How to draw chicken - a free chicken drawing guide
Draw a chicken step by step using simple shapes, lines, and colors. Create a finished chicken drawing with beak, feathers, wings, and feet.
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Photos of chicken drawing examples
Step-by-step guide to draw a chicken
How To Draw A Chicken
Step 1
Draw a big oval in the middle of the paper for the chicken's body.
Step 2
Draw a medium circle that touches the top of the oval for the chicken's head.
Step 3
Connect the head and body with two short curved lines to make the neck.
Step 4
Draw a small triangle on the front of the head for the beak.
Step 5
Draw a small circle on the head for the eye.
Step 6
Draw a tiny dot inside the eye circle for the pupil.
Step 7
Draw a rounded teardrop shape on the side of the body for the wing.
Step 8
Draw three curved feather shapes sticking out at the back for the tail.
Step 9
Draw two pairs of short parallel lines under the body for the legs.
Step 10
Draw three short curved lines at the end of each leg to make the toes.
Step 11
Add a few small U-shaped lines across the body to show feathers.
Step 12
Carefully trace your final pencil lines with the black marker.
Step 13
Wait a moment for the marker to dry and then erase any leftover pencil lines.
Step 14
Colour your chicken using your colouring materials any way you like.
Step 15
Share your finished chicken drawing on DIY.org
Help!?
What can I use instead of the black marker or colouring materials if I don't have them?
If you don't have a black marker, trace your final pencil lines with a dark ballpoint pen or a black crayon as described in 'Carefully trace your final pencil lines with the black marker', and substitute colouring materials with washable markers, crayons, or coloured pencils for the 'Colour your chicken' step.
My head and body look too far apart or the neck looks weird—how can I fix that?
To fix alignment from 'Draw a big oval...' and 'Draw a medium circle that touches the top of the oval', lightly erase and redraw the medium circle so it touches the top of the oval, then reconnect them with the two short curved neck lines and retrace with your marker once you're happy.
How should I adapt this drawing activity for different ages?
For preschoolers, simplify by drawing bigger shapes and letting them colour with washable markers, for early elementary have them add the toes and U-shaped feathers from the instructions, and for older kids encourage adding shading, patterns, or a background before the 'Carefully trace' step.
How can I personalize or extend the chicken drawing after colouring?
After the 'Colour your chicken' step, personalize it by adding patterned feathers, a barnyard background, glued-on paper or real feathers for texture, and then photograph your finished chicken to share on DIY.org as the instructions suggest.
Watch videos on how to draw a chicken
Easy Chicken Drawing for Kids Tutorial - Step by Step Instructions
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Easy Chicken Drawing for Kids Tutorial - Step by Step Instructions
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Facts about drawing animals for kids
🐔 There are more chickens in the world than any other bird—over 23 billion are raised globally.
🪶 A single chicken can have around 7,000–8,000 feathers, which gives you lots of texture ideas for drawing.
🖍️ Cartoon artists often start with simple shapes like circles, ovals, and triangles to build characters such as chickens.
🦶 Chickens have three toes pointing forward and one pointing back, a neat detail to add to their feet.
🥚 Egg colors (white, brown, blue, green) come from breed genetics—great inspiration for choosing your chicken's colors.
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