Spending some time just drawing together at the kitchen table with a blank sheet of paper and a box of crayons is a great way for parents to get together with their kids and bond whilst at the same time encouraging creativity. Making duck drawing for kids fun and accessible starts with breaking it down into very simple visual steps. The number 2 can be turned into a swimming duck, a cute little cartoon baby duck can be drawn or you can have a go at drawing the various features of a mallard. This is a very accessible guide for kids of all ages to have a go at and finish their own drawings.
Key Takeaways
- A quick drawing trick using the number 2: help children aged 4-7 to confidently draw a swimming duck in 60 seconds by turning the number 2 into a little duck.
- Create an adorable cartoon duck. Teach the kids to draw a fluffy yellow baby duck using simple geometric shapes (a circle for the head, a small circle for the eye, a large circle for the body, a small circle for the beak and a small circle for the foot). Big sparkling eyes and a sweet little smile.
- Simplify the Mallard duck features to help older kids to recognise and draw a mallard duck. The three key features are the emerald green head, the white neck ring and the blue wing patch.
- Complete a natural pond scene by showing the kids how to draw the water ripples, the floating lily pads and the simple lakeside reeds to turn their duck drawing into a proper natural scene.
The Easy "Number 2" Duck Drawing Trick for Beginners
This is a simple number activity which is a great way to get children into drawing. It's a fun way of introducing them to the act of drawing as you take a number which they will be very familiar with and turn it into a swimming duck. All you need is a pencil, some paper and a few crayons and it's a very straightforward activity for little artists to complete in a few simple steps.
Simple Art Supplies
Get a few child friendly things to hand before you start. An HB or 2B pencil is ideal as it has a very smooth lead which will produce a good line without the child having to press down very hard. Have a soft eraser to hand so they can easily correct any mistakes without creating any dark smudges. Slightly thicker drawing paper is also useful as it is less likely to tear when you're erasing or crayoning. A small box of crayons (yellow, orange and blue will be quite sufficient to complete the duck and add in the water) is all you need. Let the children pick their own colours of course as that will make it far more enjoyable.
4 Steps from Number 2 to Duck
Start with a large number 2 in the middle of the page. Curve the top stroke forward to make a rounded head and add a small, soft triangular bill. Draw a smooth line from the back of the neck to form the body of the duck and then a short, slightly raised tail at the end of the lower stroke. Add a black dot for the eye and two or three blue wavy lines underneath the body. That's it really, it's a very simple way of showing kids how to draw a duck for kids. You just encourage them to have a go and add their own bits on. For more creative ideas, explore duck activities for preschoolers to keep little artists engaged in fun, hands-on learning.
How to Draw a Cute Cartoon Baby Duck Step by Step
Drawing a cartoon baby duck is a fun thing for a young artist to do as the shapes are quite simple and easy to recognise. You start with a circle and an oval, then go on to add the features, the little wings, the webbed feet etc. That's what turns it from a basic sketch into a rather cute little duck.
Circle Head & Chubby Oval Body
Start with a circle near the top of the page to form the duckling's head. The child can trace around a bottle cap or the bottom of a small cup if a round shape is a bit of a challenge. Below that draw a horizontal oval, a bit tilted upwards, for the rather plump body. Get the two shapes to touch or just overlap slightly so that the head flows into the body. Keep the lines very light at this stage as they're much easier to alter once you've got the basic shape. That's the fundamental structure of a baby duck drawing and a good starting point for a child who is still getting used to drawing with a pencil.
Expressive Eyes & Smiling Bill
Give the duckling two large, round eyes to give it a very sweet cartoon look. Fill each eye in with black but leave two very small white circles uncoloured to make them look bright and shiny. Below the eyes draw a short, flat bill with a gentle upward curve at the ends (to give the impression that the duck is smiling). Add a tiny dot near the tip to indicate a nostril. A small curved line below each eye will give the cheeks a bit more fullness. Those are the key details to include to turn your simple duckling drawing into a real cartoon duck for kids without it being too complex or too difficult for a beginner to work from.
Flapping Wings & Webbed Feet
Draw a small teardrop shaped wing in the middle of the body and then add a few short curved lines to suggest the soft feathers. At the back draw the tail with two little pointed tufts for a bit of a playful touch. If the duckling is on grass then add two short orange legs and feet with three connected triangular toes to show the webbing. Keep the feet very simple so they don't take away from the roundedness of the body. For another hands-on idea, try this duck craft for toddlers activity and use the finished drawing as a template for coloring or paper decoration.
How to Draw a Mallard Duck with Simple Details
Unlike a cartoon duckling a mallard has a whole host of more distinct features which make it a very good next step for the young artist. You can get the child to draw the slightly elongated head, the white neck ring, the coloured wing patch and the gently curved tail. Breaking it down into simple shapes makes it a lot easier to draw.
The Emerald Head and White Collar Ring
Start with a slightly elongated head which tapers gently towards the front rather than the round head of a baby duck. Add a flat, rounded bill a bit longer than that of a duckling and then draw the neck flowing into the body. Just towards the base of the neck add two short parallel horizontal lines to indicate the white collar which is such a distinctive feature of the mallard. Leave that narrow band unshaded when you go to add in the shades later on. That's all it takes really to enable a child to identify the bird and gives you a good starting point for how to draw a mallard duck for kids without making the outline too complex.
The Blue Wing Patch and Curved Tail
Shape the mallard as a small boat with a long, smooth body. On the folded wing draw a small rectangular or rounded patch with a thin white border to form the bright blue wing when coloured. At the back add a short feather which curves up to form the tail. Keep the lines very gentle and simple so the child can follow the shape without having to worry about the proportions being quite right. The wing patch and the raised tail will make it quite easy to identify.
Inking and Cleaning Up Guidelines
Once the main shapes are in place, trace the head, eye, neck ring, body, wing and tail with a black marker. Use smooth, even strokes and don't press too hard at all, particularly on the finer details. Allow the ink to dry thoroughly before erasing the light pencil lines underneath, which will stop any smudging and keep the final drawing clean. The child can then go ahead and colour in as required, with no confusion from the sketch lines showing through. If they wish they can have an adult to help with the outlining of the smaller areas whilst they concentrate on the colouring and the addition of the final pond details. Take your time before you go on to colour in the pond background.
Coloring Tips and Creating a Storybook Pond Background
Colour can turn a rather simple duck sketch into something which looks like it's straight out of a storybook. A few bright crayons can be used to differentiate a mallard from a fluffy yellow duckling and then you can add the water and some of the pond plants. It's all very simple really and doesn't require any great skill in the way of colouring.
Bright Color Palettes
Choose colours that match the duck's characteristics. For a mallard: emerald green head, white neck ring, warm brown on the breast. Yellow bill, light grey or tan body and blue wing patch. For a cartoon duckling: warm yellow throughout the body, peachy orange bill and feet. Get the kids to colour in gently and within the lines, of course, but do allow them to choose their own colours as well. For more printable inspiration check out our duck colouring pages for kids and let the little artists have a go at various looks.
Gentle Water Ripples
To make the duck appear as if it's floating, use a light blue crayon to draw a few curved, ovoid lines around the body of the duck. Let the ripples spread out from the duck in a loose, uneven manner. Add a very pale blue patch directly underneath the duck's tummy to suggest a reflection in the water. The children don't need to shade the whole pond really, just a few simple marks to suggest movement and to complete the scene. It's a very easy way of adding a bit of depth and you can easily keep it within the realm of the very young. Encourage them to experiment with the spacing.
Lily Pads and Pond Plants
Add two or three round lily pads near the duck, leaving a small V-shaped notch in each circle. Shade them in a fresh green and then draw a few simple lines to suggest the veins. In one corner of the page draw a few tall reeds growing by the pond, with slender green stems and soft brown tips. Vary the heights of the reeds so that the background doesn't look too crowded. The lily pads and reeds together create a very tranquil country scene and gives the duck drawing the feel of an illustrated storybook. A bit of open space is all that's needed to balance it.
Conclusion
Drawing some cute ducks together is a great way to encourage creativity, develop fine motor skills and get the kids to appreciate the natural world. Whether they're doing the easy number 2 trick, drawing a rather cute cartoon duckling or going all out with a proper mallard, every finished piece is going to be a special memory for the family. Keep the creativity flowing and check out our mallard duck collection for more inspiration.
