How to Draw a Dove

In this new step-by-step tutorial, we will learn to draw an all-white bird, the dove!

HOW IS THE DOVE CHARACTERIZED?

I chose to write about this article because it's about an animal I have a particular affection for; I grew up with these birds living in a large open aviary.

When you hear the word "dove", you immediately think of this symbol of purity and peace in a white robe! Well, I can assure you that they actually have a strong personality, which makes them very amusing!

The term dove is quite general, it is commonly used to group together both domestic white doves and white or albino rock pigeons.

These birds belong to the columbidae family, they are small but can be recognized from afar because they are of a mesmerizing white.

We can thus call these two birds "dove," but they have differences:

- The plumage is always white but it has a smoother appearance for the domestic dove,

-   The rock pigeon has a clearly visible "cere" at the base of the beak (a growth that is actually its nasal caruncle), unlike the white dove whose nostrils are distinctly visible.

-   The pigeon is only slightly wider than the dove (this distinction is striking at the neck level). It measures between 29 and 37 cm, compared to 24 to 33 cm for the dove:

SKETCHES OF A DOVE IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS

We can familiarize ourselves with the animal's drawing by starting with quick observational sketches:

What do we notice? :

-   its small pale pink beak,

-   its dark pink paws,

-   4 fingers per paw,

- very dark red little eyes,

-   entirely white plumage,

- wings and a tail that form a fan in flight,

- even with its wings spread, its wingspan is average.

THE DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THE DOVE

We can understand how each part of its body is structured and summarize them in simple shapes; a small circle for its head and a large oval for its body. When the dove is on the ground, its wings form an oval that

stretches to the tip of the wings. The feathers of its tail come together and can no longer be distinguished individually.

When it flies, its wings form a fan, a continuous arc, the same goes for its tail. The toes of its feet curl over themselves.

DRAW HIS CLAWS

The dove has anisodactyl-shaped legs, meaning it has three toes facing forward and a thumb directed backward. Its claws are short and small because it is not a bird of prey: thus, it can easily walk on the ground and cling to branches.

THE COLOR PALETTE TO DRAW A DOVE

Here is the color palette that I obtained following my observations:

Whether you choose to draw it in color or with a pencil, your dove must always remain in light values.

Even the shadows of the plumage should not enter into the darkest values - unless it is in a particularly low light environment:

 

Tip:to check your values when using color, scan and completely desaturate your drawing to better understand the white, gray, and black values used.

DRAW A DOVE STEP BY STEP

For this drawing, we will represent the animal most commonly associated with the dove; the white rock pigeon. It will be in profile, in flight.

1 -Sketch the body and head aligned on the same axis. The head should be much smaller than the body.

 

2 -Draw the tail in a semicircle, as well as the wings.

3 -Choose an axis for the bird's face in line with the top of the wings, and place the eye in the center of the head surrounded by a small circle. Draw the beak and then the legs at the bottom of the oval of the body.

4 -Outline the body contours. The feathers are small on the head, but have more mass and length on the lower body.

5 -Erase the construction lines of the body and head.

6 -Detail the tail feathers. There are fluffy feathers at the base of the body (in orange), small feathers (in red) and large developed feathers (in purple) at the tip of its tail that form a fan.

7 -The wing is divided into two parts.

8 -Detail the feathers of the first part, and start the line of small feathers that border the top of the wings.

 

9 -Detail the feathers of the second part. Be careful, they are not aligned with the previous ones and are longer! You can erase the construction lines of the wings and give them their final shape; more curved and detailed.

ADD COLOR TO THE DRAWING

10 -Here is the final drawing, we can now start coloring. (If you prefer to keep a drawing with just lines, you can detail the feathers on its body a bit to express the volume that we will add later with color and shadows.)

11 -Add gradients following my color palette. Place the shadows and define the feather lines. For its eye, choose the darkest red, surrounded by a pale pink border, similar to the beak. Let's not forget the bird's “cere”!

Tip:The dove does not have "pure" white as a base color so that we can use this white exclusively for the final highlights.

12 -Add textures with simple small lines by picking up the colors already laid and mixing them over the already shaded areas.

13 -Place the dove on a background reminiscent of nature.

14 -Refine details. For a more realistic representation, consider drawing the irregularities of the feathers: they are not all perfectly rounded at the ends and are often more damaged on its tail.

We can play with the subject and the background of the drawing by matching their lights, playing with the transparency of the feather tips, and the sharpness and blur of certain details.

There you have it!

Editor and illustrator: Vincyane