How to Draw a Chickadee (Easy Step by Step)
You will learn how to draw a chickadee using simple, rounded shapes, making it an easy and friendly drawing project. You'll focus on its dark cap, chubby body, wings, face, and feet on a branch.
- Learn to draw a chickadee by focusing on its simple, rounded shapes.
- Begin your drawing by outlining the bird's distinct dark cap.
- Create a chubby body, then add its small wings and a simple face.
- Finish your chickadee by drawing its two feet positioned on a branch.
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A chickadee is a tiny, round bird, which makes it one of the friendliest things to draw. This one is built from a dark cap, a chubby body with little wings, a simple face, and two feet that sit on a branch. Everything is rounded and simple, so there are no tricky shapes.
- Easy
- 10 minutes
- 7 steps
You need: paper, a pencil, an eraser, and crayons or markers for coloring.
Start drawing
In this article (7 sections)
How to draw a chickadee step by step
How to Draw a Chickadee · tinyhandscreate.com
Step 1: Guide shapes
Lightly sketch this oval. It only shows where the big parts go, so press softly. You will erase it at the end.
Step 2: The dark cap
Draw a wide dome shape for the top of the head, like a bowl turned upside down. Make the bottom edge wavy with two gentle bumps, then fill the whole shape in solid dark to make the cap.
Step 3: The chubby sides
Starting under each end of the cap, draw a curved line going down on the left and another on the right. Let each line bulge out and then curl inward at the bottom to start a round tummy.
Step 4: Wing, belly and left foot
On the left, draw a curved hook inside the body for the little wing, and keep the line going down and around to the bottom of the belly. Finish it with a small foot with tiny toes and a short line sticking out to the left. On the right, add a short curved line for the other side of the belly.
Step 5: Eyes and beak
Draw two solid round dots for eyes, spaced well apart under the cap. Add a small oval beak in the middle, a little lower than the eyes.
Step 6: Right foot and belly
On the right, draw a second little foot with tiny toes at the end of the belly curve. Then draw a short, gently curved line along the bottom of the body to join the two feet.
Step 7: The branch
Draw a long, slightly slanted line under both feet for the bottom of the branch. On the right, draw a second line above it that ends in a rounded corner joining the first line.
All done!
Erase the guide shapes, go over your lines, then color it in.
Finished your chickadee? Keep the pencils out and learn how to draw a fox or how to draw a hedgehog next.
Tips for drawing a chickadee
- Make the cap a wide dome with a wavy bottom edge. That wavy line is what gives the bird its face.
- Keep the eyes the same size and set them level with each other. Put the beak between them and a little lower, and the bird will look sweet right away.
- The feet are the trickiest part. Draw them as small bumps with two or three tiny toes, and let them sit right on top of the branch line.
Free chickadee coloring page
Want to go straight to coloring? Open this chickadee coloring page at full size and print it. It is the same drawing you just learned, with clean lines ready for crayons or markers.
How to color your chickadee drawing
Color the cap black or dark gray and leave the face and tummy white or very light gray. Make the eyes and beak dark, and color the branch brown. You could also draw a few snowflakes falling around the branch for a winter scene.
Chickadee fun fact for kids
Black-capped chickadees are named after their call, which sounds like "chick-a-dee-dee-dee." They are small birds, but they stay in cold northern places all winter long.
Questions about drawing a chickadee
What shapes do I need to draw a chickadee?
You need a wide dome for the cap, two curved lines for the round body, two small dots for the eyes, and a tiny oval for the beak. A few little curves make the wings and feet, and long lines make the branch.
How do I make my chickadee look cuter?
Make the body extra round and keep the eyes wide apart. A small beak placed low on the face makes the bird look like a baby.
How do I draw the feet on the branch?
Draw two small bumps at the bottom of the belly with a few tiny toe lines on each. Then draw the branch so it passes right under the toes, and the bird will look like it is holding on.
