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Today, drawing123.com will guide you how to easily draw a pelican with simple steps.
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Step 1: Draw the Beak and Pouch
Start by drawing the characteristic long beak and the large, scoop-like throat pouch of the pelican. This is done using a smooth, curved line for the upper part of the beak and a U-shaped line for the lower jaw and pouch.

Step 2: Start the Neck and Head
Draw two curved lines extending upwards and slightly backward from the end of the beak to form the beginning of the neck and the back of the head.

Step 3: Complete the Head and Eye
Close the lines from Step 2 with a simple curved line to form the top and front of the head. Inside the head shape, draw a small circle with a dot in the center for the eye.

Step 4: Draw the Main Body Shape
Extend a curved line from the bottom of the neck downwards and backwards to create the main, rounded shape of the body. Add a small, pointed shape at the very end for the start of the tail feathers.

Step 5: Define the Chest and Tail
Draw a long, smooth curved line from the front of the neck (chest area) down and then back to meet the body shape, completing the outline of the torso. Extend the tail shape further with a second pointed feather shape.

Step 6: Add the Legs and Feet
Draw the two webbed feet and legs under the body. The legs are simple, parallel lines, and the feet are drawn with three distinct, connected bumps for the toes.

Step 7: Color
Color the beak and pouch orange. Leave the main body white. Color the feet orange. Add a patch of dark grey/black to the tip of the tail feathers.


Step 1: Draw the Upper Beak
Begin by drawing two connected straight lines that form a long, pointed V-shape. This will be the upper part of the pelican’s open beak.

Step 2: Add the Lower Beak and Pouch
Draw a corresponding lower line for the bottom part of the open beak, slightly curved. Below that, draw a large, deep U-shaped curve that connects to the beak, forming the characteristic throat pouch.

Step 3: Start the Head’s Back and Neck
From the back of the beak, draw a curved, wavy line extending upwards and backwards. This starts to define the back of the head and the top of the neck.

Step 4: Begin the Front of the Neck
Draw a straight diagonal line extending downwards and slightly forwards from the back corner of the lower beak. This forms the front outline of the neck.

Step 5: Outline the Body and Tail
Connect the bottom of the front neck line to a curved line that sweeps backwards, forming the chest and belly. Then, draw a rounded, almost foot-like shape at the back to represent the body and tail, connecting to the wavy line from Step 3.

Step 6: Add Feather Details to the Wing
Draw a few small, overlapping curved lines on the side of the body. These simple shapes will indicate the feathers of the wing.

Step 7: Draw the Legs and Feet
Underneath the body, draw two pairs of short, parallel lines for the legs. At the end of each leg, draw webbed feet with three distinct, rounded toes.

Step 8: Draw the Eye and Nostril
On the head, near the base of the upper beak, draw a small circle with a dot in the center for the eye. Add a tiny curved line near the front of the eye to indicate a nostril or a detail on the beak.

Step 9: Add the Fish
Inside the open pouch, draw a small, simple fish shape. It can be a basic oval with a tail fin, suggesting the pelican has just caught its meal.

Step 10: Color the Pelican and Fish
Color the entire body of the pelican (head, neck, body) a light, creamy beige or off-white. Color the inside of the pouch a bright orange, the fish a light blue or teal, the legs and feet a reddish-brown or dark orange.


Step 1: Draw the Open Beak
Start by drawing two long, slightly curved parallel lines that meet at a point, forming the open upper and lower parts of the pelican’s beak. Add a small, rounded curve at the very back for the hinge of the beak.

Step 2: Add the Pouch
From the back of the lower beak, draw a large, deep U-shaped curve that extends downwards and then sweeps back up to connect near the back hinge. This forms the prominent throat pouch.

Step 3: Outline the Head and Back of the Neck
Draw a wavy, curved line extending upwards and backwards from the back of the beak, forming the top of the head and the back outline of the neck. Give it a slight crest or peak at the very top.

Step 4: Draw the Body
From the bottom of the neck (where it connects to the pouch), draw a long, sweeping curved line that goes downwards and then backwards, forming the rounded main body of the pelican. Add a small, feathery point at the very end for the tail.

Step 5: Complete the Underside and Tail Feathers
Draw a long, curved line from the bottom of the pouch, sweeping downwards and then connecting to the underside of the body. Add a few more small, wavy lines at the back to define the tail feathers more clearly.

Step 6: Add the Legs and Feet
Draw two pairs of short, parallel lines for the legs underneath the body. At the end of each leg, draw wide, webbed feet with three distinct, pointed toes.

Step 7: Draw the Eyes and Nostrils
On the head, draw two small, empty circles for the eyes. Add two tiny dots or short lines just above and in front of the eyes to represent the nostrils.

Step 8: Color the Pelican
Color the large throat pouch a vibrant yellow-orange. Color the rest of the pelican’s body (head, neck, body, and tail) a light, creamy beige or off-white. Color the legs and feet a brighter yellow.


Step 1: Draw the Beak Outline
Draw a long, slightly curved shape for the closed beak. Include a small, rounded curve at the tip. Draw a diagonal line inside to separate the upper and lower parts of the beak.

Step 2: Start the Head and Neck
From the back of the beak, draw a curved line sweeping upwards to form the top of the head, and then a long, elegant S-curve extending downwards to begin the neck.

Step 3: Draw the Body and Tail
From the bottom of the neck, draw a large, rounded shape that sweeps backward to form the body and tail. Add a few small bumps or curves at the bottom edge to suggest feather layers.

Step 4: Draw the Inner Wing
Inside the body shape, draw an oval shape to represent the wing. Add a zig-zag line along the bottom edge of this oval to suggest feather texture.

Step 5: Complete the Body Outline
Draw a long, smooth curved line from the front of the neck (chest area) down and back to meet the body and tail shape, completing the main outline of the pelican’s body.

Step 6: Add the Legs and Feet
Draw two pairs of short, parallel lines for the legs. At the bottom, draw the wide, webbed feet using simple, angular shapes.

Step 7: Add Head Crest Detail
Draw a small, sharp zig-zag line at the top, back of the head to represent a small crest or tuft of feathers.

Step 8: Draw the Eye
Draw a small circle with a dot in the center near the back of the beak for the eye.

Step 9: Color the Pelican
Color the beak and feet orange and yellow. Color the body and neck a light blue-grey. Color the wing a slightly darker shade of blue-grey for contrast.


Step 1: Draw the Beak and Pouch
Start by drawing a large, rounded shape that is pointed at the front. This shape forms the outline of the pelican’s closed beak and the beginning of its large throat pouch.

Step 2: Add Beak Details
Inside the outline, draw a slightly curved line to separate the upper and lower parts of the beak. Add a small, oval shape near the back of the upper beak for the nostril.

Step 3: Draw the Head and Neck
Draw a smooth, rounded shape above the back of the beak for the head. Then, draw two graceful, curved lines extending downwards to form the long, S-shaped neck.

Step 4: Add the Eye
Inside the head shape, draw a large circle with a smaller dot in the center for the eye.

Step 5: Draw the Body and Feathers
From the back of the neck, draw a large, curved shape for the body. Add several overlapping curved lines on the side of the body to suggest layered wing feathers.

Step 6: Complete the Lower Body Outline
Draw a long, smooth curved line from the front of the neck (chest area) down and back to meet the body and tail shape. Add a small, feathered point at the very end for the tail.

Step 7: Start the Feet
Draw two small, rounded curves underneath the body. These will represent the very tops of the legs/feet, as the pelican is drawn in a resting or sitting pose.

Step 8: Complete the Legs and Feet
From the curves drawn in Step 7, draw the outlines of the webbed feet. Since it’s in a resting pose, the legs are short, and the feet are drawn as simple, flat, webbed shapes.

Step 9: Color the Pelican
Color the beak and pouch a bright yellow. Color the legs and feet orange. Color the body and neck a light grey or off-white. Add a light blue color to the iris of the eye.


Step 1: Draw the Beak and Pouch
Start by drawing the characteristic long beak with the large, downward-sloping pouch beneath the lower jaw. The upper beak should have a dividing line.

Step 2: Draw the Head and Neck
From the back of the beak, draw a rounded shape for the head and a slightly wavy line for the back of the neck. Give the top of the head a few zig-zags to suggest a feathery crest.

Step 3: Start the Body Outline
Draw a curved line extending downwards from the bottom of the pouch to start the outline of the chest and lower body.

Step 4: Start the Legs
Draw two small, rounded shapes near the bottom center of the chest line. These will serve as the top part of the legs where they connect to the body.

Step 5: Draw the Back
Draw a curved line extending from the back of the neck to the back of the body, meeting the side curve. This forms the upper and back outline of the body.

Step 6: Add the Tail Feathers
Draw three small, rounded shapes at the back of the body to form the layered tail feathers.

Step 7: Draw the Legs and Feet
Draw the two legs extending from the circles in Step 4. Add the wide, webbed feet with three rounded toes on each.

Step 8: Draw the Inner Wing Details
On the side of the body, draw three curved, overlapping lines to detail the wing feathers.

Step 9: Add the Eye
Draw a circle with a small dot inside on the head for the eye.

Step 10: Color the Pelican
Color the beak and pouch a bright yellow. Color the body and neck a light blue-grey or white. Color the feet a matching yellow. Color the tail and wing tips black for accent.

Hopefully, this drawing tutorial on Pelican will help you easily create a nice drawing.