How to Draw a Great Horned Owl (Easy Step by Step)
This great horned owl is built from a few simple shapes: a round body with folded wings, two big round eyes, and a tiny teardrop beak. The pointy ear tufts give it a wise, curious look. It is a great first drawing because every part is a circle, a curve, or a triangle.
- Easy
- 12 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 great horned owl step by step
How to Draw a Great Horned Owl · 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, ears and sides
Draw a curved line across the top for the head, with a pointy triangle ear on each end. From each ear, draw a line down the side, bulging out a little near the bottom and ending in a small curl.
Step 3: Inner wing lines
Inside each side of the owl, draw a short curved line that starts under the shoulder and curves down to meet the bottom of the outer wing line. Now each side looks like a folded wing.
Step 4: The round belly
From the bottom of each wing, draw a short curve sweeping down and toward the middle. These two curves start to make the round belly.
Step 5: The face disc
Draw two big rounded shapes side by side across the face, like two fat letter Cs facing each other. Let them dip together into a little V in the middle, and leave a small gap at the bottom of each one.
Step 6: Big round eyes
Inside each face shape, draw a circle for an eye. Make both circles the same size so your owl looks wide awake.
Step 7: Pupils and beak
Draw a solid round dot in the middle of each eye. Between the eyes, draw a small teardrop shape pointing down for the beak.
Step 8: Feet and toes
At the bottom of the belly, draw two little rounded foot shapes. Add three tiny toes hanging down from each one, and link the feet with a short straight line.
Step 9: The branch
Draw a long, slightly bumpy line on each side of the feet, going out past the owl. Then draw another long line below it, so the owl's feet sit on a thick branch.
All done!
Erase the guide shapes, go over your lines, then color it in.
Finished your great horned owl? Keep the pencils out and learn how to draw a fox or how to draw a hedgehog next.
Tips for drawing a great horned owl
- Draw the two eye circles at the same height and the same size before you move on. Even eyes make the whole owl look friendly.
- The face shapes are the trickiest part. Start each one at the top near the middle V and curve around the eye, stopping with a small gap at the bottom.
- Make the ear tufts tall and thin triangles that lean slightly outward. Pointy ears are what make this owl look like a great horned owl.
Free great horned owl coloring page
Want to go straight to coloring? Open this great horned owl 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 great horned owl drawing
Try warm browns and tans for the body, with golden yellow rings around the eyes and a little orange for the beak. Color the branch a darker brown so the owl stands out.
Great horned owl fun fact for kids
The tufts on a great horned owl's head are not ears or horns. They are just feathers, and the owl's real ears are openings hidden under the feathers on the sides of its head.
Questions about drawing a great horned owl
What shapes do I need to draw a great horned owl?
You need a rounded body outline, two circles for the eyes, a small teardrop for the beak, and two triangles for the ear tufts. Everything else is simple curved lines.
How do I make my owl look cuter?
Make the eyes extra big and keep the pupils round. Drawing the beak small and low between the eyes also gives your owl a sweet face.
How do I draw the owl's feet gripping a branch?
Draw two little rounded feet at the bottom of the belly, then add three short toes on each foot. Draw the branch lines so they run behind the feet and out to each side, and the owl looks like it is holding on.
