How to Draw an Emu: Easy 10-Step Guide for Kids

Ready to bring a flightless Australian bird to life? This tutorial is perfect for artists ages 5 and up. All you need is a pencil, an eraser, and some paper to start building your own unique emu character.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

A vibrant, finished cartoon emu illustration, perfect for kids to use as a reference.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Sketching the Beak and Eye

Close-up of an emu beak and eye being drawn with simple curved lines on white paper.

Start by drawing a wavy triangle shape for the beak. Add a line down the center for detail. Beside the beak, draw an almond-shaped eye with a small, dark pupil. Teacher's Tip: Keep the eye shape simple; it acts as the anchor for the rest of the face.

Step 2: Defining the Fuzzy Head

Drawing the jagged, feathered outline of an emu head around the previously drawn eye and beak.

Outline the head using short, jagged, overlapping lines to mimic the look of coarse feathers. Tip: Don't worry about making these lines perfectly even; emu feathers are naturally messy and wild!

Step 3: Drawing the Long Neck

Extending the emu head into a long, feathered neck using jagged, textured pencil lines.

Extend the jagged lines downward to create a long, slender neck. The lines should get slightly wider as they move toward the body. Tip: Use a rhythmic 'zig-zag' motion with your pencil to keep the texture consistent.

Step 4: Shaping the Body

Adding the rounded body and upper leg section to the emu drawing.

Connect the neck to a rounded body shape using more jagged lines. Sketch the upper leg as a sturdy, rounded attachment point. Tip: Imagine the body as a large, fluffy oval to help keep your proportions balanced.

Step 5: Adding the First Leg

Sketching the first strong, thick leg and clawed foot of the emu.

Draw two long, parallel lines for the lower leg, then add teardrop shapes at the bottom for the toes and claws. Tip: Emus have strong, thick legs, so don't make them too skinny!

Step 6: Drawing the Second Leg

Adding a second leg behind the first to show the emu walking.

Repeat the process to draw the second leg slightly behind the first to create a sense of depth. Tip: Keep the second leg slightly higher on the page to make it look like the emu is walking.

Step 7: Adding Texture Details

Adding fine details like feather texture and leg creases to the emu sketch.

Use short, quick strokes to add 'fuzz' to the neck and skin creases to the legs. Tip: Less is more—a few well-placed lines suggest texture better than scribbling everywhere.

Step 8: Feathering the Back

Adding layered V-shaped feather details along the back of the emu.

Add 'V' shaped lines along the back to represent larger feathers. Tip: Vary the size of your 'V' shapes to make the feathers look natural and layered.

Step 9: Finalizing the Body Feathers

Completing the body outline with soft, fluffy feather textures.

Fill in the rest of the body with soft, jagged lines to complete the feathered look. Tip: Use a softer pencil pressure here to make the feathers look fluffy rather than sharp.

Step 10: Bringing Your Emu to Life with Color

A finished, colored cartoon emu drawing with brown and grey feathers.

Time to color! Use earthy tones like browns, greys, and tans. Tip: Try using light brown for the body and a darker grey for the beak to add contrast and make your drawing pop.