Animal and Bird Tutorials (Oil + Watercolor)

Do you love painting animals and birds - but feel unsure where to start? On this page you’ll find my step-by-step Animal and Bird tutorials, organized so you can choose a project and start painting today.

If you’re brand new, start with one beginner-friendly project below and don’t worry about drawing perfectly. You’ll improve fastest by painting consistently - one small project at a time.

Quick links:

Animal and bird tutorials in oil and watercolorThe excitement of painting
Animal and bird tutorials in oil and watercolorThe beauty of painting animals.

Start Here: Choose Your Project (30 seconds)

Pick the option that fits you today:

Animal Tutorials - Oil + Watercolor

These lessons include detailed instructions with the reasons behind the value choices, what colors to mix, edges, and composition.

Next Level: The tutorials marked "Next Level" are for when you can finish the beginner projects and you're ready for more.

  • (Easy Oil) Painting with a Limited Palette Fun Fish
    A great way to build color harmony and confidence without managing lots of tubes of paint.
  • (Easy Oil) How to Oil Paint - Step by Step Teddy Bear
    Learn the oil painting process in a friendly, structured way - one step at a time.
  • (Easy Oil) How to Paint a Dog
    Excellent practice for values and edges - plus you’ll learn how to simplify fur into paintable shapes.
  • (Next Level Oil) How to Do Oil Painting Horse 'n' Surf
    A lively subject that teaches movement and strong value contrast.
  • (Next Level Oil) Painting a Lion
    A next-step project for shaping form and controlling contrast.
  • (Easy Watercolor) Paint a Giraffe
    A fun animal tutorial that builds shape + value control without needing perfect drawing.
  • (Easy Watercolor) How to Paint a Horse
    Great practice for dynamic shapes, confident brushwork and a bold background.
  • (Next Level Watercolor) Koi Fish Painting
    A beautiful subject for flowing shapes, value transitions, and pouring a watercolor background.
  • (Easy Watercolor) How to Paint Watercolor
    Your foundation lesson for washes, wet into wet, and wet on dry - while painting a complete subject.

Common Problems with Quick Fixes

Paint a lion.Do you want to paint a lion?

Sometimes we can run into a situation, but they are all fixable.

My animal looks flat - Push value contrast between the light and dark shapes.
Start here: Values in Painting

My fur/feathers look messy - Paint fewer, larger groups. Add detail only near the focal point.

My colors turned muddy - We get clean colors by mixing colors of the same color bias (warm or cool). Color Bias is the artist's key to mixing beautiful colors.


Quick Exercise

Before you paint: do a value study of light, medium, and dark.

  1. Sketch your biggest light, middle, and dark shapes (ignore the details).
  2. Decide where the focal point is (often the head or eye area).
  3. Make sure your strongest contrast supports the focal point.

This one small step makes your animal or bird look “real” much faster.

Look at the painting with your eyes squinted or eyelids lowered. Compare the 3 values with those on the value study.

Values studies help us plant a painting.Do a study with 3 values.
The finished painting planned with a value study.Compare the study and painting.

Bird Tutorials - Oil + Watercolor

  • (Easy Oil) Oil Painting for Beginners Oriole
    A beginner-friendly bird tutorial that teaches layering and controlled detail.
  • (Easy Oil) Paint a Hummingbird
    Perfect practice for a strong focal point and crisp edges where they matter most.
  • (Easy Watercolor) Watercolor for Beginners
    A complete beginner lesson using a hummingbird project to teach essential techniques.
  • (Next Level Watercolor) How to Watercolor
    A helpful supporting lesson if you want more watercolor guidance as you paint a hummingbird.

3 Keys to Make Animals and Birds Look Real

Use these with any medium:

Learn how to paint a watercolor hummingbird.Paint a lovely WC hummingbird.
  1. Values (light, medium, dark)
    If your subject looks flat, values are almost always the fix. Start here: Values in Painting
  2. Edges (soft vs. sharp)
    Keep sharper edges near the focal point (often eyes/beak) and softer edges elsewhere.
  3. Color mixing (warm/cool neutrals)
    Animals aren’t always just one color. Learn to mix richer neutrals here: How to Mix Colors

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the Easiest Animal or Bird to Start with as a Beginner?

If you want the simplest - first win, start with (Oil) How to Paint a Dog or (Watercolor) Watercolor for Beginners.

Do I Need to Draw Good to Paint Animals or Birds?

No. You can improve your drawing as you go. Just keep your drawing simple, strong values and clear shapes - they matter more than perfection.

How Do I Paint Fur or Feathers

There is no need to paint every hair or feather.

Paint groups first - the big shapes, then add a little detail only where you want attention, usually near the head, eye or the focal area.

Should I Start with Oil or Watercolor?

Either. If you like adjusting and refining as you go, oils are forgiving. If you want luminous color, watercolor is wonderful.

Both are good for beginners - start with a beginner tutorial and build from there.

What Are the Recommended Supplies?

Jump into the Joy Painting Art!

Choose one tutorial above and schedule a time this week to paint it. You'll be amazed what you can do one step at a time.

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