Learning to Draw Ducks and Water Fowl
Lots of ducks are famous in the media, Daffy and Donald not the least of which.
I myself take a different approach to cartoon ducks and water fowl, and this is a great critter for kids to start with.
They are really basic shapes and easy to put together.
This is a really forgiving body type for people who struggle with art as well.
Try some of these easy ideas with your kids or class and see what they come up with.
1.
The Graceful Swan- Almost always depicted in female form, it can be difficult to keep a male Swan from looking girly just because of that fact, and the Swan trade mark is the S shaped neck, making it even harder to make a "boy Swan".
The black markings on the orange beak keep the swan, girl or boy, from looking like the Silly Goose.
Try to give the Swan graceful elegant curves, and remember small eyes and no eyelashes for boys.
2.
The Silly Goose- Bright shiny eyes and a rounder beak on a gray body give the Goose its distinctive look.
Keep that neck a little shorter and thicker than that of the swan, and turn in the webbed feet to give the animal that look of a waddle even in a still picture.
Geese should look comical and lighthearted, and few appear alone in any kind of media.
If you are drawing a flock of Geese, try to give them all different personalities and see how they turn out.
3.
Ducklings Galore- Ducklings almost always come in groups, you really have to be tight size wise as it will look wrong to have five of them all different sizes.
Start with just one, and most of them have ridiculously large heads, I like mine a little more realistic looking so play around with it and see where you get.
Ovals and circles, that is all there is to it.
4.
Water Heron Extraordinaire- These guys always look so snotty and rude to me, kind of fancy and crabby.
Small eyes, extremely long legs, and sharp angles.
That is what these guys are built on.
They are very vertical and have immense wing spans when allowed.
Feathers make fingers when needed, and you can get very human in your gestures because of this.
Cranes and even Pelicans follow similar rules to this.
5.
Drake Breed Differences- Mallards are the most popular choice of wild duck; domestic white or grey geese are usually what you see.
But that doesn't mean you can't get creative with some of the lesser known animals, like Canadian Geese, or the Loon.
Give a few a try and remember the small head big body rule.
Your bird must show it's persona, be it silly or snooty or serious.
Add little touches of realism, like correct colors to the plumage and minimize exaggerations if you can, the cartoon will be more believable and a little less like Daffy.
I myself take a different approach to cartoon ducks and water fowl, and this is a great critter for kids to start with.
They are really basic shapes and easy to put together.
This is a really forgiving body type for people who struggle with art as well.
Try some of these easy ideas with your kids or class and see what they come up with.
1.
The Graceful Swan- Almost always depicted in female form, it can be difficult to keep a male Swan from looking girly just because of that fact, and the Swan trade mark is the S shaped neck, making it even harder to make a "boy Swan".
The black markings on the orange beak keep the swan, girl or boy, from looking like the Silly Goose.
Try to give the Swan graceful elegant curves, and remember small eyes and no eyelashes for boys.
2.
The Silly Goose- Bright shiny eyes and a rounder beak on a gray body give the Goose its distinctive look.
Keep that neck a little shorter and thicker than that of the swan, and turn in the webbed feet to give the animal that look of a waddle even in a still picture.
Geese should look comical and lighthearted, and few appear alone in any kind of media.
If you are drawing a flock of Geese, try to give them all different personalities and see how they turn out.
3.
Ducklings Galore- Ducklings almost always come in groups, you really have to be tight size wise as it will look wrong to have five of them all different sizes.
Start with just one, and most of them have ridiculously large heads, I like mine a little more realistic looking so play around with it and see where you get.
Ovals and circles, that is all there is to it.
4.
Water Heron Extraordinaire- These guys always look so snotty and rude to me, kind of fancy and crabby.
Small eyes, extremely long legs, and sharp angles.
That is what these guys are built on.
They are very vertical and have immense wing spans when allowed.
Feathers make fingers when needed, and you can get very human in your gestures because of this.
Cranes and even Pelicans follow similar rules to this.
5.
Drake Breed Differences- Mallards are the most popular choice of wild duck; domestic white or grey geese are usually what you see.
But that doesn't mean you can't get creative with some of the lesser known animals, like Canadian Geese, or the Loon.
Give a few a try and remember the small head big body rule.
Your bird must show it's persona, be it silly or snooty or serious.
Add little touches of realism, like correct colors to the plumage and minimize exaggerations if you can, the cartoon will be more believable and a little less like Daffy.
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