Get a
Eye of the Bird
Put a Lid on It
Fluff It Up
The Top Beak
The Bottom Beak
Mouthing Off
Ruffle Those Feathers
Clean It Up
Make Him Sunny
    Who's yellow, 8-foot 2-inches tall, and lives in a giant nest at 123 Sesame Street? Why it's Big Bird of course. But don't let his size fool you. He can skate, dance, sing, write poetry, and draw with the best of them, and now you can learn how to draw him. Just follow our how-to tips from a real Sesame Street artist.

    To draw Big Bird, you will need:
  • A sheet of construction paper or computer paper
  • A pencil
  • An eraser
  • Markers, colored pencils, or crayons

Get a "Head" Start

To start drawing Big Bird, hold your paper long-ways (landscape orientation). Begin by making a large circular shape in the center of the page for Big Bird's head. Then, draw a dotted line horizontally across the center of the circle. This will be a guideline for where to place Big Bird's eyes and beak. Remember to keep both the circle and the dotted line light! You'll be erasing these later.

Eye of the Bird

First, you'll add Big Bird's eyes. In this portrait, Big Bird's head will be turned slightly to the side, so his eyes will be on a bit of a diagonal. Draw one circle in the middle of your dotted line. Draw another circle next to this one. The circles should overlap a little and the second one should be higher up than the first.

Put a Lid on It

For Big Bird's pupils, add a smaller circle in the bottom half of each larger circle. Now it's time to give Big Bird his signature droopy eyelids. Draw a curved line through the middle of each eye. Then draw another curved line above each of those.

Fluff It Up

Give Big Bird some fluff! Around the edge of the circle, draw short curved lines to represent puffs of feathers.

The Top Beak

To draw the top of Big Bird's beak, start at the point where his eyes overlap. Extend the beak beyond the circle you drew for the head. Then curve it around. Give Big Bird a smile, by ending the beak with a slight upturn under his right eye.

The Bottom Beak

Next, draw the bottom half of Big Bird's beak. Make sure you leave some space to draw an open mouth!

Mouthing Off

Create Big Bird's mouth by drawing a series of three triangular shapes between the top of his beak and the bottom. Each triangle should be larger than the one before and more rounded at the top.

Ruffle Those Feathers

Give Big Bird some feather tufts! On the top left of his head, draw three curved feathers.

Clean It Up

You're almost done! Clean up your drawing by erasing overlaps, as well as the dotted line and circle you drew for reference at the beginning.

Make Him Sunny

Finish off your picture with some color. Use markers, pens, or crayons, to give Big Bird a sunny yellow sheen!

Step 1 of 10

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