Woodpecker Colored Pencil Tutorial

Part 1: Finding Inspiration & Setting Up

Colored pencil art is all about patience, layers, and seeing beauty in the details. For this tutorial, I’m sharing the step-by-step process of creating a red-headed woodpecker perched near bright yellow lilies under a blue sky. This is Part 1 of a 3-part series where I’ll walk you through how I set up my subject, prepare the drawing, and finish with coloring and detail work. This woodpecker colored pencil tutorial begins with inspiration: the vivid red head and strong wing markings.”

1. Choosing a Focus Image for the Woodpecker Colored Pencil Tutorial

Every artwork begins with inspiration. I look for images that evoke emotion — vibrant color, dramatic light, or unusual composition.

For this project, I started with an image of a woodpecker: vivid red head, strong black wings, and bold white markings. To add contrast, I paired it with golden lilies under a blue sky. The colors complement each other and immediately draw the eye.

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Inspiration Image of Red Headed Woodpecker

A note of caution: always double-check your references. For example, this woodpecker’s feet looked white in my AI-assisted image — but in reality, they are grayish. Likewise, I adjusted the feather colors, deepening the blacks and adding blue undertones for richness. This combination of research + artistic choice is what makes a piece unique.

2. Analyzing Composition in the Woodpecker Colored Pencil Tutorial

When planning a drawing, I ask: What gives this image strength?

• The bird itself is the focal point.

• The bright yellow flower balances the deep black feathers.

• The natural setting grounds the subject in reality.

• Negative space (sky) keeps the design uncluttered.

Although I often pull flowers from natural habitats, sometimes I let inspiration take the lead. Here, I used AI to help me shape lilies with shadows and light, then modified them further to fit my artistic vision.

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3. Compose Additional Elements

Once I had my subject and supporting elements, I refined the layout. I removed the original background using apps like Remove Background or Photoroom, then tried different skies with Photoshop’s Sky Replacement feature. The winner: a clear blue sky with soft white clouds — bright, simple, and perfect for the woodpecker’s striking colors. In this tutorial, I’ll show how I set up my woodpecker drawing before moving into tracing and coloring.

Reference photo for back feathers

Lilies - Background removed by Photoroom app

Substitute grassy knoll for tree branch

Reference photo for clouds

👉 Screenshot idea: show before/after background changes.

👉 Screenshot idea: show before/after background changes.

4. Print the Final Composition

After refining the design, I printed it at 8×10 inches. This is my standard size for colored pencil artwork — it’s large enough to show detail, but manageable for layering work. Tip: always print at high resolution (300dpi). You want every feather, petal, and shadow to be clear enough to guide your pencil work.

Final composition after adding blue sky with clouds - (Photoshop sky replacement). Tree not replaced yet.

5. Optional: Create a Coloring Page

As a fun side project, I used the Fotor app to generate a coloring page from my final design. Enlarging the flowers gave the piece a whimsical touch. This can be a great way to experiment or even share your art process with others. Use the photo in step five as the basis to trace the images.

✨ Next in the Series: Transferring & Preparing the Drawing

In Part 2, I’ll show you how to transfer the composition to paper, trace clean outlines, and gather supplies before diving into color.