How To Draw A Realistic Baby Chick

By: Artist Ambassador Sandra Strait

Hello! I'm Sandra from @lifeimitatesdoodles. Today, I'm going to show you how to draw a baby chick using Zebra Pen ClickArt Retractable Marker Pens, Metallic Brush Pens and Sarasa Clip Gel Retractable Pens in the Milk Colors.

Baby chick drawing

Tools:

Zensations Drafix Technical Pencil 0.9 mm
ClickArt Retractable Marker Pens – Yellow, Black, Brown
Sarasa Clip Gel Retractable Pens in Milk Colors – Milk Purple, Milk Orange
Zebra Metallic Brush Pens – Metallic Green & Metallic Gold
Postcard or other paper
Eraser

Line Methods

We'll be using four types of line drawing in this tutorial: scribbling, hatching, feathering, and brush pen strokes.

step-by-step how-to for drawing a chick

Step 1: Use Basic Shapes to Create Your Chick Sketch

The Zensations Drafix Technical Pencil draws bold, but easily erased lines. Lightly draw a circle for the body, and a smaller one for the head. Add an eye, a beak, and the feet.

Shaded in sketch of a chick

Step 2: Fill in Your Sketch With Scribble Motions

The solid lines and vibrant color of the ClickArt Retractable Marker Pens create a beautiful visual effect even when you scribble. Begin filling in your chick with scribbles but be sure to leave some white space.

Hash-shading on a sketch of a baby chick

Step 3: Add Hatch Lines to the Drawing Outline

Now, use the same ClickArt Retractable Marker Pen to hatch lines along the outline and on the wing of the chick. Fill the beak and feet with solid color, then erase the pencil lines.

Step-by-step drawing illustration of a chick's eye

Step 4: Add Color and Details to the Eye

With the Black and Brown ClickArt Retractable Marker Pens, color in the eye as shown above.

Sarasa Clip shading on a baby chick drawing

Step 5: Add More Detail to Your Drawing with Sarasa Clip Retractable Gel Pens

The Sarasa Clip Gel Retractable Pens come in soft, milky colors that create vibrant shading to complement the main color. Use the Milk Orange pen and hatch lines along the bottom edge of the chick, around the white ring of the eye, under the neck, the back of the head, and outline the feet.

Add some extra shadow detail, such a patch of hatched lines on the chest, a loop along the back, a line above the eye, and add lines to the feet, so they look like a carrot.

Feather Lines on a chick drawing

Step 6: Add Feathering Lines to the Wings

Now add feathering lines on both sides of the wing.

With the Milk Purple Sarasa Clip Gel Retractable Pen, hatch more lines in the same areas as you did with the Milk Orange. This deepens the shadows and makes them more realistic.

Chick drawing with grass landscape

Step 7: Add A Grassy Landscape

To add grass, create strokes with the Zebra Metallic Brush Pens in Gold and Metallic Green. Press down slightly and lessen the pressure as you pull the nib downwards and you'll get perfect grass blades.

Animal sketches

Other Animals

This circle technique works well for drawing other animals, too. Just start with the circles, then add facial features and feet to suit the animal. Here are a couple of examples.

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial! For more drawing inspiration, check out my tutorial on How to Draw a Fennec Fox with Zebra Metallic Brush Pens.