How to Draw a Puffin (Easy Step by Step)
A puffin is a fun bird to draw because it is built from a few simple shapes. You will use a round curve for the head, a triangle for the big beak, and an egg for the body. The stripes on the beak and the grumpy little eyebrow give it lots of personality.
- Easy
- 12 minutes
- 7 steps
You need: paper, a pencil, an eraser, and crayons or markers for coloring.
Start drawingIn this article (7 sections)
How to draw a puffin step by step
How to Draw a Puffin · 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 and beak top
Start at the left with a point for the tip of the beak. Draw a long, slightly bumpy line going up and to the right, then curve it into a big round arc for the top of the head. Stop where the arc comes back down on the right.
Step 3: Beak and stripes
From the beak tip, draw a straight line sloping down and to the right to close the triangle beak. Then add three curved stripes across the beak, side by side like rainbow arcs.
Step 4: The round body
Draw an egg shape for the body below the head. Start under the beak and curve down the left side, then start at the bottom of the head and curve down the right side. Join them with a gentle curve along the bottom.
Step 5: The wing
On the right side of the body, draw a long leaf shape with a point at the top and a point at the bottom. Keep it tucked against the edge of the body.
Step 6: Eye and eyebrow
On the head, draw a small pointy oval for the eye and put a dot inside it. Add a little bump on top of the eye, then draw a long curved eyebrow above it.
Step 7: Webbed feet
At the bottom of the body, draw two feet side by side. Give each one a flat top, slanted sides and a wavy bottom edge to show the webbed toes.
All done!
Erase the guide shapes, go over your lines, then color it in.
Finished your puffin? Keep the pencils out and learn how to draw a goldfish in a bowl or how to draw a fox next.
Tips for drawing a puffin
- Start the beak at the left tip and draw the top line up into the head in one smooth stroke, so the beak and head flow together.
- Keep the three beak stripes curved the same way, like slices of a rainbow. They do not need to be the same length.
- Make the eyebrow a long curve that sits well above the eye. A bigger gap makes the puffin look calm, and a smaller gap makes it look grumpy.
Free puffin coloring page
Want to go straight to coloring? Open this puffin 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 puffin drawing
Color the beak bright orange with red stripes, the back and head black, and the belly white. For a twist, make a rainbow puffin with a different color on each beak stripe.
Puffin fun fact for kids
Puffins are strong swimmers that use their wings to paddle underwater while they catch small fish, and they can carry several fish in their beak at once.
Questions about drawing a puffin
What shapes do I need to draw a puffin?
You need a round curve for the head, a triangle for the beak, an egg shape for the body, a leaf shape for the wing, and two webbed feet.
How do I make my puffin look cuter?
Make the eye a little bigger and draw the eyebrow higher and softer. You can also make the body rounder and the beak slightly shorter.
Why does a puffin have a stripy beak?
In spring and summer a puffin's beak turns bright orange with colored bands, which makes it easy to spot. In your drawing, the stripes are curved lines across the beak.
