TUTORIAL | How To Draw A Barn Owl In Colored Pencil

Hi everyone, Claire here and welcome back to my channel. Today I'm going to be taking you through the process, colours and all the juicy details behind creating this beautiful barn owl drawing in coloured pencil. If you're curious about the materials I used you can find the full list down in the description box below. And if you'd like to see the full real time in-depth version which runs for about seven hours, yep seven hours of pure owl magic, you can check that out on my Patreon. I've popped the link below so feel free to have a look. But for now let's dive right into today's YouTube tutorial. So if you've been around on my channel before you probably know that 99% of the time I always start with the eyes. They are the windows to the soul and I'm always drawn to drawing the eyes first. But this time I decided to go a little rogue. I left the eyes and face for later and there's actually a solid reason for this. The reference photo I used for this drawing is an absolute stunner. A big shout out and thanks to Les Liddle for kindly letting me use it. But I actually wanted to take a little detail from the photo and amp up the vibrancy and the richness of the colours. My goal was to give off that warm late summer sun vibe, nothing too crazy, just enhancing those lovely barn owl tones to make them really glow. So instead of diving straight into the eyes like I usually would, I focused on where the light was hitting the wings first. I kind of worked out my colour palette as I went along and then carried those same tones over to the head and the face. The idea was to keep that warm consistent glow across the whole owl so the colours would blend together and look harmonious across the whole drawing. So the first thing I did with the wings was mark out all of the dark shapes. These act as my little reference points. They help me to keep track of where I am in the drawing so I don't get completely lost. So to stay grounded I used a dark brown pencil to mark out those areas. So once I'd got the darkest most prominent shapes I could see all marked out, I moved on to shading in some of the softer colours. Now keep in mind that I'm aiming for a kind of sunlit colour palette here so I'm picking out those lovely pink, peach and yellow tones. The Caran d'Ache Luminance range of pencils is perfect for this. They really do have some stunning light, neutral and pastel shades that are super earthy as well which in my opinion is just chef's kiss for this barn owl. I've got a lot of pencil brands. I've tried all different types of pencils but when it comes to these soft, subtle tones, luminance pencils are by far my favourite. Since the tones are soft I started out with a light pressure and gradually increased the pressure to build up the richness of the colours, especially where the sunlight is hitting the wing. This also helps to create that smooth, seamless texture with the pencil. I'm generally overlapping the colours, almost like mixing my own shades as I go. That's one of the things I absolutely love about coloured pencil. We're not stuck with the colours in the set, we can mix our own by layering light shades and that's pretty much exactly what I've done here. I used a light touch of brown ochre 10% for those light peachy and soft tones and some brown tones as well just to add a little warmth and richness. I've also added a touch of violet grey for areas where I wanted a little bit more of a muted tone. It's perfect for shadowing where the brown tones blend into something softer and more subtle. So now I'm starting to think about the tips of the wing where the sunlight is really catching. To bring out that beautiful sunlit glow I'm pressing a little harder with my pencil and choosing slightly more vibrant tones. So for this I'm using the brown ochre 50% luminance pencil which adds a lovely yellow warmth but still keeps that neutral earthy feel. At this stage I've got the general colours laid out across this section of the wing I'm working on and now it's all about building up those layers to add richness and saturation to the tones. I'm using a mix of french grey to deepen the shadows, french grey 10% for the lighter tones and nougat or nugget or however you like to pronounce it for those rich browns. The key here is simply to layer lightly and let each colour blend smoothly into the next. And as I'm adding more depth to the colours I'm now reaching for the polychromos raw umber to really enhance that golden caramel tone. It's all about slowly building up that warmth and richness making sure the transitions between each colour is soft and natural. The more I layer the more those sunlit areas really start to glow. Now moving on to the speckled areas. This section has an overall creamy tone so I'm starting with a foundation layer of olive brown 10%. As always I'm lightly marking out my reference points with a gentle touch of french grey outlining each segment of the feathers. To capture that speckled texture I'm using a mixture of lines and scribbly marks. I'm not really aiming for a lot of detail in this piece it's more about the colours and the contrast between the light and dark. I'll be honest here that's not something that comes easily for me. I'm naturally drawn to detail and I love capturing the intricate details in nature so stepping back from that can sometimes feel a little bit outside of my comfort zone. That said I am adding a little hint of detail here and there just to keep things interesting. As before I'm deepening the colours by applying a bit more pressure to the base layer while also adding lighter layers of deeper tones like the polychromos raw umber to build up that rich warm feel. So after marking out the main key shapes of this lower segment of the wing I'm jumping straight in with the richer darker tones. I was pretty rough and ready with my pencil strokes leaving some gaps where the paper's still peeking through but that was totally intentional because I can then glaze or layer lighter colours over those areas just to tweak the overall tone. In this case I'm throwing in some light cobalt blue to create a nice contrast between the warmth of the sun and the cooler tones in the shadows. There's quite a strong divide here between the warm and cool areas so I didn't want it to feel too harsh so I stuck in some pinks and a little bit of purple just to smooth out that transition. Now on to my favourite part of the wing probably because there's some really lovely detailed textures in here. I'm going straight in with my french grey but this time I'm holding my pencil nice and loose. I want to create some soft scribbly circles rather than harsh lines or sharp points. It's almost like doodling. I'm also mixing up the pressure as I go to add to the texture and it's not just a once and done situation. I've also applied a couple more layers to really build up that texture. Then I'm using the same scribbly technique but with a darker pencil. Mainly the dark sepia which is one of my all-time favourite colour pencils. I just love the earthy tone of this colour. Now for the icing on the cake. The finishing touch that brings this whole section together. I took out a nice sharp black polychromos pencil to add those tiny little dots that are such a signature feature of the barn owl's patterning. And then of course a quick touch of my electric eraser to pull out some light tiny touches in the feathers. But once I have used the eraser I never just leave it at that. I always go back in with a lighter colour just to soften what I have just erased. So now the details and textures are in place it's just a matter of refining everything with the colours that we've already used. So the second wing follows pretty much the same process as the back wing. The colours are just a tad different they're a little bit less rich since we're facing away from the sun. But don't worry I still wanted to keep that overall warmth so I made sure to sneak in some of those warm tones I picked out earlier. I'm using the brown oak 10% for those lovely peachy tones. Burnt sienna 10% for a hint of pink and olive brown 10% to add some yellows. But not after going in with some french grey to give the overall earthy muted tone. I'm also adding some yellow tones to the shadows on the wing. It really helps to warm things up and takes away from that dull shadowy vibe. Nobody wants their outfit to feel like it's stuck in a rainy day so with those warm touches this wing is starting to feel a little bit more alive. So just while I'm repeating the same process for the second wing I thought I would have a quick chit chat about my paper choice for this piece which is Rising Museum Board. Okay let's just remind us a second. I've always been a long time fan of Fabriano Artistico. It's been my absolute go-to paper for many, many years. We're literally talking decades here. A couple of decades. I'm not that old. But recently I've had a few issues with it. Don't get me wrong the paper is still awesome but just occasionally I got a sheet with this strange almost oil slick texture which you don't really notice until you're deep into a drawing. Don't get me wrong it didn't happen all that often but as a professional artist two or three times was enough for me to go on a bit of a paper hunting journey. But most of the papers I tried they just didn't work for me. So when I decided to try Rising Museum Board I'd heard about this surface a few years back and I hadn't tried it until now and honestly it has completely exceeded my expectations. It's right up there with Fabriano for me and it's been my paper of choice now since the end of 2023. So what do I love about it? First off the weight of the paper. I love a heavier surface. It's great because colour pencil work is delicate enough without having to worry about paper creasing or buckling. So it's great to handle and takes the stress of creasing away. Second, it's super smooth. I mean super smooth and the colours lay beautifully on it. Third, it takes lots of layers which is a huge plus point for my style and finally, and this was a really lovely surprise, the colours seem even richer than they did on Fabriano. I still remember the first bird drawing I did on this paper. It was a red cardinal and I was amazed at how rich those reds turned out. So as far as I'm concerned, this paper is perfect. It is for me anyway. Okay, I'm gonna stop there before this turns into a bit of a full-on paper review. Sorry for the detail. I hope you got something out of it anyway. So let's get back to the owl. Alright, so now we're on to the final part of the wing which, believe it or not, is actually a super important area. This lower corner represents the shadow of the fleshy part of the wing on the opposite side. So owl wings have a bit of a translucent quality where light can filter through and this is especially noticeable in flight in certain sunlight. So getting the shape right is really key for making that fleshy part look real. So I needed this corner to be noticeably darker than the feathers to create that shadowy effect. I built it up slowly using a mixture of browns and warm tones but I kept my pressure light to make sure everything stayed smooth. I also threw in some olive brown to give the shadows a warmer tint and that's a little trick to keep shadows from looking flat and boring. It just adds a little bit of colour interest. I also played around with the pressure, increasing it a little bit in those subtle shadow areas but I also made sure to keep my pencil sharp and that is because I really wanted my pencil to get into the grooves of the paper. It just basically helps to keep the texture nice and smooth. Here's where I'm starting to mould the shape of that fleshy part, making sure it has a definite curve. I'm just adding a little bit more pressure and tidying up the edges. The shadow of the wing where it curves around to the right is also crucial for giving it that 3D effect. So I'm just going in with some dark sepia to deepen the shadow which really helps boost the contrast and make that curve pop. I really wanted the front wing to stand out really proud above the back wing so adding that dark shadowy strip makes all the difference. Finally we're moving on to the face and this is where the drawing really starts to come to life. Up until now it just felt like I was working with shapes but the moment I started on the face I felt that instant connection to this beautiful bird. So I dove straight into the eye and there's honestly not a ton of detail here since barn owl eyes are pretty dark but I built that up pretty quickly and easily using dark sepia and black and of course I left a little sparkle for the highlights because what's an owl without that twinkle in its eye? That small touch just makes the owl look alive. One of the most important features of the barn owl are those deeply set eyes. So shadowing around the eyes is crucial because that sunken eye appearance is what gives the barn owl that really soulful intense gaze we all love. So to really make that shadow come alive I added some deep earthy pinks using burnt sienna 50% along with some peachy tones and darker browns like the polychromos walnut brown and burnt umber. That way it's not just about throwing down a layer of darkness but really bringing richness to the colours. From there I started building up the feather direction on the face being careful to capture that signature heart-shaped contour that barn owls are famous for. I started with a little bit of silver grey and slowly worked in some french grey 10% for warmth and Payne's grey for the cooler tones. Around the edges of the eyes I increased the pressure of those colours to really push that deeply set appearance. I definitely took my time with the subtle shadowing on the face. There is a fine line between making the feathers too dark or too light especially since the face in this drawing is naturally in shadow but barn owls are overall pretty light coloured so I built these shadows gradually taking care not to rush it or overwork it. The final stage of the barn owl's head was pretty straightforward but it was really important to focus on those key shadows and make sure that they stood out just right. I wasn't going for an awful lot of detail here so I built up smooth shadows using light pressure and layering gradually. I started with french grey to block in the dark areas along with lighter pressure to map out the feather direction. Even though I was holding back on detail some areas really needed just a little bit of it especially where the sunlight hits and highlights those beautiful features. So like with the face I worked in some peachy tones, some soft pinks and cooler blues into the shadows. I slowly built in some golden browns to capture that sunlit glow but as you can see it was all about building each layer slowly and steadily to create soft transitions. So with each layer the texture became softer and smoother. In some instances to keep things delicate and soft I occasionally held my pencil further down the barrel which naturally loosens my grip and helps to avoid any harsh lines. As I reach the final stages of the head I really focused on deepening the shadows making sure that they were dark enough and rich enough. So adding more raw umber and walnut brown really helped to darken and warm up those shadowy areas. The tail feathers followed a pretty similar approach to the wings and head. Because of the angle of these feathers I was working with more abstract shapes rather than clearly defined feathers. So I started by marking out the darker areas and then slowly incorporated color around those dark areas. With each layer of color I made sure to push the pencil in the direction of the feathers to keep that natural flow. It was just all about building up the layers gradually and letting the shapes and tones come together as I went along. And then of course I finished with another layer of the black polychromos pencil just to really make those dark spots pop. So now we're on to the final segment of the body and I was really excited to get to this part. Not just because it meant the owl would finally be complete but also because there were some lovely colors to capture in what at first glance appears to be a white body. But the soft use of color and placing shadows in just the right spots is super important when working with white feathers or fur for that matter. And the last thing I wanted was the body to look flat so I incorporated some of the warmer tones from the wings into the shadows. This part was always a bit time consuming but patience is key if you're going for that soft natural look. I started once again by mapping out the darkest shapes and then covered in the white of the paper with a soft base layer of silver gray. As I built up the shadows I gradually added some deeper warmer browns using medium to heavy pressure to get a good amount of pigment down and for the lighter areas I went in much more gently incorporating light blues and peaches. I was really super conscious of where the sunlight was catching the owl's body too so I increased the pressure of those rich peaches and golden tones to add that warm sunlit glow. And it did take a bit of time but I think the results were really worth it and I was really pleased with the outcome. So whenever I think an area is complete I always take a step back and look at the overall drawing. I'd say about nine times out of ten I end up adding more shadowing to really enhance the contrast and depth. This is something that I've just built into my process over the years. It's always something that I end up adding towards the end of a drawing just for a little bit more pop. So for instance I added some additional french gray to the shadow on the owl's belly. It's such a prominent area where that shadow catches the eye immediately so I really aimed for that to stand out. So now that the body is in place I'm just making some final adjustments to the face just adding a tiny bit more shadowing to bring a little bit more depth. The owl's legs and feet were pretty straightforward to tackle since they were in direct sunlight we had some pretty strong shadows and some strong highlights to work with. I started by marking out the dark areas first using my dark sepia polychromos pencil and from there I gradually built up warmth in the shadows by incorporating colors I'd already used in other parts of the drawing like violet gray, light cobalt blue and some lovely pink tones with burnt sienna 10%. And as I wrapped up this section I really focused on deepening the darkest shadows again but I made sure not to forget those rich golden tones such of brown ochre helped to capture that sunlight beautifully along the edge of the leg and feet. And there we have it the barn owl drawing is complete and I hope you have enjoyed the process. The magic in this piece really lies in taking the time to layer and blend something that can truly make all the difference. If you want to dive deeper into the process remember that the full real-time tutorial is available on my Patreon channel where I share all the behind the scenes details over the course of about seven hours and I'd love for you to check it out. So I hope you have enjoyed this mini tutorial as much as I enjoyed creating it. If you found this video helpful please give it a thumbs up and don't forget to subscribe for more videos. I'd love to hear your thoughts so feel free to drop a comment below. Thank you so much for watching and until next time happy drawing