How to Draw a Chick
Today we're going to look into the study of a baby, yes yes, a baby, a tiny one, and more specifically, the chick, the baby chicken. So beware, there's going to be a lot of yellow and fluff everywhere! You have been warned...
Even though the chick is a miniature version, it is primarily a (future) chicken and therefore a completely authentic bird. We will therefore quickly provide a general overview of birds. Feel free to consult our article to learn how to draw a bird to learn more about the subject.
THE ANATOMY OF A CHICK FOR DRAWING
It may seem surprising, but let's remember that the wings and legs of birds ultimately have the same structure as our limbs, the arrangement is the same but not the shape/length of the bones (except the bones of the hand, which are very reduced there).
Whether it's the wings or the legs, we find a composition in three parts, 1, 2, and 3, and A, B, and C. Note, in the middle drawing, where the hind leg and the wing attach (orange arrows). The wing starts at the beginning of the “chest” and the hind leg is attached at the back of the body. It should be noted that part A of the leg does not really stand out, which will give the impression that the leg starts at the top of segment B.
To the right is a diagram quickly outlining the structure of the wing with feathers.
But, as we said, we are not going to draw a chicken but a chick! So, in the following illustration, we will observe a chick skeleton.
(On the left is the skeleton of an adult, just to give you an idea.)
As is often the case with baby animals, the chick is a version of a chicken with different proportions. The head will be very round and, compared to that of an adult, it will be much larger.
Schema A:
In pink, an arrow points to the location of the nostrils; they will be placed at the top of the visible part of the beak. The beak is gently curved and quite small.
In orange, the eye will come to rest at the center of the eye socket. Note that the eye aligns with the tip of the beak.
The red arrow and the green arrow remind you of the wing and leg attachments.
The blue dot marks the level from which the leg will be visible. The visible parts are highlighted in light blue. Note that this blue point is placed in the center (blue arrow) of the length of the chest (purple line).
Schema B:
As mentioned before, the head is quite round (in red). The body is slightly elongated and round on the back (in green). The tail (in orange) is really small and very discreet.
An important element should catch your attention, in pink I have highlighted the bone that sits in front of the chest. This bone will create an irregularity in the silhouette, an irregularity represented by the blue line. We will see this later on fleshy and feathered chicks, and this element will structure your chick in the case of a drawing that aims to be at least realistic.
Throughout this article, we will base our study on observing chicks with yellow plumage, but be aware that there are multiple and varied variations in coats.
DRAWING THE WINGS
The chick's wings are wings in the making; they are a simplified version of an adult's wings.
On the left, the image shows just the bones and feathers. On the right, the image shows the distribution of feathers. In 1, the feathers cover and follow the bone structure. In 2, there is a first row of medium-sized feathers. In 4, you'll find the longest feathers, with actually two types of feathers of different shapes (indicated by the two shades of purple).
Now onto our chick.
We find the same bone structure as in an adult (red features) and this gives us a base that will be covered with down. In a very young chick (image A), you can be perfectly content with this mini wing without real feathers.
In a chick that is just a little more developed (image B), we will see the appearance of two rows of feathers (in green and in purple). The outermost feathers (in purple) should remain fairly spaced apart and will be of the same classic shape as the others (in green). Feel free to round the feathers and not make them too long.
THE CHICK'S LEGS
The chick's legs are very classic: three long toes facing forward and a fourth smaller one on the back of the leg. The middle toe (2) will be the longest, the two other front toes (1&3) will be of the same length, and the rear toe (4) will be the shortest.
The skin is scaly and featherless where it is visible. For the toes, you can opt for a ring structure (green zoom), and for the leg itself, you can partially suggest the scales (blue zoom). You can adjust the level of detail of the scales depending on the level of realism of your drawing. Note that for a drawing that is not intended to be hyperrealistic, I advise against drawing every scale as it might overburden your drawing. Instead, opt for a sporadic representation of scales here and there.
Finally, each toe is finished with a small, sharp claw. You can use the color of the leg or apply a slightly lighter color.
The drawing on the right allows for two things, first of all, to clearly show you where the plumage ends at the leg (blue arrow). If you refer back to the skeleton drawings, the blue arrow is located between zone B and zone C, where our ankle would be.
Indeed, our chick, like many birds, walks on its toes (the light blue area of the skeleton), so it is digitigrade!
In a moment, I'll take the opportunity to revisit two elements. In pink, you'll see the tail, which is very discreet and forms a slight irregularity at the end of the column. In green, you'll see the front bone of the chest, which can be faintly discerned, creating a small "bump."
DRAWING THE HEAD: BEAK AND EYE
From Drawing A, we zoom in to observe the eye in image C).
The eye is quite rounded, without being completely circular; it has soft pointed edges somewhat like our eye. In chicks, we tend not to distinguish the iris from the pupil, so the eye appears completely black (as always, avoid using pure black).
The eye has an upper eyelid, a lower eyelid, and a third eyelid somewhat like that of cats, which will most often not be visible. You can ignore it in your representations, as shown here. The lower and upper eyelids (in red) have a few very short and extremely fine "lashes" that we will not depict since they would only be visible in a very close-up view of the eye.
Know that in adults the pupil is round and black, and the iris is generally amber in color. You can guess at the "white of the eye" but it would again only be discernible in the context of a very significant zoom.
Again, in image C, in blue, just below the lower eyelid, is a thin area of skin where a scaly structure can be distinguished. This detail should only be addressed in the context of a very realistic and detailed drawing. In purple, note that the area around the eye, especially in the front, is less covered with feathers, and therefore its color is more pinkish (however, in some varieties of poultry, the skin is more gray than pink, which should be taken into account).
Image B:
In purple, you'll see a small tool that assists the chick during hatching. This appendage disappears quickly; it is a sign of a very young chick. You can ignore this detail without it affecting your drawing.
In blue, you'll see the structure of the nostrils, which "rest" at the top of the beak. In a drawing with a distant viewpoint or one that does not specifically seek high realism, you can simply use a line on the top of the beak to suggest the nostrils.
The auditory canal is in red, a component that remains very discreet, so you may choose not to represent it.
In green, I am revisiting the alignment of the tip of the beak with the eye.
In pink is the junction of the upper and lower beak. Note that the fold of the beak is below the line of the eye.
On the head, the two areas shaded in gray are there to highlight the head's contours. It's kind of like the chick had very large eyebrows that are slightly discernible!
The two areas shaded in orange highlight the contours of the chest. The placement of feathers here will tend to mark a "stripe" (indicated by the orange arrow).
We will conclude our study with a front view before moving on to the step-by-step drawing.
Image B:
Volumes: the round head is in red, the body shaped like a well-rounded pear is in green, and the irregularity created by the bone in front of the chest is in blue. I've drawn two gray lines in contact with the head and note that the legs, in pink, fall within this area. The two purple arrows point to the wing attachment points (quite high).
You'll appreciate the little color summary right next to it...
Image C:
In orange and gray hatching, we find the volumes that appeared in the previous drawing. In blue, you'll find the structure of the nostrils, in green, the alignment of the beak tip/eyes, and in pink, the fold of the beak that is just below.
DRAWING A CHICK STEP BY STEP
Today, for once, we're not necessarily looking for overly precise anatomical accuracy. The goal is to have a bit of fun and thus capture the chick's youthful essence.
We will draw a chick in a rather static pose from a slightly angled profile view, and another chick in a more dynamic pose from a more frontal view.
Let's get started...
Step 1: I'm positioning the beaks. The chick on the left will turn its head but its body will be almost facing us. The one on the right has a more classic profile.
Step 2: I'll shape the heads, which are slightly elongated circles.
Step 3: I'll shape the bodies, for the one facing us, I'll use a pear shape that is a little less "bulging" on the back side. On the chick on the right, you see, in pink, the "hump" at the top of the breast that creates an irregularity in the rounded shape of the bird.
Step 4: I'll place the eyes. You will notice that the junction of the upper and lower parts at the beak (pink line) is well below the eyes and that the eye is aligned with the tip of the beak (green line). I'll add the very small tail (orange hatching).
Step 5: I'll place the wings, and remember that the wing attachment is quite high on the column, just after the neck.
Step 6: I'll position the legs. In orange, I will quickly place the skeleton (+ a purple line to position the spine of the bird on the left).
ADDING THE DETAILS
Step 7: I'll redraw over our sketch. To create the irregular and fluffy aspect of the down, I use lots of short strokes, except on the wings to convey their stiffness, as with the legs. I'll also use a sharp line to draw the underside of the neck of the chick on the right due to the tension in that area. In pink, I'll add a few feathers along the line of the wings. In green, I'll draw a few strokes above the eyes to suggest volume. In red, I'll also suggest the shape of the head.
Step 8: I'll erase the construction lines.
Step 9: I'll apply the flat colors, a light orange for the beak, a medium brown for the legs, an impure black for the eyes, and a slightly orange yellow for the plumage.
You will notice that I have deliberately omitted the structure of the nostrils, which are located above the beak. I simply used a small line instead at the top of the beak. I will not go into detail about the eye or the legs either. We are working on a drawing that does not necessarily seek precision.
Now let's work on the colors.
Step 10: I'm adding a little decor for our chicks, some grass and dirt, and I'm adding a few lost feathers. I'm taking the opportunity to place the shadows under the little ones, and the light will come from above on the left.
Step 11: I'll use a slightly more saturated and darker yellow to give them volume. I'll add a very light touch of pink to the beaks. I'll fill the inside of the open beak with a pink that is not too saturated. I'll shade the beaks and legs and place a gleam of light in the eyes.
Step 12: With a very light yellow and a soft orange, I'll speckle the plumage to highlight its irregularity. I plan to place a strong pink shadow to bring out the wing, which I find is not defined enough.
Step 13: I'll place the shadows on the plumage as well as a touch of light.
Done!
I hope this article has been helpful for you to better understand the structure of the chick, but ultimately, we must remember that this little guy is all fluffy! And although he has a rigid structure like everyone else (or almost), keep in mind that he mostly resembles a soft little ball!
And don't hesitate to draw a lot of chicks together as the little ones often wander around in groups.
Illustrator and Writer: Elo Illus