How to Draw a Goldfinch (Easy Step by Step)
Learn to draw a cheerful goldfinch with this easy step-by-step guide. You'll build your bird from simple shapes like a round body, a half-circle cap, and a pointed beak, adding easy wing details.
- Start your goldfinch drawing with a round body.
- Add a dark half-circle for the bird's cap.
- Draw a tiny pointed beak for your goldfinch.
- Create a flower with rounded petals for the bird to perch on.
- Use simple lines to form the goldfinch's wing stripes.
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A goldfinch is a small, round, cheerful bird, which makes it a great first bird to draw. This one is built from a round body, a dark half-circle cap, and a tiny pointed beak, perched on a flower made of rounded petals. The slanted stripes on the wing look fancy but are just a row of lines.
- Medium
- 20 minutes
- 9 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 goldfinch step by step
How to Draw a Goldfinch · 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: Head cap and body
Draw a rounded cap on top for the head and color it in solid dark. Add a tiny round eye under it, then draw a curved line down the back and a big round line for the belly.
Step 3: Pointed beak
At the front of the face, draw a small pointed beak, like a tiny triangle with a line through the middle.
Step 4: The wing
Draw a curved half moon shape on the side of the body for the wing. Add short slanted lines along its lower edge and fill in a dark patch at the bottom.
Step 5: The tail
Draw a line from the belly out to the back, then a long, narrow tail pointing down and out with a few lines along it. Color in the dark spot where the tail meets the wing.
Step 6: A thin leg
Under the belly, draw one thin leg going straight down. Finish it with a small foot made of a few short curved toes.
Step 7: Flower and petals
Draw a flower under the bird's feet, starting with a small oval in the middle. Then add big, rounded petals all around it, like a ring of soft bumps.
Step 8: Wing feather stripes
Inside the wing, draw lots of long, slanted lines, all going the same direction like stripes.
Step 9: Petal lines and center
Draw thin curved lines from the middle of the flower out into each petal. Add a few little squiggles and marks in the center of the flower.
All done!
Erase the guide shapes, go over your lines, then color it in.
Finished your goldfinch? Keep the pencils out and learn how to draw a fox or how to draw a hedgehog next.
Tips for drawing a goldfinch
- Start the body as a light oval so the belly looks nice and round, then trace over it with a firm line.
- The wing stripes are the trickiest part. Draw them all slanting the same way, and don't worry if they are not the same length.
- Draw the flower right under the foot so the bird looks like it is really sitting on it, not floating.
Free goldfinch coloring page
Want to go straight to coloring? Open this goldfinch 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 goldfinch drawing
Color the body bright yellow with a black cap and black-and-white wings, and make the flower pink or purple. For a creative twist, give the bird a rainbow tail.
Goldfinch fun fact for kids
Goldfinches love thistle and sunflower seeds, and they often eat them while clinging to the flower heads. In summer, male American goldfinches turn bright yellow.
Questions about drawing a goldfinch
What shapes do I need to draw a goldfinch?
You need a big round body, a half circle for the dark head cap, and a small triangle for the beak. The wing is a curved half moon, and the tail is a long, narrow shape.
How do I make my goldfinch look cuter?
Make the body extra round and the eye a little bigger. A tiny beak and a chubby belly make a bird look extra sweet.
How do I draw the flower the bird sits on?
Draw a small oval in the middle, then add rounded petals around it like a ring of bumps. Finish with a few thin lines in each petal.
