How To Draw Insects

If you've wondered how to draw insects, here are some examples to show you the easy way of doing it.

On this page of insect drawings, you'll find sketches of the ant, cockroach, mosquito, ladybug and grasshopper.

It helps if you copy from enlarged pictures of insects so you can see them properly and see how they really appear.

You can do this by scanning your picture and use your image program to increase the size.

The quality might be blurry but you can see how to draw insects with more details.

When you're learning how to draw insects, copy heaps of outlines first. Don't worry about the details until later.

You will know when you are ready to start shading and putting in effective lines.

Start off by copying this simple ladybird outline.

Do you remember the ladybird song? My sister and I used to sing it whenever we found a ladybird.

"Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home.
Your house is on fire and your children are home."

I have no clue where that came from! We always chanted it and I'm not sure even if it's right. That was our version anyway.

Facts About Insects

This information will help you when you are drawing. It's good to have background information on your subject so you know what to look for when you are sketching them.

I also throw in stuff that I think you might find interesting.

An insect is a small, six legged animal. So, that would include little beings such as ladybugs, ants, cockroaches, bees, wasps, moths, grasshoppers, and mosquitoes, to name just a few.

The list is very extensive, there's more than a million of them! The ocean is the only place where you won't find many insects.

Many insects smell with their antennae and some taste with their feet. An insect breathes through holes in their sides, they don't have lungs.

There are 3 parts to the body of an insect. Most insects have wings and antennae.

Besides birds and bats, insects are the only other animals that have wings. Flies and mosquitoes have 2 wings, all other winged insects have 4 wings.

Most insects tend to blend with their background. A perfect example of this would be beetles - they are black or brown predominantly. You'll find some insects resemble leaves or sticks.

Insects don't need a lot of food and a single crumb would be considered a huge meal. Insects have a short life - they don't take long to become adults and lay many eggs.

Insects help form the balance of nature. They feed on plants and animals but that's also reversed and they provide food for plants and animals.

It's interesting that the skeleton of an insect is on the outside of its body.

The best way to know how to draw insects is to try to remember some of these facts and you're off to a good start.

Back To The Drawing Board

My Mum was repelled by my cockroach drawing so I figure I must have achieved a good likeness!

I can see now that I could have used a darker pencil like a 5B or higher, my shading is far too light.

I don't think too many of us like this insect, erk.
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Discover Your Style

We all have different styles when it comes to drawing.

It's not for me to try and tell you how to draw. I can only tell you how I reach the end result in my drawings. If it suits you to do the same, then that's great news.

So, I am the type of person who likes to look, then draw.

I study the individual lines without actually looking at the subject as a whole.

I decide if it looks simple enough and if I think I'll be able to sketch something. Of course, I'll have a go at anything first time around!

When I first asked myself if I knew how to draw insects, I dived straight in and started drawing. I knew that was the only way I'd get a straight answer.

I'm quite happy with these insect drawings.

I thought the grasshopper had the highest degree of difficulty.

I don't really know why, it doesn't look hard to draw, does it?

However, I noted on my sketchpad that it was the hardest to draw because those types of notes are good for future reference.

The grasshopper was the final sketch I completed for my project of creating some pencil drawings of insects.