how to draw a toucan

In this lesson, you will learn how to draw a toucan that looks cute and funny in just nine easy steps. I will show you how to create basic effects like shadows and reflections in just a few minutes. Toucans are fun birds that are easily recognizable. Indeed, these creatures are gifted with long beaks, patches around the eyes and white patches on the chest. The tip of the beak is also darker. Let's see how we can duplicate this fun character quickly and easily using a few simple tips ...

adding a few basic shapes to begin with

First, we need to create a basic template using a few basic shapes. This template is needed to help us create accurate proportions and place the character in our working space. The head is made from a rectangle, just like the beak and the branch. The body and the tail are made from irregular shapes.

more shapes are needed

Below the beak and in front of it, you can add long triangles as shown below. Both feet are made from small rectangles. Complete this step with the addition of another irregular shape inside the tail.

it's time to draw our cartoon toucan

Now that we have a solid template to work with, it's time to draw the cartoon toucan using mostly long curved lines. To create a more appealing character, you can use lines that are narrower and pointed near both ends.

Don't forget to draw some hair on top of the head. The eye and the pupil are made from perfect circles. Once you are done adding these lines, you can erase all basic shapes created in the previous steps.

adding patches and details

Inside the beak, draw a long curved line to form the black patch. You can also draw long lines around the eye, below the eye and near the bottom of the body. Complete this step by drawing nails on all six fingers.

adding plain colors

Let's bring this cute cartoon toucan to life. In this step, you can add plain colors inside all parts of the creature. The beak and the feet are orange. The head and the body are gray, but except for the area near the chest that can remain white. Don't forget to add a subtle yellow color around the eye.

adding gradients colors

In this lesson on how to draw a toucan, you can add gradient colors inside all shapes to create more depth inside the illustration. For instance, notice on the picture below how the bottom of the beak is darker than the top. :)

Drawing new shadows

Adding a few shadows is also a good idea to give more volume to the creature. These new shapes are filled in black, but should be partially transparent to create a subtle result. You can create shadows on the beak, around the eye, on the chest, the fingers and on top of the tail.

creating highlights and reflections

Dark shadows are great, but creating brighter areas is also recommended if you wish to end up with a more realistic illustration. In this case, all new shapes are white and are also partially transparent. You can draw highlights on the beak, the pupil, behind the eye, the wing, the branch and the tail.

Great work learning how to draw a toucan like this cool version!

Below you can see the animal once all steps are completed. Learning how to draw a toucan can be a demanding task, but don't hesitate to practice often if you are having issues with this creature. Don't hesitate to change the posture, the colors and the background of the character if you want to.

Below, you can see all nine steps required to draw this adorable cartoon toucan. Now that we know how to illustrate this cool bird, why not try something else using this fun collection of colorful cartoon animals? :)