Draw an owl eye

What can I use if I don't have colored pencils or a kneaded eraser?

If you don't have colored pencils, use crayons or watercolor paints to fill the iris in the step 'Choose a base color and color the entire iris,' and replace a kneaded eraser with a clean vinyl eraser or a white gel pen to make the tiny highlight in 'Gently lift tiny bright highlights...'.

My iris looks flat or smudged after coloring—what should I do?

If the iris looks flat or muddy, sharpen your pencils and use light, radiating strokes from the pupil as in 'Draw darker lines radiating from the pupil toward the iris edge' and then layer additional colors with light strokes to build depth instead of heavy smudging.

How can I adapt this owl-eye activity for younger or older kids?

For younger kids, pre-draw the outer eye and inner circles and let them color the iris in the 'Choose a base color' step with broad crayons, while older kids can add realistic texture by concentrating on 'Draw darker lines radiating...' and 'Layer additional colors...' to build depth.

How can we make the finished owl eye more personal or realistic?

To enhance and personalize the outcome, add short feather strokes around the eye following 'Add short feather strokes around the eye,' experiment with a white gel pen or tiny eraser lifts for extra highlights in the iris, or apply a small gloss varnish dab to the pupil before sharing on DIY.org.