How to draw a turkey
Draw along here, then watch it take a bow. Free, with no ads, no sign-up and nothing uploaded.
- Draw a big circle
- A small circle on top
- Seven long feathers
- Color every feather
- A beak and a red wattle
- Two orange feet
- Color the body brown
How to draw a turkey in 8 steps
To draw a turkey, draw a big circle for the body and a small circle overlapping its top for the head, then fan seven long feathers out behind them and color them red, orange, yellow and green. Add a beak, a red wattle and two feet, then color the body brown. It takes eight steps and about ten minutes.
You need brown, red, orange, yellow and green crayons, and paper if you are away from the screen.
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Step 1Draw a big round body
Draw a big circle low on the page. Leave plenty of room above and on both sides, because the feathers spread out from behind it.
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Step 2Add a small head
Draw a small circle on top, overlapping the body a little. A small head on a big body is what makes it look like a turkey.
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Step 3Fan out the feathers
Starting at one side of the body, draw a long loop out and back to the edge of the body. Draw seven of them, going around like a fan.
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Step 4Color the feathers
Color them in turn: red, orange, yellow, green, yellow, orange, red. Matching the two sides makes the fan look like it was done on purpose.
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Step 5Add a beak and wattle
Draw an orange triangle pointing down in the middle of the head. Draw a thick red line beside it, hanging down over the body. That wobbly red part is called a wattle.
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Step 6Draw two feet
Draw an orange line down from the bottom of the body on each side, with three short toes spreading out at the end.
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Step 7Color the body brown
Scribble brown across the body and head with a fat crayon. Stay clear of the beak so it still shows.
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Step 8Give it eyes
Draw two black dots just above the beak, close together. The head is small, so small eyes fit best on paper. On the screen, press Bring it to life, then tap twice and two googly eyes stick on.
Easier or harder, for any age
Most children can copy a circle at about three and a triangle at about five, so the shapes set the level. The sources are in our guide to what a child can draw at each age.
- Ages 3 and 4
- Skip drawing the feathers and press fat dots in a rainbow around the top of the body instead. A hand turkey is another good way in: trace around a small hand, and the thumb becomes the head and the fingers become the feathers.
- Ages 5 and 6
- Follow the steps as they are. Most of the time goes on the feathers, so let them do three or four carefully and then speed up. Matching the colors on both sides is a nice small challenge at this age.
- Ages 7 and 8
- Draw each feather with a line down its middle and little notches along the edge, add shading under the wings, and give the turkey a pilgrim hat or a farm scene behind it.
Make your turkey your own
- Write something you are thankful for on each feather
- Give it a chef’s hat, hiding from dinner
- Draw its feathers in a real rainbow
- Add a small chick following behind
Then your turkey takes the stage
Press Bring it to life and scissors go around the drawing. It lifts off the page as a paper puppet, gets two googly eyes and hops onto a little lit stage at the North Pole. From there every key or tap makes it jump, spin or sneeze while a sleigh crosses the moon, snow blows in and a present drops from above. The show is saved as a short video on your device.
A drawing page safe for small hands
This page is for children, so it is kept apart from the rest of the shop. Children’s privacy notice
- Cost
- Free, with nothing to buy to play.
- Ads
- None, and no advertising pixels, session recording or advertising cookies on this page.
- Sign-up
- None. No account, no names, no email, nothing to fill in.
- Drawings
- Made and kept on this device. Nothing is uploaded.
- Works on
- A phone, tablet or computer, in the browser, with no app to install.
What to draw next
Keep a drawing forever
A drawing that has just taken a bow can be stitched in real thread or kept on a necklace. From the grown-up gate it goes straight into the studio, and you see how it comes out before you order.
Questions about drawing a turkey
Anything else, write to hello@thecuriousthing.com.
How do you draw a hand turkey?
Spread your hand flat on the paper and trace around it. The thumb becomes the turkey’s head and neck, and the four fingers become its tail feathers. Color each finger differently, then add an eye, a beak and a red wattle to the thumb, and two legs under the palm. On a screen, the steps on this page do the same job with a big circle and a fan of feathers.
How many feathers should a turkey drawing have?
Five to seven is plenty for a child, spread evenly behind the body. An odd number lets one feather sit straight up in the middle and the rest match on either side, which looks tidy without any measuring.
Is this drawing website free, with no ads and no sign-up?
Yes. There is nothing to pay, no ads, no account and no email to give. It runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Nothing a child draws is uploaded: the drawing, the puppet and the show stay on your device. Read the children’s privacy notice.
Can we do it on real paper instead?
Yes. Every step is written out on this page with a picture. If you draw it on paper, tap the cross on the page, choose Upload a drawing and take a photo. The paper is removed on your device, and the turkey still goes on the stage.