Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
The cute waddle of penguins on the move is one of nature’s most endearing sights. Artists love to paint them. In this tutorial, I show you how to draw and watercolor a realistic king penguin. It is easy, depending on how much detail you want to add. Play with black watercolor, white gouache, and a white colored pencil for the shiny feathers. The sunrise-colored chest is the easiest part.
I will explain the key points and then take you to the video tutorial. But first, some fun facts.
King penguins are monogamous and share the chores
Yep. No messing around there. King penguins mate for life (mostly), and mum and dad share the job of incubating their eggs. They keep the egg warm with a specialized brood patch on their feet. There are only one or two eggs per year, so it’s a precious job. They do joint childcare too. The chicks are independent only after several months.
I once read an article about a Japanese penguin who waddled along the street with a shoulder bag. Every single day it went to the local store to receive fresh fish. In another cute story, I saw on Japanese TV, a man who worked at a zoo became very close to a penguin who had lost his spouse. The man lost his spouse too, and they comforted each other. One day, he lost his job. After a year, he returned to visit, and the penguin had not forgotten him. It cuddled up as usual and would not leave him.
A summary of the drawing and painting process
In the photo below, you can see the penguin we will draw and paint.
The eye is not visible, so I looked for it elsewhere. You can see many variations of yellow and orange on the penguin in the photo.
In the video tutorial, I take you along as I sketch the penguin, paint it, and add details. An outline made from the sketch is traced onto watercolor paper. Painting the black, shiny feathers, I use a small sponge to create highlights.
When you join the One Tree Art Club, you get access to an extensive, free library of outline drawings. Each goes with one of my free watercolor tutorials.
The video includes the whole process of developing the fine details of the penguin. This last part is purely creative. Three mediums work seamlessly: watercolor, gouache, and colored pencils.
Enjoy painting a waddling watercolor penguin!
Watch the watercolor penguin video tutorial
Another video with a quick sketch of an Adele penguin
Check my Guide to Art Supplies for relevant art materials.