how to draw a pigeon with a cute face

In this lesson, you will learn how to draw a pigeon using six simple steps. First, I will show you how to draw the character using simple shapes and lines. Then, you will have the opportunity to add gradient colors inside the cartoon character. Finally, I will show you how to add simple shadows and highlights to end up with something appealing and slightly realistic. Ready? Let's start this lesson now!

drawing the silhouette using basic shapes

First, let's draw the silhouette of the cartoon pigeon using a few basic shapes and some curved lines. As you can see below, gray circles were added inside the head and the body to create a simple template. A rectangle is used to illustrate the neck.

Using curved lines, simply draw the head, the neck, the wings and the feet of the pigeon. Notice that a few hairs were added on top of the head and on both sides of this one. Once you are finished, you can erase all gray shapes found inside the character.

creating the face & a few details

Next, draw the eyes and the pupils using perfect circles. The beak is created from three different curved lines. Stripes are added near the neck and on both wings. You can also draw the tail of the cartoon pigeon using two basic curved lines.

adding gradient colors

It's now time to add some colors inside the character to make this one visually more appealing. For this lesson, our cartoon friend is mostly filled with blue colors. Only the eyes are colored in brown. Most shapes are filled with two different variations of the same color to create more depth and volume.

drawing a few basic shadows

In this step, all you need to do is drawn new shapes filled with a dark blue color. Then, apply some transparency to create a subtle result. New shadows can be drawn around the eyes, below the beak, on the neck, the tail and near the wings.

creating simple highlights

Instead of creating black shapes, now we need to sketch white ones. These new elements can also be partially transparent. Our goal is to end up with a few highlights and reflections on a few areas to give even more depth to this cartoon animal.

good job learning how to draw a pigeon!

Once all steps are completed, you should end up with something like this. Of course, you can also try to draw different postures, add more patterns and textures or simple play with colors. Possibilities are endless.

Above, you can see all steps grouped into a single illustration. Now that you know how to illustrate a simple cartoon pigeon, why not try more cute animals and characters from the same series and see how it goes? :)