How to draw a Good Enough turkey…two ways!

Thanksgiving rocks! It’s one of my favorite holidays… running neck-and-neck with New Year’s Day. And while we haven’t done it for a few years now, THIS year we’re having a house full of folks over to share in a traditional Thanksgiving meal of candied yams, green bean casserole, Swedish potato salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, freshly baked breads, pumpkin (AND pecan) pies, Swedish meatballs, and… turkey! Our crowd is so large this year that we’ll be dining in the back yard to fit everyone around our makeshift table.
 
And of course, that also means that there’s a worry in the back of my mind that our turkey (brined in buttermilk and apple cider, and finished with a bourbon glaze) may not be big enough for this year’s crowd. But have no fear! Should we need more, we can always draw one up on the spot! Here’s how:
 

How to draw a Good Enough turkey of your very own!

 
Good Enough turkey - tutorial image by Jeannel King
 

Three (and a half) Tips:

 

  • Sure, you COULD draw a turkey by outlining your hand and adding a beak. But that limits you to one size of turkey. By starting with my turkey’s eyes and beak, that grounds the scale for my turkey and allows me to draw whatever size turkey I want!
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  • When drawing a turkey from a side-view, it’s easier to see the turkey’s wattle (that’s the red floppy bits hanging around its beak and neck.) However, I like drawing my turkey facing forward. And when that’s the case, I just draw the bit of wattle off to one side of the beak. (You can most easily see it in step four.)
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  • Turkeys have nice fat bodies… but their size really comes through when you add the tail feathers. So be sure to draw a nice big round body… and let those tail feathers fan out behind your bird!
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    … and the half!
     

  • When drawing a cooked turkey, you don’t have to get very sophisticated. I’ve added a bit of a neck bump and a wing… but you could probably draw the arc of the body and the drumsticks and folks will totally know that you’ve got a turkey on a platter! ;^)
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    … and that’s it! What does YOUR turkey look like? Draw yours up, Tweet it out to @jeannelking #goodenough, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
     
     
     
    Want to have fun drawing AND inspire others to pick up the pen at the same time?  Got something you wish you could draw, but you’re not sure how to approach it? Tweet your drawing or idea to @jeannelking and tag it with #goodenough: it could be featured in an upcoming “how to draw good enough” blog post!
     
    Looking forward to seeing what you draw forth!
     
     

    About Jeannel

    - INFJ - Strategic | Activator | Connectedness | Relator | Intellection - Scorpio - Cat Person - Movie Buff - Modern-Day Johnny Appleseed - Creative who Specializes in Organizational Culture Change - Painfully Aware of Her White Privilege

    2 Comments

    1. Greetings once again Jeannel!

      Tur-mendeous advice on -key visual themes, as always! Was listening to a US radio program this morning before heading out, people’s stories of thanks – some really heart-rending, but truly grateful for blessings in their lives! Have a great Thanksgiving,

      Phil

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