Guide: Insect Pencil Drawing

Insects have the largest number of species in nature.

The first step in drawing insects realistically is planning (choosing a subject) and composition.

Note:

If you do not have any experience with realistic drawing, you might want to read my guide for realistic pencil drawing first.

Composition tip:

In most cases, try to avoid side views, although they are easier and faster to draw.

Because I am right-handed, I draw from left to right (so I do not smear what I have already drawn):

It is more interesting for the observer to see insects (or anything else) with an angular view.

Problem:

The housefly is attracted to human food and exposed parts of their body, thereby passing on pathogens that it carries on its body.

Solution:

Window nets.

Front or top views are like side views. Meaning less interesting.

To learn more about composition, visit my guide on composition drawing.

Basic drawing steps:

To draw any insect, start by drawing its form (structure) accurately.

Tip:

Draw lines gently, so you can draw over them or erase them.

There are no lines in nature, so you do not want lines in your final drawing.

I usually prefer to draw the background layer first (in this case, the plant stem).

Pay attention to brightness values and edges.

While the body of most insects has hard edges, cast shadows have soft edges.

Problem:

Aphids are destructive to plants (sap-sucking).

Solution:

Ladybugs prey on aphids.

If you struggle with accuracy, here is how to draw from photos (from observation).

How to draw a single hair strand?

As mentioned above, there are no lines in nature.

When drawing a single hair strand, press harder when you start your stroke and gently release pressure.

That way, you have both a transition in brightness values (from dark to light) and your mark tapers (from thick to thin).

For a group of hairs, think of them as areas or clusters of brightness values. You can add a few hair strands, but draw them lighter.

Many insects have hair. For example, a bee.

In the example above, I used atmospheric perspective.

That means the back part of the bee is lighter, has softer edges, less contrast and fewer details.

More on linear and atmospheric perspective can be found in my perspective drawing guide.

Problem:

Bees have an important ecological role in pollinating plants, but their number is getting smaller, and the cause is unclear.

Solution:

Planting flowers rich in nectar and avoiding the use of spraying materials in planters or in the garden.

How to draw fur texture?

When drawing fur or hair, I usually draw in layers.

I start with a light layer and gradually add details.

Do not forget to pay attention to the big picture and the value of each area while adding texture.

Note:

In the example below, I decided to add a thin layer of color with a marker.

I do not recommend using a marker on top of a graphite drawing because it smudges the drawing and causes a loss of detail.

Problem:

Some moths, particularly their caterpillars, can be major agricultural pests.

In addition, some moth larvae eat cloth.

Solution:

Bats eat moths (and other insects).

How to draw light fur?

When drawing big, I use a small eraser to draw light fur.

For small drawings, the key is to draw the negative space, meaning the dark areas around the light fur.

By drawing toward the light area (penetrating the light area with dark values), it looks like the light areas are above the dark areas.

If you want to see how I draw different types of textures, visit my texture drawing guide.

How to draw a shiny surface?

There are two things to look for.

First, pay attention to edges. Edges are how each area ends and how two areas are connected to each other.

Some edge types are: hard (1), soft (2), less defined (3), and reflection (4), meaning how an edge looks on a reflective surface, like water or glass.

Next, pay attention to contrast.

A shiny surface usually has bright highlights and a strong contrast.

For a strong contrast, you can draw the dark area darker, the light area lighter, or both.

Now you can draw insects with a shiny or reflective surface, like ants, beetles and wasps.

Problem:

Ants follow chemical traces left by a scouting ant when it finds food stock.

Solution:

Keeping a house clean of breadcrumbs, dirt, and scraps of food.

Problem:

The female mosquito, when it needs proteins for its eggs, is looking for a live source to suck blood from.

Solution:

In the case of an occasional mosquito, it is recommended to use an electric bat.

How to draw transparency?

Some insects' body parts, especially wings, can have different levels of transparency.

To draw that, look at the brightness value of anything behind the transparent part.

In the example below, the cockroach wing is semi-transparent. The area behind it is quite light, except for the leg, which has a darker value.

In addition, pay attention to edges located below the transparent surface.

In the examples above and below, the edges of the leg part located under the wing are both soft AND distorted (less defined).

Note:

For insects with fully transparent wings, there may be no distortion to the edges.

Problem:

Cockroaches can live without food for several days to a month, thus even if you do not see them at home, that does not mean they are not there!

Solution:

Ensure the house is clean and, if necessary, spray pesticides in the area in which they are located.

Problem:

There are too many insects!

Solution:

Spiders (which are not insects) eat many insects.

Most spiders are harmless to humans, so it is best to let them do what they do best.

For the drawing equipment I use, check out my beginner guide to pencil drawing materials.

Ecological importance:

• Insects are of primary importance in the pollination of flowering plants. Insects pollinate a significant percentage of human food supply.
• Insects have a significant importance in the food chain. For quite a few animals such as amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, insects are the only source of food.

• In addition, they dismantle organic waste, such as dead animals and plants, thereby enriching the soil.

Economic importance:

• Insects produce useful products, which are traded among people.
• Among the beneficial substances created by insects are honey, silk, lacquer, and wax.

Beeswax is used for making candles.

Here is a review for my recommended markers for artists.

Insects as food:

• In some cultures, insects are used as food.
• Insects as food are rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Other:

• Forensic entomology (the study of insects) is used to determine the time of death at a crime scene.

Flies and mosquitoes have great ecological importance, and are the second most important pollinators after the bees.

Mosquitoes are the most lethal family of animals, because they transmit parasites and viruses.

The cockroach has a high resistance to radiation, but has no exceptional resistance compared to other insects such as the fruit fly.

Where to go next?

To understand how to use depth when drawing, visit my 15 Proven Ways to Create the Illusion of Depth.

For learning to draw online, check my list of the best YouTube drawing tutorials.