Learn how to draw a great looking Pelican with easy drawing instructions and video tutorial.
By following the simple steps, you too can easily draw a perfect Pelican.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Drawing a Pelican
How to Draw a Great Looking Pelican for Kids and Beginners - Step 1
1. Begin by sketching the cartoon pelican's head and neck. Use long curved lines and short "U" shaped lines that give the head a feathery appearance.
Drawing Step 2
2. Draw the pelican's eyes. Use curved lines to craft the irregular round outlines. Draw a curved line across the top to indicate the eyelid. Enclose a circle within a circle, then shade them to indicate the pupil. Draw a curved line over each eye to form the eyebrow.
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Drawing Step 3
3. Begin sketching the pelican's large beak. Draw a wavy line across the face. From it, extend two long curved lines and allow them to meet at a point. Draw a short curved line at the corner of the mouth.
Drawing Step 4
4. Use overlapping curved lines to draw the drooping lower portion of the beak. Then, use a curved line for the front of the neck, and a series of curved lines to indicate the feathers of the cheek.
Drawing Step 5
5. Draw the wing. Use a long curved line for the top of the wing, and overlapping curved lines for the flight feathers along the bottom.
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Drawing Step 6
6. Use a long curved line to draw the bird's belly. Then, use "U" shaped lines to outline the tail.
Drawing Step 7
7. Draw the leg, erasing as necessary. Use a series of curved lines to trace the feathered upper leg. Then, extend a pair of curved lines to form the leg and foot. Draw pairs of curved lines in a "W" shape, and allow them to meet at gentle points. Draw curved lines between the toes to create the webbed foot.
Add More Details to Your Pelican Picture - Step 8
8. Draw the remaining leg. Use curved lines for the upper leg, and overlapping curved lines to create the foot in profile.
MORE DRAWING TUTORIALS:
Complete the Outline of Your Pelican Drawing - Step 9
9. Detail the wing with "U" shaped lines.
Color Your Pelican Drawing
Color your cartoon pelican. Many pelicans are white. Others have combinations of white, brown, grey, and black feathers.
What's for dinner? Fish are on the menu for this pelican. Learn how to draw them today.
For more great Bird drawing tutorials, see the 41 Easy Bird Drawing Tutorials post.
Learn More About The Pelican Drawing
"A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belly can.
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week."
- Poem by Dixon Merritt. 1910
Pelicans are seafaring birds famous for their extendable throat pouch that they use as a fishing net. They are large birds; many have wingspans of more than 10 ft or 3 meters. The name "pelican" comes from an ancient Greek word meaning "ax."
Did you know? Contrary to popular belief, pelicans do not store food in their pouches. They readily consume their catches.
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Pelicans entered into human artwork long ago. In ancient Egypt, carvings of pelicans can be seen on the walls of tombs, inside pyramids. The bird was seen as a goddess related to passage from death to the afterlife.
In Medieval Europe, "the pelican was thought to be particularly attentive to her young, to the point of providing her own blood by wounding her own breast when no other food was available." This was referred to as "vulning."
The bird became connected with the death of Christ in Christian iconography. The pelican was also used in Medieval heraldry.
Pelicans occasionally enter the realm of popular culture as mascots or characters, even being pictured on modern coins or flags. One memorable example is Nigel the pelican in Disney's Finding Nemo.
Would you like to draw a cartoon pelican? This easy, step-by-step cartoon animal drawing tutorial is here to show you how. All you will need is a pencil, an eraser, and a sheet of paper. You may also wish to color your finished drawing.
If you liked this drawing tutorial, see also the following guides: Flamingo drawing, Seagull drawing, and Swan drawing.
Pelican Drawing Tutorial - Easy & Fun Printable Pages
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