13 Watercolor Birds With Free Outline Templates for Beginners

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Table of Contents

1. Robin on a Branch
2. Bluebird on a Fence Post
3. Goldfinch on a Thistle
4. Cardinal in Snow
5. Sparrow on a Twig
6. Chickadee on a Pinecone
7. Swallow in Flight
8. Hummingbird at a Flower
9. Wren on a Log
10. Dove on a Branch
11. Blue Tit on a Branch
12. Kingfisher on a Reed
13. Puffin on a Rock
14. Frequently Asked Questions

These watercolor birds give you thirteen different subjects to paint without ever picking up a pencil to draw them first. Each one comes as a finished example to inspire your colours, paired with a clean printable outline built from a few big simple shapes so tracing it is quick and the painting goes smoothly from there.

Print the outline at the size you want, then transfer it onto your watercolor paper by holding both sheets against a sunny window or a light pad, or by sliding a sheet of graphite transfer paper between them and tracing the lines. Once the outline sits on good paper, prop the finished example beside you and paint or colour at your own pace.

Robin on a Branch

Start with a pale yellow ochre wash over the beak, then drop warm orange onto the breast while the paper is still a little damp so it spreads softly toward the belly. Paint the back and wings in a mix of burnt sienna and sepia, darker along the wing edge for shape. Leave the branch a simple flat brown. The finishing touch is a tiny dot of white left unpainted for the eye highlight, which makes the whole bird feel alive.

Palette: Burnt Sienna,Cadmium Orange,Sepia,Yellow Ochre

Bluebird on a Fence Post

Wash the head and back in a bright cerulean blue, letting it pool slightly darker near the wingtip for depth. While still wet, touch a warm rust orange along the chest so the two colours meet and blend a little at the edge. Keep the belly and the fence post dry and flat, white paper for the belly and a pale warm grey for the wood. A single confident curved line along the wing, painted last in a deeper blue, gives the feathers their shape.

Palette: Cerulean Blue,Burnt Sienna,Payne’s Grey

Goldfinch on a Thistle

Lay a flat lemon yellow wash across the whole body first, then once dry, paint the black cap and wing in one confident shape rather than fussing over feather lines. Add a small dab of scarlet at the face before the yellow fully dries so it softens at the edge. The thistle stem stays a simple sap green, with the seed head painted as a soft grey-violet puff. Keep the white wing bar as bare paper for contrast.

Palette: Lemon Yellow,Ivory Black,Scarlet Lake,Sap Green

Cardinal in Snow

Paint the whole bird shape in a strong cadmium red wash first, keeping the colour flat and even across the body and crest. Once dry, add the black mask around the beak and eye in one small confident shape, no need to soften it. The branch stays a plain grey-brown, with a few dabs of unpainted white paper left for snow sitting along its top edge. This one looks best with crisp, clean edges rather than heavy blending, so work fast and let each wash dry before the next.

Palette: Cadmium Red,Ivory Black,Payne’s Grey

Try this one with a white gel pen over the dry paint to flick in a few extra snowflakes for a wintery finish.

Sparrow on a Twig

This one suits a beginner who wants an easy first bird. Wash the whole body in a warm sandy tan, then while still damp drop in a few streaks of darker umber along the back and wing so the colours bleed softly into each other. Keep the belly pale, almost untouched paper with a faint grey wash. The twig is one thin flat brown line, painted last with a fine brush.

Palette: Raw Sienna,Raw Umber,Payne’s Grey

Chickadee on a Pinecone

Paint the black cap and bib first as two clean flat shapes, leaving the white cheek patch as bare paper between them. Once dry, wash the back and wings in a soft grey, and the belly in a pale warm buff. The pinecone beside it is painted as a single rounded shape in warm brown, with a few short dry brush strokes dragged outward once dry to suggest its scales without drawing each one.

Palette: Ivory Black,Payne’s Grey,Raw Sienna,Naples Yellow

Swallow in Flight

Wash the back, wings and tail in a deep indigo blue mixed with a touch of black, leaving the belly and throat as clean pale cream. Work the wing wash in one smooth stroke along each long pointed shape rather than painting feather by feather, which keeps the flight feel light. A thin reddish patch at the throat, added once the blue is dry, gives this bird its finishing detail.

Palette: Indigo,Ivory Black,Naples Yellow,Burnt Sienna

Hummingbird at a Flower

Paint the body in emerald green, dropping a touch of turquoise into the throat while wet so it shimmers slightly the way real hummingbird feathers do. The wings are painted as soft, almost transparent grey blurs rather than solid shapes, a light single wash with soft edges. The flower beside it gets a bold flat wash of pink or red, with a darker throat shadow painted wet into wet. Keep the beak a thin confident black line, added last.

Palette: Emerald Green,Turquoise,Permanent Rose,Payne’s Grey

If the little stem and petal edges feel fiddly to trace, work slowly and use a fine pencil point rather than a thick one so the lines stay light and easy to paint over.

Wren on a Log

This little bird is almost entirely rounded shapes, which makes it a relaxed one to paint. Wash the whole body in warm cinnamon brown, then while damp add a few short darker strokes along the wing and tail so the colour has gentle movement rather than sitting flat. The upturned tail is the character of this bird, so keep its edge crisp and confident. The log beneath it is a plain mid brown oval, painted last.

Palette: Burnt Umber,Cinnamon,Raw Umber

Dove on a Branch

Keep this one gentle. Wash the whole body in a very pale grey, almost a tint, then while still wet touch a little warm pink into the breast area so it blends into the grey with a soft blush. The wing gets one slightly darker grey shape painted once the first wash has dried, just enough to suggest where the feathers fold. The branch stays a thin, plain line in warm grey-brown.

Palette: Payne’s Grey,Permanent Rose,Raw Umber

Blue Tit on a Branch

Paint the yellow belly first as a clean flat wash, then once dry add the blue cap and wing as confident separate shapes rather than letting them bleed into the yellow. The white cheek patch stays bare paper, with a thin black stripe through the eye painted last with a fine brush. This bird rewards clean, separated colour areas more than soft blending, so let each wash dry fully before adding the next.

Palette: Lemon Yellow,Cerulean Blue,Ivory Black

Kingfisher on a Reed

This is the boldest palette of the set, so let the colours stay saturated. Wash the back and head in a bright turquoise blue, then while still a little damp drop in a touch of deeper teal along the spine so it darkens naturally toward the wing. The chest gets a flat warm orange, kept crisp against the blue rather than blended into it. The water beneath is just two or three simple pale blue-grey wave shapes, nothing more.

Palette: Turquoise,Teal,Cadmium Orange,Payne’s Grey

Puffin on a Rock

Paint the black parts of the body first in one flat even wash, leaving the white face and belly as bare paper. The beak is the star of this bird, so paint it in bands: grey near the face, then orange toward the tip, letting the two touch and blend just slightly at the border. Feet get a simple flat orange to match. The rock beneath is one plain grey shape, painted last and kept quiet so the beak stays the focus.

Palette: Ivory Black,Cadmium Orange,Payne’s Grey

What to Do Next

Pick the bird that catches your eye first, print its outline, transfer it to your watercolor paper and start with the lightest wash. Work through the set one at a time and you will have a small flock of finished paintings before you know it, and if you enjoy painting feathers, the watercolor birds tutorial cards make a good next stop.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size should I print the bird outlines?

Print at standard letter or A4 size for a comfortable painting surface, though you can scale up to fill a larger sheet if you want a bolder statement piece for framing.

What paper works best for these watercolor birds?

Use cold press watercolor paper of at least 140lb weight, since it holds the soft washes without buckling and gives the wet-into-wet blending room to spread nicely.

How do I transfer the outline without being able to draw?

Tape the printed outline and your watercolor paper together against a sunny window or a light pad and trace the lines through, or slide graphite transfer paper between the two sheets instead.

Can I use coloured pencils or markers instead of watercolor?

Yes, every outline works just as well with coloured pencils or markers, so follow the same colour placement described for each bird and simply layer or blend with your chosen medium.

Do I need to paint the background around the bird?

No, these templates are designed to sit on plain white paper, so leave the background bare and let the bird and its small branch or rock carry the whole picture.