Owls are the collective name for several genera and species of birds. Not surprisingly, confusion often arises between them. These predators have a similar appearance.
However, an owl and an eagle owl are not at all the same thing.
Owls are an order of birds of prey, which includes more than 200 species of different sizes. They are most active mainly at night and are found all over the world. The order consists of two families: owls and barn owls.
Both owls and eagle owls belong to the owl family.
Most of the eagle owls stand out significantly from other owls with their large size. They have barrel-shaped bodies. Also, one of the main features of the eagle owl is the presence of feather "ears" located on the sides of the head. Large tufts of feathers hanging over the eyes give the birds a particularly intimidating look.
In this tutorial, we will learn to draw an eagle owl.
Step 1. Sketch the shape of the owl.
Sketch out the shape of the owl, as well as the head, and outline the location of the eyes and the middle of the head. The head is turned slightly to the left, so the middle line is not in the middle but is a bit shifted to the side.
Step 2. Outline the ears, the head itself, and the area around the eyes of the owl.
In this step, outline the ears, the back of the head as well as the area around the eyes, which looks a bit like a skier or diving mask.
Step 3. Draw the eagle owl's legs and a branch.
Add the legs with claws and a branch to position our eagle owl.
Step 4. Outline the eyes and the beak of the owl.
Outline the eyes and the beak of the owl. The original auxiliary lines will help correctly position. Note how the beak sticks out, and its tip is not positioned directly on the middle line.
Step 5. Continue detailing the eagle owl's eyes and ears.
Add the pupils of the eyes as well as the short lines on the ears that show their feathery nature.
Step 6. Start adding feathery texture and shadows to our eagle owl drawing.
You can start adding shadows to our drawing. Dark places will be where there is less light. The muzzle and head of the bird are the brightest and most contrasting.
The feathers on the bird grow in a certain direction, so you need to draw them correctly, too.
Step 7. Continue detailing the feathers on the eagle owl's head.
Our owl drawing is starting to get more detailed - we have drawn the owl's head and eyes. Then we started to detail the feathers on its head.
Step 8. Continue detailing the feathers of the eagle owl.
We continue to draw with a pencil. Here, you can start to emphasize the eyes and the dark contour around the owl mask with a softer pencil.
Step 9. Draw the feathers on the wings of the eagle owl.
We draw eagle-owl feathers. Look carefully: on the owl's abdomen, the feathers are short, like fluff, and on the wings, they are long and hard. Draw as a whole, in different places of the picture, collecting everything into a single composition.
Step 10. Draw the feathers on the belly of the eagle owl.
Most importantly, the feathers lie in the shape of the body. And that means that even white feathers where there is a shadow will be dark. Therefore, when drawing feathers, try not to make the eagle owl flat. Use pencils of different softness for different shades.
Step 11. Completing the drawing of the eagle owl.
Complete shading of the feather and the branch the eagle owl sits on.
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