How to Draw a Blue Jay Step by Step (Easy for Beginners)

Blue jays are loud and easy to spot at a backyard feeder, and they're just as easy to recognize on paper. This lesson shows you how to draw a blue jay step by step, from two soft guide shapes to a colored bird on a branch beside an acorn. Get the crest and the black necklace right and nobody will mistake it for another bird.

Copy just the bright blue strokes in each picture, since they're the new part of that step. Dark gray lines come from earlier steps, and the pale blue shapes are light guides you erase once you ink.

Quick overview
⏱️ Time: about 30 to 45 minutes
🎯 Level: easy, good for kids about 7 and up
✏️ Steps: 12
🐦 You'll draw: a blue jay perched on a branch with leaves and an acorn

Two Blues and a Pencil for Your Jay

• An HB pencil for the light guide shapes
• A clean eraser
• A black fineliner or thin marker for inking
• Colored pencils or markers: light blue, dark blue, black, gray, brown, green
• Plain paper turned sideways so the branch and tail fit

Two different blues matter most, because the lighter cap keeps the wing from melting into the head.

How to Draw a Blue Jay Step by Step

Step 1: Sketch the branch and body guides

Draw two long, nearly flat lines across the lower third of the page for the branch. Above the left half, make a circle for the head. Then add a big oval for the body that overlaps the circle and tilts to the right, like an egg lying at an angle. Keep everything very light.

💡 Tip: The head circle should be about half as wide as the body oval. Go bigger and the jay starts to look like a baby bird.

Step 2: Add the crest and tail guides

Now place three quick marks. A slanted line rises up and back from the top of the head for the crest. A small sideways triangle on the left of the circle marks the beak. Last, a long line runs from the lower back of the oval down past the branch for the tail.

💡 Tip: Aim the tail line in the opposite direction from the beak, so the bird feels balanced on the branch.

Step 3: Draw the head and the pointed crest

Start at the beak and curve up over the forehead. At the crest guide, follow it to a sharp tip, then come back down in a slightly hollow curve to the back of the head. Finish with a short chin line. I keep the crest tall on purpose, because it's the first thing people look for.

💡 Tip: Flick the pencil quickly at the crest tip so it ends in a clean point instead of a blunt bump.

Step 4: Shape the round chest and back

From the back of the head, run one long curve down the back to the tail line. Then go back to the chin and draw a fuller curve that bulges out for the chest and sweeps under the belly. Jays puff their feathers a lot, so a round front looks more natural.

💡 Tip: If the chest looks flat, push the curve out further than feels right. Songbirds are rounder than most people draw them.

Step 5: Draw the slim black beak

Over the triangle, draw a beak that's longer and thinner than a cardinal's, with a top edge that dips gently toward the tip. Add one thin line through the middle. Most beginners make it short and stubby, but I draw it slim because a jay pries open acorns with it.

💡 Tip: The beak should be about as long as the eye is far from the forehead. Measure it with your pencil if you're unsure.

Step 6: Draw the blue cap line and the eye

This line splits the blue from the white. Start just above the beak and curve it back over the spot where the eye goes. Right below it, draw a round eye with a small circle inside for the shine. The eye sits just under the cap line, not inside the blue.

💡 Tip: Leave a little white space between the eye and the cap line, or the jay will look like it's frowning.

Step 7: Add the black necklace

This band is what makes a blue jay a blue jay. Begin behind the eye near the cap line and draw a thick curved band down the side of the head, then sweep it forward across the throat to the chest. Draw it as two lines with space between, like a sideways smile.

💡 Tip: Make the band thicker at the throat and thinner near the eye. An even width looks like a ribbon tied on.

Step 8: Draw the barred wing and white patch

The folded wing is a long leaf shape on the side of the body. Start it behind the necklace, follow the back and end in a point that pokes a little past the body. Inside, add one curve across the top and a line toward the tip. Then draw four short bars across the lower wing and a small rounded patch along the bottom edge.

💡 Tip: Space the black bars evenly. Uneven gaps are the quickest way to make the wing look messy.

Step 9: Draw the branch, feet and acorn

Trace the branch guides with firm lines, round the right end and give the left end a small oval with a ring so it looks cut. Draw two short legs from the belly, each with three curved toes over the front of the branch. Hang two leaves underneath and add a little twig with an acorn on the right.

💡 Tip: Draw the toes on top of the branch line so the feet look like they're really holding on.

Step 10: Add the long tail with black bars

Below the branch, follow the tail guide and draw a long, narrow tail that widens a little at the end. Only draw the parts you can see past the branch and body. Add three black bars across the lower half, then a curved line near the end for the white tip.

💡 Tip: Keep the tail roughly as long as the body. A short tail makes the jay look like a sparrow.

Step 11: Ink the lines and erase the guides

Go over every keeper line with a black fineliner in short, slow strokes. Let the ink dry for a minute, then erase all the pencil guides. I always check the throat twice, since the old head circle likes to hide right under the necklace.

💡 Tip: Test the ink on the edge of the page with your finger before erasing. Smudged ink is hard to hide.

Step 12: Color your blue jay

Use light blue on the cap and back, then a deeper blue on the wing and tail. Fill the necklace, the beak and every bar in black. Leave the face, the wing patch and the tail tip white, with soft gray along the lower belly. The branch is brown, the leaves green and the acorn tan with a darker cap.

💡 Tip: Color the blues with the pencil moving along the feathers, from head to tail. It gives the wing a soft feathered look.

Where Blue Jay Drawings Tend to Slip

• The crest is a small bump. Draw it as a tall pointed tuft that leans back. Without it, the bird reads as a plain bluebird.
• The necklace is missing or floats on the chest. Connect it from behind the eye down around the throat so it wraps the head.
• The whole bird is colored blue. Keep the face and belly white. The contrast is what makes a blue jay look bright.
• The tail bars run along the tail. Bars always go across the feathers, like rungs on a ladder.
• The legs are long and thin. Keep them short. A perched songbird sits low, with its belly almost on the branch.

Acorn Snacks and Other Jay Ideas

Once the pose feels easy, give your jay something to do. It can hold an acorn in its beak or stand on a bird feeder. You can also lower the crest for a calm bird, or raise it high for an excited one, since real jays show their mood that way. Little kids can skip the wing bars. My favorite next lesson is the cardinal drawing tutorial, which uses nearly the same body with a black mask and a red coat. The bird drawing tutorial is a softer start for younger artists, and the parrot drawing tutorial adds more colors.

Free Blue Jay Coloring Page and Step Sheet

Want to color without drawing first? Print the blue jay outline below, or keep the full step sheet next to you while you draw. Both are free.

📱 On a phone? Tap a download button, then open the file and choose Share → Save to Files or Print. On a computer, the PDF opens or saves straight to your Downloads folder.

Keep the Blue Jay Steps on Pinterest

More Feathered Friends to Draw

Each one is a full step-by-step lesson with a picture for every stage.

• Cardinal Drawing: A red songbird with a black mask and a pointed crest sits on a branch in how to draw a cardinal step by step.
• Bird Drawing: A chubby little bluebird on a fence post is the easiest start in the bird drawing tutorial.
• Parrot Drawing: A bright macaw in red, yellow and blue perches on a branch in the parrot drawing tutorial.
• Owl Drawing: Big round eyes and soft feather tufts come together in the owl drawing tutorial.
• Flying Bird Drawing: Try a bird with open wings in the air in the flying bird drawing tutorial.

Blue Jay Drawing Questions Kids Often Ask

What colors do I need to draw a blue jay?

A lighter blue goes on the cap and back and a deeper blue on the wing and tail. Black covers the necklace and beak plus the bars, and the face and belly stay white.

Is a blue jay hard to draw for beginners?

Not really. The body is the same circle and oval as most songbirds. The necklace and wing bars take the most care, but both are just curved lines once you break them down.

Do male and female blue jays look different?

Hardly at all. Both share the same blue and black pattern on white, so this drawing works for either one.

Why does a blue jay have a crest?

The crest is a tuft of feathers the jay can raise or flatten. It usually goes up when the bird is excited or alert, so you can change its mood just by changing the crest.

Pin your finished jay to the fridge, and the next time a real one shows up at the feeder, compare the crest with yours.

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