How to Draw a Flamingo

Learn how to draw a flamingo with a step by step tutorial. It will help you get that famously curvy neck just right.

Here are a few fun facts about flamingos, as found on EasyScienceforKids.com.

  • Flamingoshave a funny way of eating. They place their bills upside down in the water and suck water into their mouths.
  • Flamingosprefer to stand on one foot.
  • Flamingosmay look big, but they weigh only 5 to 6 pounds.
  • Flamingoscan live 30 to 50 years.

These amazing birds certainly have a look that is all their own. Many students may already be familiar with their curvy neck, long legs and pink feathers, but might need a little help in seeing how all those shapes go together. I recommend starting with the basic oval body first, then the round head, and then connecting the two with a graceful neck. It's good to make sure those main elements are in place before the beak and legs are added.

Teachers looking for principles to tie in to projects could certainly use this flamingo for a conversation about BALANCE, one of the Principles of Design. After all, a pleasant flamingo drawing depends on showing one that looks like he or she is effortlessly balanced on their legs, and are not about to topple over.

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Flamingo Coloring Page
  • Pencil. The Ticonderoga brand are the most reliable, make nice dark lines when you need them, and are the easiest to erase. Buying the pre-sharpened ones will save busy teachers a lot of time.
  • Eraser. Large ones you can hold in your hand do a much better job than just the pencil tip erasers, especially when erasing leftover pencil lines after tracing.
  • Black Sharpie Marker. These fine point permanent marker pens make nice black outlines, have a good tip for coloring, and never bleed when they get wet. Use them with good ventilation and add extra paper underneath to protect your tables.
  • Prang Crayons. These are a bit softer than other crayons so they sometimes look like oil pastels. They also have a some nice brown shades that Crayola does not have unless you buy their larger boxes.
  • Crayola Crayons. The reliable brand that always works well. The 24 pack has some of my favorite golden orange and yellow colors that seem a bit richer and warmer than the ones Prang has.

DIRECTIONS

Time needed:45 minutes.

How to Draw a Flamingo

  1. Draw a large oval for the belly.

  2. Add a circle above for the head.

  3. Draw the neck and tail feathers.

  4. Erase the gray lines and add the wing and beak.

  5. Erase the gray line and add beak details.

  6. Draw a large eye.

  7. Add one long leg.

  8. Draw another leg and add a background.

  9. Trace with a marker and color.

More Fun Bird Drawing Projects

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How to Draw a Swan
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How to draw a peacock
How to Draw a Peacock