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The Fixes / How to Draw / Turkey Mandala
Thanksgiving & fall · Grades 6–8 · 11 steps

How to Draw a Turkey Mandala

Feather Mandala Turkey from The Drawing Fix™. An easy step-by-step drawing for Grades 6–8. Draw it with your class in about 20 minutes, one step at a time. Free to use and print. No sign-up.

By Christopher Allen · Ontario elementary educator11 stepsAbout 20 minutesUpdated Nov 5, 2026
Run it on the projector →Printable step sheet (PDF)

A challenge drawing for older students. Structure first, detail last. Good practice for line control, proportion and slowing down.

Before you start: a pencil, an eraser, a sheet of paper and something to colour with.

Draw lightly at first. Dark lines come at the end, once the shapes look right.

Step-by-step: how to draw a turkey mandala

  1. Step 1. Face circle

    Draw the round face in the center.

  2. Step 2. Eyes

    Add two eyes.

  3. Step 3. Beak and wattle

    Add the diamond beak and the wattle.

  4. Step 4. First feather ring

    Draw sixteen small feathers around the face.

  5. Step 5. Feather veins

    Add a center line in each small feather.

  6. Step 6. Second feather ring

    Draw sixteen larger feathers in the gaps.

  7. Step 7. Tip dots

    Add a dot near each large feather tip.

  8. Step 8. Outer scallops

    Draw twenty-four scallops around the outside.

  9. Step 9. Corner stars

    Add a small star in two corners.

  10. Step 10. Corner leaves

    Add a leaf in the bottom corners.

  11. Step 11. Create

    Make one part completely yours.

The pink line is the new part in each step.

Make it theirs

  • Add a background: a fence, falling leaves or a pumpkin patch.
  • Write one thing you are thankful for underneath.
  • Colour it with fall colours only: red, orange, yellow and brown.
  • Colour last. There is no wrong colour for a turkey mandala.

Teaching it with the projector

The projector version draws each step slowly on the board, pauses while students copy it, then checks in before the next step. Nobody has to talk, so you are free to walk around and help.

Quick Fix: 8 steps, about 10 minutes. Good for a brain break or the last few minutes before recess. Full Focus: all 11 steps, about 20 minutes, with the extra detail.

Open Feather Mandala Turkey on the projector → It works on any classroom screen. No accounts, no student names, no ads.

Curriculum connections

Visual arts: the elements of design (line, shape, space and proportion) and creating art for a purpose. Language: listening to and following multi-step directions. Directed drawing also builds fine motor control and focus.

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