how to draw an illustration of a turkey

Create an adorable illustration of a turkey using mostly basic shapes and lines and then see how easy it is to create the same character using different strokes and outlines. Indeed, lines are an important part of a cartoon character. Modifying strokes can have a huge impact of the personality and appearance of a cartoon animal like this one.

Before working with lines and outlines, let's begin with the creation of this fun cartoon turkey. Let's take a few minutes to learn more about this character before sketching this one using basic shapes.

The beak is pointed and sharp near the end.
A small line is used to create the nose inside the beak.
You can apply a dark orange color inside this part of the animal.
A wattle is added around the beak and below this one.
Some hair can be seen on top of the head.
Eyes and pupils are mostly made from small circles.
The tail is large and filled with a dark brown color.
The tip of the tail is brighter and filled with a simple pattern.
More hair can be found behind the cartoon animal.
The wing is large and made from curved lines.
Feet and legs are made from long rectangles.
The body is drawn using curved lines with solid corners.
Another red large shape is drawn near the neck.
This neck is large and quite long.

Cool! Now that we are more familiar with this fun farm animal, let's proceed to the first step of this tutorial on how to create a nice illustration of a turkey.

step 1 - creating basic shapes to form the character

First, let's sketch a few basic elements to help us create accurate proportions for the cartoon animal. The body and the tail are done using large oval shapes. The neck and the head are made from solid rectangles. The beak is done using another oval shape while the legs and feet are represented by narrow rectangles.

step 2 - Drawing our illustration of a turkey

This is the most important step. It's now time to use several curved lines to illustrate the character properly. The most challenging part is certainly the head and everything available around it.

Take your time to draw all these lines accurately and then feel free to erase all orange shapes sketched earlier.

step 3 - adding more elements inside the animal

Using small circular shapes, you can now draw the eye and the pupil inside the head of the turkey. The red shape found below the neck can also be drawn in this step. Complete this third step by drawing a large wing made from four different curved lines inside the body of the character.

step 4 - more details are needed!

Inside the beak, sketch a small line to form the nose. On top of the head, draw an additional line to create some hair. Inside the tail, complete the pattern using small curved lines. More hair can also be drawn near the back of this wild animal. Finally, create some texture inside the legs using tiny straight lines.

step 5 - Time to add some colors!

In the case of this illustration of a turkey, it can be a good idea to use a wide variety of brown colors. The head and the pattern found inside the tail can be brighter. The tail is darker to create some contrast and depth. The beak and the legs are orange while the wattle and the shape below the neck can be red.

good job! This turkey looks amazing!

Although this turkey is now completed, we are not done yet with this fun cartoon animal. Indeed, let me show you a few variations of the same character using different lines. These new strokes will be bolder, larger or simply filled with different colors.

regular lines with a regular width

Did you noticed how lines from the original character were pointed and sharp on both ends? It's not the case here. Lines are bold and round on both ends and the width is the same for almost all lines. The original character was certainly more appealing, but this one is definitely easier to read (and perfect for young children).

Back to the original lines ... only larger

For this second attempt, lines are now back as they were before, but these lines are now larger and bolder. The result is also visually appealing although it's not necessary to use lines as large as these ones unless you are creating a book for kids.

Modifying colors to create something unique

In this last version of our illustration of a turkey, lines are now filled with different colors instead of just being black. The character might be slightly harder to read, but this one is now visually more subtle and easier for the eyes. A good technique to use for any occasions.

Feel free to play with strokes and outlines

These are all four turkeys created using various outlines. All these examples are great. It's just a matter of preferences. Feel free to be more creative and don't hesitate to draw more characters using lines made from different colors, patterns, textures, sizes and shapes. :)