How to Sketch Birds in Flight: Easy Step-by-Step Drawing for Beginners

Are you a bird lover who wants to improve your sketching skills? In this beginner-friendly class, you’ll learn how to draw birds in flight with pencil by focusing on what matters most: simple shapes, clean outlines, and accurate gesture.

I’m Andy Villon, a fine artist and art teacher, and I know a lot of students enjoy painting and coloring—but feel stuck when it comes to drawing. That’s exactly why I made this class. I’ll guide you through a simple approach to bird drawing that helps you capture the basic form and movement without getting overwhelmed by feathers and tiny details.

We’ll sketch birds step-by-step, concentrating on the overall silhouette, proportions, and the flow of the wings so your drawings look believable and energetic. As you practice, you’ll build confidence with pencil sketching—and you’ll have a solid foundation if you want to add detail or color later.

This class is great for beginner artists, animal lovers, and anyone who wants a relaxing way to practice gesture drawing, wildlife sketching, and drawing from reference

Materials

You only need a few basics:

• Graphite pencil

• Eraser

• Drawing pad / sketchbook

I’ll be using:

• Strathmore Bristol Board 100 lbs Paper
• Graphite Pencil 2B and 5B
• Kneadable Eraser

• Resources

Reference photos for the birds are included in the Project & Resources tab so you can follow along easily.

I'd love it if you would visit my Etsy Shop where I offer prints and other handicrafts of my artwork: AndysARTtitude

Be sure to check out my social media pages on Instagram and Facebook where I post updates of my art I also announce when there is a new SkillShare class.