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Duck Drawing Ideas

One duck to draw per press: a named kind, a pose, a duckling or a rubber duck.

Duck Drawing Ideas

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  1. A white Pekin standing on grassCreamy white all over, with a yellow bill and yellowish orange legs and feet. Three crayons do it.

Next step Birds to draw in colored pencil

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Kinds of duck 18

  • A bufflehead drake on gray water A small black-and-white duck with one large white patch behind the eye. Leave the patch as bare paper.
  • A Call duck beside a full-size duck A Call is far smaller, round-headed, with a very short bill. Draw the pair in the same pose.
  • A Cayuga duck in sunlight Black feathers with a beetle-green sheen. Lay green over black only where the light strikes.
  • A common eider drake on the sea A bulky duck with a large wedge-shaped bill. The drake is black and white with a green nape.
  • A common goldeneye drake A dark head with a greenish gloss, a round white patch below the eye and the golden-yellow eye itself.
  • A harlequin drake's head Slate blue, with a white crescent in front of the eye, a round dot behind it and an oval spot on the neck.
  • A hooded merganser raising his crest Large white patches on each side of the crest show most when it is up. Draw it flat, then fanned.
  • A mallard drake from behind, tail curl up The center tail feather of a drake curls upward. On a female it lies straight.
  • A mallard pair, drake and hen, side by side He has a glossy green head and a white collar; she is speckled brown. Both carry a wing patch edged in white.
  • A mandarin drake, face on A small red bill, a large white crescent above each eye and reddish whiskers fanning from the cheeks.
  • A Muscovy duck's face Red wattles surround the bill. The body is mostly black, and the wings have big white patches.
  • A northern pintail drake A chocolate-brown head, a thin white stripe up the side of the neck and long, pointed tail feathers.
  • A northern shoveler and its oversized bill The bill is large, wide and flat like a spatula. Draw it first and fit the rest of the duck behind it.
  • A ruddy duck with its tail cocked up Small and compact, with a long stiff tail held upright. In summer the drake has a bright blue bill.
  • A white Pekin standing on grass Creamy white all over, with a yellow bill and yellowish orange legs and feet. Three crayons do it.
  • A wood duck drake with his swept-back crest A crested head, red eyes and a white flare running down the neck. Draw the crest as one smooth droop.
  • A wood duck perched on a branch One of the few ducks that perch and nest in trees. Sharp claws grip the bark, so show the toes.
  • Three Indian Runners running in a row They stand upright as penguins and run where other ducks waddle. Draw each as a tall bottle on legs.

Poses and moves 16

  • A duck asleep on one leg, bill hidden The head turns right around and rests on the back. The body becomes one smooth oval.
  • A duck diving, only ripples and a tail tip left Diving ducks feed underwater, with legs set far back to drive them. Draw three rings and one small point.
  • A duck in flight, side view, neck stretched out Neck straight out in front, feet tucked behind. The bright wing patch sits on the inner flight feathers.
  • A duck landing on water, feet first Wings cupped, tail spread, feet pushed forward like skis. A fan of spray starts at the heels.
  • A duck on the water, seen from directly above A teardrop with the point at the tail. Add the bill and a faint V behind.
  • A duck preening, bill deep in its wing It takes oil from a gland by the tail and draws each feather through its bill.
  • A duck quacking, bill wide open Side view. Open the bill in a wide V and add the tongue as one curve inside it.
  • A duck scratching its head with one foot It balances on the other leg, neck bent down to meet the foot. The eye is half shut.
  • A duck shaking water off, drops flying Blur the outline of the body with short strokes and throw the drops outward in arcs.
  • A duck stretching one wing and one leg back Both on the same side. The wing opens like a fan and the foot points behind it.
  • A duck taking off in a burst of spray The wings are at the top of their stroke. Leave a ragged white gap in the water below the feet.
  • A duck tipped up to feed, tail to the sky Many ducks feed by upending. Above the water you need only a pointed tail and a ring of ripples.
  • A duck walking toward you, mid-waddle The body tips toward the foot that carries the weight. Turn the toes slightly inward.
  • A duck's bill from the side, showing its comb edge A comb-like edge runs along the bill and strains food from the water. Draw it as fine, even ticks.
  • A row of sleeping ducks, the end one with an eye open Mallards at the edge of a group sleep with the outward eye open. Shut every eye but that one.
  • One webbed foot, seen from the front Spread the toes like a fan and join them with shallow curves. Shade the webbing lighter than the toes.

Ducklings 14

  • A duckling asleep in a cupped hand Draw the hand first, as a shallow bowl. The duckling is an egg shape with its bill tucked in.
  • A duckling hatching, egg tooth on its bill A hatchling has a small, sharp point on its bill that it later loses. Put it near the tip.
  • A duckling in the middle of a yawn The bill opens far wider than seems fair and the eyes squeeze shut.
  • A duckling looking at its own reflection Lean it forward over the water's edge. The reflection is the same shape, upside down and wobbly.
  • A duckling straight on, all fluff and bill A small ball on a larger ball. The bill is a flat oval and the eyes sit wide apart.
  • A duckling stretching one tiny wing The wing is a stub no longer than its bill. Stretch the leg on the same side as well.
  • A duckling trying to climb a curb Chest against the stone, feet scrabbling, wings out for balance. The others wait on top.
  • A duckling under its mother's wing, head out Her wing is a blanket with a feathered edge. One small head and one foot show below it.
  • A duckling's first swim It sits high on the water like a cork. The wake behind it is two short lines.
  • A half-grown duckling, feathers coming through the down Patchy and awkward: smooth feathers on the wings and sides, fluff still on the head and neck.
  • Ducklings asleep in a heap Overlap five or six ovals and give only some of them a visible bill. One is always upside down.
  • Ducklings in a line, the mother leaving the frame Young ducks follow the parent they fixed on soon after hatching. Show only her tail at the page edge.
  • Eider ducklings in a nest lined with down The eider lines her nest with down plucked from her own breast. Draw it as a soft gray ring.
  • Wood ducklings jumping from a tree hole The day after hatching they climb to the nest opening and jump. Catch one in the air, feet spread.

Rubber ducks and funny ducks 12

  • A dabbling duck, tail up, breathing through a snorkel Only the tail and the snorkel show. Two bubbles rise beside them.
  • A drake admiring his tail curl in a puddle He looks back over his shoulder. The curl and its reflection make a full ring.
  • A duck in the rain, turning down an umbrella Preening helps keep its feathers waterproof. Bead the drops on its back and let them roll off.
  • A lesson in tipping up: five tails and one head Four ducklings and the teacher are upended. The fifth has surfaced to check what the others are doing.
  • A row of rubber ducks, one facing the wrong way Most rubber ducks are yellow and flat-bottomed. Draw four the same and turn the fifth.
  • A rubber duck face to face with a real duckling Same size, same yellow. The toy has a painted eye and a seam; the duckling has fluff and a doubt.
  • A rubber duck race down a stream Charities really do race them. Number each duck and wedge one against a rock.
  • A shoveler eating soup with its own bill The bill is its spoon. Set the bowl on a table and tuck a napkin under one wing.
  • A tiny Call duck with a quack bigger than itself The breed is small and famously loud. Make the speech bubble three times the size of the duck.
  • A wood duckling jumping from the nest with a leaf parachute The real ones jump with nothing. Draw the nest hole high above and the leaf held by its stem.
  • An Indian Runner winning a race against waddlers It runs upright while the others rock from side to side. Put it a full length ahead.
  • The night watch: a row of ducks, the end one holding a lantern The duck on the edge keeps one eye open, so give it the lantern and the tired look.

How it works

A duck is two ovals and a bill, so these duck drawing ideas spend their hints on what comes next: the curl in a drake's tail, the white patch on a bufflehead, the way a duck tips up to feed.

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Two ovals, then the bill

Draw a large oval for the body, tilted up a little at the tail, and a small one for the head, set forward of the chest. Join them with an S for the neck. The bill is a flat wedge, rounded at the tip. On water, cut the body off with a straight line and ring it with ripples.

Questions and answers

What is an easy duck to draw?

A duck on the water, seen from directly above, is a teardrop with a bill. A white Pekin standing on grass needs three colors, and a duckling straight on is two balls of fluff. Easy, under More filters, holds 19.

How do you tell a male mallard from a female?

The drake has a glossy green head, a white collar and a curled feather in the center of his tail. The hen is speckled brown with a straight tail. Both have a wing patch edged in white.

Why do ducks sleep with one eye open?

Birds can rest half the brain at a time. Mallards at the edge of a sleeping group keep the eye that faces outward open. Draw the row with every eye shut but that one.

How do you draw a duckling?

Start with a small ball on a larger ball. Add a flat oval bill, eyes set wide apart and short strokes of fluff around the outline. Keep the wings as stubs.

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