You’ve seen them circling high above the highway or perched menacingly on a telephone pole. Hawks are the heavyweights of the avian world. They’ve got that look—that piercing, "I see exactly what you are" stare. But then you sit down with a pencil and try to capture that majesty, and suddenly you’re looking at a bloated pigeon or maybe a very confused seagull. It’s frustrating.
Drawing birds of prey is hard because our brains want to simplify things into circles and triangles. While that’s a good starting point, a simple drawing of a hawk requires understanding the specific "attitude" of the bird. You aren't just drawing feathers; you’re drawing a predator.
The Anatomy of the "Hawk Look"
Most people start with the head. That’s mistake number one. If you get the head wrong, the whole vibe is off. Hawks have a very specific brow bone, called the supraorbital ridge. It’s basically a built-in sunshade. This is what gives them that "angry" or "intense" expression.
If you look at the work of famous wildlife illustrators like David Allen Sibley, you’ll notice they emphasize the sharp break between the top of the skull and the beak. It’s not a smooth curve like a duck. It’s a jagged, powerful transition. When you’re doing a simple drawing of a hawk, you need to make sure that beak looks like it’s hooked and ready for work. The upper mandible overlaps the lower one significantly.
Think about the silhouette. Hawks have broad, rounded wings if they are Buteos (like the Red-tailed Hawk) or shorter, blunter wings if they are Accipiters (like the Cooper's Hawk). Honestly, most people just want to draw a Red-tail. They are the quintessential American hawk. Their wings are huge. When they soar, their "fingers"—the primary feathers at the ends of the wings—spread out. If you draw them as a solid block, the bird looks heavy and static. It won’t fly.
📖 Related: Finding the Right Words: Quotes About Sons That Actually Mean Something
Let’s Actually Sketch One Out
Start with a bean. Seriously. Forget "perfect circles." A slightly curved bean shape for the body gives the bird a sense of weight and posture. If the hawk is perched, that bean should be tilted. Hawks rarely sit perfectly upright like a soldier; they lean into their perch, scanning the ground.
- Draw the "bean" body.
- Add a small, squashed circle for the head. It should sit low on the shoulders. Hawks don't really have long necks like herons.
- The beak is a downward hook. Don't make it too big or it becomes an eagle. Don't make it too small or it’s a parakeet.
- For the legs, think "drumsticks." Hawks have incredibly powerful thighs covered in feathers, often called "flags." Only the very bottom of the leg (the tarsus) and the talons are usually visible and scaly.
If you’re struggling with the eyes, remember this: a hawk’s eye is huge compared to its skull. But you don't see the whole circle. The "angry" brow bone we talked about earlier cuts off the top of the eye. This creates a focused, predatory gaze. If you draw a full, round eye, your hawk will look surprised.
The Wing Problem
Wings are the bane of every artist's existence. I’ve seen professional artists spend hours on a single wing. For a simple drawing of a hawk, you have to simplify the feathers into groups.
Don't draw every single feather. That’s a trap. It makes the drawing look cluttered and "hairy" rather than feathery. Instead, think of the wing in three main sections: the "shoulders" (coverts), the mid-section (secondaries), and the long flight feathers (primaries).
👉 See also: Williams Sonoma Deer Park IL: What Most People Get Wrong About This Kitchen Icon
When a hawk is soaring, its wings have a slight "dihedral" or V-shape. They aren't flat boards. If you’re drawing from a side profile, the wing closest to you will hide much of the body. Use overlapping lines to show depth. A line that goes over another line tells the viewer’s brain that one object is in front of the other. It’s the easiest way to make a flat drawing look 3D.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- The Beak Gap: People often draw the mouth line going too far back into the head. On a hawk, the "gape" (the corner of the mouth) ends right around the front of the eye.
- Too Much Detail: Honestly, less is more. If you're doing a simple sketch, focus on the weight of the lines. Use thick lines for the bottom of the bird (where the shadows are) and thinner lines for the top where the light hits.
- Symmetry: Nature isn't perfectly symmetrical. If the hawk is perched, maybe one wing is tucked slightly higher than the other. This adds "life" to the drawing.
- The Talons: Do not draw them like chicken feet. Hawk talons are massive, curved daggers. The back toe (the hallux) is particularly long and strong because that’s what they use to grip and kill prey.
Making It Look "Real" Without Overcomplicating
If you want your simple drawing of a hawk to pop, focus on the texture of the chest. Most hawks have a "belly band" or a series of streaks across their midsection. You don't need to draw every speck. Just a few well-placed, jagged "V" shapes can imply the pattern of the feathers perfectly.
Also, consider the environment. A hawk floating in a white void is fine for practice, but adding a single, gnarled branch or a suggestion of a distant mountain range gives the bird scale. It makes the hawk look like it belongs in the wild.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology often emphasizes "GISS"—General Impression of Size and Shape. Birders use this to identify hawks from miles away. As an artist, you should do the same. If the silhouette looks like a hawk, the details don't have to be perfect. Your brain will fill in the gaps.
✨ Don't miss: Finding the most affordable way to live when everything feels too expensive
Actionable Steps for Your Next Sketch
Stop looking at other people's drawings and start looking at high-resolution photos or, better yet, video of hawks in motion. Pause a video of a hawk landing. Look at how the tail fanned out. The tail is like a rudder; it’s square or slightly rounded at the end, not pointed like a falcon’s.
- Sketch the "Action Line": Before any shapes, draw a curved line that represents the spine and the direction of the bird's movement.
- Focus on the Supraorbital Ridge: Get that "brow" right early on to establish the hawk’s character.
- Use "S" Curves for Wings: Rigid wings look like paper airplanes. Real wings have fluid, organic curves.
- Negative Space: Look at the shapes between the wings and the body. If those shapes look right, the bird will look right.
Once you’ve mastered the basic form, try using a pen instead of a pencil. It forces you to be confident with your lines. There’s no erasing, so you have to commit. That’s where the real "human" quality of art comes from—the little imperfections that show a hand actually drew this.
Keep your sketches loose. The more you obsess over a single line, the more "stiff" the hawk becomes. A hawk is a creature of wind and power; let your pencil move with that same kind of energy.