pencil

What you need

• Paper;
• hard and soft pencils;
• eraser rubber.

How to draw

Let's start by building a primitive. Take a hard pencil H2 or medium HB and lightly draw a medium-sized circle on the paper. This will be the breast of the duck.

Draw two curved lines from the circle that smoothly converge into one shape. This will be the back of the duck.

A little higher on the right, draw a smaller circle - this will be the duck's head primitive. Divide it into four parts with two lines.

From the middle of the upper circle, draw two lines to the right and smoothly connect them. Get a beak.

With two slightly curved lines, connect the large and small circles, and you will get the duck's neck.

Under the body of the duck, draw two straight lines converging at right angles. This will be the leg. This completes the construction of the primitive, let's start working on the details.

In the upper right quarter of the small circle, draw an oval for the eye. Draw a smaller figure inside it - this is the pupil. Mark the glare - this is the smallest circle.

Fill the pupil with black, the whole eye with gray, and leave the small circle white - you will get an eye with a glare. Around it, you need to add a couple more curved lines at the top and bottom to get the folds.

Make the contours of the beak clearer and add a nostril to it. Focus on the blank that we made when building the primitive.

Now make the contours of the head clearer. Add 2-3 light pencil strokes to it near the eye for more detail.

We begin to draw paws. Draw a line bent at a right angle to the left of the previously prepared primitive. Its bend should be smooth. Place another similar line, smaller, to the left of the primitive.

Draw the fingers on the duck's leg in the form of short, neat lines converging together at the foot. Then connect them with a membrane, as shown in the figure.

Now draw the second leg, copying the steps from the previous step. However, it should be smaller because it is further away from the viewer. Do not forget that it is also partially hidden by the body.

From the base of the duck's neck - where the shoulder should be - draw a line slightly curved downwards: this will be the wing.

Draw a similar line from the tip of the wing back to the body of the duck. Just do not make it even - draw with separate short wavy strokes. This will create the feather texture.

Add a few light wavy strokes to the wing itself - about in the middle to show the shape of the feathers.

With gentle strokes, draw the duck's chest over the lines that we sketched in the previous steps. Do not try to make the line perfectly even - rather, allow a slight jerkiness, wavy to show the texture of the feathers.

Circle the bottom of the duck in the same way.

Draw the duck's tail, which consists of short feathers. To depict a separate feather, draw two short lines from the back of the duck, smoothly converging to one point. Repeat these figures three or four times, and you get a tail. It is better to draw lines not in one movement, but in several - short and jerky to show fluff and feathers.

Armed with an eraser, erase the primitives you used to build the duck. If you accidentally removed important lines, restore them with a pencil.

Now take a softer pencil like B2 or B4 and start coloring the duck with gentle strokes. Put a dark shadow on her chest, beak and lower part of her head, and lighten the back of her head and the back of her neck. Leave the top of the head and the area under the eye white.

Color the duck's wing and tail in the same way - give them a gray color, carefully applying it with a soft pencil. Stroke the upper part of the wing and tail lighter, the lower part stronger.

Now put hatching on the bottom of the duck's body. Observe the transition: the tone should be lighter above, darker below. To alternate shades, making a smooth transition, first shade the desired places with light gray. And where you need to make the color darker, then go over with a pencil again. But do not press hard on the stylus and do not try to create clear zone boundaries.

Paint the paws with a darker gray. Firstly, they have a color different from plumage, and secondly, they are under the body in the shade. Remember that the paw farthest from the viewer should be darker than the near one: this is how the light falls.

Now draw a shadow under the duck. The closer to her paws, the darker she should be. And as you move away from them, the shadow should become more and more invisible. So you eliminate the illusion that the duck is hanging in the air.

Finishing touches: make the texture of the duck's head and the shadow under its wing darker to add more volume and realism. The duck drawing is ready.

You can watch the painting process in its entirety here.

What other options are there

An extremely beautiful and realistic duck drawn with a simple pencil. It will take a lot of time to work it out, but the result is worth it.

Finally, a simpler, but no less realistic drawing of a flying drake, which can be done with ink, paint or a simple liner pen.

How to draw a realistic duck with colored pencils

What you need

• Paper;
• simple pencil;
• colour pencils;
• eraser rubber.

How to draw

We will draw this duck with colored pencils, but in general you can do this with watercolors, and gouache, and pastels - whatever you want. Even multi-colored ballpoint pens will do, if they are properly painted.

Let's start with an outline. Draw a horizontal line at the bottom of a sheet of paper, and a semicircle above it. This is the line of water and the body of the duck.

Above and to the left, draw a small circle, which should be divided into four equal parts. This is the head.

Draw a beak, as shown in the figure.

Connect the shapes with two curved lines and you'll have a neck. The left line should curve near the water level at almost a right angle, because part of the duck's neck is submerged in the water.

Draw the tail as shown below.

In the upper left part of the head, draw a circle, and in it two smaller shapes - this is the eye, highlight and pupil. The pupil should be shaded in black.

Work on the beak and add a mouth line. Above the last draw a small dark oval - you get a nostril.

Outline the head and neck of the duck with a darker color.

Draw two smooth, slightly curved lines from the base of the duck's neck to its tail. They must first go in parallel, and then converge. The upper line is straight, and the lower one is depicted with jerky strokes. You will get a wing.

Just above the smooth upper line, draw another one of the same, but smaller. It should be partially hidden by the body of the duck - this will be the wing that is hidden from the observer.

Outline the outer contours of the duck with a darker color.

In the lower part of the duck's body, closer to the tail, leave a small "depression" and draw two lines in it with a pencil. This will be the duck's leg immersed in water.

Draw feathers on the back of the duck with a few short, jerky strokes: a couple are connected to the tail, a few more to the wing.

Outline the outlines of the duck with a liner, pen, or softer pencil, and then erase the extra lines.

Color the duck's beak with a yellow pencil, and make its tip black.

Add saturation to the beak by going over it with an orange pencil. Lean on the pencil at the top of the beak, but do not touch the bottom too much: it will need to be touched up with brown or red to get a shadow. And finally, we will also make the duck's eye red or brown.

Color the edges of the duck's head with a dark green pencil. On top of it, apply a few random black spots. Do not paint over the center of the head.

Paint the center of the duck's head with a lighter shade of green, applying the color in short, jerky strokes. In some places, you can accidentally apply a layer of blue pencil on top of it to make the coloring more uneven.

Paint the front of the body and back of the duck brown, but do not touch the narrow strip on the neck where the head begins. The shade should be thicker in the middle of the body of the duck and lighter towards the chest.

Apply the same brown shade to the back and wings of the duck. The lower part of the wing should be painted thicker, and the upper, closer to the left half, more lightly.

The whole duck's tail, except for one or two white feathers, paint over with gray.

Sketch the reflection of the duck on the water. Take the same brown pencil and apply some color spots under her body. They should not be clear, but blurry - for this they must be performed in jerky movements. Move the pencil in a horizontal plane, as if repeating the location of the water surface.

Similarly, apply a green, not very distinct spot under the duck's head to the picture. Draw a couple of yellow spots where her legs are, as well as a green spot. You will get legs located under water, and a reflection of the head and beak.

Fill in the area around the duck with a blue pencil and the area directly below it with brown to make the shadow under the body more distinct.

With a brown pencil, make the lower border of the duck's body more clear so that you can see how it is submerged under water.

The duck is ready. You can see the full process of drawing it here.

What other options are there

If you like to paint with watercolors, here is a good duck option.

And this is a carolinka - a kind of duck, notable for its bright plumage. This drawing is also done with colored pencils.

If you want to draw something like this, but doubt your abilities, here is a somewhat simpler pastel drawing that does not require an accurate transfer of the shapes and colors of the bird's plumage.

And this is a drawing of a duck in watercolor, which is quite simple, but at the same time extremely convincing.

Finally, an intricate duck drawing for more advanced artists who love colored pencils. It is done on black paper.

How to draw a cartoon duck with felt-tip pens

What you need

• Paper;
• a simple pencil or felt-tip pen;
• eraser rubber.

How to draw

Now let's draw a very young duckling. Let's start with the head. Draw an almost closed oval, but do not complete it entirely - leave room for the neck.

Draw a couple of feathers on the top of the duckling's head. It will be a nice detail.

With one smoothly curved continuous line draw the beak.

Draw a neat circle on the left side of the head - this will be the eye. It should be placed approximately at the level of the beak.

Draw two small circles in the eye - highlights. In addition, it does not hurt to draw a small curve in the corner of the eye - this will be the eyelid.

Paint over the eye, but do not touch the highlights and eyelid. This way it will look more realistic.

Draw a barely noticeable line above the eye - this will be the superciliary arch of the bird. Draw short lines across the eyelid to make it more voluminous.

Draw a slightly curved line from the bottom of the duckling's head - this will be his chest.

Add another curved line at the bottom right of the duck's head - this will be the wing.

Continue this figure by drawing something like the number 3 - this is how you depict feathers.

Close the shape.

Draw a curved line in the middle of the wing to show another layer of feathers.

Draw a ponytail as shown in the picture below.

Another curved line under the tail will become the sirloin of the duckling.

Connect the front and back of the duckling with a neat, smooth curve.

Draw two curvy lines at the level of the duckling's belly to represent the water in which it swims. So you get rid of the illusion that the duckling is hanging in the air.

In principle, the duckling is already ready, but to make it more fun, it does not hurt to color it. You can do this with paints, felt-tip pens or colored pencils. Make the beak orange, the body yellow, and the water blue. Don't forget to leave a round highlight above the duckling's head. Also add a shadow to the lower parts of the head and body. So you show the volume of the duckling.

You can see the full process of drawing a duckling here.

What other options are there

Another cute duck drawn with pencils.

Here the duckling is drawn and colored with felt-tip pens.

This video tutorial will help you draw a duckling not in profile, but in full face.

And finally, a more complex option - there is already a grown duckling, which is half turned.

How to draw a realistic duck with colored pencils

What you need

• Paper;
• a simple pencil, pen or liner;
• colour pencils;
• eraser rubber.

How to draw

Draw a circle on a sheet of paper, just below the center - this will be the center of mass of the duckling, its body and pelvis.

A little higher and to the left draw a smaller circle - this will be the head. To immediately imagine its volume and slope, divide the figure in half with a slightly curved line, as if encircling it.

Draw something like a triangle, but with a smooth rounded corner. It should be attached to the duckling's head on the left and slightly below. Get a beak.

Connect both circles with two curved lines. The right one should be shorter and the left one longer. Get a neck.

From the body of the duck, draw two slightly curved lines converging at an acute angle. This is the tail.

Draw two lines under the body, converging at an obtuse angle - this is the leg and foot of the duckling.

The sketch is ready, we begin to draw it. Draw the eye, pupil and highlight as shown in the picture. The pupil should be painted over with black, but the glare and protein should not be touched.

Circle the beak more carefully and draw a slightly curved line in its lower part - this is the line of the mouth. Add a nostril. Draw a slightly curved line where the beak touches the head to make it more voluminous.

Circle the head of the duckling better, but not with one continuous line, but with short, jerky strokes. This will show the fluff on his head.

In the very center of the large circle that serves to indicate the body of the duckling, sketch out the shoulder and wing.

Around the line marking the duck's leg, draw two more lines parallel to it on both sides. This will be the shin.

Draw a couple of toes. The third one will be hidden from the viewer because the duck is turned sideways. When you draw the fingers, draw a short, curved line between them - this is the membrane.

In a similar way, depict another paw a little to the left, but make it a little smaller. And your duckling will confidently stand on both limbs.

Take a softer pencil, pen or liner and draw around the contours of the duck. Just don't do it in one solid line - apply short broken strokes to show the fuzz.

Erase all extra circles, lines and other shapes.

Color the body of the duckling with a yellow pencil.

Paint the areas under the belly, head and wings with brown, and on top of it apply a layer of orange. So you will depict the shadows on the body of the duckling.

Go over the yellow strokes to make the tone of the duckling's body more even. Move the pencil in one direction from the top left corner to the bottom right to show the texture of the feathers.

Continue coloring the duckling yellow in the same vein until the chick acquires a rich shade. Make the eye black or brown, leaving only the white round highlight unpainted.

Paint over first cream and then brown the duck's beak and paws, and they will acquire a realistic texture.

Tint the paws orange to intensify their color. Then, with a simple or black pencil, draw a shadow under them so that the duckling does not look like it is floating in the air.

The duckling is ready. This video will help to consider all the points in more detail.

What other options are there

Another drawing of a realistic duckling. It's quite simple, but it's also very persuasive.

A complex and beautiful drawing of a duckling's head with a pencil, which will take a lot of time and effort. But the result is worth it.

And here is a portrait of a whole duck family.

Those who like to paint in watercolor will be able to depict such a colored duck with detailed plumage.

How to draw the popular duckling Donald Duck with colored pencils

What you need

• Paper;
• simple pencil;
• colour pencils;
• eraser rubber.

How to draw

Finally, we will depict Donald Duck, the most popular duck from Disney cartoons. Here's how to do it.

Draw a circle at the top of the sheet - this will be Donald's head. Divide it with two curved lines. The vertical one should be closer to the right side of the circle, the horizontal one closer to the bottom.

Draw the duck's beak - it looks like it is made up of two baseball cap visors connected together at an angle.

Draw an oval shape behind the duck's head - this will be Donald's cap.

Below the circle, draw a large trapezoidal shape with slightly curved edges. This is Donald's body - he stands with his chest rolled out like a wheel. Connect the head to the torso with two short lines to form the neck.

Draw a circle at the bottom left of the body of the duck - this is a fist pressed to the side. Connect it to the shoulder with two lines converging at right angles.

Draw another circle to the right of the head and connect it to the right shoulder. It may seem that this arm is shorter in Donald, but in fact it is simply partially hidden by the body.

Draw an oval under the body on the left - this will be the butt of the duck.

Draw something like a triangle lying on the ground with rounded edges. It must be placed at some distance from the oval shown in the previous step, and connected to it with a short line. This will be Donald's leg.

Draw the same shape, but reflected horizontally, slightly to the right of the first one. Connect it to the body with a short slanted line. This is the second leg.

Circle the beak better, leave a small oval in the depths of the mouth - this is the tongue.

Draw two ovals above the beak - these are the eyes. The larger figure should be on the left, the smaller one on the right. Place a smaller oval in each, and you will get pupils.

Shade the pupils with black, and draw short lines above the eyes - eyebrows.

Trace around Donald's hat and add a short ribbon hanging down the back.

Draw a bow on the character's chest as shown in the picture below.

Draw Donald's hand over the line we made in the sketching step. It should resemble a short pipe bent at a right angle.

Draw a better circle depicting the character's fist, and add two pursed fingers to the side of it. Also add a stripe on the sleeve of Donald's vest.

Draw another sleeve in the same way - it looks like a straight short tube. Draw a stripe at the end of the sleeve.

Draw the fingers on the character's left hand as shown. The middle one should be slightly longer than the previous ones. Last add the thumb - it is located at a right angle.

Outline better the butt and leg of the duck, and also make a shadow with a pencil in the place where the limb joins the body.

Draw a fluffy sticking out ponytail. This should be done in short, jerky strokes to show the texture of the down.

Draw the second leg with great pressure, circling the line that depicts it with two additional parallel lines.

Outline Donald's outlines with a pen, liner, or thicker pencil and erase any unnecessary lines.

The drawing is ready, but it can also be painted. This is easy to do, because the character does not have complex color transitions. Color his headdress and vest blue without touching the bow around his neck.

Color the paws and beak yellow without touching the tongue and the inside of the mouth. The last one needs to be orange.

Finally, color Donald's tongue and bow red.

Make the edging of duck clothes on the sleeves and collar yellow.

The drawing is ready. You can watch the full video of the masterclass here.

What other options are there

If the portrait of Donald seems too complicated for you, draw only his head - it is simpler. This drawing can be done with felt-tip pens.

A similar drawing, only made with a pencil. Give it a try if you want to practice semitone reproduction.

You can see how to color our character with gouache in this video.

And here is Donald at a younger age, drawn with felt-tip pens.

Using one of these methods, you can easily portray any duck of your choice. Share your drawings of waterfowl in the comments.