Summer is the time for observing many different kinds of insects. I know there are probably other species that seem cuter and more accessible, but maybe none that is stranger. When I pause to sketch insects, I never stop to think about how weird they truly are, and what their world must look like with their senses.
And I have the feeling that many science fiction authors and shows have missed huge opportunities at creating something truly alien by studying and taking inspiration from the insect world for their alien species or spaceships. Insects are just weird and wonderful creatures.
So today I want to share just a quick page of small bugs and crawlies that I sketched after working in the garden. There are a lot of bugs and other kinds of arthropods like millipedes doing their thing closely above the ground. Arthropods are by definition “invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton”, so critters that don’t have a spine and carry their bones around on the outside. Just imagine having a shell like that.
Sketching these small animals involves a lot of careful observation. Insects like bees and bugs have a body that’s made of three parts: head, thorax and abdomen. You can usually see the different parts quite well, and the variety in how they’re formed and colored is almost infinite. The legs attach from the thorax, and move in defined patterns.
If you don’t like sketching bugs, then try starting with some of the nicer looking insects, like butterflies. I have done a whole sketching video series about butterflies, they’re beautiful, fascinating creatures.
Sketching insects will make you realize how different and intriguing they are, what awesome patterns and body shapes they have, and what a weird existence they must lead.
On my page, I’ve encountered different beetles, a wasp, a small bee fly with a furry body, and a millipede that rolled up in a circle when I disturbed it. I first did a pencil sketch, then added color back at home with watercolor and colored pencil. I didn’t sketch the bugs true to size, or even in proportion to each other, so I did add information about their size later.
P.S. The other day I’ve also shared a quick video on how to get all the paint out of your paint tubes – if you enjoy quick techniques and tips like that and would like to see more, let me know what specific questions you have! And make sure to subscribe to my channel on Youtube, since I don’t always post all my new videos here on the blog.
